Write the critical appreciation of the poem entitled Stopping by

Write the critical appreciation of the poem entitled Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Ans.

Introduction

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is one of the most moving of Frost’s lyrics. It moves us as unobtrusively as it conveys to us the profundity of its thought. It has been analyzed, explicated and dissected in various ways. It is as good as T. S. Eliot’s Waste Land. It is one of the best-known poems of the twentieth century. It is this lyric that appealed to the late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and guided and inspired him to be constantly on the move, adhering to his duties. Perhaps this lyric and especially the last stanza of the poem contributed a large show in the making Nehru, the colossus of a man-who was essentially human and served humanity till his last moment of life. Undoubtedly it is highly inspiring poem. Introducing woods, snowy evening, horse and sleep as symbols, the poet inspires the sense of duty in all human beings.

Thought-Content

The traveler going on a horse happened to pass by woods on a snowy evening. The woods were so lovely, dark and deep that they captivated his eyes and heart. Though it was a snowy and extremely dark evening, he wanted to stop there to watch the lake and the woods fill up with snow. But his little horse thought it queer to stop there without any farmhouse for rest. So he gave his bells a shake to ask his master if there was some mistaking on his part. His master was at once reminded of his promises he made to himself and others. He resumed his journey in order to get his destination and fulfil his promises before going to sleep.

The Use of Symbols

The dark woods symbolize the dark, impenetrable, unfathomable mystery of life. Snow as usual symbolizes the cold destructive force called death. The village is symbol of heaven and his friend symbolizes God. The horse is symbolic of power and determination. Lake is symbolic of wishes and desires. Frozen lake naturally symbolizes suppressed desires. Evening is the symbol of the advancing age or old age. Wind and its sweep symbolize death. Downy flakes symbolize dead people. The horse also stands for rustic common sense without any feelings, emotions and provocations of nature. It is the horse that sets us thinking as to why the man stopped there in the midst of the jungle, far from the essential amenities required for maintenance of human life. The repetition of the line ‘And miles to go before I sleep’ is poignantly symbolic. ‘Miles to go’ and ‘sleep’ are suddenly transformed into symbols. ‘Miles to go’ perhaps assumes the dimensions of the tedious, seemingly unending journey of life and ‘sleep’ symbolizes the final sleep-death.

Sensuous Word Picture

A highly sensuous word picture of nature is drawn by Robert Frost in this poem. He paints a lively picture of woods on a snowy evening:

“To watch his woods fill up with snow.”

The lake is frozen in the darkest evening of the year.

“Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.”

The shaking of the bells produces a tinkling sound. But a natural sound of easy wind may also be heard:

“The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.”

Form and Diction of the poem

The poem consists of four stanzas, each stanza having four lines. Each line of the poem is octosyllabic. All the stanzas of the poem are interlinked. In the first stanza, the first, second and fourth lines have the same rhyme in the end. The third line of this stanza rhymes with the first, second and fourth lines of the second stanza. The third line of the second stanza rhymes with the first, second and fourth lines of the third stanza. The third line of the third stanza rhymes with all the lines of the last stanza. Thus all the stanzas of the poem are interlocked with the help of end rhymes.

The poem is very simple, lyrical and musical. The words culled for the purpose are simple soft, sweet and monosyllabic. The best example is the following stanza of the poem :

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

And miles to go before I sleep.”

A Poem of Superb Craftsmanship

On a surface reading, it appears to be simple, descriptive record of close minute observation, a series of homely but vivid pictures. On a critical scrutiny of the poem, layers of meanings unfold before us. The poem achieves its climax of responsibility in the last stanza-the promises to be kept, the obligations to be fulfilled. Finding difficult words in the poem is a Herculean task because the poet has used the simplest vocabulary, that comes handy even to the common reader. Almost all the words used in the poem are monosyllabic or bisyllabic. The over simplicity is only a contrasting encrustation for the immense profundity of thought that it contains. This is deeply meditative poem. It is rare blend of homely music and significance.