Write the substance and explanation of the poem entitled Stopping

Write the substance and explanation of the poem entitled Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Ans.

Substance of the Poem

The poet as a traveler was going on the back of his horse. He happened to pass by woods on a snowy evening. The woods were lovely, dark and deep. The woods and the scene of the evening with flaking snow were so fascinating and charming that the heart of the traveler was captivated. He wanted to stop there in order to watch the woods and the lake filled up with snow. But his little horse thought it queer to stop there without any farm house for rest. So it gave his bells a shake to ask his master if there was some mistaking on his part. The poet became at once conscious of his promises which he made to himself and others. After being determined, the traveler resumed his journey in order to reach his destination and fulfil his promises before going to sleep.

Explanations

(1) My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the poem entitled Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost.

While passing through the dark and dense forest on a snowy evening, the poet feels highly attracted to the enchanted beauty of the woods. In fact the poet is lost in the beautiful sights of nature and is also forgetful to his duty. His horse reminds him of his duty and promises made for himself and others.

Explanation: The poet as a traveler was highly fascinated by the enchanting beauty of the woods and snowfall and he extremely wished to enjoy the beautiful sights of nature. He intended to stop there in the middle of his journey without reaching his destination and fulfilling his promises made to himself and others. The poet surmised that his little horse must have been a little puzzled at his stopping in such a desolate place where there was no farmhouse nearby. His horse must have felt surprise for it was not proper place to take rest in a snowy evening, but the poet stopped there. On one side where the poet took a halt, was a lake whose water had frozen and on the other side there was dark and dense woods. In utter surprise the horse wanted to know the cause of the poet’s halt.

Critical Comments: 1. The poet introduces a foil. Here the foil is the horse.

2. The horse here also stands for rustic common sense.

3. The horse also symbolises power and determination.

4. Evening is the symbol of the advancing age or old age.

5. There is sensuous word picture.

(2) The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Reference to the Context: As above. While passing through dark and dense forests on a snowy evening, the poet as a traveler is attracted by the beauty of woods and other natural sights. He stops for a while to enjoy the natural charms. His horse shakes his bells to remind the poet of his duty that the journey of many miles is to be covered to reach the destination.

Explanation: The forest was dark and dense and therefore looked beautiful. But then, despite of the charming attraction of nature the poet was reminded of his duty, which he had to perform. He at once decided to turn his mind, heart and eyes from the attraction of the woods for the sake of his duty. He thought that if he entered the woods, he would be lost. Then, it would become very difficult for him to get out of it for the forest was very dark. Much of his time would be wasted. It was a dark evening. Before night he had to cover a long distance to reach the destination. He had to keep his promises made to himself and others. Thus he had to travel far miles before taking rest. If he stayed at that place in the middle of the way, he would not be successful in his object and his promises would be broken. After being determined not to waste a single moment in watching the natural objects, he resumed his journey.

Critical Comments: 1. Journey symbolises life whereas sleep is symbol of death.

2. The duty is symbolised by promises and Heaven is symbolised by destination.