Frosts 'stopping in the woods on snowy evening' + 'out out' Flashcards
What is frosts ‘stopping in the woods on a snowy evening’ centered around?
On the surface, this poem is simplicity itself. The speaker is stopping by some woods on a snowy evening.
He or she takes in the lovely scene in near-silence, is tempted to stay longer, but acknowledges the pull of obligations and the considerable distance yet to be travelled before he or she can rest for the night.
However the poem’s language makes it seem almost too soft + gentle, Frost is hesitant with his descriptors which creates an unsettling element to the poem.
It was written to capture the conflict between man and nature and also to highlight the difference between wishes and obligations we face in our lives.
He is not sure why he is standing aimlessly there. At the end of the poem, he becomes realistic and says the memorable words, “But I have promises to keep,/ And miles to go before I sleep.” Thus, this poem is about the journey of life and how one should always be prepared to leave the static desires to rush with the dynamics of life.
Key contextual info on Frost
Robert Frost held underlying frustration with the USA + the early 20th century + how it was playing out, there’s a lack of assurance he felt when moving to the UK to pursue his poetry, his self criticism is imbued throughout his poetry, there’s a lack of self assurance which mimics his lack of belief in himself + his poetic abilities.
He’s known for his plural settings and reframing from over complex lamagugebut utilises this simplistic language bto evoke complex philosophical theories + concepts.
Explain the key poetic + structural; devices Frost utilises within ‘stopping in the woods on a snowy evening’
The structure is consistent the entirety of the poem;
- 4 stanzas all ending in full stops + pauses perhaps of reflection.
- Has the AABA pattern known as ‘Rubaiyat chai’ form rhyme which means everything’s interlocked, a classical form of rhyme.
The isolation contrasts with the interlocking structure almost juxtaposing these two distinct ideals. It is written in iambic tetrameter with 4 blocks of unstressed, stressed syllables giving the poem + underlying unnatural easiness to it. - Enjambement
- Punctuation ie commons which change the emanating of lines for effect
- Symbolism
- Repetition
Final lines end with repetition signifying stream of contiousness + drifting.
What is Frosts ‘Out Out’ entered around?
It is published during WW1 + centred around the destruction at the hands of technology.
Its set in rural Vermont, where a young boy cutting wood with a buzz saw is called in for “supper” by his sister. But just as he turns to come in, the saw suddenly makes contact with his hand, causing an outpouring of blood that ultimately proves fatal.
This tragedy, a young boy losing his life in such a wasteful and shocking way, implicitly questions the value of life itself. Indeed, the narrator’s matter-of-fact presentation of the boy’s final moments, and the way in which everyone soon goes back to their daily business, suggests that death is a mundane fact of daily life.
The fact its written in WW1 reflects the tragic nature of war + its consequences including the dissolutionment + detachment to grief it creates. Losses of precious life occurred consistently in vast number, this is just one individual but ehres millions. It’s an unnecessary wastage of life + human beings’ unconditional worth.
Explain the key poetic + structural devices Frost utilises in ‘Out Out’
The title has connotations/ links to Shakespeare’s Macbeth + thus immediately gives the reader a sense that the poems concerning the ending or meaning of life itself or perhaps its meaningless.
- It lacks form, it possesses no rythm or rhyming which makes it feel random adding a sense of shock.
- Repetition
- Personification + humanisation of the saw
- Harsh + abrupt vocabulary
- Foreshadowing
- Allusion
