Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Flashcards
What happens in ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’?
The persona stops to watch snow falling through the trees and consider the darkness and the journey ahead.
What does the persona reflect on whilst alone in the forest?
The persona reflects on the natural world and its contrast with society. “He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake./ The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake.” The contrast between sounds in this stanza highlights the difference between the domesticated horse who has become a part of human society and the true natural world.
How is the natural world presented in ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’?
The natural world is shown to be “lovely” and yet overwhelming as suggested by the hypnotic description of “lovely, dark and deep”. The repetition of a line at the end of the stanza seems to show a kind of self reassurance as if nature had made the persona unsure.
In what way are the woods tempting and how could this be threatening?
The “dark and deep” woods make the persona linger for a while. Nature offers respite from the demands of civilised life. The threat arises because it is dark and cold and lingering could be dangerous.
How is the natural world shown to be distinctly separate form human society?
Despite knowing “whose woods these are”, the persona knows there is no one there to prevent him from trespassing. The land owner can’t control who passes by “his” land any more than he can stop the woods from “fill[ing] up with snow”
How is the metaphorical distance between society and nature shown?
By the physical distance. The persona “stop[s] without a farmhouse near”. The physical isolation indicates the imposter of conceptual structures like ownership in the first place.
