Death in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Essay

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - A Stop for Death Everyone feels burdened by life at some point. Everyone wishes they could just close their eyes and make all the problems and struggles of life disappear. Some see death as a release from the chains and ropes with which the trials and tribulations of life bind the human race. Death is a powerful theme in literature, symbolized in a plethora of ways. In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eve Robert Frost uses subtle imagery, symbolism, rhythm and rhyme to invoke the yearning for death that the weary traveler of life feels. When the speaker in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eve pauses for a moments rest, he does not do so on a simple evening, but on the darkest evening†¦show more content†¦Winter is a time of cold, when forests die and animals hide from the shrieking winds and biting cold. Winter is a time for survival against the odds. How apt that the speaker is struggling against the lovely, dark and deep woods to remember that he has miles to go before [he] sleep[s]. The easy wind calls to him, and the downy flake beckons him to a comfortable sleep. If the speaker had paused on a bright summer day, the sleep might be just a short rest, but the poem is set on the darkest evening of the year while the woods fill up with snow, and any rest taken in the lovely, dark and deep woods would result in the eternal sleep of death (474). Sleep is another common symbol for death, and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is filled with the essence of sleep. Every element of the poem works together to create a lullaby effect, calling the speaker and reader to a lovely, dark and deep sleep (474). The gentle imagery of the downy soft snow and easy wind, combined with the cadence and meter of the poem creates a lulling, rocking, soothing effect. The AABB rhyme scheme and the iambic quatrameter create a lullaby feeling, easing the reader in to a comfortable sleep. The last two lines act as a slap in the face. Every element works toward death, and the speaker almost slips into eternal rest. One can see him, putting theShow MoreRelatedStopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening1556 Words   |  7 Pagesis present in Frost’s poem, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,† from the 1928 collection, West-Running Brook. Here, Frost creates a good example of a Rubaiyat stanza that is broken into four sections totaling sixteen lines. From the moment we meet the narrator, we are aware that his persona is suspicious, from his inspections of the winter surrounding, to the focus on his odd behavior and the final reminder of a plan. What â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† deeply concerns is found inRead MoreAnalysis of Acquainted with the Night and Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening1471 Words   |  6 Pagespoems â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† written by Ro bert Frost are very similar to each other because of the simplistic form of language used and the uses of metaphors. When we first read the poem, it looks like an ordinary poem but once we go in depth and understand the meaning, it becomes so much more. Both of the poem has a very dark, gloomy and lonely setting with a really mysterious tone. There are different metaphors used in each poem to symbolize death; â€Å"Sleep†Read MoreStopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening And Desert Places922 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Desert Places† are complementary works which coincide with the naturesque elements most commonly ascribed to Frost. The two poems were published over a decade apart in a period after the first World War where feelings of lack of community and self-worth had grown in precedents amongst the general public. The early years of Frost’s literary career were spent on his poultry farm in De rry, New Hampshire as he toiled his land. Although FrostRead MoreStopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening1415 Words   |  6 Pagesminutes, there is a life lost in the United States due to suicide. This killer that accounts for over 38,000 deaths per year is often triggered by feelings of helplessness and the inability to cope (Suicide Facts). Many people who suffer from feelings of self-despair mistakenly believe that ending their lives is the antidote to their pain. Robert Frost’s poems, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,† â€Å"The Road Not Taken,† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† each have distinct moods and messages, but theyRead MoreLife Choices in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening970 Words   |  4 Pagesand â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† both portray weighing of choices in life. The former is about youth and experiencing life and the latter is about old age, or more probably, a n old spirit wearied by life. In both poems the speaker is in a critical situation where he has to choose between two paths in life. In â€Å"The Road Not taken† the speaker chooses the unconventional approach to the decision making process, thus showing his uniqueness and challenging mentality while in â€Å"Stopping by WoodsRead MoreAnalysis Of Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening By Robert Frost1405 Words   |  6 Pagesdarkness; â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,† a seemingly simple glimpse into the beauty of a winter night, is in both content and form a metaphor for the contemplation of suicide. The title of the poem suggests a familiarity, with the narrator â€Å"stopping by† the woods, a neighborly phrase that suggests that he has been in this place before (Saunders). The woods symbolize death and oblivion, and as such, it’s implied that this is not the first time that the narrator has considered death and takingRead MoreThe Use of Literary Devices in Robert Frosts Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening800 Words   |  4 PagesThe Use of Literary Devices in Robert Frosts Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening In Robert Frosts poem. â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.† the speaker uses literary devices to show the reader the poems meaning. Symbolism plays an important role in this poem. Robert Frost uses symbolism to show the correlation between the woods and village with heaven. Mythological symbolism is also found in this poem. when the speaker talks about the lake. it is a reference to Hel in Norse MythologyRead MoreThree Elements Of Robert Frost Poetry1145 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscussion of depression, darkness, and death (as appears in â€Å"Out, Out—† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night†), which issues from Frost’s own experiences after his 3-year-old son, mother, and grandfather died within two years of each other (Burnshaw). The third is a juxtapositioning of opposing ideas or choices (as appears in â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Fire and Ice†). All three elements coincide in what is arguably Frost’s most ce lebrated poem, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening†. At first glance, the poem seemsRead MoreEssay on Robert Frosts Life and Accomplishments1244 Words   |  5 Pagesof life. These poems help to show people just some of the difficult things that will be faced in life, despite everything done to prevent them from happening. In particular, his poems â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay,† â€Å"Fire and Ice,† and â€Å"Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,† incorporate this meaning into them while on the surface, they seem like just simple poems about nature. After a closer look into Frost’s life, it can be determined that he had a whirlwind of experiences, both positive and negativeRead MoreRobert Frost: A Poet To Remember Essay1004 Words   |  5 Pagesmeanings in his poetry. To the literal mind, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening might actually be about the character of the poem stopping near some woods while it was snowing. Almost expectedly, Frosts poem goes much deeper than that. 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. This excerpt is from the last verse in Frosts poem, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. One with a literal mind might possibly