UNIT III LS 1. Because I Could Not Stop for Death – EMILY DICKINSON

Because I Could Not Stop for Death

• – EMILY DICKINSON

Because I Could Not Stop for Death is one of the most admired poems of Emily Dickinson. The greatest charm of the poem is in its ambiguity and the elusive nature of the heart of the meaning of the poem. The poem inspires more doubts than can be answered and therefore lends itself to multiple interpretations. The poem is indeed a challenge to the critical insights of the reader. Because of its multiple layers of its significance and the scope, the poem offers for further exploration of newer layers of meaning, it has attracted a good number of great critics.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

The speaker of the poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson is a girl whose marriage proposal has been confirmed. Her fiancé (the boy fixed for the marriage) is dead. She and her fiancé are going out for a ride in a cart pulled by a horse. First, she describes the scenery on the journey and then expresses her idea that she had not yet started her real and married life but the life of eternity. The idea is that this life is only a wait before an everlasting life begins: according to Christianity, good people will live forever in heaven after dying from this life. But, since Dickinson says that she is in love with death, the idea is rather complicated. In simple words, we may say that this poem is a poem of ‘suicidal feelings’.

In a bold and striking fashion, Emily Dickinson personifies death as a lover, kind and civil who stops at the house of his beloved to give her a courteous ride. The carriage has three characters, life represented by the beloved, Death and his inevitable companion, Immortality. The carriage drives forward its journey is a journey from life to death and ultimately to eternity. The hectic life and its setting in time and space, symbolized by the school children playing in the ring: the fields of gazing grain and the setting sun are left behind (presumably to the living), as the carriage moves forward. In the next phase of the journey, the carriage pauses before the house of death symbolized by the ‘swelling of the ground’ (grave). The last stanza speaks of eternity towards which the horse’s heads have turned. Thus the three characters in the carriage. Life, Death and Immortality are represented by the three phrases of their journey presented in the structure of the poem.

The poem ‘Because I could not Stop for Death’ deals with the poet’s desire to leave her physical life in this world and begin the eternal spiritual life of the soul. For this, the speaker of the poem assumed Death as her fiancé. She has been engaged to death, and she is impatiently waiting for uniting with him, so as to begin her endless life. On the way to death, the speaker realized that her life before marriage (or death) is temporary, and the real life will only begin after that; in the eternal journey of the soul. She feels eager and impatient like a bride before marriage to access the path of the eternal journey of death.

The poem is a narrative one. It ends with the narrator’s commentary about waiting, or life. The journey (or drive) she made with her partner Death is an allegory of life. The carriage held the narrator and Death, and also immortality. This means that she is living a life (journey) with the certainty of death and also an immortal soul in her. She brings both of them along with her. After death, the married life would begin and extend to eternity. The short journey has parts: early, they passed a school which symbolizes childhood; then they went past a field which must stand for work, maturity and necessity; then they came to a grave with the setting of the sun. The grave reminds the narrators of her own marriage with death. The grave is a “Swelling of the Ground” under which must be a room for the body to rest. The surface looked like a roof to the house of the dead. There they paused for a while. The narrator realized the reality of this short life journey. Since then, it has been like a century of waiting for the right moment. She wants the wedding with Death very soon. She wants to live the life after that. Her gown and clothes are ready and she has put aside her labor as well as leisure. She is not willing to go on with the busy and the meaningless humdrum of this life.

The first line, which also makes the title now, is an odd one. The speaker, like any human being, cannot wait death on her choice. That is the fact and quite true, so we live until death waits for us. Life is a short span of time that death allows. As Dickinson would say, the real life will begin after death. The horse is time that pulls the narrator and her companions. That is “turned toward Eternity’. This means time is of two types: the time of our temporary life on earth and the eternal time of the soul. All this is rather religious and not agreeable to all people. Besides, the whole idea is rather pessimistic even to a devout religious person. But the poem is remarkable is its style and metaphor.

The style and form of the poem is also unique. The capital letters mark the emphasis to be given in words. The pauses also mark special emphasis and tones where demanded. The technique is Dickinson’s original technique. There are also strange phrases like “Gazing Grain.” This is a personification of the grain and the projection of human emotion into it. The poem is unique for both its style and its treatment of love and death as the same.

Because I could not stop for Death Analysis

Stanza 1

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality

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In Emily Dickinson’s poem Because I could not Stop for Death, the author personifies death, portraying him as a close friend, or perhaps even a gentleman suitor. In the first stanza, she reveals that she welcomes death when she says, “he kindly stopped for me”. The pleasant tone of the poem further suggests that the author is quite comfortable with death.

Stanza 2

We slowly drove, he knew no haste, 
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility

The carriage ride is symbolic of the author’s departure from life. She is in the carriage with death and immortality.

She reveals her willingness to go with death when she says that she had “put away…labor and…leisure too for his civility”. This further reveals that the author has come to terms with her own mortality. She has set down all she wanted to do in life, and willingly entered the carriage with Death and Immortality. She may be aware that had she not gone willingly, they would have taken her captive nonetheless, but this does not seem to alter her perception of the two characters as kind, thoughtful, and even gentle. This is portrayed as Death drives slowly for her, allowing her to reminisce. He “knew no haste” as they drove. He takes her through the course of her life with a slow and patient ride. Immortality rides along, but is silent.

 

Stanza 3

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun

They drive “passed the school where the children strove” implying that the author is generously given a few moments to remember her childhood. They then drive past the “gazing grain” allowing the author to think back upon the prime of her life. Then they pass the setting sun. This symbolizes the author’s death. The sunset is beautiful and gentle, and the passing from life to eternity is portrayed as such.

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Stanza 4

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle

There is a sudden shift in tone in the fourth stanza. Suddenly, now that the sun has set, the author realizes that she is quite cold, and she shivers. Then she becomes aware that she is under dressed. Prior to this moment of realization, the author felt quite comfortable with Death and Immortality. After all, she was riding along with them in only her “gossamer” and her “tippet only tulle”, or in other words, in only a sheer nightgown. In the first through third stanzas, the author is on close affectionate terms with Death and Immortality. Describing Death as a gentleman suitor who is kind and civil, she shows no shame at being under dressed. However, when the sun sets, and the cold damp sets in, she becomes aware of her inappropriate attire.

 

Stanza 5

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound

In her moment of realization that she has been seduced by Death, they pause before her new “home”, a “swelling of the ground”. She claims the “the roof was scarcely visible” and the “cornice but a mound”. The tone becomes one of disappointment, as the author realizes that death is not all she thought it would be. Now, as the sun has set on her life, and she is standing before her new forever home, disappointment sets in. Death was kind and gentle, like a gentleman suitor. He lured her in with grandiose promises of eternity. Now that she sees her small, damp, eternal home, she feels cheated.

 

Stanza 6

Since then ’tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity

It has now been “centuries and yet each feels shorter than a day” as life goes on without her. It has been centuries since that moment of realization, when she “first surmised” that Death had seduced her, that he had appeared a kindly gentleman at first, but had left her alone in the dark, cold, damp grave.

Line 1

Because I could not stop for Death –

• Dickinson wastes no time warming up in this poem. She immediately lets the reader know that the poem is going to be about death.
• “Because” is a clever way to begin. It immediately assumes the speaker is giving some sort of an explanation to an argument or to a question. This makes the poem seem active and alive, unlike many other poems, which sometimes take more of an observant position.
• Stating that she could not stop for death means that the speaker didn’t have a choice about when she was to die. We’ve all probably heard something like this before. Even if not, Dickinson reminds us that it’s not really up to us when we die.
• Dickinson capitalizes death, which is something she does often to nouns (sometimes without any reason). In this particular case she means to personify Death as a gentleman suitor who drives a horse-drawn carriage (personification means to give human characteristics or behavior to something that is nonhuman).
• The line ends with a dash that is both characteristic of Dickinson’s work and that really launches us into the next line. Think of it as an arrow or string, pulling you along to the next thing.

Line 2

He kindly stopped for me –

• And there it is – Death is a kind of a gentleman. Who knew?
• This line establishes the tone that most of the poem follows: one of calm acceptance about death. She’s even going to enjoy the ride!
• This is also kind of a spoiler. We have pretty good reason to believe now, by just the second line, that the speaker is going to escape this one alive.

Lines 3-4

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

• Pay attention to the line break here. Line 3 says it’s just her and Death in the carriage, but line 4 complicates that by adding immortality. The break after “Ourselves” creates an “oh, wait!” moment and holds us in suspense until we drop down to line 4.
• Be careful interpreting the capitalized nouns. We established that Dickinson personifies Death to make him a real character, but in these two lines the capitalized words probably aren’t supposed to be characters as well. Of course, it is a poem, so anything can happen. But, since Dickinson often capitalizes nouns, it’s probably safe to consider that she capitalized “Carriage,” “Ourselves,” and “Immortality” more for emphasis than anything else.
• Let’s take a look at these three important words.
• By making “carriage” a proper noun (a capitalized noun), she makes it more specific and more important. In other words, it’s not just any old carriage, it’s her Death Chariot!
• By “Ourselves” we can assume she means her and Death. The emphasis she places on the word also strengthens the relationship between the speaker and Death. It’s almost like a foreshadowing, so we know something serious is going to happen between them.
• “Immortality” is the most complicated and interesting word of these three and certainly gets us thinking. Our first instinct might be to ask, “Wait, you’re riding in a carriage with Death – don’t you mean mortality?” So this is the first hint we get that the speaker doesn’t think of death as The End, but as a step on the way to eternal life – an afterlife of some sort

Line 5

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

• They’re really taking their time getting to wherever it is they’re going.
• “He knew no haste” is an old-fashioned way of saying Death didn’t speed or hurry.
• The shift from “We” to “He” in the same line is an important one. The “We” might allow the reader to think the speaker has some control over the pace, but Dickinson quickly reminds us that “He” is the one determining the relaxed progress and that the speaker’s just along for the ride.
• While we’ve already determined that the speaker is not afraid of Death, this slow pace still creates a feeling of drawn-out suspense in the poem and keeps us wondering what might happen.

Lines 6-8

And I put away
My labor and my leisure too, 
For his Civility –

• Lines 6-7 mean that she has given up work and free time (we might assume she’s given up thinking about or worrying about them too).
• Line 8 works a couple of ways. First, we can read “For” as “because of.” So, she gave up thinking about work and play because Death is just so polite and charming that he distracted her from anything else.
• Or, we can read the “for” as “in place of.” So, similar to the first interpretation, she has given up the worries (work) and joys (leisure) of life in exchange for his graciousness. We might even guess that she is starting to feel more civil and social too.
• Either way, the speaker seems pretty content with, if not a little gaga for Death.
• If this were a first date, Death would be doing a pretty good job. She seems both happy and even a little impressed by his manners.

Line 9-10

We passed the School, where Children Strove
At Recess – in the Ring –

• Dickinson is painting a little scene of what they are riding by. If you’ve ever taken a hayride in a carriage in the fall, maybe you saw something like this too.
• They see children playing in the schoolyard during recess.
• This scene seems almost eerily normal. At first, we’re in this strange scene with death that doesn’t seem at all normal, then we’re looking at something totally familiar. Why do you think Dickinson does this? Maybe you think the mixing of the unreal and real makes the poem seem even stranger. Or maybe you think it makes death and dying seem like just another ordinary part of life.

Line 11-12

We passed the Field of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –

• More scene setting. They pass “the fields of […] grain” and “the setting sun.” When she describes the grain as “gazing” maybe she thinks the thicker tops of the grain resemble heads, or perhaps that the grain seems to stand still and just look at the carriage as it passes.
• The sun and field are much more general descriptions of the scene than the previous lines, yet might even have symbolic significance. The setting sun, for example, signifies the end of the day, but might also stand for the end of life. Ever heard of old people being in their twilight years?
• We should also notice the repeated phrase, “We passed” (in poetry-speak, a repeated word or phrase throughout a poem is called anaphora). Here it works to mimic the slow progression of the carriage. You can almost hear the echo of clomping horse hooves in the repeated phrase. So instead of feeling like this poem is at a standstill, we’re aware that it’s moving forward. It almost allows us to be a part of their journey, not just outside observers.

Line 13

Or rather – He passed Us –

• Quite literally, the sun passes her because it falls below the horizon. But, reading a little deeper into it, Dickinson suggests that maybe that’s what death is like – the sun, light, and warmth leaving you to the cold darkness that is death.
• Dickinson uses personification again as she refers to the sun. Why do you think that is? It seems the farther along in the journey they get, the farther from the living world they get. There are no other people or animals and it’s getting dark. It’s a little spooky at this point.
• The fact that the adjustment, “or rather,” is made after the stanza break only enhances the spookiness. The long pause between stanzas allows us to notice that the poem is about to make a shift away from the sunny ordinary day into something more grave (pun intended).

Lines 14-16

The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –

• “Gossamer” is used here to describe her gown as one of very thin and delicate material.
• “Tippet” is an old-fashioned shawl or shoulder cape, and this one’s made of “tulle,” which is silky and thin like gossamer.
• The dew of night is setting in because the sun has gone down. She’s now getting chilly because she isn’t wearing warm enough clothing. That thin tulle!
• The fact that she is under-dressed for this journey also reflects that she is under-prepared. This stanza echoes what we discovered in the beginning line – this is not her choice and she was not planning this trip with Death.
• Cold is something often associated with death in literature and in movies. Ever watch The Sixth Sense or read about the Dementors in Harry Potter books? So it’s no coincidence that Dickinson is lowering the temperature on us here.

Line 17-18

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –

• If we were unsure before, these lines settle everything. The speaker is going to die. Death just led her to her burial spot!
• Your first instinct when you read this might be to scream something like, “Run for your life, lady. He’s going to kill you!” But let’s not forget how at ease the speaker feels with Death and how calmly she’s faced the whole experience so far.
• The “we paused” marks the second stop in the poem. The first instance was the beginning of the journey when Death stops to pick up the speaker. So we might guess that this second stop could end their journey.
• Using the word “House” to indicate the place of burial is a clever move by Dickinson. Instead of “grave” or “tombstone,” which might stir up images of finality and death, she uses a word that we consider synonymous with “dwelling” or even “home.” Ever heard someone call a gravesite the “final resting place”? This is a subtler way to say that.
• “A Swelling of the Ground” eliminates any possibility that we might think this is not a grave. Think of a freshly-dug place where a dog hides his bone; even after he covers it up there is a little rise in the ground.

Line 19-20

The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground

• These lines continue to explain this burial house, but it gets a little tricky.
• A cornice is the pointed part of the roof, and here it’s in the ground. So if the highest part of house is in the ground, the rest of it must be too. Further grave evidence.
• What part of this burial house can the speaker actually see? It’s unclear, but she seems to know what it is and she’s OK with it. There’s no turning and running for it, as you might typically expect.

Line 21-22

Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day

• Wait a minute – this happened centuries ago?! This really throws a wrench in the whole system.
• The poem seems to be telling a recent memory, but this all actually happened a really long time ago. Meaning…yep, the speaker has been dead the whole time. Interesting.
• “Feels shorter than the Day” is just an old-fashioned way of saying something like, “feels like just yesterday.” So this memory remains vivid for the speaker.

Line 23-24

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads
Were toward Eternity –

• These final lines recall the very first time the speaker encountered the horse-drawn carriage and had a feeling that they were more than just regular horses – that they signified her journey to the afterlife.
• Ending on the image of the horse heads is really smart of Dickinson, because they jut forward and it almost looks like they’re pointing toward something. In this case, “Eternity.”
• It’s also very bold of Dickinson to end on this image because this is the first we’ve heard of the horses, and suddenly she’s asking them to hold up the most important moment of the poem.
• The final stanza is full of surprising moments for the reader. We find out the speaker has been dead for years and we’re introduced to (and left with) this striking image of the horses’ heads pushing forward.

 

UNIT IV LS 1. ENTERPRISE – NISSIM EZEKIEL

ENTERPRISE – NISSIM EZEKIEL

About the poet: Nissim Ezekiel

Nissim Ezekiel (1924 – 2004) was a Mumbai based Indian Jewish poet, playwright, actor and critic. He is often regarded as the father of modern Indian English poetry. He studied in Mumbai and also in London. His best known books include ‘Time to Change’, ‘The Discovery of India’, ‘The Unfinished Man’, ‘Hymns in Darkness’ and ‘Later Day Psalms’. He received the Sahitya Akademy Award in 1983 (for Later-Day Psalms) and Padmashri in 1988.

Introduction

The poem Enterprise written by Nissim Ezekiel describes a metaphorical journey of some enthusiastic people of which the poet is also a part. This journey can also be compared to the human condition on earth which is full of difficulties and failures. This pilgrimage is set to achieve a specific goal. The poem consists of six stanzas having five lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABABA.

Summary of Enterprise by Nissim Ezekiel

• Stanza 1

It started as a pilgrimage
Exalting minds and making all
The burdens light, The second stage
Explored but did not test the call.
The sun beat down to match our rage. 

In the first stanza, the poet says that he went on a pilgrimage along with a number of other people. All of them were quite enthusiastic so their minds were full of joy and excitement for the pilgrimage. This excitement made the burden of troubles very light. Thus all the problems and difficulties that they were yet to face seemed to be nothing before their enthusiasm. This was the first stage of their pilgrimage. This stage can be compared to the early youth of man in which he is quite innocent and unaware of the problems and failures of adulthood. With this enthusiasm and vigor, they enter the second stage of their pilgrimage. The second stage of their journey was full of troubles and difficulties. The sun that symbolizes harshness of nature was burning hot. It tried to neutralize the fire of enthusiasm that was burning in them. However, it failed to kill their burning desire. The innocence of first stage withers away in this stage.

• Stanza 2

We stood it very well, I thought ,
Observed and put down copious notes
On things the peasants sold and bought
The way of serpents and of goats.

Three cities where a sage had taught .

In this stanza, the poet says that he thought that they succeeded well in facing all the difficulties coming in their way. On their way, they kept themselves busy by noting down the things sold and bought by the farmers. They also noted down the ways of snakes and goats as well as the description of the three cities where a hermit was teaching lessons. However, they didn’t notice what he was teaching. In this stanza, the poet wants to tell how people get distracted from their goal when they are on the journey of their life. They waste their energy in doing useless things.

• Stanza 3

But when the differences arose
On how to cross a desert patch,
We lost a friend whose stylish prose
Was quite the best of all our batch.
A shadow falls on us and grows.

Soon the pilgrims reached a stage where differences of opinions arouse among them arguing about how to cross the challenging landscape. As a result of one of the members of the group, who wrote the most stylish prose and was intellectual, leaves the group and goes his own way. Thus shadow of disagreement fell onto their enterprise and continues to grow. The ego of thus people weakens the integrity of pilgrimage.

• Stanza 4

Another phase was reached when we
Were twice attacked, and lost our way.
A section claimed its liberty
To leave the group. I tried to pray .
Our leader said he smelt the sea.

Now they reach another stage of pilgrimage where they divide into groups, each attacking the other forgetting all about the aspirations that united them for pilgrimage. As a result, they lose their way. In other words, their goal and purpose of the journey are lost. Being unsatisfied with the leader some quit the group. Poet being helpless could not do anything and thus starts praying. The leader feels that they were near to the sea i.e. the destination was near.

• Stanza 5

We noticed nothing as we went ,
A straggling crowd of little hope,
Ignoring what the thunder meant, 
Deprived of common needs like soap.
Some were broken ,some merely bent.

However soon they become aware of the fact that it was a false hope from the leader as they find nothing on their way. They were now a group of aimless and hopeless wanderers. Their noble aspirations wither away. They could not hear the thundering of inner-self nor could they interpret what it meant. They were now without even petty things like soap. Being totally exhausted, some of them could not walk anymore, while some bent down with pain. Thus the enthusiasm fades away and their burden is unbearable.

• Stanza 6

When, finally , we reached the place ,
We hardly know why we were there.
The trip had darkened every face,
Our deeds were neither great nor rare.
Home is where we have to gather grace.

In this stanza, the pilgrims exhausted, tired and frustrated finally reach their destination or goal. However, there is no joy of fulfillment on their faces. Instead, they wonder why there undertook the journey as it now seems to be meaningless and unworthy of the undertaking. They forget their noble aspiration. Everyone is hopeless. None of them find anything heroic in their journey as a number of other pilgrims had already achieved the goal. For the poet, living at home with inner-satisfaction is the biggest achievement of all.  Hence the journey that started with enthusiasm ends with grief, despair, regret, and hopelessness.

 

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER OUT OF THE GIVEN OPTIONS.

1. The pilgrims stand for people who undertake a great enterprise. 

a. enterprise           b. pilgrimage            c.business

2. The villagers are see engaged in buying and selling.

a. tilling the soil       b. buying and selling           c. gossiping

3. The pilgrims see serpents  in villages.

a. frogs              b. wind-mills                 c. serpents

4. The serpents stand for evil people.

a. evil people               b. experts              c. enterprising people

5. In cities the pilgrims see sages.

a. cheats                 b. sages                  c. serpents.

6. Differences arise among pilgrims when they cross a desert.

a. river                 b. city                c. desert

7. A stylish speaker leaves the group of pilgrims.

a. stylish                b. dull              c. crude

8. At the end, the pilgrims become stragglers.

a. beggars                 b. stragglers                        c. strugglers

9. At the end the pilgrims complain that they do not get even soap.

a. soap            b. good food                c. good clothes.

10. At the end, the pilgrims are disenchanted

a. exalted               b. disenchanted         c. happy

11. In the beginning, the pilgrims were exalted.

a. disenchanted               b. happy          c. exalted

12. At the end the pilgrims think that home is the place where we have to gather grace. 

a. grace             b. money                c. food

UNIT – III LS 2. STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING – ROBERT FROST

1. STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING – ROBERT FROST

LINE WISE SUMMARY

Line 1

Whose woods these are I think I know.

• Our speaker is not the most confident person in the world. This line begins as a question, and we’re totally ready to get on board the question train, but then, halfway through the line, he switches it up.
• He wonders initially who owns “these woods.” The word thesemakes us realize that our speaker is actually near the woods in question.
• Our speaker then tells us he thinks he knows who owns these woods. Notice how he doesn’t say he knows who owns these woods; he says he thinks he knows.
• Why doesn’t our speaker say, “I think I know whose woods these are”? What would be lost or gained if the poem began with that rewritten line?

Line 2

HIS HOUSE IS IN THE VILLAGE THOUGH;

• The speaker thinks he knows the owner of woods, and this owner lives in a house in the village. Civilization, sweet, sweet civilization!
• This line tells us that there is a village around here somewhere. The word “village” reminds us of thatched roofs, smoke curling out of little chimneys, and of a few stores and homes clustered around a single main street; in other words, a village is not the most hoppin’ place in the world.
• However, our speaker is relieved that the owner of the woods is in the village – now he doesn’t have to worry about getting caught trespassing on someone else’s property.

Line 3

HE WILL NOT SEE ME STOPPING HERE

• Man, this woods-owner guy must be pretty strict if our speaker is so worried about getting caught taking a breather on his property.
• The speaker is almost trying to calm himself down and reassure himself that the owner “will not see me stopping here,” as though he believes that saying so makes it true. It’s similar to the magical phrase, “If I can’t see them, they can’t see me,” uttered by Haley Joel Osment in the movie Sixth Sense.
• This line also tells us that the speaker has stopped, that he’s hanging out at the moment.

Line 4

TO WATCH HIS WOODS FILL UP WITH SNOW.

• Our speaker is a total rebel. He’s hardcore trespassing so that he can…watch the snow fall?
• Yes, he has stopped in order to take a gander at snow falling on cedars.

Line 5

MY LITTLE HORSE MUST THINK IT QUEER

• Our speaker is not alone! He has a horse, and this horse is little. Maybe a pony.
• The speaker and his little horse probably spend a lot of time together, because our speaker is totally able to read the little horse’s mind.
• He imagines that his horse is thinking that things are a little strange right now.

Line 6

TO STOP WITHOUT A FARMHOUSE NEAR

• Our speaker continues to read his horse’s mind, and imagines the horse is thinking something along the lines of, “Whoa, why are we stopping here? We’re in the middle of nowhereville. Where’s my dinner? I don’t know about you, but I’m cold. There isn’t even a farmhouse close by – what’s going on?”
• The fact that our speaker even attempts to figure out what his horse is thinking shows that he’s a caring kind of guy, and that he’s aware that stopping in the middle of some snowy woods is kind of a random thing to do.

Line 7

BETWEEN THE WOODS AND FROZEN LAKE

• Now we get the 411 on just where, exactly, the speaker and his horse have stopped: they are currently hanging out between the woods and the “frozen lake,” so they must be on a little patch of snowy shoreline with dark trees to one side and a glossy, ice-covered lake to the other.
• It must be really cold if the lake is frozen, and we also are kind of intrigued by the fact that the speaker is not riding through the woods, but is right beside the woods.

Line 8

THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR.

• Not only is it snowy and wintry, but it’s also approaching nighttimetoo.
• Why is this speaker dilly-dallying when the light is dying and the snow is falling? A lot of people in his place would want to scurry home as fast as is humanly possible.
• Besides sounding ominous and like the preview to a horror movie, “the darkest evening of the year” makes us think of the winter solstice, which occurs in late December (in the northern hemisphere) each year when the North Pole is tilted away from the sun (maybe giving Santa a little extra leverage to start his journey?).
• It also happens to mark the beginning of winter.
• Whatever the case may be, it’s dark out and it’s getting darker by the minute. We don’t think that the speaker is the kind of guy to pack flashlights.

Line 9

HE GIVES HIS HARNESS BELLS A SHAKE

• Even though the speaker can read his little horse’s mind, the horse can’t talk back.
• So, the next best option is to shake his booty. And by shaking his booty, we mean that he shakes his harness a little. There are little bells attached to his harness, which give a nice little jingle (think Santa Claus’s sleigh).

Line 10

TO ASK IF THERE IS SOME MISTAKE.

• Again with the mind reading. Our speaker knows his horse is shaking his bells in order to “ask” his master if something is awry, is there’s a problem.
• It’s kind of like the horse is saying, “Hey, is everything OK? We’ve been standing here staring at nothing for a little while, and I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need me to keep on truckin’. I’m cool with the standing still thing, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting you.”

Line 11

THE ONLY OTHER SOUND’S THE SWEEP

• Beyond the harness bells’ shaking, the only other sound that the speaker can hear is the “sweep.”
• The word “sweep” makes us think of the sound brooms make when they sweep dust into a dustpan.
• At this point, we realize that the speaker is taking inventory of all of the sounds around him. He’s interested in sounds.

Line 12

OF EASY WIND AND DOWNY FLAKE.

• The sweeping noise comes from the slight wind and the softly falling snow.
• Have you ever listened to snow falling? It’s very, very quiet. There’s just a gentle whirr. Everything is very, very still.

Line 13

THE WOODS ARE LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP.

• Our speaker finally admits to liking the woods. We knew it all along. He’s entranced by the darkness and deepness of the woods, and he thinks they are lovely.
• Dark and deep woods are awesome in our book, but they also make us feel slightly anxious. There’s something mysterious about the maze-like nature of woods and forests.
• The point, though, is that our speaker digs these woods.

Line 14

BUT I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP,

• Our speaker begins this line with the word “but.” The word “but” makes us think that the speaker is contemplating staying in these woods rather than returning to the village to fulfill the promises he’s made.
• These promises may be things like, “I’ll be home for dinner, mom,” or they may be things like, “Let’s get married,” or “I will take care of you.”
• Regardless of whether these are big promises or little promises, our speaker flirts momentarily with the idea of breaking them, before deciding against it.

Line 15

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP,

• Rats. Our speaker really is in the middle of nowhere, because he’s still got a few miles to go before he can rest his head on his pillow. He better roll out soon.
• But we feel like we are well acquainted with that feeling of being so far away from where you need to be that it almost seems easier to just give up and hang out.

Line 16

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP.

• OK, so our speaker must really be far from home, because he feels the need to repeat the fact that he’s got miles to go.
• However, when he says the line a second time, we hear the word “sleep” more clearly than when we heard it in the line before. Maybe that’s because “sleep” has the honor of wrapping up the entire poem.
• In any case, this line makes us think of how awesome it will be for our speaker to finally rest his head on his pillow after such a long trek.

                                                   SUMMARY

Frost wrote ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snow Evening’ in 1922. It is difficult to know if there is any symbolical meaning in the poem.The poet is out on his horse for some important business and he gets to stop by the woods for some time.  He thinks to himself that he knows the owner of these woods who lives in the village. The poet is enjoying his moment in solitude where the owner cannot see him immersed in the beauty of his snow clad woods. The unequaled beauty of the magnificent scene has captivated the poet and he has stopped for some time to enjoy its beauty.

It is quite an odd place to stop by and the poet wonders what his horse must be thinking. Why his master has stopped by at such an odd looking place? There is no farmhouse close by and the evening is the darkest of the year. Why he has held the poor creature near the woods and before a frozen lake? The poem is also a means of connecting with the nature. The horse is the poet’s partner in the journey and the dumb animal cannot speak but the poet can feel its emotions.

The puzzled horse does not get any response from his master. Perhaps he is afraid or worried and shakes his harness bell in an attempt to hurry his master. The night will grow darker. In that evening any other sound that the poet can hear is only that of the wind and the falling snow flakes. Frost has captured the beauty of the nature in these lines artistically and the entire poem seems a beautiful portrait of nature. Imagine a calm evening with snowflakes falling while you stand by the woods. It pleases the nerves and clears any confusion and stress.   The solitude and the peace of the settings are the main attraction of the poem.

These woods are so lovely even if they are dark and deep that the poet cannot resist the pleasure of watching them. He wishes to stay longer at the place but cannot. He and his horse have to go miles before they can sleep. So, he will go on, but getting such a magnificent view of nature is a matchless experience in itself. He will be reminded of the scene again and again. The poem is best known for its simplicity and to find any hidden symbolical meaning in it is not possible. It still signifies the poet’s desire to break away from busy life and seek an escape somewhere closer to nature. Several poets have tried to capture nature’s beauty in their words but Frost’s poem deserves appreciation for the exquisite portrait of nature it presents.

 

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER OUT OF THE GIVEN OPTIONS.

1. The poet stops to enjoy the beauty of snowing.

a. to enjoy the beauty of snowing           b. to rest                 c. to rest the horse

2. The owner of the woods is in the village. 

a. the woods                 b. the village                 c. the city

3. the Village is unwilling to face the cold snow.

a. ill           b. old            c. unwilling to face the cold snow

4. the horse is impatient to go .

a. patient            b. impatient to go               c. sturdy

5. to show its impatience, the horse shakes its harness bells.

a. stumbles             b. kicks the poet            c. shakes its harness bells

6. the lake is frozen.

a. frozen            b. dirty              c. deep and impassable

7. the poet has ‘miles to go’.  This line symbolizes the poet’s laziness and fear of the future.

a. house far-off           b. many obligations to those around him        c. laziness and fear of the future.

8. Before I ‘sleep’. ‘Sleep’ symbolizes death.

a. rest                    b. cessation of work                     c. death

9. The many duties refer to those that the poet has to perform before death.

a. going on the tour          b. going to the native place            c. death

10. Nehru liked the last two lines of the poem.

a. Gandhi        B. Nehru                 C. Tagore.