Techniques of a Frost Poem
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost is a poet who often expresses himself through his poems. His poems use simple, unsophisticated ideas, but underneath, he conveys real meaning. One such poem is ?Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.?
On the surface level, the narrator is telling us about a time when he roasted awhile and watched the woods in wintertime. There is a deeper meaning than this, though, The poet is also talking about the beauty of nature. ?The woods are lovely, dark and deep.? he says. He also tells us that life is a too hectic and fast-paced to be able to enjoy these simple pleasures anymore. The horse ?asks if there is some mistake,? indicating that there is something out of the ordinary about resting and watching the nature around the rider, and the words ?But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.? indicates what he really want to do is watch, but he is bound by promises and the need for shelter to continue.
Robert Frost uses various techniques to reinforce the message outlined in stanza one. One of these is rhyme. The poem uses and unusual rhyme scheme thus: AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD. Each stanza(with the exception of the last) has one line rhyme with the next stanza?s dominant rhyme. This scheme links the stanzas together and makes the poem seem harmonious in conveying meaning. The effect of this one the reader is that the time spent in the woods was really too short. In the last stanza, all of the lines rhyme, thus deviating from the rhyme pattern of earlier stanzas. In fact, the last line is a repetition of the hardline: ?And miles to go before I sleep.? When the third line is repeated, it have the effect of slowing the tempo right down. This can actually lead us to think ?sleep.?
Frost also uses the technique of alliteration to convey images of the events occurring. The line ?Of easy wind and downy flask? is one example of this. The y sounds in easy and downy have the effect of slowing down the tempo somewhat. The ?easy wind? suggests not only through the words, but the sounds also, a gentle, slow moving wind, apart from the fast paced hurricane of real life. The ?downy flak? presents a soft, light snowfall, again, very peaceful. The line ?the woods are lovely, dark and epee? has alliteration in the d sounds of dark and eel. This makes the words stand out in our minds. Dark and deep are two words that can be applied to peaceful sleep, and two lines down, it in creases the effect of the words by actually using the words sleep: ?and miles to go before I sleep.?
The poem is about the beauty of nature. The poem, however, is about the beauty of nature in calm condition?s There is a light wind, and mild snowfall. It is a pleasant day for winter. But it could have equally been a fierce storm, with gale force winds and many feet of snow cover. It is after all, the middle of winter: ?the darkest evening of the years.? Instead of the author admiring nature, he might have been cursing and cruising it. One meaning we may draw from this is that Nature smiles on those who admire her.
In conclusion, Robert Frost increases then enjoyment of his good poems through the use of literary techniques. As these techniques make the poem ?real? for us., we learn more about the places Frost writes to us from. Knowledge is power, and if, through a poem, we get both enjoyment and knwol3edge, then the poem is a good one indeed.
