STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

                                                          -Robert Frost

Read the following lines and answer the following questions.

1. He will not see me stopping here

    To watch his woods fill up with snow.

a. Who does ‘he’ refer to?

‘He’ refers to the owner of the woods.

b. Identify the season with these lines

The line ‘woods fill up with snow’ shows that it is winter season.

2. My little horse must think it queer

    To stop without a farmhouse near

a. Who is the speaker?

Robert Frost is the speaker.

b. Why should the horse think it queer?

There is no farmhouse nearby. But the horse rider has stopped his horse there. So the horse thinks it queer.

c. Pick out the rhyming words.

queer- near

3. He gives his harness bells a shake

    To ask if there is some mistake.

a. Whom does ‘he’ refer to in these lines?

‘He’ refers to the little horse.

b. Why does ‘he’ give his harness bells a shake?

He gives his harness bells a shake to ask if the poet had stopped the horse there by mistake.

c. How does the horse communicate with the poet?

The horse communicates with the poet by shaking the bells in the harness.

4. The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

    But I have promises to keep

a. How are the woods?

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

b. Who does ‘I’ refer to?

‘I’ refers to the poet.

c. What are the promises the speaker is talking about?

The promises are responsibilities the speaker has to fulfil.

5. And miles to go before I sleep,

    And miles to go before I sleep.

a. Why the poet has used the same line twice?

The poet has repeated the last line to stress the fact that he has to fulfil his responsibilities before his death.

b. Explain: miles to go before I sleep

It means that in the journey of life the poet has to fulfil many responsibilities before his death.

Summary

After a long travel the poet entered a wood. He wondered to whom the wood belonged! He realized that the owner of the wood lived in a village. He thought that the owner would not be able to see him stopping in his woods to watch snow fill the woods. The poet felt that the horse would think it very strange to stop near the woods as he had never stopped. He was actually standing between the woods and frozen lake. The time was evening. The horse indicated that the poet has made a mistake by shaking its head. The poet felt that the woods are lovely, dark and deep. He suddenly realized that he had worldly duties which would not allow him to stop in the woods for a long time.

Answer the questions in two or three sentences.

1. What information does the poet highlight about the season and the time of the day in the poem?

It is winter season. It is evening time. As it is winter season the evening is the darkest of the year.

2. In which way is the reaction of the speaker different from that of the horse? What does it convey?

The poet stops and looks at the woods. For him the woods are lovely, dark and deep. But the horse does not see the beauty of the woods. He couldn’t see any farmhouse nearby. So he wonders why the rider has stopped him there.

3. What are the sounds heard by the poet?

The poet hears the sound of bells in the harness, the sound of gentle breeze and the sound of the falling snowflakes.

4. The poet is aware of two choices. What are they? What choice does he make ultimately?

The poet should stop and watch the woods. Or he should go on with his journey. Ultimately he decides to leave the place and continue his journey.

5. Pick out words from the poem that bring to mind peace and quiet.

a) Woods fill up with snow

b) Frozen lake

c) The darkest evening

d) Easy wind

e) Downy flake

f) Lovely, dark and deep

g) Sleep