Lesson 1.2 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Lesson 1.2 > Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Glossary
| queer (adj.) | strange, odd |
| woods (n.) | forest |
| harness (n.) | straps and fittings by which a horse is fastened to a cart or carriage |
| frozen (adj.) : | in ice form |
| sweep (v.) : | soft, gentle sound |
| downy (adj.) | feather-like |
| flake (n.) | a small piece of something |
Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.
1. He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
(i) Who does he ‘refer’ to?
He refers to the owner of the forest.
(ii) Identify the season with these lines
It is a winter season.
2. My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
(i) Who is the speaker?
The poet is the speaker.
(ii) Why should the horse think it queer?
The horse thought it queer because there was no farmhouse near.
(iii) Pick out the rhyming words:
The rhyming words are : “queer, near”
3. He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
(i) Whom does ‘he’ refer to in these lines?
He refers to the horse.
(ii) Why does he give his harness bells a shake?
He gives his harness bells a shake to ask the master if there is some mistake.
(iii) How does the horse communicate with the poet?
The horse communicates with the sound of the harness bells.
4. The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
(i) How are the woods?
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
(ii) Who does ‘I’ refer to?
“I” refers to the poet.
(iii) What are the promises the speaker is talking about?
The poet is talking about his commitments in life.
5. And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
i. Why has the poet repeated the last line?
The poet has repeated the last line to show the regrets that he is unable to enjoy the beauty of the forest filled with snow.
ii. Explain: miles to go before I sleep
The poet reminds himself of his duties he has to do before he goes to Sleep. Sleep symbolizes daily sleep and eternal sleep which is death.
B. Write down the summary of the poem by filling in the blanks.
After a long travel the poet entered a forest. He wondered to whom the wood belonged! He realized that the owner of the wood lived in a village. He was happy that the owner would not be able to see him stopping in his woods to watch the snow fill the woods. The poet felt that the horse would think it very strange to stop near the woods as he had never before. He was actually standing between the woods and frozne 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 responsiblilites which would not allow him to stand in the woods for a long time
C. 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?
Winter season is highlighted and the time is said to be a dark evening.
2. In which way is the reaction of the speaker different from that of the horse? What does it convey?
The speaker, enjoys the scene of the snow-filled woods but the horse finds it strange to stop in the woods without a farmhouse near in the dark evening.
3. What are the sounds heard by the poet?
The poet hears the soft, gentle sound of the breeze. He also hears the sound of the falling snowflakes, apart from the sound of bells in the harness.
4. The poet is aware of two choices. What are they? What choice does he make ultimately?
The two choices are whether to stay and watch the woods filled with snow or to return to his village. The poet’s choice was to go to his village.
5. Pick out words from the poem that bring to mind peace and quite.
“The woods fill up with snow’, “the darkest evening, easy wind”, “downy flakes’, “lovely dark and deep”.
E. Identify the rhyme scheme used in each stanza. One example has been done for you.
| Stanza | Rhyme Scheme |
| 1 | aaba |
| 2 | bbcb |
| 3 | ccdc |
| 4 | dddd |
F. Complete the table by identifying lines, against the poetic devices from the poem. One example is done for you.
| Poetic device | Lines from the poem |
| Alliteration | watch his woods |
| Personification | My little horse must think it queer, to ask if there is some mistake. |
| Repetition | And miles to go before I sleep. |
| Imagery | The darkest evening of the year. Of easy wind and downy flake. |
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