by Robert Frost
Seek contentment in little, simple things. There is always a glimpse of hope amidst the dark.
“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there is life, there is hope.” - Stephen Hawking
Answer the following questions:
1) What is a “dust of snow”?
What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
‘Dust of snow’ means very fine or tiny particles of snow. There was a sudden shower of dust of snow on poet from a hemlock tree. This changed his mood from sad to happy. He thought that he could now enjoy the remaining of his day which he regretted earlier.
2) How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.
i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?
The poets usually use the birds that are beautiful or have a nice voice like peacock, cuckoo, pigeon or nightingale. Robert Frost chooses a crow here in this poem to create a negative atmosphere of sadness. The crow is black in color and has a very harsh voice. It is also believed to be a bad omen in some cultures.
ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
Hemlock tree is a poisonous tree with small white flowers. Robert Frost does not use any of the beautiful trees such as maple, or an oak, or a pine as they would not match the mood of the narrator. To give us a sense of sad feelings and bad mood, Frost uses a hemlock tree.
iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent — joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
The ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent the sad feelings and a bad mood of sorrow.
The ‘dust of snow’ that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stands for the little things in life that make us happy. They might be a smile of a baby, an affectionate hug, a gentle touch of a loved one, reassuring words by someone, a small favor or a simple act of kindness. These little things hold huge importance in our life and help us get out of our bad moods and sorrow.
Poem Analysis:
* Rhyme Scheme:
ABAB CDCD
*Form:
Notice that the whole poem is just one sentence divided across two stanzas.
* Figures of Speech:
1) Alliteration:
has given my heart
saved some part
2) Metaphor:
tiny particles of snowflakes compared with dust
3) Assonance:
In stanza 1, vowel sound of 'o' is prominent in the words 'on', 'from', 'hemlock'.
4) Enjambment:
The sentence continues in the next line without any use of punctuation mark. Here, the entire poem is just 1 sentence spread across 8 lines.
5) Contrast:
Snow (white and pure) contrasted with Crow (black and inauspicious)
6) Imagery:
Visual imagery (Scenic description of the snowy landscape, the crow, and the hemlock tree)
7) Synecdoche: Click to hear how to pronounce this 🔊
'Heart' represents the entire person here.
8) Symbolism:
Snow – to represent negativity, as where there is snow, there is no vegetation, no flowers.
Hemlock tree – a poisonous tree with white flowers used to match with the bad mood and sad feelings of the narrator
Crow – a bird black in color and with a harsh voice, used here to convey the negative mood and sorrow
Dust of Snow – particles of snow that give a pleasant feeling when they fall on us, represents the little things in life that make us happy.
Mind-map of Analysis
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