Happy winter solstice!
Contemplating liberty through Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Taking place on “the darkest evening of the year,” Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a beautiful poem to read on the winter solstice.
Some discussion questions and notes follow the poem:
“Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening
Where is the speaker when he narrates the poem? What do the woods symbolize?
The speaker is in a space “without a farmhouse near” that is located “between the woods and frozen lake.” The distance from any farmhouse signifies that the speaker is outside of civilization, and it is not clear if the rules and conventions of civilization apply. Could the speaker disregard societal conventions and expectations in that space? Are the woods a place of liberty?
Who is “he” in the poem?
“He” seems to be an owner of the woods, but he is noted for his absence, which might give the speaker more freedom: “Whose woods these are I think I know/His house is in the village though;/He will not see me stopping here/To watch his woods fill out with snow.”
Is the speaker working for the absent “he?” Is the speaker on an errand that must be completed as soon as possible? Is it wrong of the speaker to stand idly and watch the woods fill out with snow? How would “he” react if he saw the speaker?
But who owns the woods? Could “he” be God instead of a human land owner? Could “promises” be a reference to the covenant between humans and God? Could his house in the village be a house of worship? If so, does God want the speaker to study and contemplate “the book of nature” and connect to God directly by mindfully being in the woods, away from civilization, or does God want the speaker to get on his way to the village and rejoin civilization, fulfilling his work obligations and promises?
What conflict might the speaker be experiencing?
The word “though” introduces tension between the woods and the village (His house is in the village though).
The speaker seems to be drawn to the woods as a source of beauty, meaning and spirituality. And yet, the speaker has “promises to keep” that seem to indicate that staying outside of civilization might not be possible.
How does the horse contribute to the speaker’s conflict?
The horse is anthropomorphized; it is described as having human characteristics. The horse is not a wild horse. The horse comes across as a working horse who is not a kindred spirit to the liberty-loving speaker. The horse is harnessed, and, unlike the speaker, he does not seem to question social conventions or feel the need to deviate from them. The speaker might be somewhat apologetic when he observes, “My little horse must think it queer/To stop without a farmhouse near/Between the woods and frozen lake/The darkest evening of the year.” The horse seems to be an animal well trained to follow convention, perhaps even judgmental toward or confused about human animals who do not simply follow the herd. The horse wants to do his work efficiently: “He gives his harness bells a shake/To as if there is some mistake.” The horse’s noisy reminder to not stray away from civilization disrupts the quiet serenity of nature: “The only other sound’s the sweep/Of easy wind and downy flake.” The speaker is so attuned to nature that he can even hear the downy snow falling. Have you ever heard snow falling?
What are the sources of vagueness in the poem? How might the poem illustrate the difference between technical writing and poetic writing?
This poem could never stand as technical writing because it is full of productive vagueness—words that sound precise but can in fact be interpreted in many ways: who is “he?” where is “here?” What are the promises? These are details that a technical report would have to specify clearly.
An engineering report could never say that the road we build will run for “many miles.” But in the poem, “miles to go before I sleep” is rich and evocative, making the last stanza wonderful for memorization and recitation. Does “miles to go before I sleep” refer to a literal task or journey that must be completed by a specified deadline? Does it refer to death? Is the speaker drawn toward death, toward eternity?
How does the poem help you to understand and experience your own liberty?
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep:” Do you perceive the woods as welcoming or menacing?
Does the poem make you feel like retreating to the woods? How much time and energy should we spend in the woods—literal and metaphorical—compared to civilization?
What are our obligations toward civilization? Toward nature?
Does knowledge come from the village or from the woods?
What promises must we keep, which journeys must we travel, this winter?
Happy winter solstice!