Page 89 - DENG105_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_II

Elective English–II

Notes similar to the magical phrase, “If I can’t see them, they can’t see me,” uttered by Haley
Joel Osment in the movie Sixth Sense.
• This line also tells us that the speaker has stopped, that he’s hanging out at the moment.

Line 4
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
• Our speaker is a total rebel. He’s hardcore trespassing so that he can…watch the snow
fall?
• Yes, he has stopped in order to take a gander at snow falling on cedars.

Stanza 2

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.
Explanation: The speaker emphasizes that he has no practical reason to stop, that he is stopping
for the beauty of the scene only. However, in line 8, an element of darkness appears, which
can indicate that all is not well. Because the speaker also emphasizes the cold with “frozen
lake,” readers begin to understand that the poem may not be a simple lighthearted celebration
of nature.
Line 5

My little horse must think it queer
• Our speaker is not alone! He has a horse, and this horse is little. Maybe a pony.
• The speaker and his little horse probably spend a lot of time together, because our
speaker is totally able to read the little horse’s mind.

• He imagines that his horse is thinking that things are a little strange right now.
Line 6
To stop without a farmhouse near
• Our speaker continues to read his horse’s mind, and imagines the horse is thinking
something along the lines of, “Who are we, why are we stopping here? We’re in the
middle of nowhereville. Where’s my dinner? I don’t know about you, but I’m cold.
There isn’t even a farmhouse close by – what’s going on?”
• The fact that our speaker even attempts to figure out what his horse is thinking shows
that he’s a caring kind of guy, and that he’s aware that stopping in the middle of some
snowy woods is kind of a random thing to do.

Line 7
Between the woods and frozen lake
• Now we get the 411 on just where, exactly, the speaker and his horse have stopped: they
are currently hanging out between the woods and the “frozen lake,” so they must be on
a little patch of snowy shoreline with dark trees to one side and a glossy, ice-covered
lake to the other.

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