Page 96 - DENG105_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_II

Unit 7: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost—Detailed Study and Analysis

4. The poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” was inspired by a particularly Notes
difficult weather in
(a) Old Stafford (b) New Hampshire
(c) Lankashire (d) none of these

5. Robert Frost, the quintessential New England poet, spent his first eleven years in what
place?
(a) Derry, Massachusetts (b) Londonderry, New Hampshire

(c) London, England (d) San Francisco, California
6. What is the rhyme scheme of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (excluding the
last stanza)?

(a) AAAB BBBC, etc. (b) AABA BBCB, etc.
(c) ABAB BCBC, etc. (d) AAAA BBBB, etc.
7. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is written in what meter?
(a) Iambic tetrameter (b) Iambic pentameter
(c) Varied meter (d) Gas meter

7.7 Summary

• Our speaker is in the woods, but (gasp) he’s trespassing. He first wonders who owns
these woods. In the same breath, he tells us that he thinks he does know who owns
them. The lucky landowner lives in a house in the village. So, our speaker won’t get
into trouble for trespassing, because there’s no one to catch him trespassing.
• Surprise! Our speaker has a horse (neigh), and this horse is little. Our speaker psycho-
analyzes his little horse and supposes that said little horse must think it’s pretty strange
for them to be stopping in the middle of nowhere, with no one in sight, with not even
a farmhouse close by, and absolutely no sign of hay. Newsflash: the speaker and his
little horse are chilling (pun intended) between the woods and a frozen lake. Ice skating?
No. Also, it happens to be the darkest evening of the year.
• Little Horse is starting to really lose it. Fortunately, he has some harness bells on his
back, and he gives them a little shake in order to get his master’s attention. The only
other sounds are of a slight wind and of falling snow. Shhhhhh. It’s quiet. Our speaker
admits to having a hankering for the dark woods, but he tells us he’s got things to do,
people to see and places to go. He’s got a long way to go before he can rest his head
on his little pillow, so he had better got going.

7.8 Keywords

Abode : House
Airy : Light or delicate
Alter : Change
Wages : Money that is paid in exchange for daily or weekly labour
wend : To go one’s way
whippoorwill : A small North American bird with white, gray, or black plumage

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