Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A.    Background

Poetry is writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm (Merriam-webster; 2003, Longman;2007, and Cambridge; 2008). On the other hand, poetry is a form of literature which relies heavily on the effective creation of images in as few words as possible (Schill, 1996:166). Furthermore, poetry can be arranged by someone to express their feeling, experience and emotional about something with choosing a beautiful language.

As we know poetry is unique in that it allows the writer to vary the positioning of words so that meaning can be linked with form or structure. In addition, it should be arranged by special effect consisting of imagery, sound pattern such as rhythm and rhyme, form and theme ( Schill, 1996:166). Moreover, it can comprise of lines and stanzas.

In this semester the writer has subject about poetry. As long as lecturing, Poetry teacher has taught us about theories of poetry. In the lecturing she tell us that poetry is complicated to analysis because so much we should know such as speaker, meter, theme and diction of language. Based on lecturing about that make the writer want to know well how to analyze poetry using theories have been taught by the lecturer.

So this paper use for making us in- depth understood about how to analyze poetry. On the other hand it has function to fulfil our assignment in poetry subject. Before the writer begin to do analysis that we want to introduce the title of poetry namely “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost”. Let us follow to analyze that poetry.

B.     Purpose of study

This general purpose of this paper is to analysis the poetry of Robert Frost in order to understand what the poetry means based on the theories. It has title of “ stopping by woods on a snowy evening”.

CHAPTER II

ANALYSIS

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

In this analysis, the writer will serve the Robert Frost’s poetry firstly in order to know what is poetry will be analyzed. You can look that poetry below.

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.

The poetry of stopping by woods on a snowy evening consists of four stanzas, every stanzas have four line that calls quatrain stanza.

A.    Dramatic situation

In the dramatic situation that will tell about speaker, situation,  and speaker’s tone.

a.       Speaker

He is a rider horse in snow season. You know, the one riding his horse though the countryside in evening near the end of December, taking a breather to watch the woods fill up with snow.

Furthermore, this poetry show to him self about the God usually attend to his life. It accords with saying in first line of first stanza that is “whose woods these are I know I think”. In addition, he said in second line of the last stanza that is “but I have promises to keep”. So that word can become token that poetry to indicate for him self

b.      Situation

In  the poetry of Stopping  by  Woods  on  a  Snowy  Evening by Robert Frost,  the  narrator  passes  through  the woods on a snowy evening, but stops for the beautiful panorama. Since the horse gives the harness bells a shake,  the narrator guess  that his horse must  think him crazy  to stop by strange woods on a snowy evening. Ultimately, the narrator chooses to go on with his journey instead of seeing the lovely panorama.

Moreover, The central setting  in  this poem  is woods on a snowy evening.  In this poem,  it should be winter, and  the daylight  is dimming.  In addition,  the narrator still lives between the lake and the woods. Also, there is a village as well as a farmhouse nearby in which the owner of the woods lives, which expands the panorama from what the narrator sees (e.g., the woods and the lake) to what he does not see (e.g.,the village and the farmhouse).

The panorama  in  the woods  is  important  to  the narrator. He  is  totally hypnotized by the  falling  snow  and  distracted  from  his  work  by  the  beautiful panorama,  which  is  the opinion why  he  ceases  by  the  lovely woods. However,  the  repetition  of  the  final  two lines implicates that the narrator still values keeping a promise. He is responsible and lives up to the promises that have been made.

c.       Speaker’s tone

In this section, the writer will present the speaker’s tone that include of meter and rhyme of poetry.

Whose WOODS these ARE I THINK I KNOW. ^a  

His HOUSE is IN the VILlage THOUGH; ^a  

He WILL not SEE me STOPping HERE^b   

To WATCH his WOODS fill UP with SNOW. ^a  

My LITtle HORSE must THINK it QUEER ^b 

To STOP withOUT a FARMhouse NEAR^b   

BetWEEN the WOODS and FROzen LAKE ^c  

The DARKest EVENing OF the YEAR.^b   

He GIVES his HARNess BELLS a SHAKE^c   

To ASK if THERE is SOME misTAKE.^c   

The ONly Other SOUND’S the SWEEP^d   

Of EAsy WIND and DOWNy FLAKE.^c   

The WOODS are LOVEly, DARK and DEEP.^d   

But I have PROmiSES to KEEP,^d   

And MILES to GO beFORE I SLEEP,^d   

And MILES to GO beFORE I SLEEP.^d

Based on the poetry above that has been marked the stressed and untressed to know type of feet. So the poetry of stopping by woods on a snowy evening is iambic because it has feet consisting of unstress and stress. On the view of metrical line that poetry includes to tetrameter because there are four feet on a line.

Moreover, speaker’s tone can be decided by the rhyme of poetry. In the stopping by woods on a snowy evening by Robert Frost, the writer has marked the rhyme of it with bold and given class consisting of a (know, though and snow), b (her, queer, near and year), c (lake, shake, mistake and flake) and d (sweep, deep, keep, and sleep). For more detailed about it, first stanza has a,a,b, and a. second stanza has b, b, c and b. Third stanza is arranged by c, c, d, and c. And in the end of stanza or fourth stanza consists of d, d, d and d.

d.      Symbols

There are some symbol using in a poetry of stopping by woods on snowy evening by Robert frost namely:

Ø  Wood

Wood is symbol for human in this poetry because we can see in first line that tell about the God who has created human.

Ø  Snow

Snow is symbol of happiness. As we know, snow can make human happy because it is so beautiful panorama.if  we say about snow, it reminds us to time when happen snow season. Snow season occur in december, all of people know in the end of december Christian people celebrate the christmas ceremony. So snow here represent the narrator feeling in christmas ceremony.

Ø  Little horse

Little horse is symbol of human character. The character of human should follow the rules of the god in order to not feeling queer. As we know who far from the God rules, they will feel astray.

B.     Analysis Of Poetry.

This paper, the writers use structuralism way in analysis the poetry of stopping by woods on a snowy evening by Robert Frost. it is originated from philosophy, which teaches that known edge is difficult to achieve. There is no certain structure in language, and sometimes we can find the meaning not only from words. The meaning can always change and there is a hidden meaning behind words.    

This poetry is one of poetry which was written by Robert Frost. This poetry have told more about someone who happy in snowy season, as we know snow season happen in the december month. In december month there is a important ceremony namely christmas ceremony. Robert compares how he tells about his happiness in christmas with seeing panorama that has been invented by God. The rhyme scheme is aaba, bbcb, ccdc, and dddd. It also has four stanza and every stanza consist of four lines that name is  quatrain.

Furthermore, the writers will analysis this poetry depending on stanza to find out in-depth analysis:

1.      First stanza.

In this first line of first stanza, it said “ Whose woods these are I think I know.” Based on my analysis Whose wood that mean to the God. In addition whose is using for possessed relative clause, so possessed of wood is the God. Because it has created human as our belief. Everybody who believe to The God, attend to their heart and everywhere, they stand it usually take care of us.

Second line of first stanza said “his house is in the village though;” the God is coming to world for making free the follower from sin. This words give for christian people who believe to Yesus. Why Robert frost said His house is in the village though? Because based on christian’s belief that Yesus did not attempt to happiness in the world. House in second line present to simply life, as we know every house in the village is usually built with simply arsitecture. So Robert frost using metaphor here for presenting everybody should live simply as the God life.

Third line said “He will not see me stopping here.” There are two assumption to analysis this line namely every human should usually believe to the God every time without hesitating in their heart and the God do not like the human living in the world with persimist thinking. For supporting of first assumption, every body in christian people should do everything what The God want from the follower.  

In the last line said “ To watch his woods fill up with snow”. It means The God want to see the human fill up with happiness. As we know who trust and do what the God governs to us, we will feel calm. However denotation meaning of that word is that woods are full with snow, we can see in the woods has tree, so The writers take conclusion all of tree in woods is full with snow. It is habit of christian people when they celebrate that make tears of papers as snow. On the other hand, the writers take meaning based on the christian’s view is happiness usually coming for all of people who celebrate christmas ceremony.

2.      Second stanza

In the first line of second stanza that said “My little horse must think it queer”. Little horse is symbol for human character.  In my point of view, little horse usually follows its mother. so the character of human can be influence him self, the writer get message from its word that human will feel queer if they do not follow the rules. In addition, the narrator should be sure to him self that will make him to realize to him self that queer if not base on the rules.

Second line said “To stop without a farmhouse near”. It means the narrator tells about his stopping in the strange place. There is not place he can use for taking lee. It makes him confusing to live there. That  invites him to continue his journey for seeking a house to stopping. On the other hand, the narrator use connotation meaning such as someone stopping in the strange place that should adapt in new area.

Third line said “between the woods and frozen lake”. It makes clearly the second line. Frozen lake is metaphor that means to circumtance. So its word means between human and circumtance. Human is usually impressed by circumtance. If someone lives in the bad circumtance that will bring him to follow. As we heard in the proverb, “we live in good smell, we will breathe good smell too”. However Frozen lake means a bad circumtance that makes someone become dark in thinking and feeling.

The last line of second stanza said “The darkest evening of the year.”  It supports three line in advance, it means that life will be darkest from time to time if we follow the wrong way. So this stanza gives message to listener in order to take care about adaptation in new place and usually make wrong to others one because it can make them hurt.

3.      Third stanza

In first line of third stanza said “he gives his harness bells of a shake”. It means Yesus gives him warning for someone in order that take lesson from something to occur arround us. That words point toward to all of human in the world.

To ask if there is some mistake

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The narrator begins to realize his mistake. He want to improve himself to beg him pardon to the God. It is not just giving to The God but the other ones too. As we know mistake can annoy our relationship to other one. So we need to correct it in order that they can forgive us. If we do not apology to them that will annoy our thinking as said in third line of third stanza. furthermore, the last line of third stanza uses personification word that is mistake such as wind. The easy wind can not be seen but we can perceive.

4.      Final stanza

The final stanza of 'Stopping by Woods on a snowy evening' mentions in below:

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.

Having paid tribute to the dangerous seductiveness of the woods, the narrator seems to try   shaking himself  back into commonsense reality by invoking his 'promises' or mundane responsibilities. The last line is repeated, however and while at first it seems little more than a literal reference to the journey he has to complete (and so a way of telling himself to continue on down the road), the repetition gives it particular resonance.

This could be a metaphorical reference to the brief time of human life and the compulsion this puts the narrator under to take risks and explore the truth while he can. Only a few 'miles' to go before 'I sleep' that means to complete his work before death: such a chilling memento.  Maybe it  justifies stopping by the woods in the first place and considering the spiritual quest implicite in the vision they offer.

 Perhaps the point is that neither narrator  nor  reader can be sure. 'The poem is the action of having the thought', Frost insisted; it is process rather than product, it invites us to share in the experiences of seeing, feeling, and thinking, it not simply to look at their results. So the most a piece like 'Stopping by Woods' will offer it and it is a great deal that is an imaginative resolution of its tensions. the sense that its conflicts and irresolutions have been given appropriate dramatic expression and revelation.

 

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

The poetry of stopping by woods on a snowy evening by Robert Frost. It consists of four stanza that name is quatrain. There are two main point of Robert Frost’s Poetry namely Dramatic situation and analysis of poetry. In dramatic situation was explained about speaker, situation and speaker’s tone. And analysis of poetry tells about meaning of poetry based on metaphor meaning.

The point of this poetry is to show christian people because they tells about happiness in the christmas ceremony. the narrator is not directly to say that but we can conclude it based on analysis of all stanzas in “stopping by woods on a snowy evening”. The writer think there are some words for taking token that is telling about christian religious consisting of “whose wood” means The God, as christian believe their god is Man, so continueing the other lines that uses he for subtituting of whose.

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