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Stopping by Woods by Robert Frost

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening was written by Robert Frost in 1922 and published in a collection titled New Hampshire in 1923. It is said that he wrote it in a sitting of 20 minutes while taking a break from writing a longer poem, New Hampshire. This is testimony to his poetic prowess considering the high level of expertise used. The poem is written in a perfect iambic tetrameter, which many poets cannot do in a single sitting. 

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. 

Summary and Analysis

The first stanza reveals that the lone traveler, who is the persona in the poem, is aware that the the woods he's passing through belong to a person that stays far from them (the woods). In fact, he stays in the village, not near the woods. So, he very well knows that the owner of the house will not see him stop to look at as the woods filled up with snow

In the second stanza, the persona thinks that his horse must be surprised to see the persona stopping in the woods yet there is no farmhouse or any civilization around in case they needed to sleep. The only things around are the woods and a frozen lake. The frozen lake and the snow earlier mentioned show that the poem is set in winter. 

The persona goes on to reveal that this particular night is the darkest night, perhaps in the whole year. 

The horse shakes the bell on its harness as if to ask the persona whether he has made a mistake to stop by the woods without any sign of civilization.  However, the only response the horse receives is the sound of wind sweeping by and the falling of flakes. 

The persona acknowledges the fact that the scenery of the woods is appealing to the eye. This notwithstanding, he's not ready to keep staring at the woods for he has to keep moving 
so as to fulfill promises he has given to some people before he finally goes to bed.
 

Tone

The persona's tone is calm and composed throughout the poem. However, some scholars argue that the persona is depressed as he ponders about his impending death. 

Themes and Subject Matter

The subject matter of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a lone traveller who passes through the woods with no farmhouse around. The environment is so beautiful that it tempts him to stop and admire it. However, he cannot afford to stop for long because he has promises to keep before he can go to sleep. 
Its themes include:

Nature

The poem attests to the aesthetics of nature. The persona confesses that despite being lonely in the woods, the scenery is alluringly tempting that he wishes he would continue starring at them. 

Apart from this, Frost suggests that human beings' claims to own nature are all futile because so much can be done in their absence. In the poem, the persona has all the time to do whatever he wishes on a property that is supposedly owned by someone that stays in the village away from the woods. 

Duty and Responsibility 

The poet seems to be arguing that human beings have duties and responsibilities to their loved ones and society even during their most difficult moments. 
This particular night is the persona's darkerst but he must shake that off in order to fulfill his responsibilities. 
He must also end his enjoyment of nature in order to go fulfill promises given to his loved ones. 

Choices 

Once again, Robert Frost presents the dilemma experienced when crucial choices in life need to be done. 

The persona is torn between the alluring beauty of nature and societal obligations. Even by the time the poem ends, it's not clear whether he chooses individual desire over duty, responsibility/ social obligation or his desire for nature. 
 

Poetic Devices 

Imagery

The poet uses several images. Among them are darkness, sleep, woods, the sound of the wind and promises. 
 
The darkness symbolizes the challenges and difficulties people face in life. In fact, the darkest night means the persona's challenges are at their peak. 

Sleep, on the other hand,  may symbolize both rest and death, eternal rest. The persona means he has to fulfill duty to his loved ones before he decides to rest or even dies. 

The woods are a symbol of isolation and solitude. It is in the woods that the persona finds himself far from the busy world. He, therefore, finds the time to reflect on the beauty of nature and weigh it's importance against that of responsibility to loved ones. 

Promises refer to the social obligations the persona must fulfill before they decide to finally rest. 

The sound of wind embodies the persona's solitude. It makes sink the fact that the persona is alone in the woods, where nothing but the sound of wind and that of the horse's harness bell can be heard.

Alliteration 

The words below allitarate:
Whose woods, watch his woods.../w/
His house, he gives his harness../h/
Dark and deep.../d/

Assonance 

His house is in the village/i/
Whose woods /U:/
Consonance
Whose woods  these /s/

Rhyme Scheme

The poem is a quatrain that is rhymed AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD.  The regular rhyme scheme helps create musicality in the poem, making it easier to recite. 

Meter

Robert Frost uses the iambic tetrameter throughout the poem. Each line has eight syllables, four unstressed syllables followed by four  stressed ones. Consider the first stanza below:

Whose (unstressed)  woods (stressed)  these (unstressed) are (stressed) I (unstressed ) think (stressed) I (unstressed ) know (stressed).

This kind of metering creates regular beats, also making it easier to recite the poem. 

Persona 

The persona of the poem is a lone traveller that takes time to go through woods purportedly owned by somebody that lives in a village away from the woods. 

Setting 

The poem is set in the woods on a night during winter. In fact, the fact that it is the darkest night of summer means the poem might have been set on a winter solstice. 

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