Analysis

Like most of Frost's poems, 'Stopping By Woods' can be read on several

levels[1]. And, again like most of his poems, you can ignore them all, and

still enjoy the surface meaning, which is beautifully evocative. Just below

the surface there is the sleep/death metaphor, and the undercurrent of

gentle longing for death tinges the surface with a melancholy that

reinforces and plays off the night and winter images.

Formwise, note the predominance of soft, sibilant sounds, evoking the 'sweep

of easy wind and downy flake'. Note also the lovely rhyme scheme[2], aaba

bbcb, and the repetition of the final line, which provides closure at

several different levels.

[1] some of them incredibly contrived and/or ingenious - load up

and

search for Matthew Brown, e.g.

[2] yes, yes, he rhymed 'sleep' with 'sleep'. get over it :)

For more than you ever wanted to know about Frost's life and works, see the

previous poem, poem #51

m.

From: TROY MARTIN

this is my favorite poem. I always imagine the beautiful woods with the snow falling from the sky. I admire the man for thinking of his obligations when the lovely woods is so tempting. I can always see the horse in my mind giving his harness bells a shake.

From: