English : Unit 1 : Poem : Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening – by Robert Frost
Warm up
1. Have you ever travelled through a forest? How did you feel?
2. Did you have any time to stop and enjoy the beauty of the forest?
GLOSSARY
Queer (adj.) : strange, odd
woods (n) : an area ofland covered with a thick growth of trees.
harness (n) : straps and fittings by which a horse is fastened to a cart or carriage
frozen (adj.) : in ice form
Sweep (v): to move swiftly and smoothly
downy (adj.) : soft and fluffy
flake (n) : a small piece of snowflake
A. Memorise the poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’.
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.
B. Read the following lines and answer the following questions.
1. He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
a. Whom does ‘he’ refer to?
He refers to the owner of the forest (woods).
b. Identify the season in these lines.
It is a winter season.
2. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near
a. Who is the speaker?
The poet is the speaker.
b. Why should the horse think it queer?
The horse thought it queer because there was no farmhouse near.
c. Pick out the rhyming words.
The rhyming words are : “queer, near”
3. He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
a. Whom does ‘he’ refer to in these lines?
He refers to the horse.
b. Why does ‘he’ give his harness bells a shake?
He gives his harness bells a shake to get his master’s attention.
c. How does the horse communicate with the poet?
The horse communicates with the sound of the bells.
4. The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep
a. How are the woods?
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
b. Whom does ‘I’ refer to?
‘I’ refer to the poet.
c. What are the promises the speaker is talking about?
The poet is talking about his commitments in life.
5. And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
a. Why the poet has used the same line twice?
The poet has repeated the last line to make a strong claim.
b. Explain: miles to go before I sleep
Miles to go refers to leading therest of his life until his death.
Read the following stanza and answer the questions below:
1. “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”
a. Who does “I” refer to?
I refer to the poet.
b. Where is the house?
The house is in the village
c. Who lives in the village?
The owner of the woods resides in a house in the village.
d. Pick out the rhyming words from the above lines.
know – though – snow
e. Identify the rhyme scheme of the above stanza.
“aaba”
f. Identify the figure of speech used in the 4th line.
Hyperbole
g. Pick out the alliterated words in the 1st and 2nd line.
1st line = these – think, 2nd line = see – stopping
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”
a. Where was the poet?
The poet was between the woods and the frozen lake.
b. What was the evening like? Why?
It was the darkest evening, because it was winter season.
c. Where has the horse stopped?
The horse has stopped between the woods and the frozen lake.
d. What is meant by queer?
Queer means strange.
e. Why did the horse think it queer?
As there was no farm house to take rest, the horse should think it queer.
f. Pick out the rhyming words from the above lines.
queer – near – year
g. Identify the rhyme scheme of the above stanza.
“aaba”
h. What is the figure of speech used in the first line?
Personification
3. “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”
a. What does “he” refer to here?
He refers to the horse.
b. How did the horse react?
The horse shook its harness bell.
c. Describe the sound in the poem.
Sound of harness bells, wind blowing and the falling of the snow flakes.
d. What does sweep mean?
Sweep means soft and gentle.
e. What does “downy flake” mean?
Downy flake means soft snow crystals.
f. Pick out the rhyming words from the above lines,
shake – mistake – fake
g. Identify the rhyme scheme of the above stanza.
“aaba”
h. What is the figure of speech used in the first line?
Personification
f. Pick out the alliterated words in the first line.
dark – deep
4. “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 “
a. How were the woods:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
b. What are the promises that the poet has to keep up?
The poet has to keep up his duties and responsibilities.
c. Pick out the rhyming words from the above lines.
deep – keep, sleep – sleep
d. Identify the rhyme scheme of the above stanza.
“aaaa”
e. What is the figure of speech used in the last two lines?
Repetition
f. Pick out the alliterated words in the first line.
dark – deep
C. Complete the summary of the poem by filling in the blanks.
After a long travel the poet entered a forest. He wondered to whom the wood belongs to! He realized that the owner of the wood lived in a village. He thought that the owner would not be able to see him stopping in his woods to watch how the snow would fill the woods. The poet felt that the horse would think it very strange to stop near the woods as he had never stopped there. He was actually standing between the woods and the lake. The time was evening. The horse indicated that the poet has made a mistake by shaking its head. The poet felt that the woods are lovely, dark and deep. He suddenly realized that he had worldly duties which would not allow him to stand in the woods for a long time.
D. Answer the questions in two or three sentences.
1. What information does the poet highlight about the season and the time of the day in the poem?
There is snow falling in its full swing. Snow flakes are downy. So it is winter season. The time of the day is the darkest evening of the year. Thus the poet highlights the season and the time of the day.
2. In which way is the reaction of the speaker different from that of the horse? What does it convey?
The poet is compelled to stop to stare at the beauty of the woods. The horse is thinking it queer to stop by the forest before reaching the farmhouse. It conveys the contradictory ideas over a certain action.
3. What are the sounds heard by the poet?
The poet heard the sound of the harness bells and the wind blowing through the trees besides the falling of the snow flakes.
4. The poet is aware of two choices. What are they? What choice does he make ultimately?
The poet can wait and watch the lovely woods or he can go home and attend to the important business. His ultimate choice was to go a long way and reach home.
5. Pick out words from the poem that bring to mind peace and quiet.
“Woods fill up with snow” are the words that bring to mind peace and quiet.
E. Identify the rhyme scheme used in each stanza. One example has been done for you.
Stanza: Rhyme scheme
1. aaba
2. aaba (bbcb)
3. aaba (ccdc)
4. aaaa (dddd)
F. Complete the table by identifying lines, against the poetic devices from the poem. One example is done for you.
Poetic device:
Alliteration:
Watch his woods
His house is
See me stopping
My little horse must
He gives his harness
sound’s the sweep
dark and deep
Personification
My little horse must think it queer
To ask if there is some mistake
Repetition
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep
Imagery
To watch his woods fill up with snow
Between the woods and frozen lake
The woods are lovely dark and deep
He gives his harness bells a shake
Writing
G. Answer the following questions in a paragraph about 80 -100 words.
1. It is said, “The choices made by one, shapes one’s destiny”. Ponder on the thought and write a paragraph.
PARAGRAPH FOR TOPPERS:
Synopsis:
• Introduction
• Stopping by woods
• The queer of little horse
• The sound of bell
• Conclusion
Introduction:
Robert Frost was an American poet. He is known for his realistic description of rural life. The poem “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening” is an expression of the sign of forest.
Stopping by woods;
The poet was on his way home. He entered a forest. The forest belongs to a man. The house is in the village. There was complete silence in the forest. Snows begins to fall. It is a marvellous scene to watch.
The queer of little horse:
The poet keeps on enjoying the fall of snow. His little horse may think strange. Because it stopped near the woods. The horse shook its head. There was no farm house near by. It was the darkest evening.
The sound of bell:
The sound of the harness bells is made to draw the attention of his master. The poet was attracted by the deep dark silence of his surroundings. The poet was captivated by the sight.
Conclusion:
The poet realise that he has no time to stand. So he moves onto complete his duties. He realised his responsibilities he had to fulfil. He finished his duties before he sleep.
PARAGRAPH FOR AVERAGE STUDENTS:
The poet was on his way home. He entered a forest. The forest belongs to a man. The house is in the village. There was complete silence in the village. The woods were filled with snow fall. He stopped his horse and enjoyed the woods. His little horse may think strange. The horse shook its head. It was the darkest evening. The little horse shakes its bell. The harness bells are made to draw the attention of his master. The poet realise that he has no time to stand. So he moves on to complete his duties. He finished his duties before he slept.
PARAGRAPH FOR LATE BLOOMERS:
• The poet was on his way home.
• He enters a forest
• The owner of the forest is not near.
• The poet enjoys the snowfall.
• It was the darkest evening.
• The poet decided to spend his time there.
• The little horse shakes its bell to get his masters attention.
• He has no time to stand.
• So he moves onto complete his duties.
H. Work in pairs and discuss the factors that contribute towards making a choice and make a presentation to the class.
No one on this earth is without a choice. Choice is an ambition in life. Everyone wants to become somebody. Everyone wants to do something new in life. Each one wants to do different things. Each one is unique.
Each choice demands a lot from the choice maker. In order to become an engineer or a scientist or doctor or sportsman or lawyer one must choose his subject matching with the career. This is the first level in career choice.
Once the studies are over, then comes the choice of a career. For everything education is the basic thing. Whatever we desire or aim to do becomes true in our life.
Destiny or fate is shaped by every individuals choice. One who wants to be a sports person like Sachin or Srikkanth must work towards it. One who wants to be a doctor or a scientist or an engineer must excel in his/ her studies. Their continuous conscious effort will bring forth the positive result. Their single minded determination will shape them as to what they want to become.
Nothing happens to anyone all of a sudden. It is not that one becomes a great person overnight. The great level that one attains is the outcome of their hard work. Thus it is obvious that only the choice made by one shapes one’s destiny. Can anyone deny it?