“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Don’t Jump Too Fast to “What the Poem Means”
Reading literature, especially poetry, is more than deciphering words; it is a mental experience. Therefore, don’t be too quick to sum up what any poem “means” or “what the poet is trying to say.” Jumping too fast to some theme or main idea of a poem is a sure way to miss much of the value of reading poetry, and possibly the meaning, too. Certainly we will come to analyzing ideas and meanings, but not just yet.
First, go on in to the poem; read it through a couple of times, and walk around in it for a little while. Where are you? What do you hear, see, taste, touch or feel, and smell? Language that depicts an experience of any of the five senses is called “imagery.” Dwell a bit on the imagery of the poem to create the poem’s setting in your mind, and to experience the situation or drama of the poem along with the poem’s speaker (the word we use for a narrator of a poem).
Let’s practice with one of my favorite poems, great for beginning readers of poetry, yet with plenty of big ideas for more experienced readers: “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. You can read it here.
Take time to Experience the Poem
Robert Frost. Photo by Walter Albertin*
If you started with Unlocking Poems Step 1 and Step 2 (links at the bottom of this post), you have already considered the title and learned a small amount about the author. Robert Frost was writing in the first half of the twentieth century; this particular poem was published in 1913. Many of his poems were set in the picturesque countryside of American New England, drawing on his experience as a farmer in New Hampshire. This poem’s title is poses no problems in interpretation; the setting is next to a wood on a snowy winter evening. All of this background helps us know where we are, or are likely to be, in this poem. Now we are ready to walk in and revel.
Give yourself time to experience the imagery in the poem. First, read through the poem. Then take a moment to jot down some words that describe what you see, hear, and feel. No doubt you see a wooded area, a frozen-over lake, a small horse. We probably get a picture of a farmhouse and a village, even while realizing those things are mentioned but not directly present in the scene being depicted. However, hold on to those images because they will provide an important contrast to the isolated scene near the woods that the speaker is describing. As for physical feelings, you probably experience coldness and darkness. Hearing? The poem says specifically in the third stanza that there are only two sounds to be heard: the harness bells of the horse and “the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake.” All else is silence. Pause and immerse yourself here.
Double-Check Your First Impressions
The Little Horse
Now I also need to pause during our exercise here with one warning: as you re-create the imagery in your mind, also check your mental picture carefully alongside the words of the poem. Do your ideas and images fit what the text directly specifies? For instance, in this poem, many people picture the speaker on horseback. Did you? If so, you will need to revise that mental picture because (as those who know about horses have told me!) the horse is wearing a harness, which means that the speaker must be in a cart or a sleigh, not on horseback. Did you imagine the house from line 2 as being near the woods? If so, you must revise your picture to fit the information in line 3 that the man who lives in that house and who owns the woods is away in the village because he will not be able to see the speaker stopping by his woods.
We have just examined and experienced all the CONCRETE IMAGERY in “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” The next step will be to consider the more abstract language of the poem, and to make some surmises about the emotions, thoughts, and dilemmas of the speaker who finds himself in the situation. We’ll do that in Step 4. But if we do nothing else today in this particular reading of this poem, that is fine. Because as the speaker says in the fourth stanza, isn’t it lovely, and yet lonely–the woods, the cold, the quiet, the snow, the bells, the little impatient horse, and the darkness. Don’t miss any of it.
More Poems With Vivid Imagery
If you want more practice experiencing poetic imagery, here are some poems that have a lot of imagery for readers to enjoy. They are all from different eras and written in different styles; but all contain much concrete language that readers can re-create and enjoy experiencing in their imaginations. Some of the poems feature complex ideas, but we can take those on later. For now, just enjoy the experience.
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens
“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound
“Madonna of the Evening Flowers” by Amy Lowell
Links to Understanding Poetry Series
Click Here to proceed to Step 4: Emotional Tone and Concrete v. Abstract Language
Index to How to Read Poetry series
PLEASE LEAVE A REPLY! Enter nickname and email in form below. Email will not appear on the site.
*Photo Credit:
Robert Frost. By Walter Albertin, World Telegram staff photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Mary Jane is a longtime literature lover who lived in the Cincinnati area for many years, then in central Louisiana for three years (what a treat!), teaching literature classes at universities in both locations. Now back in the Cincinnati area, she pampers her grandchildren, experiments with cooking, and visits art museums as often as possible.
Wow! There’s so much to see in this poem: the frozen lake, the night sky dotted with snowflakes, and the pitchy woods receding into the night. This is such a beloved American poem, precisely because of its imagery. What I like most about “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is not just that the speaker watches the country landscape “fill up with snow,” but that he does so alone. It has the effect of intensifying each hushed detail. That is, it seems just as important to Frost that the speaker’s journey through the woods is as spellbinding as it is solitary. The situation described here is not an experience the speaker shares with the village. It is private. When I read this, I feel I’m being let in on a secret.
Reading a poem slowly might be the easiest step in understanding poetry, but it’s still not easy! I’m used to skimming – through online articles, etc. – so I think it takes relearning to focus on every line, and every important word.
True–it might be a new way of reading for a lot of people. I do think that learning to read at a more relaxed pace brings lots of benefits!
It’s awesome that you talked about how reading a poem multiple times helps to understand it better. Recently, I’ve started to read poetry. I found it a little complex, and I’m having some comprehension difficulties, so I’ll be sure to follow your tips thoroughly. Thanks for the advice on poetry reading and how to improve at it. http://www.poetryexplorer.net/contemporary-poets/
I’m glad you are finding the “how to read poetry” series helpful! Be sure to look at Step 10: Just Fall In. In that post, I encourage readers to start with any part of a poem they find enticing or appealing, and let the meaning crystallize from that point. So glad you are exploring poetry! Thanks for the link to a great poetry resource as well.