Dust of snow

A detailed study of the poem 'Dust of Snow' by Robert Frost.

1. Dust of Snow - Robert Frost - by Mrs. Mousmi Majumdar

2. Author’s Introduction Robert Lee Frost  (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet . His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England which helped him explore realistic and philosophical themes in his poems. Frost is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal  in 1960 for his poetic works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named poet laureate of  Vermont. Frost was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 31 times!!

3. The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued. Dust of Snow

4. Difficult words Shook- past tense of ‘shake’ Hemlock- a poisonous tree Rued – to regret; to repent; to feel bad about something that has been done

5. The poem is a very short and simple one expressing a deeper understanding of nature and human nature. The poet, experiencing a bad day and a bad mood, is standing under a hemlock tree in winter season. Suddenly, a crow, that’s sitting upon the branches of the hemlock tree, shakes down some snow on the poet. This sudden falling of the snow on the shoulders or body of the poet uplifts his mood and he feels that the rest of his day is saved from any more pessimism, sadness or regret. He suddenly starts feeling positive, happy, optimistic and ready to take on any challenge, trouble or difficulty with an open and ready mind. Summary

6. Critical Analysis of the Poem

7. Structure of the Poem The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued. The entire poem has been written in the form of a sentence which has further been broken up into eight lines. The poem has been divided into two stanzas. The first stanza talks of the setting and the falling of snow on the poet. The second stanza talks of the poet’s depression(a day I had rued) and the sudden change of the poet’s mood . Rhyme scheme of the poem is abab , cdcd .

8. Theme There are several themes which one can associate with this poem. Communication between nature and humans – When we are in the lap of nature, we find the solution to all our problems. There is a strange relation between these two which works like a silent miracle. Significance of small acts – Sometimes small acts can have a huge impact. Small c hanges in our surrounding, small acts of charity, small acts of benevolence and goodwill h ave the power to travel a long way. Healing power of nature – Nature has a healing power parallel to none other. From times immemorial, man has turned to nature to find a cure for all his ailments. Positivity amidst negativity- It’s indeed strange and ironic how negative images(crow, dust, snow, hemlock tree) can become a catalyst for positive c hanges(change of mood, instilling of hope).

9. Literary Devices(figures of speech) Alliteration(occurrence of same sound in consecutive or alternative words) – and s aved s ome part(7 th line) Enjambment – the seeping of line into another line; the continuation of a sentence into another line. The poem uses enjambment as the whole poem has only one sentence. Inversion- change of word order; language of conversation has a different word order than the language of poems; poets use this device frequently and commonly to add rhyme and beauty to the lines. This poem also makes use of inversion.

10. Symbolism Crow - Crow is a bird which is symbolic of negativity and evil. Various literary works have portrayed a crow as a messenger of evil or death. Dust – Dust is unwanted. It symbolizes monotony. Dust also represents death, or the cyclicality of life. It calls to mind the Biblical phrase “from dust to dust,” which implies that dust is simply the absence of existence, either pre- or post- life. Snow- Snow symbolizes end of growth, a freezing of growth. So,i n both traditional and modern media, deep snow represents hardships and death. Hemlock tree – Being poisonous, the tree is symbolic of death. All these images are a perfect setting for ‘all things gone wrong’. Frost has used all these images to highlight the looming negativity in the poet’s mind. Through these negative symbols, Frost reiterates the fact that negativity can also be a catalyst of positivity and optimism in life.

11. The End