Dust Of Snow By Robert Frost Class-X English CBSE

Dust Of Snow
By Robert Frost

1. Dust Of Snow                     By Robert Frost Aurabinda Banchhor TGT English OAV Kudutuli

2.               Words and Meanings Dust of snow : fine particles of snow. Watching the fall of dust of snow is very enjoying in the high altitudes.  Hemlock Tree: a poisonous tree with small white flowers. Hemlock is a poisonous tree found in mountain areas . Rued- regret Rued : 

3. Introduction of the lesson- Dust of Snow Robert Frost, a well known American poet of nature, in this poem, he presents a moment that seems simple but has a larger significance. It is a highly symbolic poem. One day the poet was in a depressed mood. A pleasant thing happened under a tree. It changed the poet’s mood. It saved the rest of the day for the poet.

4.                          Key points The poem describes a very simple happening in very simple words. It tells us that sometimes even a small incident may prove to be of a larger significance. The poet is upset in the beginning of the poem but a small incident of falling of snow changes his mood totally. In the end of the poem the poet feels relaxed and thankful to the nature for saving his day from being wasted.

5. Stanza-1 The way a crow  Shook down on me  The dust of snow  From a hemlock tree dust of snow – particles of snow  hemlock tree – a poisonous plant (tree) with small white flowers The poet, Robert Frost, recounts a small incident that changes his mood. It seems very ‘ simple but it has great significance. The poet was once very depressed and hopeless. He was in a state of sorrow and was lost in his thoughts. He was standing under the hemlock tree. Suddenly a crow, that was sitting on the tree, shook the tree and the fine particles of snow from the tree fell on the poet.

6. Stanza-2 Has given my heart  A change of mood  And saved some part  Of a day I had rued. mood – a state of mind  rued – held in regret

7. Explanation When the soft and cold snow fell on the poet it changed his mood from sad to happy. He started feeling soothed and refreshed. This simple incident helped him enjoy the remaining part of the day. He, thus, became happy as it saved his rest of the day from being wasted and held in regret.

8.                  Detailed Summary  Dust of Snow’ is an awful poem of nature by Robert Frosty In this poem a symbolic incident is present .The poet is standing under a hemlock tree. He is in a sad mood. He thinks that his day has been lost then a crow shakes the hemlock tree-and the dust of snow falls on him. This little incident brings about a sudden change in the state of the poet’s mind. His mood has ‘changed. He thinks that it has saved the rest of his day and gets busy with his work like the crow.

9. 1.Flakes of Snow: It was a day of winter. It was snowing all around. A fine dust of snow had covered the tops of the trees. A hemlock tree was standing there. The top of the hemlock tree was all covered with the fine dust of snow. The poet was standing under that hemlock tree.

10. 2. Sudden Arrival of a Crow, Falling of Snow Dust on Poet: A crow from nowhere came and perched on the top of the tree. The sudden movement of the crow made the dust of snow fall down. The flakes of snow fell on the poet who was standing under that tree.

11. Simple Natural Happening: The arrival of a crow and its sitting on the hemlock tree is just an ordinary happening. There is nothing great about the incident. On the other hand, the crow stands for an ill omen and the hemlock the tree is associated with poison. But these seemingly simple things of nature leave a deep impact on the mind and mood of the poet.

12. 4. Change in the Mood: This ordinary incident leaves a deep impact on the poet. So far it has been a very dull and disappointing day for the poet. The day has not gone well for him. But the falling of the flakes and dust of snow on him are welcome signs for the poet. His mood changes for the better and his spirits are uplifted. Now he realises that the whole day has not gone waste. Those moments while he is enjoying the fall of snow dust on him are his happy moments. They lift up his mood and gladden his heart. Now he realises that at least some part of the day has been spent happily. In the end, satisfaction replaces regret.

13. Poetic Devices / Literary Devices   Rhyme scheme – abab    Symbolism – Hemlock tree, Crow, Dust of snow Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of same consonant sound in the nearby words Has given my heart And saved some part Alliterative words: Has, Heart; Saved Some Assonance - Repetition of vowel sounds in the nearby words. Enjambment - when the same sentence continues to the next line without the use of any punctuation marks, it is called enjambment. It has been used throughout the poem. Synecdoche is a poetic device that uses a part to represent the whole. E.g. That’s a great set of wheels! ( Set of wheels has been used for car. )