3. Robert LeeFrost (March 26, 1874 – January 29 1963) was an American
poet. His work was initially published in England before it was
published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic
depictions of rural life and his command of American
colloquial speech. His work frequently employed
settings from rural life in new England in the early 20th
century, using them to examine complex social and
philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically
respected American poets of the 20th century, Frost was
honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four
Pulitzer prizes for poetry. He became one of the America’s
rare “public literary figure, almost an artistic
institution.” he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in
1960 for his poetic works.
4. The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Hemlock – a poisonous tree with
small white flowers
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued
Rued – held in regret
5. The short poem by Robert Frost throws light upon the
unimaginable healing power of nature and tiny things. From a
bad mood to ill-health, there is nothing that can’t be cured by
nature. The author was experiencing one such bad day when a
crow’s movement near a hemlock tree dusted snow upon him.
The snow instantly makes him happier. His day gets a lot
better. Thus, the supremacy of nature as a whole made him
realize how petty his problem was. The fact that hemlock tree
is poisonous combined with crow being the indicator of doom
and fear are used in the poem as the carriers of happiness in
the life of narrator is ironical. The poet, through these objects
has tried to highlight that sometimes creatures linked with
negative aspects of life can be the bringer of change and
happiness. Being outdoors in nature, with all it’s
unpredictability can benefit anyone, anywhere at any time
SUMMARY
6. Symbolism – In the poem Frost uses the crow,
the hemlock tree and the dust of snow as
symbols. Crow and hemlock usually signify
as something bad but in the poem they bring
joy to the poet and make him feel better.
Imagery – Frost uses simple imagery like a crow
scattering snow from hemlock tree and dust
of snow falling on the p0et to depict the positive
effect of nature on poet.
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.
7. Alliteration is used in the lines ‘Has given my heart’ and ‘And
saved some part’, as same consonants are used repeatedly in those
lines.
Synecdoche is used where the poet said his ‘heart’ undergone a
change in mood, which actually represented his entire personality.
Assonance is used to show repetition of vowels in several lines
of this poem, for the sake of rhyme.
Rhyme scheme - abab
The way a crow a
Shook down on me b
The dust of snow a
From a hemlock tree b
