Tyler W. Walker Mrs. Hoyer English 1302 2 May, 2008 The Impact of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Unquestionably, many various types of literature can reveal verisimilitudes concerning the audience or reader’s own personal life. In particular, poetry can convey multiple deeper meanings that can impact the reader emotionally or represent an experience or situation in the reader’s daily life. Clearly, in Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, explicit details are demonstrated that relate directly to certain situations in my own life. Without doubt, the poem demonstrates a surface level meaning of a man wanting to abide in the woods when he knows he shouldn’t, but the substantial examples reveal that there is a deeper meaning to the literary work if the poem is properly delved in to. For example, Frost writes concerning the sounds around the narrator, “gives his harness bells a shake” and “of easy wind and downy flake.” The contrast in sounds shows the choice the narrator is placed with because the bells represent a warning to leave, and the soft “easy wind and downy flake” represent the pleasure and desire of staying in the woods. Most definitely, Frost’s words relate to my life on many occasions because I know what the right choice is but I am constantly tempted to reach for what is desirable. In another instance, the poem closes with the phrase, “And miles to go before I sleep”, repeated twice. The importance concerning the reiteration of the phrase portrays that the narrator used persistence to overcome the temptation of remaining in the woods. In
addition, the example relates to my own personal experiences because many times I use persistence to stay focused on the most important goal ahead of me which is much in the same manner as the narrator did. Certainly, different works of literature can relate to an abundance of different areas of an individual’s life, and the analysis of these literary works can enlighten an individual on a particular struggle or concern that used to be concealed to them. In conclusion, poetry assists a person to think differently about certain situations he or she is faced with and take a different approach to dealing with the situation properly.