Analysis Poem “ Stopping by woods “

By Robert Frost

ABSTRACT In this paper, the writer tries to analyze a poem, entitled

“Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening ” written by Robert Frost . The purpose of this writing is to appreciate and analyze the using of imagery in the poem. To analyze the poem, the writer uses the theory of imagery. From analyzing the poem, the writer wants to share the expression that is contained in the poem. It can be concluded that the poem is easier to understand by knowing the imagery inside the poem.

Keywords: Imagery, Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

INTRODUCTION According to X. J. Kennedy in Literature: An

Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1979: 411), “poetry appeals to the mind and arouses feelings. Poetry may state facts, but, more important, it makes imaginative statements that we may value even if its facts are incorrect.” Poetry expresses a conversation or interchange that is grounded in the most deeply felt experiences of human beings. By analyzing the poem, the readers can understand what the poet experience was and how did the poet feels when he was on that situation.

CONTINUED

Analyzing the poem needs the right method and theory that are able to explain the elements of the poem . The author uses the poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy EveningPoem by Robert Frostto be analyzed because in this poem contain a figurative languageand imagery that make the poem beautiful , unique , and interesting to read.

THEORY : IMAGERY Imagery

imagery is an image that appears to our sense when we read the words which build a poem . Every line in poem contains some image , which have a great relation to the reader’s sense . As stated in the book entitled Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama by X.J Kennedy, “Imagery means a word of sequence of world that refers to any sensory experience” (1933:465). There are some different kinds of imagery such as visual imagery, auditory imagery, olfactory imagery, gustatory imagery, tactile imagery, and kinesthetic imagery but, there are only 3 kinds that the writer is going to discuss :

CONTINUED 1. Visual Imagery Visual Imagery is an image that appears from eyesight .For

example: The gray sea and the long black land,And the yellow half-moon large and low (Meeting at night by Robert Browning’s )

2. Audiotory Imagery Auditory Imagery is animage that represents a sound. For

example:And a voice less loud , through its joys and fears , Than the two hearts beating each to ea (Meeting at night by Robert Browning’s)

3. Kinesthetic Imagery Kinesthetic Imagery clarifies the description that there is

movement or action. For example “And he opened the coffins and set them all free, “( The

Chimney Sweeper by William Blake )

Biography and Poetry1  Biography 

 Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, where his father, William Prescott Frost Jr., and his mother, Isabelle Moodie, had moved from Pennsylvania shortly after marrying. He became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence, enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1892, and later at Harvard University in Boston, though he never earned a formal college degree. By the time Frost returned to the United States in 1915, he had published two full-length collectionsA Boy’s Will (Henry Holt and Company, 1913) andNorth of Boston (Henry Holt and Company, 1914), and his reputation was established.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Discussion : Imagery

Visual imagery Stanza 1 Line 3 and 4

He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.

These lines uses visual imagery , words “He will not see me stopping here” and “ To watch his woods fill up with snow “ , shows that the speaker travels and stop in woods because he fall asleep with the woods which filling of the snow . This stanza tell aboutthe wardenerappears worried that he is committing an offense by looking upon woods owned by another man “ will not see me stopping me “ . He has stopped to look at the view of woods . The author are seduced by the beatuy of the woods that fulfilled by the snow so he stops to enjoy it .

Stanza 2To stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year. In this line uses avisual imagery , here the author

tries to express feelings nomad who may be concerned . Represent by a little horse the wardener which was strange because his employer to stop its journey somewhere quiet , dark , and far from the farmhouse because the sight that caught his attention .

Stanza 3 Line 1

He gives his harness bells a shake In the first line , the words “bells a shake” is

symbol of there is something mistake in the woods . The author describes that it is maybe something happened . The horse gives sign with bells a shake which hanging in his neck .

Stanza 4 Line 1

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

This line is consists of symbol, here islovely, dark, and deep. lovely, dark, and deep here is as symbolismeof mystery in life . It is describes that the author stop in a place which are many things to temptation him over there in order he almost fall asleep and forgot his duties .

Line 2

But I have promises to keep, This line is consists of symbol, here is

promises .The word “ promises “ is a symbol of responsibilty . The author describes of promise is many things to have finish as his duties . The author realizes that it is not his time to enter the woods .

Line 3 And miles to go before I sleep,

This line is consists of symbol, here is miles.Miles here is as symbolisme of a long journey or the journey of life of the wardener that represent the author in this poem .

Line 4And miles to go before I sleep,

This line is consists of symbol, here is sleep.Sleep is as symbolisme of rest but sleep here is sleep forever or die . The author describes that he must finish her duties miles to go before he is ready to meet death because he has promise to finish it .

Auditory imagery Stanza 3

He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.

These lines uses an audiotory imagery ,the author represents when the horse felt uneasy because he had to stop in the dark wood he is moving his body to ringing bell that hanging on his neck . The bell indicates that there are some mistake happened for him and the horse feels anxious when it’s waiting him because the sounds are the rustle of the wind blowing and falling snow .

Kinesthetic Imagery Stanza 2 Line 2

To stop without a farmhouse near In this line the poet uses kinestetic

imagery . The word “ To stop” indicates a movement Because there is movement when the wardenerstop his journey for seeing the beautiful scenery with woods is covered by snow around so caught his attention , but the woods far away from farmhouse .

Stanza 3 Line 1

He gives his harness bells a shakeThese lines show us kinesthetic imagery because it can be known from the word “ bella shake “ . It is means that the horse felt uneasy because he had to stop in the dark woods . His anxieties express by moving his body so that “ the bell” hanging on his neck ringing .

Line 4

Of easy wind and downy flake.These lines show us kinesthetic imagery ,words “ downy flake” explain that movement occurs in the silence of a dark night in the woods when the wind blows and sweeps granules snowflakes.

Stanza 4 Line 3

And miles to go before I sleep,

In this line the author uses kinestetic imagery , the word “ to go “ its means speaker that knows he still have promise to keep as his responsibility to finish miles far away to go before he meets death .

Conclusion  This poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert

Frosttells the story of a man traveling through some snowy woods on the darkest evening of the year, and he's pretty much in love with what he sees around him. He's on his way back to town, but he can't quite tear himself away from the lovely and dark woods.

The poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost also used imagery to help the reader understand what the meaning inside this poem is. Imagery of kinesthetic is the most dominate in this poem. Here a lot of feeling written down and delivered the author meaning towards the reader. If the author didn’t use this imagery, the reader might get a lot of difficulty to understand and fell the author experience.

REFERENCE Perinne, Laurence. 1969. Sound And Sense An Introduction to

Poetry. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, INC. Kennedy, X. J. 1966. LITERATURE, An Introduction to

Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.Toronto: Little, Brown and Company

Hall , Donald . 1982 . To Read Poetry New York . College Publishing

Third Edition . ED C Hugh Holman . New York . The Odyssey press

Sayuti , Suminto A . 1985 . Puisi dan Pengajarannya .Semarang : IKIP Semarang Press.

http://www.poets.org/poet/robert-frost