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Dust of Snow

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35 views

Dust of Snow

Uploaded by

akshaymonk45
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DUST OF SNOW

BY
ROBERT FROST

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 realise 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
its unpredictability can benefit anyone, anywhere at any time.

ANALYSIS

The way a crow..............................


a hemlock tree
The poem is set in a scene where the poet is in a bad mood and is walking by a tree, a
hemlock tree. It is a poisonous tree. As he passes by, a crow happens to throw some dust on
him. Here, two agents of nature, the hemlock tree and the crow are signifiers of sadness and
gloom just like the poet’s mood was in the opening scene.
Has given my heart ....................
Of a day I had rued
For reasons unknown, the author was having a terrible day. But the falling of the snow on his
shoulder lifted his mood instantly. He had already spent his day in a bad mood but the rest of
it was saved by the crow and the hemlock tree. Generally, hemlock tree and crow are used for
negative references but the poet used them beautifully to portray that inauspicious things can
bring joy and happiness too. One must not take things for granted and should be open and
accept whichever way the nature chooses to bless us.
LITERARY DEVICES
Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd
Alliteration: The occurrence of same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.
Eg:- Has given my heart
And saved some part
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.
Assonance: The prominence of a vowel sound throughout a line is called assonance.
In stanza 1, line 2 “Shook down on me”- ‘o’ sound is prominent.
Question & Answer
What is the underlying message for us in our hectic life with reference to the poem, “Dust of
Snow”? / What is the central idea of the poem “Dust of Snow”?
In the poem ‘Dust of snow’, the poet wants to convey that sometimes certain moments or
actions which are simple have larger significance. They can change the mood or life of a
person. The way a crow shakes down dust of snow on the poet inspires and gives him the
idea to shake off his depressive thoughts, become cheerful and do something useful.
Which side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent?
Crow is a black, harsh-voiced bird and hemlock is a tree with poisonous bitter fruit. Both are
not beautiful. They represent the dark, depressive, sorrowful and bitter side of nature.
Why does the poet use such poetically uncommon bird and tree? What does it reflect?
The poet seems to be in a depressive and sorrowful mood. In such a mood, one cannot think
of a sweet and beautiful side of nature. The harsh, bitter and poisonous images come to his
mind. That is why he uses an uncommon, harsh, ugly crow and poisonous tree like hemlock.
Justify the role of the crow in the poem “Dust of Snow” in changing the poet’s mood.
I think, the way snow dust was shaken off changed his mood. Perhaps it gave the poet
inspiration/idea to behave in the same manner—shake off his depressive thoughts and revive
his cheerful mood.
What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s
mood changed?
“Dust of snow” refers to the tiny particles of snow. The particles are so small that poet
referred to them as ‘dust’. The poet was in an awful mood when particles of snow had fallen
on him. This changed the poet’s frame of mind instantly and his day got a lot better.
************************************************************************

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