Homework Task: Journeys in Poetry

1. List all the things that Frost sees. Rank them in the order that you would find them attractive.

1. frozen lake
2. snow
3. woods

2. What are the images and ideas that Frost reflects upon when he has stopped?

Frost reflects upon the things he sees in the woods when he pauses. He sees the woods and the frozen lake. He notices that it is the darkest night of the year. He reflects on the idea that it is strange to stop without a reason, just to take in his surrounding, and that his horse finds it odd that they have stopped away from a farmhouse.

3. Imagine that you are Frost. Write what you would say to your wife when you returned home from your journey.

As I was riding home through the woods, I stopped just to watch the woods, the snow and the frozen lake. Did you know that tonight is the darkest night of the year? My horse seemed to think it was strange that we stopped so far away from home. It was so quiet, all I could here was the wind.

4. Is there a deeper meaning to the poem? What do you think it is?

Yes there is a deeper meaning to the poem. I think the meaning is to stop and take time to admire things.

5. Comment on the use of three poetic devices in the poem. (Especially the use of rhyming and repetition in the last line).

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.

The rhyming of the last four lines and the repetition of the last two lines indicates that this section of the poem is important and is being emphasised. The repetition of "And miles to go before I sleep" shows that even though he has a long way to go he still took the time to admire the woods. The rhyming of this section emphasises the fact that even though he has promises to keep and a long way to go he takes the time to admire how lovely the woods are. The third poetic devise used is imagery. Frost uses this to create an image of peaceful woods that are beautiful and snowy. His choice of words creates a strong image in the readers mind.

6. The poem draws attention to two conflicting desires: the desire to be alone and to explore mysterious, challenging or even dangerous places, thoughts or objects, and the desire to a sociable person who responds to the company of others. Trace these ideas through the poem.

The desire to be alone and to explore mysterious, challenging or even dangerous places, thoughts or objects is shown when he talks about how lovely and peaceful the woods are and how peaceful and quiet it is in the woods. The desire to be a sociable person who responds to the company of others is shown when he says that he has promises to keep, these being to people back home, and his belief that these are important and that he must keep his promises.

7. What aspects of the journey are being emphasised?

The aspect of the journey that is being emphasised is when he pauses to take in his surrounding and he reflects on the woods and also his responsibilities to people back home. This is more of an emphasis on his inner journey taking place on a physical journey.

8. Explain why this poem does or does not appeal to you. Justify your answer with quotes from the poem.

The poem does not appeal to me because it is hard to figure out some of the things in it such as when Frost writes:

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

I am unsure of who he is talking about. This made it hard for me to make sense of the poem. Also when Frost writes:

But I have promises to keep,

I was unsure who he had promises to. This confused me for a while.