Greenhalgh 1

Scott Greenhalgh
Mr. Hakim
English 9
8 January 2015
Digital Portfolio Poetry Assignment
The poem by Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, relates
to the unit question in that the speaker is imaginative and curious of the place, but must
go on with his journey, similar to the curiosity of real humans, yet they must go on with
their lives. The speaker describes the snowy forest as a wonderful place that would exist
in a fantasy. However, he interrupts his thought: But I have promises to keep,/And miles
to go before I sleep,/And miles to go before I sleep (Frost 14-16). The speaker is
melancholy in that he likes the place and wants to stay, but must continue on his journey.
The mood of the poem switches from cheerful and whimsical in the description of the
setting to gloomy and disheartening when the realization of moving on hits the speaker.
The speakers temptations to stay in the woods connects to the idea of when humans want
to remain in a particular moment for longer, but they are pushed by their emotions or
other people to carry on with their lives.