Dust of Snow ~Robert Frost

Rhyme Scheme: a b a b c d c d

Stanza 1

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

In this stanza, the poet is describing an incident that happened to him. One day, the poet was walking by a poisonous Hemlock tree, lost in his own thoughts when a crow sitting on a branch of that tree did some movement which resulted in the falling of small particles of snow on the poet.

Poetic Devices:

i. Assonance - The sound of vowel o is prominent - Shook down on me.

ii. Enjambment - The sentence is being continued to the next line without the use of any punctuation marks. It has been used throughout the stanza.

iii. Metaphor - The poet has compared the snowflakes with dust in line 3.

iv. Imagery - The poet has given the visual description of the whole stanza.

v. Contrast - The poet has used two words crow and snow to show contrast. The crow stands for something dark and doomy while the snow stands for something light and pure.

vi. Symbolism - When something has been used as a symbol.

The hemlock tree is a poisonous tree which has been used as a symbol of death by the poet.
The crow has been used as a symbol of something inauspicious or something which can worsen a person's mood as the crow is often regarded as the ugliest of all animals.

Stanza 2

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

The poet says that because of the falling of the particles of snow, he got distracted from the bad thoughts. The crow and the Hemlock tree, usually known as symbols of something inauspicious and gloomy, changed the poet's mood entirely and the poet will now not spend his remaining day in regret or lost in bad thoughts. The poet has beautifully described the significance of small things in life. He made the readers understand how the small particles of snow were enough to make the poet move on from his past. The poet also helped the readers to understand that there's nothing such as auspicious or inauspicious. Anything and everything in this world can have a positive effect on our lives.

Poetic Devices:

i. Alliteration - Occurrence of same letter at the beginning of closely connected words -

1. Has given my heart

2. And saved some part

ii. Enjambment - The sentence is being continued to the next line without the use of any punctuation marks. It has been used throughout the stanza.

iii. Synecdoche - The poet has mentioned that his heart was given a change of mood but its not only his heart but his entire self who has been given a change of mood by the dust of snow.

Theme:- The poem “Dust of snow” places nature as the main theme of the poem. The poet speaks about the power of nature and the healing effects it can have. The poet explains to us that nature has the ability to cure all ill of both the mind and the body.

Significance:- The poem “Dust of snow by Robert Frost” shows us to appreciate even the small things that we take for granted in life. The poet shows us that even small and insignificant acts can help uplift our mood and make us forget about our problems. The poet also shows that nature is a great healer of wounds and bad moods.

Exercises:-

Question 1.What is a “dust of snow?” What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?

Ans. A dust of snow are snow flakes or small and soft particles of snow that settle over various objects on the earth. The dust of snow shook down by a crow on the poet from a hemlock tree changed his mood. The poet’s mood has changed for the better. Earlier he was in a sad and depressed mood. But now he is in a joyful and cheerful mood.

Question 2. How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer:

(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come in your mind when you think of a crow?

(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as maple, or an oak, or a pine?

(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent—joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

Ans. The poet presents nature both in its brighter and darker aspects. The snow-covered objects on the earth look very beautiful. On the other hand, the crow is an ugly bird and is regarded as inauspicious.

(i) The birds that are usually mentioned in poems are cuckoos, nightingales, robins—all song birds. Crow is not mentioned in poems because it is an ugly bird. Besides, the cawing of a crow is very jarring, the images that come in the mind are that the crow is an ugly bird. It is also considered inauspicious.

(ii) A hemlock tree is a poisonous plant. It stands for sorrow. The poet does not write about a more beautiful tree because he wants to present the darker aspect of nature.

(iii) The crow and the hemlock represent sorrow. They represent the darker aspect of nature. They create an atmosphere of depression and sorrow. The dust of snow represents the brighter aspect of nature. It has brought about a change in the mood of the poet. Earlier he was in a sad mood but when the dust of snow fell on him his mood became joyful and cheerful.

Question 3. Have there been times when you feel depressed or hopeless? How you experience a similar moment that changed your mood that day?

Ans. Yes, there have been several occasions when I have felt hopeless and depressed. I felt very depressed when one of my friends told me that I had failed the examination. But then he told me that he was simply joking and that I had stood first in the class. This changed my mood and I jumped with joy.

Extra Questions:-

1. Where was the crow sitting
Answer: The crow was sitting in a hemlock tree.

2. What did the crow shakedown on the poet?
Answer: He shook down snow on the poet.

3. In what mood was the poet before falling of snow on him
Answer: He was in an unpleasant mood.

4. What type of plant is ‘a hemlock tree’?
Answer: It is a poisonous plant with small white flowers.

5. What fell on the poet from the hemlock tree?
Answer: Sonic dust of snow fell on the poet from the hemlock tree.

6. How did the dust of snow affect the poet?
Answer: It changed the poet’s mood.

7. Who is the poet of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?
Answer: The poet of this poem is ‘Robert Frost’.

8. What did the poet think of the day before the fall of the dust of snow on him?
Answer: The poet thought unhappiness of the day before the fall of the dust of snow on him. But after the incident, he started to look at the surroundings.

9. What is the dust of snow?
Answer: The dust of snow is snowflakes or small and soft particles of snow that settles down on the various objects on the earth during the snowfall.

10. What is a hemlock tree?
Answer: A hemlock tree is a poisonous tree with white flowers. It stands for sorrow. The dust of snow had covered this tree.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. How has the poet observed nature in the poem ‘Dust of Snow’

Answer: The poet has observed nature as a positive medium of change for him. The poet had been the sorrowful and depressive mood in the poem. But then the way a crow shook snow dust off, it changed his mood. Nature gave him the inspiration to behave in a positive manner.

2. What is the underlying message for us in our hectic life with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’?
Or
What is the central idea of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?
Or
What does the poet want to convey through the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

Answer: 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.

3. What side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent?

Answer: ‘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.

4.Why does the poet use such poetically uncommon bird and tree? What does it reflect?

Answer: The poet seems to be in a depressed 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.

5. Justify the role of the crow in the poem “Dust of Snow” in changing the poet’s mood.

Answer: 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.

6. What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem? How does it reflect?

Answer: The sorrowful and depressive mood of the poet is reflected in the poem. The use of the bird ‘crow’, which is ugly and harsh, and hemlock tree, which is a poisonous plant, reflects the poet’s mood.

7. What did the poet think of the day before the dust of snow fell on him?

Answer: Before the fall of the dust of snow, the poet thought that his day was ruined. He was in a bad mood. But then use of snow fell on him. It signalled something good and joyful. His mood changed.

8. Write a note on the setting of the poem.

Answer: The poem presents a perfect setting. There are four elements in the poem. All these four elements match one another. The snow stands for depression. The hemlock tree is a symbol of sadness. The crow considered ominous. The poet’s mood was also sad. But suddenly the way in which the crow shook the hemlock tree and falling off the dust of snow. change the poet’s mood.

9. Where was the poet and what happened to him?

Answer: there was snow everywhere. The poet was under a hemlock tree. The tree was covered with snow Suddenly a crow shook the tree The dust of snow fell on the poet. It changed his mood.

10. The flow was the poet’s mood? What brought a sudden change in it?

Answer: The poet was in a bad mood. He considered that his day was ruined. But the crow shook the tree. The dust of snow fell on him. His mood changed. The rest of the day was saved for him.

11. How did the poet feel before the ‘change of mood’? Why did he feel so?

Answer: The poet was in a very depressed and hopeless mood. The day offered no relief, comfort or happiness for the poet. He felt that the whole day had been wasted for nothing. Perhaps his dull and depressive mood led him to such a conclusion.

12. Do you think that the poet presents a very bright or cheerful side of nature in the poem? Give a reasoned answer.

Answer: No, Robert Frost has presented nature in it’s elemental and raw form. It is quite dull and depressive wintry day. The fall of fine dust of snow does bring a sudden change in the mood of the poet. It refreshes his spirits and brings cheerfulness to his depressed spirits and mood.

13. Describe the scene of falling off the dust I snow. What impact does it have on the poet?

Answer: It is a dull and depressing day of the winter. Snow is falling. The fine dust of snow has accumulated on the top of the trees. Nature seems to be in its elemental and raw state. However, the full of fine dust of snow brings a sudden change in the mood of the poet. His depressive spirits are uplifted and his mood becomes cheerful.

14. ‘The Crow’ and the ‘hemlock tree’ are generally considered to be inauspicious and ominous symbols. Does the poet use them so?

Answer: ‘The Crow’ and ‘the hemlock tree’, no doubt, don’t represent cheerfulness or brightness. Both of them are generally considered to be inauspicious. But ‘the crow’ in the poem causes the dust of snowfall on the poet. This leads to the sudden change of mood in the poet. The feeling of cheerfulness replaces the feeling of regret. Similarly, the hemlock tree is the tree under which the poet is standing and experiencing the change of his mood.

15. Why does the poet say that he had `saved some part of a day I (he) had rued’?

Answer: The whole day had been rather gloomy, dull and hopeless. The poet had a feeling that the whole day would go waste. However, the falling of fine dust of snow on him suddenly changes his mood. It cheered his depressed spirits. He felt as if he had saved some part of the day.

16. What is the message that Robert Frost wants to convey to the readers in the poem ‘Dust of snow’?

Answer: Robert Frost gives quite a positive message to the readers. Depression and hopelessness do cloud our hearts, spirits and moods. However, there is a silver-lining beyond every cloud. The poet had given up all hopes and declared that the whole day would go waste. Suddenly, the falling of fine dust of snow on him brings a sudden change in his mood. Cheerfulness replaces the feeling of regret.

17. What happened when the dust of snow fell on Robert Frost?

Answer: Robert Frost was unhappy. He was deep down in his heart due to some personal reasons. When the dust of snow fell on him, his mental state had changed. Now he looked at the surroundings.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Positive attitude in life can make the world a better place to live in. Do you agree or disagree with reference to the poem ‘Dust of Snow’? Express your views bringing out the inherent values.

Answer: I completely agree with the statement that positive attitude can make the world a better place to live in Robert Frost, in ‘Dust of Snow’, talks of how an otherwise bad day altered into a not so bad one, due to the action of a crow. It was a seemingly disconnected occurrence that brought about a change of mood in the poet. One lesson that can be learnt from the poet, is to see the brightness amidst the gloom. The crow, the hemlock and the snow are all dark images, and yet, the poet sees the colour of happiness. Another lesson is that life is made up of small joys. It is through them that one can always manage to see positivity in negativity.

2. Our attitude towards a situation evokes both negative and positive response. Analyze this with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’ to bring out the inherent valuable lessons.

Answer: Whatever situation life throws at us, it evokes both positive and negative responses. The poet, in the poem ‘Dust of Snow,’ was in a sorrowful mood. However, when a crow shook down the ‘dust of snow’ on him, his bitter mood changed into a more optimistic one. Now, being in a sorrowful or bad mood already, the poet could have got angry at the crow also. However, the dust of snow becomes a positive medium of change for him. It made him cheerful to some extent and helped him forget his sadness, at least for a few moments. Thus, we see that instead of seeing the negative aspect of a happening, one should see the positive aspect, and one’s response may greatly affect the outcome of incidents.

3. The poet has succeeded in giving valuable information in a light-hearted manner. What creates the desired effect? Highlight its importance in present-day life.

Answer: Truly, Frost has used simple language to drive home a very significant message, that little thing sometimes, have a big impact. An easy, uncomplicated language, coupled with unusual visual imagery and brevity of words creates the desired effect. The poet’s bitterness finds reflection even in the environment around him. The noisy, dark crow, the poisonous hemlock and the icy snow around—all are essentially depressing images. However, despite the negativity, when the crow shakes down the dust of snow onto the poet, it also shakes off some of the author’s regretful thoughts. Today, when all of us live in stressful atmospheres, the poem teaches us to gain happiness from little things.

4. There are times when we feel depressed and hopeless. We think that things will never change. Suddenly, a change comes in our mood when cheerfulness replaces the sense of regret. Justify the above statement in the context of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’.

Answer: Change is the law of nature. Man’s mood and spirits change like the change of the weather. In the poem, the poet is in a depressed and hopeless mood. He feels that the whole of the day has been wasted. But fortunately, this is not so. The falling of the fine dust of snow on him brings a sudden change in his mood. He realises that all is not lost. There is still hope for redemption. No doubt, a large part of the day has already been lost. It has been rather a bad day so far. But no more now. Now a part of the day has been redeemed. The change of landscape has changed his mood. Cheerfulness had replaced the feeling of regret. His spirits are no more depressed. The sudden change outside also cheers his heart and mood.

5. Poets have great power of imagination. Robert Frost also explains his imagination very well and proves that sometimes the bad symbols change into a boon. Discuss.

Answer: It is well known that poets have great imaginative power. On the basis of this power, the poet gives this world a new idea and pleasure. They do dip down into the ocean of imagination and carry valuable things. Then they present before the world an exotic moment. Robert Frost, in this poem, represents the crow and hemlock tree as inauspicious. But when the crow shakes off the dust of snow from the hemlock tree, it falls on the poet. It changes his dejected mood and saves the day from being spoilt.

6. Our mental condition depends on our surroundings and it can be changed according to it. Explain and prove.

Answer: It is true that our mental condition depends on our surroundings. For example, if we go to greener places or nearby waterfalls, we get immense pleasure. This poem also describes it. The poet was sitting under a hemlock tree in a dejected mood, but when a crow shakes this tree and dust of snow falls on the poet, it changes the poet’s mood. It was a pleasant incident.

Extract Based Questions

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

a. What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
b. What was there on the tree at that time?
c. Where do you think was the poet then?
d. Name the poem and the poet.

Answer:
a. The crow shook the hemlock tree.
b. There was snow in the tree at that time.
c. Then the poet was under a hemlock tree.
d. The name of the poem is ‘Dust of Snow’ and the poet is ‘Robert Frost’.

2: Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

a. What had given the poet ‘a change of mood’?
b. What had the poet thought of that day?
c. How was some part of the day saved for the poet?
d. What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza?

Answer:
a. The falling of dust of snow on the poet had changed his mood.
b. He had felt sad about that day. But the fall of snow-dust changed his mood.
c. He stopped ruing the day and his mood changed.
d. The rhyme scheme of this stanza is ‘abab’.

Very Short Answer Questions