Scribd
Upload
3K views6 pages

Dust of Snow Introduction

The poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost describes how the poet's mood was lifted on an otherwise bad day. As the poet walked by a hemlock tree, a crow shook snow dust from the tree's branches onto the poet. Though hemlock trees and crows often represent negative or sorrowful things, this small act of nature instantly changed the poet's mood and saved the rest of his day from being ruined. The short interaction shows how even inauspicious things in nature can unexpectedly bring joy and happiness.

Uploaded by

SelanMable
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
3K views6 pages

Dust of Snow Introduction

The poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost describes how the poet's mood was lifted on an otherwise bad day. As the poet walked by a hemlock tree, a crow shook snow dust from the tree's branches onto the poet. Though hemlock trees and crows often represent negative or sorrowful things, this small act of nature instantly changed the poet's mood and saved the rest of his day from being ruined. The short interaction shows how even inauspicious things in nature can unexpectedly bring joy and happiness.

Uploaded by

SelanMable
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Dust of Snow

BY ROBER T FROS T
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart


A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Dust of Snow Introduction


The poem “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost is a simple and short poem, yet
with a deeper and larger meaning. The poet explains how an act as petty as
experiencing snow on one’s body can brighten one’s day up. The message of
the poem is put into words by Robert Frost:
“Always, always a larger significance...
A little thing touches a larger thing.”

Dust of Snow Class 10 CBSE English Poem Summary,


Explanation - See Video
Advertisement:

Dust of Snow Poem and Explanation

The way a crow


Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Shook- shake
Hemlock- a poisonous tree with small white flowers
The poem is set in a scene where the poet is in a bad mood and is walking by
a tree, a hemlock tree. Hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. As he passes by, a
crow happens to throw some snow dust on him. Whether it falls on his head or
shoulders is unknown as there is no specific mention in the poem. Also, the
readers are left in doubt about the bird’s specific action. Whether the crow was
landing, shivering with cold, re adjusting itself on the branch or taking off, it
happened to send some particles of snow upon the author. Here, the 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
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Rued- held in regret

For reasons unknown, the author was having a terrible day. But the falling of
the snow on his head 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.
Dust of Snow Literary Devices
i.Rhyme Scheme- abab cdcd
ii. Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words.

The instances of alliteration are as follows-

i.Has given my heart


ii.And saved some part

iii.inversion - when the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to create


rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, inversion can be
seen.
iv. 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.
v. 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
thorughout the poem.
Dust of Snow Summary
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 it’s
unpredictability can benefit anyone, anywhere at any time.

Dust of Snow Question and Answers


Q1. What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his
mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
A. “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.

Q 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 to your mind when you think
of a crow?
A. Birds like sparrow, nightingale and peacock are more than often named in
poems. Unlike these birds, crows are often seen as the indicators of doom
and fear. They are often used for negative references.

(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more
‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
A. Trees are also seen as mighty creatures imparting wisdom as they’re too
old. They give out oxygen and absorb the carbon dioxide which is connected
with absorbing all the negative energy. But there are trees that are poisonous
too, like a hemlock tree. The poet does not mention a more ‘beautiful’ tree
such as maple, oak or pine because he wants to indicate a sad scene. Being
poisonous, a hemlock tree is considered bad and so, he refers to it.
(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?
A. Both crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. Frost has used both the
negative creatures (crow and the hemlock tree) as the carriers of positivism
and strength that transformed his day for the better. By not using birds like
sparrow and nightingale and trees like maple, oak or a pine, the poet has tried
to break down all the preconceived notions we have about certain agents of
nature. He has tried to make us understand that we see the world not as how
it is, but as how we want to see it. Thus, the crow sitting and a hemlock tree
together made his day better. The dust of snow stands for joy.

You might also like