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.

Q1. What happened when the “Dust Of Snow” fell on the poet?
Answer – The poet’s mood got refreshed completely and some part of the day has been saved
from getting ruined.

Q2. Who was the writer (Poet) of the “Dust Of Snow” Poem?
Answer – “Robert Frost”.

Q3. What happened to the poet’s mood when a close look down on him?
Or, How does the cross change the poet’s mood?
Answer – When the crow shook down the dust of snow on the poet, The poet feels refreshed and
with this little incidence his rest of the day has been saved from getting ruined which is going
very boring.

Q4. Which tree is there in the poem dust of snow?

Answer – Hemlock Tree,

Q5. What does the crow do to the poet?

Answer – The crow shook down the dust of snow From a hemlock tree on the poet.

Q6. Where did the crow sat?

Answer – On the Hemlock Tree.

Q7. How was the poet’s day before that incidence?

Answer – At first the poet’s day was completely ruined but with that little incidence, He feels so
much refreshed and his rest of the day has been saved from getting ruined.
Q8. What fell off from which tree?
Answer – Dust Of Snow from Hemlock Tree.

Q9.  What was the good thing that happens at last with the poet?
Answer – The poet’s day got saved from getting ruined at the end.

Q10. When was the dust of snow the poem written and by whom?
Answer – Robert Frost at 1923

FIRE AND ICE

Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” is a strong symbolic poem where fire is
used as the emotion of desire and ice, that of hatred. He has used the idea of
two groups who have their own possible explanation for the end of the world.
One is of the opinion that fire alone, can destroy each and every possibility of
life on Earth while the other thinks that if ice as a result of extreme low
temperatures could cover the earth’s surface, it would lead to the end of the
world. Both the components are compared with self-destructing human
emotions: desire and hatred. The poet is originally of the opinion that he has
been very closely associated with the “fiery desires” and considers it capable
of bringing human beings on the verge of destruction. Thus, he considers fire
as more competent for destruction. But then he thinks that “icy hatred” is just
as capable of ruining humans, though slowly and steadily. Therefore, if Earth
was to end twice, ice would be just as good as fire. If fire would lead to rapid
destruction, ice would lead to silent damage. Similarly, if fire is pure passion,
ice is pure reason. Thus, the poem, very artistically, underpins the philosophy
that we let our emotions rule us and if don’t control them they will surely bring
us all on the verge of chaos.
 
Question 1.
For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for?
Answer:
The word ‘fire’ stands for desire. In the poem, it
indicates all types of greed and lust. In today’s world, mankind’s greed is endangering the
very existence of the planet Earth. The word ‘ice’ in the poem indicates hatred and
indifference which is as cold as ‘ice’.

Question 2.
How has Frost brought out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
Answer:
‘Desire’ propels us in hot pursuit of something, hence, it is compared with fire. ‘Hatred’
makes us cold towards other’s feelings. The coldness of ice can numb our senses. Similarly,
the coldness of our hearts can numb our kindness. That is why ‘hatred’ has been compared
with ice.

Question 3.
Write down the two different views about the end of the world? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
There is a debate that is going on about the end of the world. People say that the world will
end in fire or in ice. World is transitory, nothing is perennial in this universe.

Question 4.
How does Robert Frost caution the common man?
Answer:
Man is selfish, avaricious, lustful, indifferent and
hateful. Robert Frost cautions the common man and says that he should not forget the bitter
reality that everything in this world is transitory and death is inevitable.

Question 5.
Why does the poet hold with those who favour fire?
Answer:
The poet takes side with those who believe that the
world will be destroyed by fire. Frost connects fire with desire. According to the poet, desire
is powerful and would be a quick end. Moreover, the fact that he has had personal
experience with desire leads him to first conclude that the world will end in fire.

Question 6.
Write the sum and substance of the poem ‘Fire and Ice’.
Answer:
The crystal clear message that the poet is trying to give is that nothing in this world is
eternal. Everything will perish either in fire or ice. We should, thus, not forget this supreme
reality and keep ourselves above all selfish matters.

Question 7.
Briefly write about the ideas about how the world will end.
Answer:
The world will end as a direct result of either fire or ice. Some scientists believed that the
world would be incinerated from its fiery core, while others were convinced that the coming
ice age would destroy all living things on the Earth’s surface.
Frost introduces a more emotional side, associating desire with fire and hatred with ice. The
poem, thus, does not allow for any other opinions in the black and white debate between fire
and ice.

Question 8.
To say that for destruction ice is also great for the poet, what does ‘ice’ stand for? How is it
sufficient to bring destruction?
Answer:
‘Ice’ symbolises hatred. Hate is just as powerful as desire. While desire consumes quickly,
hate can occur and linger in people’s minds and hearts for years and sometimes even
lifetimes. Hate consumers the hater perhaps even more than the person or group hated and
it can ruin lives. Hate can, thus, be very destructive and sufficient to bring destruction.
 Question 9.
‘But if it had to perish twice’. How will the world perish twice?
Answer:
According to the poet, the world will end due to the ‘fire’, which symbolises desire. But if the
world had to end twice then it will be due to the hatred symbolised by ‘ice’. The poet feels
that there is enough hatred in the world that is spreading among the people. This hatred will
end the world one day.

Question 10.
Which age old question does the poem revolves around?
Answer:
The poem revolves around the age old question of whether the world will end in fire or in ice.
This is similar to another age old question, whether it would be preferable to freeze to death
or burn to death. The poet determines that either option would achieve its purpose
sufficiently well.

A Tiger in the Zoo

The poem begins with a description of a tiger that is very beautiful and is
walking in his little cage. He has beautiful stripes on his skin and has velvet
like soft paws. But the tiger is not happy and is quite angry about being
confined in the cage. The poet says that if the tiger was not confined to the
zoo cage, he would have been hiding himself behind the long grass near
some water body, in order to catch its prey that is the deer. Also, he would
have terrorised the residents of the villages around the forest area. But the
reality is totally opposite to this. He was confined in a cage which was made
up of strong building material and he was helpless there. He could not show
his power to the visitors, therefore, never tried to terrorize them. The tiger is
described as being powerless and agonized by the poet. He says that during
night also he is alone, hearing the voice of the patrolling vehicles of police and
looking at the stars. The cage life has totally changed the tiger’s personality.
The poet is trying to say that the animal which is famous for its fearlessness
and freedom is confined and sad due to the human beings who want to derive
pleasure by looking at him in the zoo cage.

Literary devices

 Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)

 Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as

‘he’.

 Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)

 Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line without any
punctuation mark.

 Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his
vivid stripes The few steps of his cage)

 Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)

 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)

 Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)

Question 1.
How does a tiger create terror for the villagers?
Answer:
The tiger creates terror for the villagers by snarling
around their houses as they are situated near the jungle. He frightens them by
showing his white fangs and claws.

Question 2.
Leslie Norris has described some of the activities of a tiger behind the bars of its
cage. Write them.
Answer:
Some of the activities of the tiger behind the bars of its cage includes stalking along
the length of the cage, ignoring visitors, hearing patrolling cars and staring at the
brilliant stars shining in the sky.

Question 3.
Describe the tiger in the cage.
Answer:
The tiger in the cage is just a diminished form of his original self. He paces up and
down in the cage restlessly. He is confined in the narrow cell and keeps staring the
stars as if longing for freedom. He is helpless and draws pity for his condition.

Question 4.
Describe the tiger in the wild.
Answer:
The tiger in the wild is majestic. He is free and lies under the shades and hunts for
prey. He moves near the water because food is in plenty there. Sometimes he
growls and terrorises the villagers.

Question 5.
Why does the tiger express his rage quietly?
Answer:
The tiger expresses his rage quietly because
there is nothing he can do from behind the bars of his cage. He is helpless as his
strength now lies inside the cage. He is no longer free as he was in the jungle.
Question 6.
Where should the tiger have been according to the poet?
Answer:
The poet thinks that the tiger should have been in the jungle, lurking in the shadow of
long grass to prey on the deer near the water hole. He should also be on the
outskirts of the jungle snarling around houses and terrifying villagers.

Question 7.
How does the tiger make his presence felt in the village?
Answer:
The tiger makes his presence felt by snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge
and by showing his white fangs and claws.

Question 8.
What does the tiger do in his cage?
Answer:
The tiger is locked in a concrete cell where he can hardly take a few steps along the
length of the cage. He doesn’t take any notice of the visitors who come there. With
his shining eyes, he keeps staring at the bright stars in the sky.

Question 9.
Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?’. [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest because of the
following reasons. Firstly the villagers will not disturb the peace of the forest.
Secondly, they will not kill the animals for money or just for fun.

Question 10.
What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?
Answer:
The tiger is slowly and quietly moving along the length of the cage in a threatening
manner. He is ignoring the visitors because he considers them devoid of any
feelings. None of them thinks of releasing him from his prison. Thus, he stops taking
any notice of them.

Question 11.
Why do you think the tiger looks at the stars?
Answer:
The tiger feels very helpless in the cage. He stares with hope at the brilliant stars
shining in the sky. He hopes for the day when he would be able to run free in the
wild. The brilliant stars, thus, provides him with some sort of comfort.

Question 12.
What does the poet convey through the poem?
Answer:
The poet tries to expose the miserable life led by the animals in the zoo. He
compares the life of the tiger in the zoo with its life at a natural habitat. The animals
have the right to freedom and should not be caged. They should be allowed to run
free in the wild.