Unit 1 Poem

Going for water

* Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Robert Frost

1. Have you ever travelled through a forest? How did you feel?
Warm Up
2. Did you have any time to stop and enjoy the beauty
queer (adj.)of the forest?
: strange, odd
woods (n) : an area of land covered
a with a thick growth of trees.
harness (n) : straps and fittings by
a which a horse is fastened to a cart or
carriage
b
Whose woods these are I think I know. frozen (adj.) : in ice form
sweep (v) : to move swiftly and
His house is in the village though; a
smoothly
He will not see me stopping here downy (adj.) : soft and fluffy
a flake (n) : a small piece of snowflake

My little horse must think it queer b

To stop without a farmhouse near
a
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year. a

a
He gives his harness bells a shake
b
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep a

Create a mental picture with words

a

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

a

But I have promises to keep, a

And miles to go before I sleep,
a
And miles to go before I sleep.

English 18

Book 1.indb 18 21-01-2020 17:28:00


About the author
Robert Frost
(1874-1968) was
an American poet
noted for his realistic
descriptions of
rural life. Born
on 26 March 1874, he spent his
He received four Pulitzer prizes for
poetry and was a special guest at
President John F. Kennedy‘s
inauguration. Frost became a poetic
of the United States. Some of his
famous works are The Road Not Taken,
West Running Brook, Mending Wall,
After Apple Picking etc.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the former
Prime Minister of India, had the
last two lines of this poem written
in block letters and placed it on his
desk as these lines reminded him of his
responsibilities.
GLOSSARY
queer (adj.) : strange, odd
woods (n) : an area of
land covered with a thick
growth of trees.
harness (n) :
fastened to a cart or carriage
frozen (adj.) : in ice form
Book 1.indb 19
sweep (v) : to move swiftly and
smoothly
downy
(n) : a small piece of
A. Memorise the poem 'Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy
Evening'.
B. Read the following
lines and answer the
‘He’ refers to the own
following questions.
the woods.
1. He will not see me stopping here ‘He’ refers
To watch his woods fill up with snow. owner of th
a) Whom does ‘he’ refer to?
The poet (Robert Frost) or
b) Identify the season in these lines.
narrator is the speaker.
2. My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
The horse should think it queer because the rider stopped
place where there was no farmhouse around.
a) Who is the speaker?
queer – near
b) Why should the horse think it
queer?
c) Pick out the rhyming words.
3. He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
‘He’ refers to the horse in these lines.
a) Whom does ‘he’ refer to in these
lines? He gives his harness bells a shake to ask the rider
he has stopped the horse in that place by mistake.
b) Why does ‘he’ give his harness
bells a shake?
The horse communicates with the poet b
c) How does the horse communicate
sounding the bells.
with the poet?
4. The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep The woods are beautiful, dark a
a) How are the woods? ‘I’ refers to the poet or
narrator, Robert Frost.
b) Whom does ‘I’ refer to?
c) What are the promises the
speakerThe
is promises
talking about?
the speaker is talking about are doing
his worldly work or fulfilling his commitments.
19 English
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 The sounds heard by the poet are the bells of the horse, sound of the
and the falling snow flake.

He has repeated the lines in order to give

emphasis to the meaning of the first line.
The poet is aware that he has two choices–one to enjoy the bea
5. And miles to go before I sleep, 3. What are the sounds heard
of nature, the otherby
one isthe
to go to the society and do his worldl
The poet means by this line that he has a lot of work to do in this work. At the end he chooses to go to the society to do his work.
And miles to go before I sleep.
world before he could take rest. The rest may mean his death.
poet?
a) Why the poet has used the same 4. The poet is aware of two choices. What
line twice? are they? What choice
Woods, frozen lake,does he other
‘the only makesound’.
b) Explain: miles to go before I sleep ultimately?

Wood
C. Complete the summary of the 5. Pick out words from the poem that
belonged bring to mind peace and quiet.
village
After a long travel the poet entered E. Identify the rhyme scheme used
a___________. He wondered to whom in each stanza. One example has
see
the wood _______! He realized that the been done for you.
owner of the wood lived insnow
a ________.
He thought that the owner would not be Stanza Rhyme schemeaaba
able to ___________him
queer stopping in his 1 aaba aaba
stopped
2 aaaa
woods. The poet felt that the horse would
think it very _________ to stop evening
frozen lake
near the 3
woods as he had never _____. He was
4
actually standing between the woods and
mistake
_______. The time was ________. The
horse indicated that the poet has made adark F. Complete the table by identifying
________deepby shaking its head. The poet lines, against the poetic devices
felt that the woods work
are lovely, _______ from the poem. One example is
and ______. He suddenly
stay realized that done for you.
he had worldly ______which would not
Lines from the
allow him to _______ in the woods for a Poetic device
poem
long time.
Alliteration watch hisMywoods
little horse must think it queer
D. Answer the questions in two or He gives his harness bells a shake

three sentences.
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
1. What information does the poet
highlight about the season and the Repetition
The darkest evening of the year.
time of the day in the poem? Of easy wind and downy flake.

Imagery
2. In which way is the reaction of the
speaker different from that of the
The speaker liked to enjoy nature which was around him. But the horse, as an ani
horse? What does it convey? could not see any beauty around him. He might like to stop in a farm house so tha
could take some rest. It conveys the different views of a human and an animal.

English 20
The season was winter and it was indicated by the word snow. The time was evening
and that too it was a dark evening. So the poet was travelling in the evening in winter
and reached a beautiful woods.
Book 1.indb 20 21-01-2020 17:28:00
 Writing

G. Answer the following questions in a paragraph about 80 -100 words.

1. It is said, “The choices made by one, shapes one’s destiny”. Ponder on the thought
and write a paragraph.

H.

Read and Enjoy

LEISURE

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

21 English

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