______________________________Notes_____________________________

_ Dust of Snow
- Robert Frost
I. Short answer questions
1. What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How
has the poet’s mood changed?
Ans: The ‘dust of snow’ means the fine and delicate flakes of snow. The sudden
light snowfall has changed the poet’s mood. The poet’s mood changed from sad to
happy. He felt refreshed and wanted to enjoy the rest of the day.
2. How does Frost present nature in this poem? What are the birds that are
usually named in poems? Do you think crow is often mentioned in poems?
What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?
Ans. Frost presents nature in a very different manner in the poem, in an
unconventional manner. Generally, poets take the birds and trees that are
known for their beauty and good qualities like peacock, parrot, cuckoo and
trees full of beautiful flowers and fruits, etc. But here Frost has taken a totally
different approach. He chose a crow, which is not often used in poems. Crow is
black in colour with very harsh voice and is believed to be a symbol of bad
omen. Thinking of a crow brings very depressing and sorrowful pictures to our
mind.
3. What is ‘a hemlock tree’? Why doesn’t the poet write about more ‘beautiful’ tree
aasuch as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
Ans. A hemlock tree is poisonous plant with small white flowers. The poet,
Robert Frost, didn’t choose to use an oak, maple or pine tree. Instead, he chose
the hemlock tree and left all the beautiful trees present in the world. Actually,
he did so to present his mood and feelings.
4. 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?
Gr 10/English/Notes/U1/Ch 2/17 March 2024
Ans. The crow and hemlock tree represent sorrow and depression felt by the
aapoet in this materialistic world. The dust of snow is the symbol of natural joy
aaand energy. The dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree means
aapassing through the sad and depressing moments the poet is entering into the
aatime full of joy and optimism.
II. Long answer question
5. A simple moment proves to be very significant and saves the rest of the day of
the poet from being wasted. Explain on the basis of the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’.
Ans. The poem ‘Dust of Snow’ is written by Robert Frost. One day, the poet was in
a very sad mood. Sorrow and dejection had settled on his heart. He tells us
that he was standing beneath a hemlock tree. A crow shook off the dust of
snow that fell on him. When this dust fell on the poet, a sudden change came
in his mood. It ended all the regret that had filled his mind. Thus, it saved his
day from any further sadness.
The poet has used the hemlock tree, the crow, the dust of snow and the crow’s
shaking off his dust from his wings as symbols. The hemlock is a poisonous
tree. It has been used here as a symbol of the sad mind that can be no less
than a poison for the body. The crow is often taken as a sign of ill omen. The
poet has used it as a symbol of the sad thoughts that had settled on his mind,
just as the crow had settled on the hemlock tree.
The dust of snow that had settled on the crow is a symbol of inertia that the
poet’s sad thoughts have brought about in him. And the crow’s shaking off
this dust is a symbol of the new awakening that came in the poet’s mind. It
ended all his regret and saved his mind from any further dejection.
III. Literary Devices
1. 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
1. Has given my heart
 2. And saved some part
Gr 10/English/Notes/U1/Ch 2/17 March 2024
2. 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. 3.
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 throughout the poem.
4. 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.
5. Rhyme Scheme – abab cdcd
Gr 10/English/Notes/U1/Ch 2/17 March 2024