Robert Frost takes our imagination to a journey through wintertime with his two
poems “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Frost
comes from a New England background and these two poems reflect the beautiful
scenery that is present in our part of the country. Even though these poems both
have winter settings, they contain very different tones. One has a feeling of
depressing loneliness, and the other a feeling of welcome solitude. They show
how the same setting can have totally different impacts on a person depending on
their mindset at the time. These poems are both made up of simple stanzas and
diction, but they are not simple poems. In the poem “Desert Places” the
speaker is a man who is traveling through the countryside on a beautiful winter
evening. He is completely surrounded with feelings of loneliness. The speaker
views a snow-covered field as a desert place. “A blanker whiteness of
benighted snow/ With no expression, nothing to express.” Whiteness and
blankness are two key ideas in this poem. The white symbolizes open and empty
spaces. The snow is a white blanket that covers up everything living. The
blankness symbolizes the emptiness that the speaker feels. To him there is
nothing else around except for the unfeeling snow and his lonely thoughts. The
speaker in this poem is jealous of the woods. “The woods around it have it –
it is theirs.” The woods symbolize people and society. They have something
that belongs to them, something to feel a part of. The woods have its place in
nature and it is also a part of a bigger picture. The speaker is so alone inside
that he feels that he is not a part of anything. Nature has a way of bringing
all of her parts together to act as one. Even the animals are a part of this
wintry scene. “All animals are smothered in their lairs, / I am too absent
spirited to count.” The snow throws its blanket of whiteness over everything,
and to him it is a feeling of numbness. “The loneliness includes me
unawares.” The speaker has lost his enthusiasm for life. He cannot express his
feelings easily because of this feeling of numbness. The speaker is also in
denial about feeling alone. He is at a stage where he just does not care about
too much and he feels a bit paranoid. “They cannot scare me with their empty
space.” He is saying who cares how I feel; I do not need anyone else. “I
have in me so much nearer home/ To scare myself with my own desert places.”
The speaker was starting to realize that he had shut himself off to the world.
He recognized that this winter place was like his life. He had let depression
and loneliness creep into his life and totally take over like the snow had crept
up on the plain and silently covered it. If he continues to let these feelings
run his life, eventually everything would be snuffed out much like the snow does
to nature. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a much happier and more
upbeat poem than “Desert Places.” This poem is about stopping to enjoy life
or as the cliché goes, stopping to smell the roses. “But I have promises to
keep, / and miles to go before I sleep.” The speaker in this poem was a very
busy man who always had obligations to fulfill and places to go. A feeling of
regret is present. The man would like to stay and enjoy welcome solitude. “The
woods are lovely, dark and deep.” This poem expresses the joy of nature. The
speaker seems concerned about what the rest of society would think about him
just stopping in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. His horse
represents society. “My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a
farmhouse near.” He admits that just stopping does seen odd. He is also
somewhat concerned about the man who owns the woods. The man almost feels guilty
for looking so lovingly at this other man’s woods. “He will not see me
stopping here/ To watch his woods fill up with snow.” I think that the
speaker’s life may be a little better off since he stopped to take a deep
breath and enjoy all that really matters, the simple things. “Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening” is the opposite of “Desert Places.” The settings
where exactly the same, both being calm, dark, wintry evenings, but they express
totally different feelings. “Desert Places” is a very depressing poem with a
dark tone. The other is very happy, and it makes you wish that winter were
already here. These two poems are very different, but they are also the same in
some ways. They show two extremes of the same emotion. Being alone can be
positive or negative. It just depends on the state of mind. Loneliness can be
very depressing, or it can be a time to collect your thoughts without the
pressures of the outside world crashing down. Winter is the perfect season to
reflect upon when expressing solitude. Winter can make everything seem dead. It
can be a time of starting over. Snow’s whiteness can, in a way, blind you with
its beauty and make you forget about your troubles. Winter for me is a time of
silent reflection. I could sit for hours and gaze at the blowing snow. Robert
Frost creates two winter scenes with different outcomes. The first, “Desert
Places” is a sad poem about loneliness and lost enthusiasm. “Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a rather uplifting poem about enjoying simple
things in life. Frost seems to draw upon his experience from living in rural New
England and converts those experiences into his beautiful poetry. Desert Places
By Robert Frost Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast In a field I
looked into going past, And the ground almost covered smooth in snow, But a few
weeds and stubble showing last. The woods around it have it-it is theirs. All
animals are smothered in their lairs. I am too absent-spirited to count; The
loneliness includes me unawares. And lonely as it is that loneliness Will be
more lonely are it will be less- A blanker whiteness of benighted snow With no
expression, nothing to express. They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars-on stars where no human race is. I have it in me so much nearer
home To scare myself with my own desert places. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening By Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in
the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up
with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his
harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s
the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But
I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before
I sleep.