12/29/2023 0 Comments In the dark dark woods poem![]() The semantics of “the woods” are far removed from those of “the forest.” A forest is a wild place, ancient and endless. Yet “the woods are lovely, dark and deep” he is enchanted.Īccordingly, Frost’s use of the word “woods” is understandable. No, he comes from society, and will return to it. He has not whole-heartedly abandoned himself to the magical vision before him. Is this the first question that pops into his head? Frost indicates that even amidst this lonely scene, the man isn’t completely removed from human culture and history. The poem is an internal monologue, a stream of consciousness. “Whose woods these are I think I know” – what does nature know of ownership? The primordial forest is ownerless, free to all! The concept of ownership, along with the conflicts and disputes that accompany it, are a product of human society. Yet this isolation from human society is immediately violated. Nevertheless, they have a certain human quality, which further emphasizes his present absolute solitude. These are not metropolises they are not exactly crammed with bustling activity. ![]() Somewhere in the distance lie farmhouses a village is mentioned. But from where has he come? Presumably the place from which he departed was less lonely. ![]() It is silent the only sound is the “the sweep / Of easy winds and downy flake.” There are no people, no lights, no sounds, no comfort – just the narrator, alone. It is “the darkest evening of the year,” midwinter. It is bleak as far as the eye can see, there is but a white expanse of fallen snow. The scene is one of absolute human loneliness. (For the practical ramifications of this distinction, see there.) The same physical pause may take on an entirely different meaning, depending on the intention behind it. The narrator stops by trees, on a snowy evening, to watch the “woods fill up with snow.” He seems suspended in the present, but where has he come from? Where is he going? The Talmud ( Shabbat 5b) distinguishes between two different types of “stops.” Some stop “to shoulder their burden” before continuing on their way others stop “in order to rest.” The former stop is merely a means to an end the Talmud doesn’t consider it a real standstill, while the latter stop is. The title “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” presents the scene. However, Frost blatantly holds back significant information – which has an unsettling effect. The poem is short, its subject unexceptional. ![]() Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (1923) Let us now turn our attention to one of his most celebrated poems. Frost’s poetry reflects this: the distance from the city provides an opportunity to re-examine man’s relation to his original, natural environment. He resided in Vermont, New England – a rustic, quiet, peaceful place, far removed from the noise, pollution, stress and excitement produced by the Industrial Revolution. Time constraints dictate that we cannot fully analyze Frost’s poem using the latter method nevertheless, I shall offer a few words to provide a rough idea of the man, the period and the place that brought about this poem. There are strong arguments in both directions – and, of course, the correct path is to find a balance between the two extremes. Conversely, many notable academics have argued that we cannot hope to understand an artistic creation without first becoming familiar with the artist’s biography, psychology, and native culture. We focus completely on the poem, the literary creation, as an isolated entity. Of course, we know that the poem has a historical background: it stems from the poet’s personality and experience, from the cultural and societal context in which it was written – but all that doesn’t interest us. Some hold that as readers, we should treat a poem as a self-contained entity. What is the proper way to relate to an artistic creation? This question is frequently raised by students of literature, and it concerns yeshiva students as well. Based on a sicha of Harav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"lĪdapted and translated by Netanel Hacohen
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