253download. - 0POEM 1 CLASS X ENGLISH

MAHESH PUBLIC SCHOOL
STUDY MATERIAL
Subject- English Language & Literature (184)
Book – First Flight
Poem 1- Dust of Snow by Robert Frost
About the author: Robert Frost was born in 1874 at San Francisco, California. In
his lifetime, he won more than one Pulitzer Prize. The president John F. Kennedy
had also honoured him with a speech, for his poem written in the honour of
Kennedy. He passed away in the year 1963. His poems have relevance even today.
Introduction: The poem “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost is a simple and short
poem, yet with a deeper and larger meaning. The poet explains how an act as petty
as experiencing snow on one’s body can brighten one’s day up. The message of the
poem is put into words by Robert Frost:
“Always, always a larger significance...
A little thing touches a larger thing.”
Theme: Dust of Snow is a beautiful poem written by the famous American poet
Robert Frost. It depicts a simple moment, but it has great significance. The poem is
set on a wintry day. The snow is falling heavily. The poet is depressed and has lost
all hope. He is sitting under a hemlock tree. A small natural incident changes his
sad mood into a happy mood. The poem teaches us that one should never be
desperate and hopeless. There is always scope for a change.
Dust of Snow Poem and Explanation
The way a crow

Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Shook- shake
Hemlock- a poisonous tree with small white flowers
The poem is set in a scene where the poet is in a bad mood and is walking by a
tree, a hemlock tree. Hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. As he passes by, a crow
happens to throw some snow dust on him. Whether it falls on his head or
shoulders is unknown as there is no specific mention in the poem. Also, the
readers are left in doubt about the bird’s specific action. Whether the crow was
landing, shivering with cold, re adjusting itself on the branch or taking off, it
happened to send some particles of snow upon the author. Here, the two agents
of nature, the hemlock tree and the crow are signifiers of sadness and gloom just
like the poet’s mood was in the opening scene.
Has given my heart

A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Rued- held in regret
For reasons unknown, the author was having a terrible day. But the falling of the
snow on his head lifted his mood instantly. He had already spent his day in a bad
mood but the rest of it was saved by the crow and the hemlock tree. Generally,
hemlock tree and crow are used for negative references but the poet used them
beautifully to portray that inauspicious things can bring joy and happiness too.
One must not take things for granted and should be open and accept whichever
way the nature chooses to bless us.
Literary Devices
1) Rhyme Scheme- abab cdcd
2) 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-
a) Has given my heart

b) And saved some part
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) Symbolism - Both crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. Frost has
used both the negative creatures (crow and the hemlock tree) as the
carriers of positivism and strength that transformed his day for the better.
By not using birds like sparrow and nightingale and trees like maple, oak or
a pine, the poet has tried to break down all the preconceived notions we
have about certain agents of nature. He has tried to make us understand
that we see the world not as how it is, but as how we want to see it. Thus,
the crow sitting and a hemlock tree together made his day better.
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 realize 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 its unpredictability can benefit
anyone, anywhere at any time.
Extract based Questions:
1. The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree.
a) The crow and the hemlock are considered as ________symbols of nature.
i. Positive ii. Negative iii. Pleasant
b) What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
c) Where do you think the poet was then?
d) What is the rhyme scheme of the given stanza?
2. Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
a) How did the poet’s mood change?
b) What had the poet thought of the day?
c) What do you understand by the word ‘rued’?
d) Name the poet and the poem?
Short answer questions (30-40 words)

1.What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem?
2. What do the crow, hemlock tree and dust of snow represent in the poem?
3. What is the message given by the poem?
Long Answer Question [100-150 words]
1. It is our attitude towards a situation that makes it positive or negative. Do you

agree with it? Express your views with reference to the poem ‘Dust of Snow’.

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MAHESH PUBLIC SCHOOL

Subject- English Language & Literature (184)

Book – First Flight

Poem 1- Dust of Snow by Robert Frost

Dust of Snow Poem and Explanation

The way a crow

Has given my heart

a) Has given my heart

3) Inversion - when the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to

Dust of Snow Summary

Short answer questions (30-40 words)

Long Answer Question [100-150 words]

1. It is our attitude towards a situation that makes it positive or negative. Do you

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