FREE ESSAY ON ROBERT FROST 2 POEM COMPARISON

ROBERT FROST 2 POEM COMPARISON

Robert Frost successfully taken reader's imagination on a journey through the wintertime
with his poems Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Frost's New
England background in 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
completely different tones. One poem has a feeling of a depressing loneliness, and the
other of feeling welcome. The poems show how the same setting can have totally different
impacts on an individual depending on their mind set at the moment. These poems are both
made up of simple stanzas and diction, but they are not simple poems, and could be easily
misunderstood. 
In the poem Desert Places the male speaker is traveling through the countryside on a
beautiful winter evening and is completely surrounded with the feeling of loneliness. The
narrator views the 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 around except for the snow and his lonesome thoughts. The
speaker in this poem shows jealousy towards the woods. The woods around it have it - it
is theirs. The woods symbolize people and society. They have something that belongs to
them that they can feel a part of. The speaker is so alone inside that he feels that he
is not a part of anything. Nature has a way of bringing everything together to act as
one, even animals are a part of the winter. All animals are smothered in their lairs, / I
am too absent spirited to count. The snow makes everything around it white, and to him it
is a feeling of numbness. The loneliness includes me unawares. The speaker has seemingly
lost his zest for life. He is unable to express his feelings easily because of this
numbness, also he is in denial about feeling alone. He does not care anything about too
much They cannot scare me with their empty space. He is saying that no one cares how I
feels, and that he does not need anyone else. I have in me so much nearer home/ To scare
myself with my own desert places. The speaker to realizes that he had shut himself off
from the world. He recognizes that the winter place is like his life, because he let
depression and loneliness be in his life and take over like the snow had sneak up on the
plains and covered it. If he continues to let these dominate his life eventually
everything would be exactly like what the snow does to nature. 
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a much happier and more upbeat poem than Desert
Places, and the titles alone proves this. This poem is about stopping to enjoy life. But
I have promises to keep, / and miles to go before I sleep. The speaker in this poem was a
very busy man who never had time for anything. Readers can sense a regret now. The man
would like to stay and enjoy the woods, The woods are lovely, dark and deep. The speaker
seems concerned about what people 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 seem odd.
He is also concerned about the owner of the woods, he feels guilty for admiring the
owners woods. He will not see me stopping here/ To watch his woods fill up with snow. The
speaker's life should be enhanced since he 'stopped to smell the roses.' The trip to the
woods was indeed a learning experience for him. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is
the opposite of Desert Places. The settings may be the same, i.e both being calm, dark,
wintry evenings, but they express different feelings. Desert Places is a depressing poem
with a dull tone. The other is very happy one that lifts the spirit. 
Though these poems are different they are also similar is some ways. They show two
extremes of the same emotion that being alone can be positive or negative it just depends
on your mind frame. Loneliness can be depressing, or it can be a time to see your
thoughts and feelings without the pressures.
Robert Frost successfully created two winter scenes with different outcomes. The first,
Desert Places is a sad poem about loneliness and loss of enthusiasm and Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening is an uplifting poem about enjoying the simple things in life.