illustration of a snowy forest with a cabin in the distance

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

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Student Question

What dramatic monologue is in Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"?

Quick answer:

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost is considered a dramatic monologue, where a single narrator reflects on his surroundings without engaging in dialogue. The speaker, presumed to be Frost himself, shares his thoughts while pausing in snow-covered woods. The poem invites readers to ponder the narrator's motivations for stopping and the implications of his journey, as the reasons for his actions remain ambiguous.

Expert Answers

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Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is an example of dramatic monologue. When a poem is written in this manner is also called a persona poem. Robert Frost does not identify the speaker in the poem, but it has been assumed that it is Frost himself.

The poem is told by a single narrator who is speaking to a general audience. The poem does not contain any dialogue; the narrator simply speaks his thoughts about the situation of stopping in the snow filled woods. He muses about how his horse must feel, describes the night, but never truly gives the reader an indication of why he stopped at that place or moment in time. This allows the reader to speculate on the reasons why the narrator took these actions, and what lies ahead of him as he moves on in his journey.

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