How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.
(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?
(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent − joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
Answers
Answer:
Generally, we come across birds such as nightingales or sparrows in poems concerned with nature and its beauty. No, crow is not often mentioned in the poems. The crow is considered as a harbinger of bad news and sadness. Frost has used a crow in this poem to indicate sorrow and foreboding.
Answer:
1. The poet observed that nature has healing power. Robert Frost is a nature lover. The crow and the hemlock tree are associated with bad omens or death and fear. But, Frost has presented them very beautifully. They bring cheer to him and are a source of joy. Through this poem, he conveys that everything around us in nature is beautiful. The dust of snow that the crow shakes of the hemlock tree stands for a small incident that lifted up the poet's mood.
Explanation:
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