Summary of Dust of Snow
This article focuses on the short poem, Dust of snow
summary by Robert Frost. It illustrates the extraordinary
curative power of nature and trivial things in life. Nature
cures everything whether it is awful mood or illness. The
author is experiencing one such bad day when a crow’s
movement near hemlock dusted snow upon him. The snow
instantly makes him happier. His day gets tons better. The
supremacy of nature made him realise his problems are
petty. The fact that hemlock is poisonously combined with
crow being the indicator of doom and fear is utilized in the
poem because the carrier of happiness within the lifetime
of the narrator is ironical. The poet tries to spotlight that
sometimes creatures link with negative aspects of life often
bring change and happiness. Being outdoors in nature, with
all its unpredictability can benefit anyone, anywhere at any
time.
Dust of Snow Summary in English
It is winter season and the poet is in a bad mood sitting
quietly under the hemlock tree covered all over the snow.
On spur of moment, a crow sitting on the branch of the tree
shakes the tree, and the snow from tree falls on the poet.
The snow is cold and velvety to touch which changes the
poet’s mood from bitter to elate. This fills him with a
refreshing feeling. This moment was very compelling and
saves his day from disappointment. The black crow usually
symbolizes bad omen and emblem of death and fear. Since
the crow is not related to goodwill, it is ironic that during
this poem he did an honest deed by shaking off the snow.
Robert Frost did not prefer to use any other trees like oak,
maple or pine. He chose the hemlock which is typically
related to poison and toxicity. Similarly, he uses dust which
is useless to anybody and nobody wants to be liking dust.
But the poet uses it as an impulse that brings positive
thoughts in mind. Anyway, the alluring snow that adorns
the poisonous hemlock tree’s branches is shaken off by a
scary crow. We have toxic hemlock covered in pure, white
snow, and a person who is depressed, getting to kill himself
and walking under the tree. The black crow throws the
snow on the poet. The feels of pure cold snow alter his
mind about sacrificing his life. On the contrary, he decides
to forget the regrets of his life and sorrow to follow the path
of healing of the inner soul. This poem conveys the
message that nothing in life is small. Even trivial things can
bring positive changes in our life. In addition to this, it also
shows that if we take things positively in life, situations do
change for better. Even the small help or good gestures we
do for others make large differences. Just believe those
random acts of kindness we do and the way they brighten a
person’s day, and sometimes change their future. Noticing
and appreciating all the tiny things in life will make our life
happier.
Conclusion of Dust of Snow
The poem teaches us a lesson that every small act in life
can illuminate our soul and motivate us to do better.
Rhyme Scheme: abab
Imagery: Frost uses simple imagery like a crow scattering snow from
hemlock tree, and ‘dust of snow’ falling on the poet to depict the positive
effect of nature on the poet.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the occurrence of the same sound that is used in
the beginning of the closely placed words.
• Has given my heart
• And saved some part
Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas by giving them
symbolic meaning that is different from their literal meaning.
The ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock tree’. The poet has used these as a symbol to show
the emotions like dejection, gloom and depression. Also, he has used these
as symbols to show that these ‘inauspicious’ things of nature can also
change a person’s mood and mind. The poet is having a bad day and he is
clear about that. However, to make us understand the severity of his sullen
mood, he introduces us to the symbol of the hemlock tree. Hence, the
hemlock tree, from which the poison is said to be made, is a symbol of death.
The next symbol that the poet introduces to us is that of the crow. The crow
is an ambiguous symbol and could stand for many things. Generally, the
crow is considered to be the ugliest among all birds. Hence, it could be
another sight to degrade the poet’s mood once again.
Inversion: When the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to
create rhyme, the poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, the poetic
device ‘inversion’ is used.
Enjambment: In enjambment, the same sentence continues to the next line
without the use of any punctuation marks.
This poem is very good example of this poetic device. It has been used
throughout the poem. The lines oof stanzas flow to next line without any
punctuations.
Metaphor: This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made
between two different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device
of metaphor in the 3rd line of the 1st stanza, when he compares the mass of
snowflakes atop the hemlock tree with dust.
Synecdoche: This poetic device is used in many ways to represent one thing
with the help of an entirely different one. In this poem, the poet uses this
device to represent the whole in the 1st line of the 2nd stanza. He says that
his “heart” has undergone a change of mood because the crow has made the
snowflakes from the hemlock tree rain down on him. However, he is now
experiencing a better mood as a result of the actions of the crow.
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.
