17 pages • 34 minutes read
Robert FrostA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The crow, snow, and hemlock tree help the speaker feel less sorrow, turning these natural elements into healers. The symbolism is ironic—that is, there’s a twist that upends typical expectations. Neither of the three symbols conventionally aligns with healing. Crows have an odious reputation in culture, while snow, though enchanting during the holidays, signifies coldness. Hemlock trees aren’t poisonous, but the tree’s name comes from the similarities between its foliage and the poisonous hemlock plant.
In Frost’s poem, the trio transforms into a wholesome presence. Each one plays a role in the process of countering the speaker’s sadness and giving them “[a] change of mood” (Line 6). The hemlock tree provides a place for the snow to fall and the crow to land. The crown then shakes “[t]he dust of snow” (Line 3) from the tree onto the speaker, which puts the speaker’s “heart” (Line 5) in a positive direction. As healers, they don’t cure the speaker, but curing unhappiness isn’t plausible. The healers do what’s possible, and because of their work, the speaker has “saved some part” (Line 7) of their day from gloom.
By Robert Frost
Acquainted with the Night
Robert Frost
After Apple-Picking
Robert Frost
A Time To Talk
Robert Frost
Birches
Robert Frost
Fire and Ice
Robert Frost
Mending Wall
Robert Frost
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Robert Frost
October
Robert Frost
Once by the Pacific
Robert Frost
Out, Out—
Robert Frost
Putting in the Seed
Robert Frost
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
The Death of the Hired Man
Robert Frost
The Gift Outright
Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
West-Running Brook
Robert Frost