Poem Review: Snow Day By Billy Collins

The winter is surely when the novella’s tone goes downhill. As the nights grow longer, and the days grow colder, the mood of this book darkens . “ The sky is an empty hopeless gray and gives the impression that this is its eternal shade. Winter’s occupation seems to have conquered, overrun and destroyed everything…” This quote shows the change in mood that winter has brought.

The narrator describes the dawn of a new day as, “Today begins cold and bright / the ground heavy with snow” (Collins 5-6). The visual imagery of heavy snow tells the reader that each new day is pure and a new beginning. Bright and cold is a reference to birth; this is how each day begins. The changes exhibited through the use of imagery are indicative of the changes that take place throughout a lifetime. It is easy to visualize each day when the narrator says, "this day might be resting somehow / on the one before it, / all the days of the past stacked high / like the impossible tower of dishes/entertainers used to build on stage."

If an artist were to paint a picture depicting the poem “Oregon Winter” by Jeanne McGahey the colors that would predominate are gray and brown. Some of the visual details are the gray farmhouses with gray smoke coming from the chimneys. There would be soaked green hills in the background and brown “blotches of wet on the dusty road” leading up to the houses and barns. Visible from the windows of the barns are lofts piled high with wet yellow straws. The picture would also capture the sagging plumages of the wild geese flying in the sky next to the bloated gray clouds bursting with rain. Finally, there would be farmers conducting their chores, getting drenched in the slow, heavy rain of winter. It is dreary, and no one is in a rush.

After a careful overview of the story, the readers understands that the author point is that in some situations, people should do the nice thing and sacrifice themselves to help others. In the story, “What Happened During the Ice storm” the author uses a mysterious, bittersweet tone, “They stood over the pheasants, turning their own heads, looking at each other each expecting the other to do something” (Heynen 1). The author uses this line to show that any other person would not even stop to think; that any other person would immediately attack. However, putting these lines in the story makes the reader notice how the boys took the time to stop and think

In 2001, the American population was shocked by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Two planes were hijacked and rammed into the twin towers. As soon as the first plane hit, news reporters began to broadcast the event on every news station throughout the country. In the next moment, a second plane crashed into the other building, and it was witnessed on live television. A frenzy of panic and uncertainty engulfed the American society and patriotism soared.

“Life is fine!” is not what one typically announces if their life really is fine (Hughes l.27). Often, people hide behind masks of being “fine” to hide their true issues, such as depression and despair. The poem “Life is Fine” by Langston Hughes as well as “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins tackles the topic of depression. While both poems focus on this theme of depression, they greatly differ in their perspectives and outlooks for the future, one with a suicidal adult as narrator, the other a ten year old child.

This poem brought me back to my home town and the wonders and beauty that it brings around winter time, and made me nostalgic with memories of past winters with my family and slightly saddened for those who have never seen the magical ability snow has. This poem reminded me that there are people who live in states where their change in seasons is not as noticeable, as the ones that I grew up with and have come to miss. Similar to many of the romantics, natures true beauty can transform the mundane into a work of art that would never have existed

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a very well know poem by Robert Frost. The poem appears to be very simple, but it has a hidden meaning to it. The simple words and rhyme scheme of the poem gives it an easy flow, which adds to the calmness of the poem. The rhyme scheme (aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd) and the rhythm (iambic tetrameter) give the poem a solid structure. The poem is about the speaker’s experience of stopping by the dark woods in the winter evening with his horse and admiring the beauty of the fresh fallen snow in the forest. Then, the speaker projects himself into the mind of his horse, speculating about his horse’s practical concerns and the horse

“Snow Bound”, a poem describing the joyous day for a boy who experienced snow for the first time. Author, John Greenleaf Whittier uses imagery perfectly. “The blue walls of the firmament, no cloud about, no earth below-a universe of sky and snow.” The author describes the setting of the poem by his use of rich and creative imagery.

Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person. The poems “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and “The mending wall” strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people.

Snow here could represent dullness or loneliness. Frost feels that everything or everyone around him are filled with loneliness, no excitement and everything seems to be the same. Line four in the poem says that “But a few weeds and stubble showing last.” Here it tells us that although dullness, emptiness, or loneliness covered almost everything around him, he could still see some life or excitement somewhere in between. Yet this small bits of life and excitement were nothing compared to the overwhelming emptiness. In the next couple of lines, Frost seems to have forgotten all about the weeds and stubble he saw and put his attention back to the empty, snow covered surroundings. He then looks at the woods near the field and that too have been covered in snow. He also mentioned that all the animals are covered in snow in their lairs. These two lines again emphasize how Frost feels. He knows that there are live around him, yet those life are also filled with emptiness. Soon he even realized that not only the surroundings that were filled with loneliness, but Frost himself are also in it as line eight says, “The loneliness includes me unawares.”

A poem is an experience, not a thought. It is an experience both the author and the reader share with one another. Authors of poems use tones, keywords, hidden messages, irony, and diction to create their work. They use these tactics so the reader thinks about what they are reading and try evaluating what the message is that the reader wants to get across. In the poem “Snow” by Louis MacNeice, he uses these same characteristics to get the readers mind active in the words. Let’s examine the poem “Snow” and see what the meaning behind this poem is.

As time goes on, society becomes more and more disconnected from nature. With each year that passes new gadgets are put onto the market. Technology has recently released a device known as a virtual reality headset. This is for those who want to see the world without actually taking a step outside. Technology has become the forefront of people’s lives. In his eye opening poem, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowing Evening”, Robert Frost addresses the idea that nature is a blessing that should be appreciated, not ignored, and seen for its true beauty. In order to convey the meaning of his poem, Frost includes elements such as relaxing language, vivid imagery, and an appreciative tone.

This is a cold poem in more ways than one.The subject matter is seasonally icy and so is the tone of the speaker. The insouciant delivery suggests

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost is a contemporary piece dealing with the typical human desire for escape. Whether this desire is manifested in avoidance of work, school or simply a relief from the mundane repetitiveness of everyday life this want is present in all humans. Throughout this poem Frost depicts and suggests that the "woods" are his means of escape from the "village", from society, and Frost conveys this by his respectful and almost wondrous diction when describing and referring to, the forest and the nature surrounding it. This poem also clearly