Dust of snow

CENTRAL IDEA

‘Dust of Snow’ by Robert Frost is a simple poem. But symbolically it has a deeper meaning.
It expresses the significance of smaller things which impact our thought processes for the
future. The poet is standing under a hemlock tree. It is snowing. Soon a crow sitting on the
tree shakes it and snow flakes fall on the poet. This changes his mood and he spends the rest
of the day far from being unhappy and sad. .
Poetic Devices Used
Rhyme scheme: abad
Symbolism: Hemlock tree, crow
Irony: A contrast is seen between what is said and what is meant. It is also between
what appears to be true and what is the ultimate truth. Rue is also a herb, a plant used for
medicinal purposes in the medieval times. The irony is seen in the poet’s use of hemlock tree
and rue possessing poison, yet giving the poet much desired happiness.
Dust of Snow

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow each, and
as directed:

[1] The way a crow

Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Word Notes: Dust of snow—particles of snow, Hemlock tree—a poisonous plant,
Explanation: The poet recounts a small incident that changed his mood. He was feeling depressed and hopeless.
He was standing under a hemlock tree. A crow sitting on it shook the tree and snowflakes fell on the poet. This
changed the thought processes of the poet. He spent the rest of the day happily.
1. Who is ‘me’ here in the second line?
2. What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
3. Wherefrom did the snow shake down on the poet?
4. Find the word from the stanza that means ‘moved with force’.

[2] Has given my heart

A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Word Notes: Rued—was in anger,
Explanation: When the snowflakes fell on the poet, his mood got changed from the state of sadness to happiness.
He felt refreshed. Earlier he had been ruing the day. Now he started taking an interest in spending it without any
tension. This small incident saved the rest of the day from being wasted in disappointment.
1. What had given the poet ‘a change of mood’?
2. What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
3. What does the poet want to suggest?
4. Find a word from the passage which means ‘being in anger’.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What is a ‘dust of snow’? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
2. 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?
(it) 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?
3. Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that
changed your mood that day?
4. Where do you think the poet was? What happened to him?
5. What happened when the dust of snow fell on the poet? What mood was the poet in before it?
6. What did the poet think of the day before the fall of dust of snow on him?
7 What is the poet trying to convey through the poem. ‘Dust of Snow’?
Dust of Snow

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow each, and
as directed:

[1] The way a crow

Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree (Lines 1—4)
Word Notes: Dust of snow—particles of snow, Hemlock tree—a poisonous plant,
Explanation: The poet recounts a small incident that changed his mood. He was feeling depressed and hopeless.
He was standing under a hemlock tree. A crow sitting on it shook the tree and snowflakes fell on the poet. This
changed the thought processes of the poet. He spent the rest of the day happily.
1. Who is ‘me’ here in the second line?
2. What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
3. Wherefrom did the snow shake down on the poet?
4. Find the word from the stanza that means ‘moved with force’.
Answers
1. ‘Me’ here is the poet.
2. The crow shook the hemlock tree.
3. The snow fell (shook down) on the poet from a hemlock tree.
4. It is ‘shook’.

[2] Has given my heart

A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued. (Lines 5-B) (V. Imp.)
Word Notes: Rued—was in anger,
Explanation: When the snowflakes fell on the poet, his mood got changed from the state of sadness to happiness.
He felt refreshed. Earlier he had been ruing the day. Now he started taking an interest in spending it without any
tension. This small incident saved the rest of the day from being wasted in disappointment.

Comprehension Questions
1. What had given the poet ‘a change of mood’?
2. What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
3. What does the poet want to suggest?
4. Find a word from the passage which means ‘being in anger’.
Answers
1. The falling dust of snow on the poet gave him ‘a change of mood’.
2. It (The crows) shook the hemlock tree.
3. The poet wants to suggest that small things bring big changes in life.
4. It is ‘rued’.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What is a ‘dust of snow’? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
(V. Imp.)
2. 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?
(it) 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?
3. Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that
changed your mood that day?
Answers
1. A ‘dust of snow’ means particles of snow held together. The falling of the dust of snow on him changed his
mood. First he felt sad. But the falling of the dust of snow changed his mood. It changed it towards the beauty of
nature or in a different way.
2. (i) Birds with great qualities are usually named in poems. Some of such popular birds are cuckoo, mynah,
peacock, parrot etc. A crow is rarely mentioned in poems. However, it is mentioned where there are tragic or
serious themes. It is looked at ominously.
When I think of a crow I make images of sadness. These may also be of some bad happening or somebody’s
coming to my house.
(ii) ‘A hemlock tree’ is a poisonous plant. It has small white flowers. The poet does not do so. It is because it (the
crow) suits better the occasion. It also suits the pitiable mood he is in.
(iii) The ‘crow’ and ‘a hemlock tree’ represent sorrow and evil. The dust of snow stands for some natural joy or
something joyful. It means the sad day is going to change. It is going to change into something joyful for the poet.
3. There have been times when I have felt sad, depressed and hopeless. But after that something has taken place.
That has changed those sad moments into those of relief.

[3] Q. 1. Where do you think the poet was? What happened to him?
Ans. The poet was once under a hemlock tree. He was in a sad mood. The weather was very cold. It had been
snowing. Soon a crow came. It shook the dust of snow on the poet. This signalled a change of mood in him.
Q. 2. What happened when the dust of snow fell on the poet? What mood was the poet in before it?
Ans. The crow sat on the tree. The dust of snow shook. It fell on the poet. When the dust of snow fell on the poet,
his mood underwent a change. Earlier he was in a sad mood. But this fall changed it into a joyful mood.
Q. 3. What did the poet think of the day before the fall of dust of snow on him?
Ans. The crow sat on the tree. The dust of snow shook. It fell on the poet. Before the fall of dust of snow the poet
thought bad of the day. But the fall meant something good and joyful. The poet began thinking of the day in a
good mood.
Q. 4. What is the poet trying to convey through the poem. ‘Dust of Snow’?
Ans. The poet is trying to convey a thing. It is that things, moods and situations change when there is a change in
nature. He also wants to say that nature has answers to all human problems. One needs to see these only.

IV. EXERCISE FOR PRACTICE

Answer the following questions:
1. What happened when the dust of snow fell on the poet? How did it change his mood?
2. Why did the poet say that the dust of snow made him rue the day?