Introduction: Dust of Snow - Class 10 PDF Download

About the Author- Robert Frost
Robert Frost – A Short Biography

Robert Frost was a famous American poet. He was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874. His father belonged to New England, and his mother was a Scottish immigrant from Edinburgh. By the 1920s, Frost was the most celebrated poet in America. His poetical works’ A Boy’s Will’ (1913), ‘North of Boston’ (1914), New  Hampshire’ (1923), ‘A Further Range’ (1936) ‘Steeple Bush’ (1947) and ‘In the Clearing’ (1962) increased his fame and honor. The poem ‘Dust of Snow’ was published in ‘New Hampshire’ in 1923. This collection gave him the Pulitzer Prize.

 INTRODUCTION

Robert Frost, a well known American poet of nature, in this poem presents a moment that seems simple but has a larger significance. It is a highly symbolic poem. One day the poet was in a depressed mood. A pleasant thing happened in a tree. It changed the poet’s mood. It saved the rest of the day for the poet.

Central Idea of the Poem

‘Dust of Snow’ is a small poem written by the famous American poet, Robert Frost. The poem is set on a wintry day. In the first stanza, the poet describes a simple natural happening. The snow is falling heavily. The snowy flakes have covered the top of the trees. The poet is standing under a hemlock tree. The movement and alighting of a crow on that tree, make the dust of snowfall on the poet. The crow, a symbol of ill omen and the hemlock tree, associated with a person, is not auspicious things. However, in the second stanza, the falling of snowflakes and the scene leave a tremendous effect on the mental state and mood of the poet. So far, the day has been quite gloomy and wastage for him. But this ordinary natural happening suddenly brings the desired change in his mood. It gladdens his heart. He realises that the falling of snowflakes on him has saved the day. Now he has no regret as the whole of the day has not gone waste. The moments of the snowfall and their effect have saved the day. They have brought a change in his mood and gladdened and uplifted his spirits.Word-Meaning

Way—manner, Shook down — shook the snow dust down, Hemlock — a poisonous tree,A change of mood — a change in the present condition of mind, Saved — saved from being wasted, Part — portion, rectal Rued — regretted deeply, felt deeply sad,