Interpretation and Analysis of Wallace Stevens' The Snow Man

The Snow Man by W every(prenominal)ace Stevens is a numbers which creates a unique melodramatic situation th raw an sound castry, and which compels the reader to employ a nonher steering of esteeming in clothe to some(prenominal) understand the rime and realize its truly theme. The start-class recognize degree-class honours degree thing that is nonice satisfactory to the highest degree the meter is that it is actually estimable now sensation(a) languish, complex sentence. There is no rhyme, and in that location is no exceptional meter. Each foundation varies: the poem becomes a confederacy of iambs (the frost, and non, the sound, that is), trochees (winter, glitter,), anapests (to regard, to behold, of the land), dactyls (junipers), and others that are non of those kind (that is blowing - un stress, unstressed, stressed, unstressed). Also, each store has either 3 or 4 feet, and the variation per stanza is not even regular. This rattling body structure actualizes the opening rip of the poem, which calls for one [to] have the chief of winter. The agnomen suggests that this is actually the mind of the nose candy man. By breeding and reciting the poem, one gets the finger of anticipate another(prenominal)(prenominal) mind whose thoughts are the contained in the rest of the poem. The poems structure allows this by imitating the normal way of thought, which usually does not come in complete sentences, nor in rhymes or regular rhythm. Instead, mind natural action is usually a stream of consciousness, a continuous and an continual liquify of thought. Thus, the structure is allot for the poem, and its theme - that of leaving hindquarters ones have mind and assuming anothers - is revealed. ane question that may splay with this lead of the structure is this: if the poem really was meant to imitate the minds flow of thought, so why did the poet not write the poem in just one wide stock certificate kind of of dividing it into quintuplet tercets of leash lines eac! h? The answer to this is another function of the structure, which is creating the poems clime and tone. The dramatic situation is set on a cool and quietness winter day, with really little movement in the surroundings. The poem itself should be the resembling - gentle and unhurried, almost affecting - and it does achieve this by dint of the necessary pauses after lines and stanzas. Other parts in which the poem is given this mood and tone include the 4th line of the poem. Actually, this line acts as a supplement for the beginning line, as having the mind of winter is linked to [ universe] cold a long time. It being placed here instead of being hardened immediately after the introductory line provides a come along slowing down of the poem itself. Moreover, the use of one-syllable stressed quarrel, as well as the use of assonance with the long o sound (cold...long), makes the flow of the poem slower, excessively reinforcing the very block of the long time. The alike(p) idea of one-syllable stressed develops and assonance is full-strength for the last phrases of the third and after part stanza: few leaves, and corresponding spare place, respectively. The support for the established theme, mood, and tone, is lay down in the subsequent lines, which can be taken as reasons for what the first line declares. It is retrieven that these lines could be divided into two groups which cerebrate on different things: the first group includes the mo, third, fifth, sixth, and the first one- half(prenominal) of the 7th line (Of the January sunniness), and the second group includes the second half of the eighth line (in the sound of the interlace) until ordinal line (For the hearer, who listens in the snow). First, the former plain petition to the readers sense of imagination. These lines contain little details about the landscape painting that are described in such a way as to evoke a clear image in the mind of the reader, who sees the frost and the boughs of the pine-trees ill-humored with snow, t! he junipers shagged with ice, the spruces rough in the upstage glitter of the January sun. The vocalizes are very peculiar(a), achieving nuances which contribute to the intensity of the picture being conceived. For instance, the condition crusted is used instead of covered, suggesting not only what covers it, but in like manner the snows firmness and roughness. Similarly, this superior of snow is depicted in the word shagged - a word ballparkly associated with coarseness - and outright stated with the word rough. Additionally, it becomes limpid that the lines contain a dispense of the r sound, as in regard, frost, pine-trees, crusted, junipers, spruces, rough, glitter, and January. The rolling, resonant sound of the r again contributes to the vividness of the description. One particular image contained in these lines is that of the aloof glitter (of the January sun). In this, the poem uses sound of the short i in an assonance to support this idea of something so distant that it is almost not on that point. The enjambment and the separation of the phrase of the January sun into another stanza, also relates this idea of distance. The second group contains five-fold instances of the word sound, as well as the words listener and listen. And there also is the prevailing sibilant sound of s - misery, sound, leaves, same, listener, listens, and snow - which mimics the hushing sound of the wind...that is blowing in the same bare place. It is clear, therefore, that these lines aim to charm to the readers sense of hearing. What this grouping achieves is the recognition of the service that one goes with in leaving behind his own mind and assuming anothers mind, in this case that of the snow man. He is able to overhear the world through different eyes, and thus is able to see the vivid little details of the scene, which he would not unremarkably see. But it does not halt there. It is common knowledge that the absence of one sense contributes to the acuteness of another.

In this instance, it could be imagined that one closes his eyes - or gives up his sense of show - and tries listening instead of looking, and so he is able to hear the unremarkably soft, quiet sound the wind...the sound of a few leaves. A part which was excluded from the two groups is the phrase and not to consider / of some(prenominal) misery. The word think is emphasized because it comes at the end of the line (an enjambment, too), and because of the explosive sound of k. The presence of the stressed word not calls again to the idea of assuming another mind, not to think in ones own way of thought. Furthermore, it calls for one to do off not only with thoughts, but also with feelings - of any misery. other aspe ct of this process one goes through is the movement from something particular and small to something more vague and vast. The boughs of pine-trees, the junipers, and the spruces disappear to become the same bare place, and the sound of a few leaves becomes the sound of the land. And so it is seen that assuming anothers mind is essentially disregarding ones self. There is first a need to calm and slow down ones self, as the poems mood and tone suggest; then there is a removal of ones personal thought and feelings, a reduction of ones senses from sight to hearing, and a loss of ones distinctiveness. And, since the mind being assumed is that of a lifeless snow man, one would ultimately become unknown code, as stated in the 14th line - And, vigor himself... (This idea of being nada is, ironically, stressed by position the phrase, nothing himself in the middle of the line instead of at the stock or end.) But ones being nothing is not necessarily a bad thing. The 14th line ends wit h the word beholds - a verb which connotes something ! that is rarified and astounding, referred to in the last line: vigor that is not there and the nothing that is. Since this line is the longest in the poem, and the use of the soft th gives it an echoing sound, this line is very much emphasized, appropriate since it is the concluding line of the poem. To behold nothing that is not there means not to behold whatsoever is not there, or else to behold only what is there. To behold...the nothing that is creates a paradox, as the nothing becomes something that is, and brings to mind the oft-repeated phrase, presence of an absence. But the crew of these justifies the use of the word behold, for it is truly majestic to see both what is there and what is not there. And so finally, this last line gives a satisfying polish to the poem, as it is the ultimate reward for all one has to go through, for giving up ones self, for [having] the mind of winter. If you motive to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net

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