"Storm Fear"
When the wind works against us in the dark, And pelts with snow The lowest chamber window on the east, And whispers with a sort of stifled bark, The beast, 'Come out! Come out!'- It costs no inward struggle not to go, Ah, no! I count our strength, Two and a child, Those of us not asleep subdued to mark How the cold creeps as the fire dies at length,- How drifts are piled, Dooryard and road ungraded, Till even the comforting barn grows far away And my heart owns a doubt Whether 'tis in us to arise with day And save ourselves unaided. |
Analysis
From the title alone, I think that the poem will be about the fears and distress of a dangerous storm. The title could also imply that the storm is within a family or friendship. I predict that the poem will be mainly based on the distress of people during a storm. As you start to read the poem it starts as wind and snow hitting a basement window. Then the speaker taunts the storm and it responds and gets angry. The speaker then counts how many people, which is two adults and a child. Then the family's barn is blown away, which means this is not your average thunderstorm. Finally, the speaker has doubt and must make a decision to save them without help. The meaning goes beyond the literal of being stuck in a storm and shows the struggle of some people as they must save themselves when everything else is falling apart. One could be stuck in a difficult situation and must first take control and see what their strengths are. This is similar to when the speaker counts who is with him in the storm. Next, one must determine to save themselves, just as the speaker says "'tis in us to arise with day / And save ourselves unaided". Finally, one must be ready for things to fall apart, like when the barn "grows far away". Frost also uses many literary devices such as imagery and personification. This figurative language serves as a means of conveying the meaning into you better, It makes the reader realize what it would be like to be in the storm. The speaker, most likely a father, feels obligated to protect everyone else before himself as he counts who is present and vows to save them. There is one major shift in the poem and it occurs when the speaker counts who is present. Up until that line, the poem is background information and does not seem that intense. Then, when the speaker counts the people with him, he realizes that this is not good and they could be in a major problem. This is shown by the counting of the people and when the barn is blown away. Back to the title, my prediction did stand as the poem was mainly about the fear and distress of people during an intense storm. The storm is referred to as a beast so the figurative meaning attached could be something like a person is fighting something larger than them self (the storm). Finally, the theme that I was able to take away from this poem is, "It is essential to never give up and care for those you love". |