Desert Places Analysis

A Further Range1936Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast

In a field I looked into going past,

And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,

But a few weeds and stubble showing last.The woods around it have it-it is theirs.

All animals are smothered in their lairs.

I am too absent-spirited to count;

The loneliness includes me unawares.And lonely as it is, that loneliness

Will be more lonely ere it will be less-

A blanker whiteness of benighted snow

With no expression, nothing to express.They cannot scare me with their empty spaces

Between stars-on stars where no human race is.

I have it in me so much nearer home

To scare myself with my own desert places.

.: :.

The poem is merely letting us know that we cant analyse every piece of litterature. Robert Frost just throws this sentences together to mess with us and to get us to try to analyse the poem, when in fact it has no literal meaning. If you look at the poem, does it look like it was written by a man who has won every poetry award known to men? infact this poem looks like it coulve been written by anyone knowng how to rhyme words. Can you really compare this poem to "Bereft" or " Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening"? Robert Frost does this to joke about the people who try to over analyse his poems.

| Posted on 2009-11-18 | by a guest

.: :.

Not feeling a sense of belonging within oneself can lead to a loss of personal identity, loneliness and oblivion. In the first stanza a setting is created with the use of the words with negative connotations such as ‘night’ and ‘snow.’ Snow is used through the poem to display the lack of identity; it has qualities of a cold and formless white sheet. Through this image produced by the snow removes the individuality and life of the field it covers. Likewise the ‘night’ has connotations of darkness, the unknown and of obscured vision that reflects the depression and loneliness that the persona is feeling. The concept of ‘falling fast’ which is repeated suggests descending uncontrollably and unstoppably. Together these three words depict the mood of the persona, of in unescapable dejection as a result of low self esteem and a lack of identity. Later in the poem this idea is emphasised when Frost describes the ‘snow’ and ‘night’ as ‘smother[ing].’ The depression and lack of identity is also reinforced when Frost parallels himself to the snow saying that it is ‘with no expression, nothing to express,’ commenting on his absence of individuality and his ‘fall’ into oblivion due to the persona not feeling a sense of belonging within himself.- Oscar

| Posted on 2009-11-10 | by a guest

.: :.

I would like to critique some of the comments that have been posted by previous readers, only in the spirit of discussion and interllectual engagement. In the same spirit, I would be happy to have someone comment on my post as well. And so,
1. Frost uses projection to express his own sense of entrapment and suffocation. Frost observes on the onset that the snow is falling "fast", he repeats it twice. But it is not just the snow but "night" as well. The image of "falling" gives the reader the perception that it is decending at very fast speeds in an unstoppable and uncontrollable fashion. He feels powerless in that aspect, against the decend of the elemets. He does not, however, welcome the snow or night and describes them as "smother[ing]" the "animals". Understand that Frost himself is trapped in his home and it is there that he observes the activities of nature. Frost diction of the word "smothered" indicates at an entraping and suffocating feeling, an image that he projects onto the animals because he himself is experiencing it.

| Posted on 2009-07-23 | by a guest

.: :.

What I understand from this poem is that the persona is one who admires nature as Frost does. He has looked into the field with the time moving. His whole life is correlated with time. The grounds almost covered in snow but a few weeds....show last is telling us that the persona feels almost entrapped by his own desert places, by his own loneliness but there is hope for him in the future. Snow is metaphorically used to represent death as it prevents nature from being exposed. It covers the greenness. It is seen as an element of destruction and so useful. Frost uses it to represent man's loneliness and isolation."The woods have it - it is their". "All animals are smothered in their lairs" is saying that the woods have something which belongs to it,the animals are protected in the home- the young by their mothers, (smothered)protected because it is the winter season and in their lairs meaning in their home.The persona states this to emphasise his own loneliness and to not care about the animal so much as to him loneliness is felt by man and worries about this. The animals have nothing to worry about. The loneliness he feels is so much that he feels dead and emotion-less,"too absent-spirited to count" He can't think right now because he is so caught up with his own self, too caught up in his loneliness and isolation,too caught up with his own desert places. The persona then goes by saying that it will get worse. There will be more loneliness. The last stanza is trying to say that he knows that the physical world out there cannot scare him, cannot fool him. What he feels within him(the loneliness)is more worse than the loneliness one feels in the external world. "I have it in me so much nearer home" meaning that he has what it is to scare him right here with him (his own desert places). His own isolation is right within him and is a lot worse than physical isolation in the world out there. The title desert places is appropriate for the lyric poem. A desert is a place of dirt,no water no fruitfulness just emptiness. A place of no life. Frost found it suitable to represent death and isolation and that isolation doesn't have to mean alienated from the world. It doesn't mean one place or a physical place. It can be the place with one's self. It was suitable to represent death because the desert lack trees and water which human need to survive and the persona was lacking something which caused him to be covered in loneliness.

| Posted on 2009-01-30 | by a guest

.: :.

What I understand from this poem is that the persona is one who admires nature as Frost does. He has looked into the field with the time moving. His whole life is correlated with time. The grounds almost covered in snow but a few weeds....show last is telling us that the persona feels almost entrapped by his own desert places, by his own loneliness but there is hope for him in the future. Snow is metaphorically used to represent death as it prevents nature from being exposed. It covers the greenness. It is seen as an element of destruction and so useful. Frost uses it to represent man's loneliness and isolation."The woods have it - it is their". "All animals are smothered in their lairs" is saying that the woods have something which belongs to it,the animals are protected in the home- the young by their mothers, (smothered)protected because it is the winter season and in their lairs meaning in their home.The persona states this to emphasise his own loneliness and to not care about the animal so much as to him loneliness is felt by man and worries about this. The animals have nothing to worry about. The loneliness he feels is so much that he feels dead and emotion-less,"too absent-spirited to count" He can't think right now because he is so caught up with his own self, too caught up in his loneliness and isolation,too caught up with his own desert places. The persona then goes by saying that it will get worse. There will be more loneliness. The last stanza is trying to say that he knows that the physical world out there cannot scare him, cannot fool him. What he feels within him(the loneliness)is more worse than the loneliness one feels in the external world. "I have it in me so much nearer home" meaning that he has what it is to scare him right here with him (his own desert places). His own isolation is right within him and is a lot worse than physical isolation in the world out there. The title desert places is appropriate for the lyric poem. A desert is a place of dirt,no water no fruitfulness just emptiness. A place of no life. Frost found it suitable to represent death and isolation and that isolation doesn't have to mean alienated from the world. It doesn't mean one place or a physical place. It can be the place with one's self. It was suitable to represent death because the desert lack trees and water which human need to survive and the persona was lacking something which caused him to be covered in loneliness.

| Posted on 2009-01-30 | by a guest

.: :.

A description of a winter scene metaphorically representing the loss of oneself/identity as depression quietly takes over the mind, making it devoid of expression; the physical lack of human companionship cannot compare to the fear of having an emptiness within you that isolates you from others.

| Posted on 2009-01-21 | by a guest

.: :.

Can Desert in the title not also mean "Desert" as in the word "Deserted"?

| Posted on 2008-11-22 | by a guest

.: :.

Robert Frost's 1934 poem, Desert Places, speaks on the loneliness and solitude that a person often feels, and relates this loneliness to nature. In this poem Frost uses snow much the same way that he uses desert to show how loneliness is a major part of human life for most all human beings. Frost uses snow and desert in the same way in this poem because they both seem to cover up the colors and the beauty of nature. The snow takes away the beautiful kaleidoscope of colors that nature has and the desert seems to kill every plant that is in it except for a select few. In both of these part of nature everything tends to look the same and is hostile to the life in nature that shows multitudes of colors. The reason that Frost uses these two aspects of nature to describe loneliness is because when a person is lonely they tend to also be a bit depressed and sad. When a person is depressed and sad they do not really care too much about the world and often do not try to see the beauty in nature because to them the beauty does not really matter. A snow-covered field and a desert have much the same characteristics in their ability to isolate a person.
In this poem the author also uses animals and humans to show that humans have a harder time dealing with the world and a harder time being lonely. Animals do not have the ability to reason, they do not have too many more cares in the world other than to eat and sleep, and often do not have the same intimate relationships that humans have with one another. When it is cold, animals go into their homes and hibernate or to keep warm, they have no other worries than to stay warm. Simply put, animals have a simple life without the complexities of modern civilization. Humans have a harder time living in the world because humans have a far greater amount of things to worry about. Humans can reason and therefore they have made the world far more complex than it is for animals and have created a lot more difficulties that have to be dealt with. Also, a human has to worry about being lonely in the world whereas animals often are lonely hunters and the fact of loneliness seems not to bother them. The problem of loneliness seems to be only a human problem, but it is sort of ironic that the author uses nature, such as deserts and fields, which are homes of animals, to show that he is a lonely person sometimes.
The tightly controlled form of this poem gives the poem sort of a trudging, or walking feel to show that no matter what happens the author will continue to walk along. The first three stanzas of the poem do not really relate the loneliness of nature to the speaker walking as much as the last stanza does. When the last stanza comes along the reader then finds out that the poem is for sure about the author's own solitude and loneliness. The trudging feel that is given to this poem first of all shows the author's depressed sort of state and secondly the feeling also lets the reader understand that life will go on. The speaker is strong enough to endure his depressed loneliness and will continue to endure life through and through. This poem is not a poem about giving in to the world but instead is a poem about continuing to live life no matter how hard it becomes. however, it could relate to a song by Metallica "The Day that never comes" bc winter is a cold time and ppl might be waiting for it to be warm again,but the author might feel that day may never comes. Thanks B-Roll
ps. metallica's new album comes out on Sep 12th

| Posted on 2008-08-29 | by a guest

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To help you understand this poem, it is important to learn how to read poetry. Each comma is worth two counts break, a ; is worth three counts, nothing at the end means no break at all and a full stop is four. Try it, you will be surprised how much it helps make sense.

| Posted on 2008-08-03 | by a guest

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=Desert Places=
I dont think the desert itself is how we generally perceive a 'desert'; one which is dry and without life, but instead Frost is talking about the snow filled field as being this 'desert'. They are cold and uninviting, and without life during the season of winter. He has a sustained use of pejorative adjectives, including lonely, lonliness, smothered, weeds and stuble, no expression and empty. I thnk they are showing more than just the general and obvious theme of lonliness, and i think Frost is asking us to look deeper and beyond this easy meaning we have derived. I think maybe it is suggesting the persona is indeed unhappy, but there is a distinct gap in the text as to why. I dont think the persona is aware somehow of being lonely, and we have to remember that they could be alone without being 'lonely'. The persona is trying to involve the reader by sharing his emotions, and what he sees in the world around him. It also seems to suggest with "my own desert places" a desert within himself, which isn't necessarily loneliness, but more likely something lacking in his life; a gap that needs filling.
Thank you.

| Posted on 2008-08-03 | by a guest

.: :.

=Desert Places=
I dont think the desert itself is how we generally perceive a 'desert'; one which is dry and without life, but instead Frost is talking about the snow filled field as being this 'desert'. They are cold and uninviting, and without life during the season of winter. He has a sustained use of pejorative adjectives, including lonely, lonliness, smothered, weeds and stuble, no expression and empty. I thnk they are showing more than just the general and obvious theme of lonliness, and i think Frost is asking us to look deeper and beyond this easy meaning we have derived. I think maybe it is suggesting the persona is indeed unhappy, but there is a distinct gap in the text as to why. I dont think the persona is aware somehow of being lonely, and we have to remember that they could be alone without being 'lonely'. The persona is trying to involve the reader by sharing his emotions, and what he sees in the world around him. It also seems to suggest with "my own desert places" a desert within himself, which isn't necessarily loneliness, but more likely something lacking in his life; a gap that needs filling.
Thank you.

| Posted on 2008-08-03 | by a guest

.: :.

This poem is talking about his own lonelyness and how he feels empty inside. Yes he may be in the woods but he's talking about how lonely he is. He's telling the world what it is like to love and have lost love. He's telling us how he wishes all the pain will go awy and also how empty humans can really be. He's telling us that even if you are surounded by people and places and things you can still be lonely because that's not what life is about.

| Posted on 2008-05-01 | by a guest

.: My paper :.

This may only be an flaggyanalysis of the writing. No requests for explanation or general short comments allowed.

| Posted on 2008-04-28 | by a guest

.: My paper :.

This may only be an flaggyanalysis of the writing. No requests for explanation or general short comments allowed.

| Posted on 2008-04-28 | by a guest

.: :.

Robert Frost's 1934 poem, Desert Places, speaks on the loneliness and solitude that a person often feels, and relates this loneliness to nature. In this poem Frost uses snow much the same way that he uses desert to show how loneliness is a major part of human life for most all human beings. Frost uses snow and desert in the same way in this poem because they both seem to cover up the colors and the beauty of nature. The snow takes away the beautiful kaleidoscope of colors that nature has and the desert seems to kill every plant that is in it except for a select few. In both of these part of nature everything tends to look the same and is hostile to the life in nature that shows multitudes of colors. The reason that Frost uses these two aspects of nature to describe loneliness is because when a person is lonely they tend to also be a bit depressed and sad. When a person is depressed and sad they do not really care too much about the world and often do not try to see the beauty in nature because to them the beauty does not really matter. A snow-covered field and a desert have much the same characteristics in their ability to isolate a person.
In this poem the author also uses animals and humans to show that humans have a harder time dealing with the world and a harder time being lonely. Animals do not have the ability to reason, they do not have too many more cares in the world other than to eat and sleep, and often do not have the same intimate relationships that humans have with one another. When it is cold, animals go into their homes and hibernate or to keep warm, they have no other worries than to stay warm. Simply put, animals have a simple life without the complexities of modern civilization. Humans have a harder time living in the world because humans have a far greater amount of things to worry about. Humans can reason and therefore they have made the world far more complex than it is for animals and have created a lot more difficulties that have to be dealt with. Also, a human has to worry about being lonely in the world whereas animals often are lonely hunters and the fact of loneliness seems not to bother them. The problem of loneliness seems to be only a human problem, but it is sort of ironic that the author uses nature, such as deserts and fields, which are homes of animals, to show that he is a lonely person sometimes.
The tightly controlled form of this poem gives the poem sort of a trudging, or walking feel to show that no matter what happens the author will continue to walk along. The first three stanzas of the poem do not really relate the loneliness of nature to the speaker walking as much as the last stanza does. When the last stanza comes along the reader then finds out that the poem is for sure about the author's own solitude and loneliness. The trudging feel that is given to this poem first of all shows the author's depressed sort of state and secondly the feeling also lets the reader understand that life will go on. The speaker is strong enough to endure his depressed loneliness and will continue to endure life through and through. This poem is not a poem about giving in to the world but instead is a poem about continuing to live life no matter how hard it becomes. - Jeremy Cantrill

| Posted on 2008-02-03 | by a guest

.: :.

Robert Frost's 1934 poem, Desert Places, speaks on the loneliness and solitude that a person often feels, and relates this loneliness to nature. In this poem Frost uses snow much the same way that he uses desert to show how loneliness is a major part of human life for most all human beings. Frost uses snow and desert in the same way in this poem because they both seem to cover up the colors and the beauty of nature. The snow takes away the beautiful kaleidoscope of colors that nature has and the desert seems to kill every plant that is in it except for a select few. In both of these part of nature everything tends to look the same and is hostile to the life in nature that shows multitudes of colors. The reason that Frost uses these two aspects of nature to describe loneliness is because when a person is lonely they tend to also be a bit depressed and sad. When a person is depressed and sad they do not really care too much about the world and often do not try to see the beauty in nature because to them the beauty does not really matter. A snow-covered field and a desert have much the same characteristics in their ability to isolate a person.
In this poem the author also uses animals and humans to show that humans have a harder time dealing with the world and a harder time being lonely. Animals do not have the ability to reason, they do not have too many more cares in the world other than to eat and sleep, and often do not have the same intimate relationships that humans have with one another. When it is cold, animals go into their homes and hibernate or to keep warm, they have no other worries than to stay warm. Simply put, animals have a simple life without the complexities of modern civilization. Humans have a harder time living in the world because humans have a far greater amount of things to worry about. Humans can reason and therefore they have made the world far more complex than it is for animals and have created a lot more difficulties that have to be dealt with. Also, a human has to worry about being lonely in the world whereas animals often are lonely hunters and the fact of loneliness seems not to bother them. The problem of loneliness seems to be only a human problem, but it is sort of ironic that the author uses nature, such as deserts and fields, which are homes of animals, to show that he is a lonely person sometimes.
The tightly controlled form of this poem gives the poem sort of a trudging, or walking feel to show that no matter what happens the author will continue to walk along. The first three stanzas of the poem do not really relate the loneliness of nature to the speaker walking as much as the last stanza does. When the last stanza comes along the reader then finds out that the poem is for sure about the author's own solitude and loneliness. The trudging feel that is given to this poem first of all shows the author's depressed sort of state and secondly the feeling also lets the reader understand that life will go on. The speaker is strong enough to endure his depressed loneliness and will continue to endure life through and through. This poem is not a poem about giving in to the world but instead is a poem about continuing to live life no matter how hard it becomes. - Jeremy Cantrill

| Posted on 2008-02-03 | by a guest

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Besides its obvious main idea of "lonliness" this poem is also about the speakers internal struggle and recognition of his own feelings of isolation from the outside world. The fact that nature is not able to aid in his lonliness, but instead draws more attention to it is dissatisfying. Symbols include:
Snow--covering up lonliness. no "warmth" or comfort...it is blank and barren...
Stars -- usualy a symbol of mystery and beauty, but frost uses them as further examples of lonliness "where no human race is..."

| Posted on 2008-01-30 | by a guest

.: :.

The poem represents a mans understanding of the human condition of loneliness. The snow represents the trivialities of life while the night represents the defense mechanism of hiding from solitaire. Most avoid understanding their position by digging within themselves and hibernating from reality. The weeds represent those who openly combat isolation and how others view them as inferior for doing so. The man explains how he is free by knowing his lonesome position. He does not run from hi

| Posted on 2008-01-17 | by a guest

.: Desert Places :.

- "It" is loneliness.
- He is surprised by how lonely it is in the woods.
- It will get worse before it gets better.
- The snow is just there, it is pointless and lacks meaning.
- The speaker does not need the woods or the sky to feel lonely- it's already inside him.
- A lonely man recognizing the loneliness of nature, but feels more alone than it.

| Posted on 2007-12-03 | by a guest

.: Desert Places :.

- "It" is loneliness.
- He is surprised by how lonely it is in the woods.
- It will get worse before it gets better.
- The snow is just there, it is pointless and lacks meaning.
- The speaker does not need the woods or the sky to feel lonely- it's already inside him.
- A lonely man recognizing the loneliness of nature, but feels more alone than it.

| Posted on 2007-12-03 | by a guest

.: desert places- fear :.

This poem is about fear. Through the last lines, Frost ultimatley displays his thought that fear comes from within rather than without. He suggests that we scare ourselves rather than the world scaring us. Our imagination when we are alone is our greatest enemy.

| Posted on 2007-10-17 | by a guest

.: NO :.

It is not about any dark side. It is simply about loneliness itself. He is simply elaborating of how you can be in a crowd and lonely at the same time. I mean, look at the animals, they can be perfect metaphors to other lonely people in the crowd yet the speaker is "absorbed into it unawares." Also the snow could be a symbol for age, almost completely covered in age, with the exception of a few stubble.

| Posted on 2007-09-16 | by a guest

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in this poem i think frost paralleles himself to the snow covered field. when he says the snow has no expresion, nothing to express, he is also speaking for himself. not even this field that is so lonely and desolate can scare him because he can relate to the barren sight in front of him.

| Posted on 2007-09-13 | by a guest

.: general response :.

It has been said that this is frosts darkest nature poem, and when you read it , it is easy to understand why, with its two levels of emptiness. It fits in with the earlier "The Woodpile" and "stopping by woods on a snowy evening". As Frost's career progressed his "man in nature" poems became darker. There is NO reassurance from nature at all in this poem.
Typical of many of Frost's lonely characters, our speaker is out wandering, loses his bearing, and his own sense of futility is magnified by the obliterating force of the landscape-represented by the fast falling hypnotic snow and the mysterious darkness of the woods. The season of Winter and setting depicted in this poem are perfect metaphors for the death and decay which are part of nature's cycle.
In many of frosts nature poems, Nature is tempting-the quiet, solitude temp- it is tempting to escape the world of social obligation. But by the end of many, the experience reaffirms man's courage and capacity to create order. This contrasts with "Desert Places"- nature in this poem is sinister and includes terror and bleakness (the white colour, night, no life, many negative words).


| Posted on 2007-06-08 | by a guest

.: Let it out Let it all out :.

I like this people because it shows what many people are going through in life. Many are dieing and have emotions stuck in there head not telling anybody. I like this poem because of this and it’s message. Which is “Not to let your emotions stay in your head, but to let it out so people can help you.”

| Posted on 2007-05-06 | by a guest

.: ~.~Desert Places~.~ :.

This poem is talking about loneliness of himself or somone he knows. the techniques in this poem create the mood, one of the techniques used is juxtaposition. Frost uses this techniques to put the complex meaning of the peom into a simplified form. Frost uses extrememily simple language to form a very complex story. that is the Greatness of Frost.....

| Posted on 2007-04-25 | by a guest

.: desert places :.

I believe he’s expressing everyone’s loneliness or dark side of their mind. It may be tucked away, and covered up, but it is still there. And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,/But a few weeds and stubble showing last. And he is trying not to notice it as much as possible. But no matter how hard he tries it will only get worseWill be more lonely ere it will be less and nobody can tell because he hides it from everyone. And he is scared of it. He refers to it as desert places because it is dry and barren of any emotion, such as a desert is to water and life.

| Posted on 2005-12-05 | by Approved Guest

.: :.

the poet is not walking through woods, he is only passing by and momentarily glancing at this field filling with snow and the trees that surround this field will soon be all thats left due to the snows continuous falling. when he sees this field with snow, he uses it as a device to compare it to his own life and how it will soon be all over and he will pass on. the reason for this regular form is, in Frost's words, "It's like playing tennis with the net down,"

| Posted on 2005-04-30 | by Approved Guest

.: :.

This poem is most obviously about loneliness. The speaker talk of walking through a snowy wood feeling "too absent-spirited to count" as he envisions the other animals of the forest warm in their dens. Frost also uses many instances of juxtaposition, such as "with no expression, nothing to express" and "lonely as it is that loneliness/ Will be more lonely ere it will be less" (emphases added). In both cases, the speaker compares two similar word forms while adding a slightly different meaning. The forest has no expression and nothing to express; neither comment repeats the other, but still use nearly the same elements. Upon first glance, the long string of lonely in the third stanza may seem repetitive, but Frost uses each phrase to his advantage. To put the meaning more simply, loneliness could only be more lonely of some of it were removed--a valid and truly complete thought.

stickbug4@hotmail.com (but hey, you can use it for your AP class or something...)

| Posted on 2005-03-28 | by Approved Guest