Dust of Snow - First Flight - Class 10 - CBSE English

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Summary - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

Robert Frost, the poet of Dust of Snow, has reinstated the fact that even the smallest of the moments can bring about the biggest of the changes. Even his own quotation, “Always, always a large significance...... A little thing touches a larger thing”, gives us a deeper insight in understanding the context of the poem. 

Dust of Snow uses the poetic device of enjambment and tells us how a simple event in life saves his day and changes his mood. 

One day the poet was in a sorrowful state of mind. He went and stood under a hemlock tree. The hemlock tree, which is a poisonous tree, symbolically represents something evil, terrible, and fearsome. The poet has purposefully used this tree to complement his state of mind. At this point, when he was standing under the tree, he was brought out of his revere when a crow shook itself on the tree and snow fell on the poet. The abruptness of this act jolted him out of his thoughts and changed his mood for the better. 

Here, the poet has used symbolism in the form of a crow which represents negativity and is associated with haunted places and mystery. This creature which is in tandem with his feelings and thought, brings joy to his life with its abrupt actions. 

The snowflakes symbolise the joy and happiness which is prevalent in nature. It represents purity and piousness. It saved the part of the day which was left as he had already been brooding for half a day, but now, he was in a better mood as nature had come to his rescue and saved his day. 

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Themes - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

Primary Theme

The major highlight of this poem is that even a small thing, such as a snowflake, can bring about a significant change. Even though the poet was in a negative frame of mind, and there was no hope of his mood switching for the better, a snowflake and the crow were able to flip his state of mind for the better.

Sorrow

We are introduced to ..

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Symbols - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

In "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost, there are a few symbols that can be interpreted in different ways:

Crow

The crow is a black bird often associated with death, bad omens, and darkness. In this poem, however, the crow shakes off the snow and creates a positive change in the speaker's mood, indicating that even dark or ominous things can have a positive impact.

Hemlock tree

Hemlock trees are..

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Poetic Devices - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

The poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost employs several poetic devices to create a vivid and memorable image. Some of the poetic devices used in the poem are:

  1. Metaphor: The poem uses the metaphor of the dust of snow to represent a change of mood or a small but significant moment of joy in an otherwise difficult day.
  2. Personification: The crow is 

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Vocabulary - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

  1. Hemlock: a poisonous plant with small white flowers and feathery leaves, often used as an ornamental plant in gardens.
  2. Rued: regretted or felt sorry for something.
  3. Change of mood:

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About the Author - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

The poem "Dust of Snow" was written by Robert Frost, one of the most celebrated and well-known poets of the 20th century. Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874 and spent much of his life in New England, which inspired much of his poetry. He is known for his simple yet profound writing style and his ability to capture life's natural beauty and harsh realities. Frost won four Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry, and his works continue to be studied and admired by readers and scholars around the World. Some of his other famous poems include "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," "The Road Not Taken," and "Mending Wall." Frost passed away in 1963, but his legacy lives on through his enduring poetry.

Extra Questions - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

  • What do you mean by ‘Dust of Snow’?

    "Dust of Snow" refers to a light sprinkling or small amount of snow that falls gently or gets shaken off from an object, such as a tree. It is not a heavy snowfall but rather a delicate and subtle dusting of snowflakes that can create a moment of unexpected beauty or wonder. In the context of the poem, the dust of snow is a small, transformative event that changes the poet's mood from negative to positive.

  • Where was the crow sitting?

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  • What did the crow do?

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  • What do you mean by ‘Hemlock’?

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  • How does the crow change the poet’s mood?

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  • Give the meaning of rued.

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  • What is the message of the poet?

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  • ‘And saved some part of a day I had rued.’ Explain.

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  • Why was the poet standing under the Hemlock tree?

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  • What does ‘dust of snow’ represent in the poem?

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Back Questions - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

  • What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?

    A "dust of snow" refers to a small amount of snow that lightly falls or is shaken off from a tree. In the poem, the poet says that the way a crow shook down the dust of snow on him from a hemlock tree changed his mood. The poet's mood has changed from being negative or unhappy (a day he had rued) to a more positive or uplifted one, as the dust of snow has given his heart a change of mood and saved some part of his day.

  • 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?
     (ii) 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? 

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  • Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that changed your mood that day? 

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Dust of Snow - Line by line explanation in Hindi | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

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Video - Dust of Snow (English) | Dust of Snow in English | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

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Quiz - Dust of Snow | First Flight | Class 10 Literature | CBSE English

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