In the Comments section below, please post a response of at least one full paragraph (min. 5 sentences). Your assignment is twofold: 1) you are to demonstrate a clear understanding of the text by attempting to summarize the text's argument as precisely as possible, and 2) you are to use your comment to ask the text (or ask your peers) at least one thoughtful question.
Remember: your comment can respond directly to other students' posts on this text. The goal of this forum is to offer an opportunity for intelligent dialogue related to the works we are studying in class. Respectful debate is always welcome.
It seems to me that in order to have " a mind of winter", one must really be connected with nature. Stevens says that to notice that things like the frost, the pine trees, the flowers covered in ice, and all the other ways the land has been affected by the snow, one must both be in this mindset and " have been cold a long time", whenever that means. It seems to me (and please don't flip out because I could be wrong, I honestly have no idea was going on in the poem) that what Wallace Stevens is telling us in "The Snow Man", is that to understand the various parts of nature and the winner, you have to know how the winter affects those various parts nature. I know that may sound a little redundant at first, but what I think he's trying to show us is a different things can appear based on the environment.
ReplyDeleteRachel, Wallace Stevens is kinda doing the opposite of what your saying. We talked about this in class and discovered that Stevens is saying we are turning into cold, dark, and bleak people. This poem connects to modernism because Stevens is talking about communication, or the lack there of. He states that if we, as empty and cold beings, try to listen for something in the snow then we will hear nothing. This last sentence is very confusing. My question is; Why does snow make us feel so bleak?
ReplyDeleteI think that Stevens is saying that if someone has an issue, then another person has to have a similar issue to understand. Although one can make an educated guess, the person has no proof without experience. They may go to the person with the problem for information, and to find out how life is with the issue. If a person cannot get over an issue and deals with it for a long time, then it becomes a natural part of their life. They become used to that way of living and may not want to go back to normal later. My question is, why does Stevens all of a sudden mention the "January sun" when the whole poem is about the harsh winter conditions?
ReplyDeleteTo answer you question Peter, bleak means exposed and barren; desolate. The question made me think of the time that I walked across a huge field covered with snow with my friend, Emily. It felt as if we were not moving. I felt fear. I felt exposed. I felt as if someone tried to attack me, I would have been a goner. There was nowhere to hide. I think we feel bleak or exposed because I think of snow as being pure. In pureness there is vulnerability. Against the whiteness of snow there is nowhere to hide. I think we as people tend to try connect with nature and if we compare ourselves to snow and how "pure" it is, we see that we are not at all like that. We were born with a sin nature and in seeing this, we stick out. We cannot blend in with the snow. When, I read this poem I wondered how on earth can snow bring someone misery? How can snow make you feel empty or bleak? I thought snow was something to celebrated and I cannot imagine it bringing pain.
ReplyDeleteJake, I was thinking the same thing about the "January sun". It seems very out of a place for such a dismal poem. Maybe it is suggesting that even in all of the darkness, there is a light that exists. In response to Peter's question, I think snow makes us feel bleak because it reminds us of winter, which most people consider to be the darkest and most depressing time of the year.
ReplyDeleteI think that the poem has something to do with the Great Depression, because it was written in 1931. The snowman may represent the people of that time. By using the example of a snowman it is showing the people are like snowmen. The people of the depression were plain, still, and very similar, just as snowmen are like this. The people werre like this because of the tough times. The season of winter may represent the depression in that both times can be tough. I agree with Maddy that the "January sun" may suggest that there is better times to come, just as there would be better times after the depression. My question is why does Stevens, in the title, put a space between snow and man, instead of just saying snowman?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex about how snow is something to be celebrated, not something bleak. In class, we discussed walking into the woods on a bleak, snowy day. However, I find snow to be the escape from the bleak winter. It covers all the dead trees and grass and brings it a new sense of beauty. I cannot seem to understand why the person in the poem regards winter as so dreadful. They basically say that they find no joy whatsoever in winter. I also agree with Maddy and Caleb that "the January sun" could perhaps be the better times to come. I think it is saying, "how do you see the bright side of things, when there is so much that is wrong with America in the depression?" Could "the January sun" also be talking about the things they used to do to "escape" during the depression such as going to movies? Could the author be saying, "How do you go to these places to get your mind off of the depression? How does that tiny bit of joy make you forget about the multitudes of pain and suffering?"
ReplyDeleteGracie, I think your point is interesting however I disagree. I do not think Stevens is neccesarily describing it as either good or bad really I think the point he is trying to make is that the longer we experience something the more we enjoy it. I think that Stevens says in his poem that by being cold a long time or having that mindset we start to enjoy that part of life more and more compared to if we just went from say summer straight to winter. I wonder if when he is talking about the january sun, sort of like you said if it is like a hint of warmer weather during the depths of winter?
ReplyDeleteTravis, i absolutely agree with your take on the poem. Wallace is saying that in order to appreciate the junipers shagged with ice and the trees with snow, you have to be there for along time and always see it. Also, he says that in order to not hear the misery of the sound of the wind, you must be there along time. However, i do not think the january sun is a hint of warmer weather during the depths of winter. The january sun does not really provide any warmer weather. I think Wallace just said that to say that you can enjoy the spruces in the glitter of the january sun to once again convey that the longer you are in a place, the more u enjoy and appreciate it. I want to know is who the listener is. Is that someone who just came to the cold and has yet to be there long enought to enjoy it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Adam; Wallace Stevens is trrying to communicate that you have to be in touch with nature in order to fully appreciate winter. He shows that all of the aspects of winter which are usually considered bad are actually beautiful when viewed from the right perspective. The "junipers shagged with ice,
ReplyDeletethe spruces rough in the distant glitter." In order to appreciate this, one must have "a mind of winter." Like Travis said, we can take this logic and apply it to anything, specifically life in general. -Chris Nissly
I agree with Travis when he says that the longer we are around something, the more we can enjoy it. Once we get used to the cold winter, we can notice and accept it's beauty and not feel the cold as much. I feel this only applies for winter though because you don't have to warm up to spring or summer because most people love those seasons and the harshness of weather is heat instead of freezing weather. A mind of winter is needed to understand and appreciate the poem as Stevens intended it. My question is can a poem like this only be about winter? Can this be true about another season?
ReplyDeleteI like what you said sam because somtimes i feel like i love winter at the beggining because you get sick of the warmth and you just want the cold and the snow but then after a while you get tired of it and it's not beautiful anymore. But mabey thats just me. I do see what Stevens is trying to say though by telling us we need a "mind of winter". And to answeryour question yes i think it could be about any season, because what about those who like the cold and the heat is just grueling for them. They have to have a "mind of summer" to see how the water on the beach and the leaves on the trees are beatiful. it can really work for all seasons. My question is why did he choose the title snow man? and why winter?
ReplyDeleteAh! there is a lot of varied ideas here!
ReplyDelete