Comparing
...topping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Frost also uses iambic centimeter to give the reader a soothing feeling. The steady tones in each line, like line one, “Whose woods I think I know,” help the reader to recognize the tranquility that the speaker in the poem is feeling as he stands in the woods. Frost’s lines are shorter than Longfellow’s and though they fail to create a flowing movement with meter, like in “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls,” they help create the peaceful, soft mood, which Frost is aiming for. The rhyme schemes of these poems also impact the mood and expressions that the reader gets from them. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow uses the AABBA method where lines one, two, and five rhyme and lines three and four rhyme. This soft rhythm is able to lure the reader deeper into the poetry. It creates a pleasant flowing sound, which reflects the overall mood and ties in the serene, soothing imagery of the ocean into the poem. Likewise, Robert Frost uses a specific rhyming method to bring the winter wonderland to life. He used the AABA, BBCB… method, where in the first stanza, lines one, two, and four rhyme, and line three rhymes with lines one, two, and four in the next stanza. This unique pattern acts as the flowing connector in Frost’s poem just as the tide-like movements in Longfellow’s poem cause its silky and soothing motion. Finally, imagery plays a critical role in molding the desired overall mood and impact into the poems. Longfellow’s focus is on the ocean and its constant rising and falling tide, thus comes the title “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls.” The image of the ocean generally results in a feeling of comfort and composure, just as most images of nature bring. The ocean and “The little waves, with their soft white hands…” emphasize a calm atmosphere and leave a positive footprint in the reader’s mind. “…The sea sands damp and brown,” incorporates feeling of se...