The Full Text of “Snowdrop”
The Full Text of “Snowdrop”
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“Snowdrop” Introduction
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“Snowdrop” Summary
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“Snowdrop” Themes
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The Brutality of Nature and the Struggle to Survive
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-8
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Snowdrop”
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Lines 1-2
Now is the ...
... dulled wintering heart. -
Lines 3-5
Weasel and crow, ...
... their right minds, -
Line 6
With the other ... pursues her ends,
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Lines 7-8
Brutal as the ...
... heavy as metal.
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“Snowdrop” Symbols
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The Stars
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 7: “Brutal as the stars of this month,”
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“Snowdrop” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Now”
- Line 2: “Round,” “mouse’s”
- Line 3: “crow,” “moulded”
- Line 4: “Move through”
- Line 6: “deaths,” “too, pursues,” “ends”
- Line 8: “head heavy,” “metal”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 2: “mouse’s”
- Line 3: “moulded”
- Line 4: “Move”
- Line 5: “minds”
- Line 8: “Her,” “head heavy”
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Simile
Where simile appears in the poem:- Line 3: “Weasel and crow, as if moulded in brass,”
- Line 7: “Brutal as the stars of this month,”
- Line 8: “Her pale head heavy as metal.”
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Personification
Where personification appears in the poem:- Lines 6-8: “She, too, pursues her ends, / Brutal as the stars of this month, / Her pale head heavy as metal.”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “tight / Round”
- Lines 4-5: “darkness / Not”
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Caesura
Where caesura appears in the poem:- Line 3: “crow, as”
- Line 6: “deaths. She”
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“Snowdrop” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Snowdrop
- Wintering
- Moulded
- Right minds
- Pursues her ends
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(Location in poem: )
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Snowdrop”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Snowdrop” Speaker
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“Snowdrop” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Snowdrop”
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More “Snowdrop” Resources
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External Resources
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A Reading of the Poem — Listen to a recording of the poem read aloud.
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The Snowdrop Flower — Learn more about the flower that inspired this poem.
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British Library Archives for Ted Hughes — Peruse the British Library's archives on Hughes, which contain biographical information and additional resources (including writing about the influence of war and mythology on Hughes's work).
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An Introduction to the Poet's Life — Head over to the Poetry Foundation's website to read a brief biography of Hughes.
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A Documentary About Hughes's Life and Work — This BBC documentary investigates how Hughes's life shaped his poetry.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Ted Hughes
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