The First Snowfall By: James Russell Lowell

By: Ben A. Webster

Stanza One

• Describes waking up to snow falling in the morning.– Getting snowed in during the day– Looking out the window to the silent snow

covered hills

• The snow continues to fall through the night

Stanza Two

• The trees are covered in snow that looks like ermine (the expensive white fur of a type of weasel).– The trees are being guarded by deer like earl.

• The poet uses the word pearl to describe the snow mounds on the twig of an elm-tree.

Stanza Three

• Carrara is a type of roofing commonly used in Italy made of clay.

• There was a roosters crow muffled by the snow.

• The rails of the Carrara were covered with snow.

Stanza Four

• It continues talking about the silence of the snow

• Then birds fly by with snow on their backs– They look like brown leaves

Stanza Five

• The snow is covering the gravestone as a Robin shield her children.

Stanza Six

• In this stanza the author’s daughter asks who makes the snow fall

• He replies saying the “All-Father” a force protecting us below

Your Turn

• I’ve done the first seven stanzas, now its your turn to write down a few things about the last four

• Divide yourselves into four groups

• Explain what you think that stanza means