Collins’ poetry typically manages to capture the magical normalcy of ordinary life, and “Snow Day” is no different. In it, he deals with the abstract concept of how people interact with their environment, in this case in the setting of the morning after a heavy snowfall. To illustrate the amount of snow, Collins compares it to water in the third stanza. “In a while, I will put on some boots/and step out like someone walking through water,” captures the heavy resistance which the speaker expects to overcome with each step; “and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,” both helps the reader visualize the dog’s future bounding through the snow drifts, and the apparent ease and naturalness which will accompany each bound (Line11-13). There are more examples, such as the smothered, buried, and lost states of public buildings throughout lines 6-7.
While his "revolution of snow" aptly captures how the snow has unilaterally changed the physical environment people must adapt their routines around, Collins tackles the interaction between people and society with more subtlety (Line 1). Besides the initial building closures (and the halt of rail traffic in line 9), the speaker addresses his own dilemma of what to do with half-hearted protest. While the speaker claims to be a prisoner, conjuring up the abstraction of freedom (or the lack of freedom, in this case), he or she also claims to be willingly acceptant of this situation (Line 16). The speaker even goes on to describe how he or she is, “a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow,” putting the speaker at odds with the general duties of both the aforementioned public buildings from the first part of the poem, as well as the schools in later stanzas (Line 17). Perhaps Collins was speaking to the need for rest from the continuous, and onerous, daily grind demanded by society from its citizens; a day to rest, relax, and recuperate as people enjoy the simple joys of nature. Or perhaps I’m editorializing here, as a good snow is one of my favorite things when I don’t have to shovel it out of my driveway. Regardless, Collins and his imagery reminded me once again why I enjoy his poetry so much with this reading.
While his "revolution of snow" aptly captures how the snow has unilaterally changed the physical environment people must adapt their routines around, Collins tackles the interaction between people and society with more subtlety (Line 1). Besides the initial building closures (and the halt of rail traffic in line 9), the speaker addresses his own dilemma of what to do with half-hearted protest. While the speaker claims to be a prisoner, conjuring up the abstraction of freedom (or the lack of freedom, in this case), he or she also claims to be willingly acceptant of this situation (Line 16). The speaker even goes on to describe how he or she is, “a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow,” putting the speaker at odds with the general duties of both the aforementioned public buildings from the first part of the poem, as well as the schools in later stanzas (Line 17). Perhaps Collins was speaking to the need for rest from the continuous, and onerous, daily grind demanded by society from its citizens; a day to rest, relax, and recuperate as people enjoy the simple joys of nature. Or perhaps I’m editorializing here, as a good snow is one of my favorite things when I don’t have to shovel it out of my driveway. Regardless, Collins and his imagery reminded me once again why I enjoy his poetry so much with this reading.
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