The First Snowfall Poem Assignment
The First Snowfall Poem Assignment
A Hidden Truth Beneath Description
A Hidden Truth Beneath Description
Inspired by James Russell Lowell’s poem “The First Snowfall,” you will write your own poem that:
Describes something in the natural or everyday world (snow, rain, trees, waves, a classroom, a restaurant, etc.)
Uses rich, sensory language to set the scene and tone
Hides the real subject or emotion beneath that description until the end
Reveals the true meaning, memory, or emotion in the final lines
At least 5 stanzas (minimum 4 lines per stanza)
Descriptions that create mood and emotion through imagery
A concealed subject that is revealed or hinted at clearly in the final stanza
Optional: Use rhyme, but focus more on natural rhythm and tone
At least one moment of interaction with another person or object to deepen the emotional layer
Choose an external focus for your poem:
Nature: snow, rain, falling leaves, waves, fog, a sunset
Setting: an empty restaurant, an abandoned classroom, a quiet park, a hospital room
Your description of this thing should reflect the hidden emotion your speaker carries (grief, nostalgia, hope, regret, etc.).
The snow had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
Had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white.
Every pine and fir and hemlock
Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
And the poorest twig on the elm-tree
Was ridged inch deep with pearl.
I stood and watched by the window
The noiseless work of the sky,
And the sudden flurries of snow-birds,
Like brown leaves whirling by.
I thought of a mound in sweet Auburn
Where a little headstone stood;
How the flakes were folding it gently,
As did robins the babes in the wood.
Up spoke our own little Mabel,
Saying, “Father, who makes it snow?”
And I told of the good All-father
Who cares for us here below.
Again I looked at the snow-fall,
And thought of the leaden sky
That arched o’er our first great sorrow,
When that mound was heaped so high.
I remembered the gradual patience
That fell from that cloud-like snow,
Flake by flake, healing and hiding
The scar of our deep-plunged woe.
And again to the child I whispered,
“The snow that husheth all,
Darling, the merciful Father
Alone can make it fall!”
Then, with eyes that saw not, I kissed her;
And she, kissing back, could not know
That my kiss was given to her sister,
Folded close under deepening snow.
Describe something in nature
Could be a tree, rain, snow
Waves, leaves falling
Describe how they fall. Try to rhyme
Describe how that thing in nature
Is acting and what that
Action looks like to your
Speaker
Have your speaker explain
Where he is as he’s looking at that thing in nature.
Have him include another image to help
Set the tone. Tone is important for this template
Introduce a tiny detail
Something you’ll reveal in the final stanza.
Be careful with the words you use
So you don’t give it away too early
Have your character interact
With something or someone around him/her.
They don’t have to speak
But use dialogue if you wish
Repeat a line from earlier to remind the reader
What the speaker is looking at.
Explain in a single line what the thing the speaker
Is thinking about means to the speaker
Connect the feeling from the previous stanza
To the thing in nature the speaker
Decides to look at.
See if you can add a symbolic meaning to it
Have your speaker
Interact with something or someone
Around him/her.
Make sure it’s connected to the 5th stanza
Finish off with an action from
The speaker
That finally reveals
What the character was thinking about
The whole time.
Your real subject can be based on real life or entirely fictional
Tone can be reflective, sad, peaceful, or bittersweet—but must be emotionally consistent
Use sensory language: sight, sound, touch, even temperature or atmosphere
Repetition of certain words, phrases, or images can build connection and mood
Don’t give away the true meaning too soon—let it land softly at the end
Title for your poem
Minimum 5 stanzas, rich with sensory detail
Concealed subject revealed at the end
Interaction included (spoken words, action, or physical gesture)
Typed and submitted through Classroom or class site