Billy Collins’ “Snow Day” illustrates an image of a town paralyzed by the falling snow. The poem contains a contrast between a beautifully calm snow that inspires stillness and joy, and a powerful force of nature capable of destruction.
For instance, the poem’s first line refers to the the snow as a “revolution”. I think this is an interesting choice of words because when I think of a revolution, I think of bloody battles, brutality, and disharmony. In the next line, however, Collins calls the snow a “white flag”, a symbol of surrender and peace. He immediately sets up the contrast that appears several times throughout the poem.
We see the contrast again in the fourth stanza, where the speaker calls themselves a “willing prisoner” to the snow. The snow that has the ability to “softly block” something as powerful as a train, forces them to stay indoors. However, they are positively affected by the sense of calmness and peace that the snow brings.
“Snow Day”: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176051
Chloe Carson 