Esther Li
Draft 1
"The Cross of Snow" Explication
One of the greatest American poets, Henry Longfellow, wrote "The Cross of Snow" to commemorate his second wife, eighteen years after she was tragically burnt to death . The poem's inspiration came from a mountain with a pattern of a giant cross made of snow on its side. Longfellow wrote this Italian sonnet in a surprisingly positive tone, glorifying his wife as a saint. Heavily through the diction and poetic devices , Frances has been forever immortalized and canonized by this poem.
Longfellow scattered words pertaining to holiness throughout this sonnet. Most obviously, the title – "The Cross of Snow" represents the actual cross-shaped lines of snow on the mountain (lines 9-11), but also alludes to the cross on the Christian religion that has become a symbol of Jesus and saints. Then in the fourth line, the word "halo" is used to describe the light of the lamp casting a shadow around her head; an image of the halo that is often seen in paintings of holy people, such as Jesus and the apostles . Immediately in the following line, the word "white" is used to portray the dead wife's soul, but with more emphasis by using the adjective "more." Thus, the soul is even purer than white and spotless, which cannot be associated with "normal" humans, but only for saints. Then the room of her death was described as the "martyrdom," thus his holy wife was also described as a martyr. In line ten, "sun-defying" is used to depict the snow on mountain was so strong that it could not melt and thus defy the sun. This powerful image is linked to the last three lines of the cross that Longfellow wears, “these eighteen years, though all the changing scenes / and seasons, changeless since

the day she died.”
A direct picture of Longfellow wearing a cross, which symbolizes his saintly wife, but the word “changeless” can be associated with the word “sun-defying,” implying the consistency and immortality of his wife, unchanging, like the saints.
In addition to obvious nouns and adjectives, "The Cross of Snow" also contains "softer" dictions that are indirectly alluding to the sainthood of Longfellow's wife. In line two, Frances is bearing a "gentle" face, even when she has been "long dead." The word "round," in line three implies the circular perfection of a halo. Also the word "pale" strengthens the pristine image from the "soul more white." In line eight, the rare word "benedight," meaning "blessed" further implies the holiness of his wife.
Through direct and indirect words, Longfellow created a very holy image of his dead wife. Sitting in the room where the fire consumed Frances, Longfellow's love continued
"changeless since the day she died," which enabled him to see her as a "martyr" and an implied
"saint," not just an ordinary wife.