Winter - Andrew Young

1. With close reference to the text, describe how winter is portrayed as a season of beauty. 

• "He weaves the scentless flowers of frost."
• "weaves" imply intricacy in creation
• "flowers of frost" refer to snowflakes
• Each individual snowflake is unique in its structure

• "Spread out their naked traceries."
• "traceries" are defined as a pattern of interlacing objects
• "naked traceries" refer to bare, leafless branches
• The naked tree branches form some sort of pattern against the sky

(A visual picture of "their naked traceries"

Photo credits to Onysha Boak, amateur photographer and BRATs journalist)

• "And in the night an amorous moon / Sings to the sea in a tender tune,"
• It is implied that winter nights are very quiet since the moon can be heard "singing"
• Animals usually hibernate or migrate during winter which contributes to the quietness
• Also, the snow absorbs sound waves
• There is beauty, peace and serenity in quietness

• "For beauty thus not only glows / Within the wine-cup of the rose."
• "wine-cup" symbolizes fragrance
• "rose" symbolizes external beauty
• Hence, it is implied that beauty does not necessarily need to be flashy or ostentatious

• "But like a hermit clad may be / in garment of austerity."
• It is implied that even the most mundane and dilapidated objects have beauty
• A subtle lesson to look beyond the obvious and instead appreciate the subtlety 

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Bugga's note: 

Most poems have a message. For this particular poem, it is that despite all the ugliness winter represents(lack of sunshine, bitter cold, death) it also has its beauty.