The first line is a simile ‘tinkles like ice’ the word ‘ice’ represents the harshness and how painful ice is. When we look at the form of the poem, we can see how the poet uses enjambment to continue in what’s being said. The line ‘tries the door, and sidles past’ gives of a feeling of terror as the poet has personified it and gives of an impression that a human is trying to enter the house. On the second stanza the word ‘gulp’ is used as onampatpia which is a sound technique.
The line ‘Brown fuzz of cotton wool’ suggests its unclean and dirty because the ‘brown fuzz’ is pollution. The words ‘lamp fades’ suggests that the light cant be seen. On the third stanza ‘frost in my lungs is harsh as leaves’ implies the sharpness and how rough the lungs are. In addition, ‘harsh as leaves’ is a simile and the poet uses the simile to suggest how chilly the tonight was. It also is a strong simile that The line ‘scrape up on path’ suggests how cruel and harsh the night was.
Many devices are used to show us how bitter the night was. On the last stanza the line ‘the worlds a bear shrugged in his den’ suggests he is experiencing the bear pit. Further more, the word ‘snug suggests the warmth inside; ‘snoring night’ is inside away from rest of the world while winter is outside. Inside all inviting but outside it’s harsh. The line ‘the fog unfolds its bitter scent’ suggests its comparing ice to fog and also its comparing the fog to the bad smell ‘chrysanthemums’
