In the Class 12 English Flamingo poem 'A Roadside Stand' by Robert Frost (or in the context of the poem 'Keeping Quiet' / travel poems), the image of young trees sprinting is a striking example of personification used to capture the sensation of travelling at high speed.
Robert Frost frequently used rural, natural imagery to make profound observations about human society. What appears to be a simple description of roadside trees is simultaneously a commentary on the speed of modern civilization leaving rural people behind.
When you travel in a fast car or train, and look out of the window, the trees closest to the road seem to flash by very quickly — almost as if they are running away from you at full sprint.
Trees far in the distance seem to move slowly. But the young trees lining the roadside (closer to the road) appear to whiz past at tremendous speed — like sprinters in a race.
Trees cannot actually sprint — they are rooted to the ground. By describing trees as 'sprinting,' the poet uses Personification — attributing human actions to non-human things.
Effect: This personification beautifully captures:
The image of young trees sprinting can also carry symbolic weight:
The poem describes the hopes and disappointments of poor rural people who set up roadside stands hoping city travelers will stop and buy their produce. The city people rush past without stopping — symbolizing how urban prosperity ignores and bypasses rural poverty.
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