PowerPoint Presentation

Literature

On A Tree Fallen Across The Road

The Author robert frost

Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874,in San Francisco.His father, William Prescott Frost Jr. and his mother, Isabelle Moodie, had moved from Pennsylvania shortly after marrying.He became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence.In 1895, Frost married Elinor Miriam White, whom he does shared valedictorian honors with in high school and who was a major inspiration for his poetry until her death in 1938. The couple moved to England in 1912, after they tried and failed at farming in New Hampshire. It was abroad that Frost met and was influenced by such contemporary British poets as Edward Thomas,Rupert Brooke, andRobert Graves. In England, Frost also established a friendship with the poet Ezra Pound, who helped to promote and publish his work.

Poets Background

3On A Tree Fallen Across The Road The tree the tempest with a crash of woodThrows down in front of us is not to barOur passage to our journey's end for good,But just to ask us who we think we are

Insisting always on our own way so.She likes to halt us in our runner tracks,And make us get down in a foot of snowDebating what to do without an axe.

And yet she knows obstruction is in vainWe will not be put off the final goalWe have it hidden in us to attain,Not though we have to seize earth by the pole

And, tired of aimless circling in one place,Steer straight off after something into space.Summary Of The PoemThe speaker weaves a tale of travellers moving down a path, they come across a tree that has fallen across the road. The tree stops the travellers in their tracks and impedes forward progress down the path. Without an axe, the travellers stand there debating what to do about the obstacle in their way. The speaker recognizes the travellers will eventually overcome the obstacle laying across the road and continue their journey. On the surface, this poem reflects our ability to overcome the obstacles we face in our lives. However, I believe this poem goes much deeper. Frost uses very finite words in several lines. The words, "crash, "bar" and "halt", give the poem a feeling of abruptness. I do not believe the speaker was saying we can overcome any obstacle, but that we have very defining moments in our lives that make us stop and think about or analyse exactly who we are. The old statement, "What does not kill us, makes us stronger", comes to mind when I read this poem.Meaning By StanzaFirst stanzaThe tree the tempest with a crash of woodThrows down in front of us is not to barOur passage to our journeys end for good,But just top ask us who we think we areInsisting always on our own way so.- Sets the stage and holds a message for the reader of the poem.I belive Frost was saying that we live life confidently, falsely believing we are in control of our own destiny. We set goals and believe the path to our final destination is clear cut and will offer no obstacles to impede our victory. Nonetheless, everyone must face the harsh realities of life at some point. The reality is that we do not control the world around us and when faced with an uncontrollable event we are halted in our tracks, and are faced with the decisions about our future that are not in our well mapped out plan.

She likes to halt us in our runners tracksAnd make us get down in a foot of snowDebating what to do without an axe.

The next three lines tell us more about how the speaker feels we deal with the realities of the unexpected events in our lives.Frost is stating that we do not look for the unexpected but believe that everything will go just the way we demand it to. When the unexpected happens we are left dumbfounded and confused. I believe the reference to snow may refer to the bleakness of not knowing what to do in the face of an obstacle so profound.

Second StanzaAnd yet she knows obstruction is in vain:We will not be put off the final goalWe have it hidden to attain,Not though we have to seize earth by the pole

And tired of aimless circling in one place,Steer straight off after something in space.the poem state that we will continue from this point on and achieve victory despite the temporary setback caused by the obstacle. Perseverance is mapped out in our futures once we are tired of walking in circles trying to decide where to go. We do not need to "seize the earth by the pole" or be in direct command of our future - our future will forge ahead on its own.Third and Forth StanzaLiterary Devices9Theme Human versus nature In this poem the theme arrives about human and nature. Nature here represents the nature of human and not the surroundings. Actually we all have hidden personality within ourselves but mostly we do not tend to think about it as it will puzzled our life.Issue ConcernHuman ability to solve problems in life. - Humans able to solve problems through discussion, tolerancy and asking opinions from experienced people.Human have ways to overcome problems. - if there is a will there is a way. - there must have solution on every hardship in life. Tone And MoodThe feeling of satisfaction From the poem, we can see the feeling of satisfaction when the travellers resolve the problem which is removing the fallen tree across the road.Humans can think the way to solve problems in their life by themselves and not depending to others.For instance, the speaker mention about how the travellers will find a way to overcome their obstacle in order to continue their journey.

The endthank you!