EXPLORING POETRYMRS. RUDD

LAKE HAZEL MIDDLE SCHOOL

POETRY OF ROBERT FROST

LITERARY TERMS

EVIDENCE AND INFERENCE

INTERPRETING POETRY

LITERARY TERMS

Narrative- the telling of fictional or real events.

Persona-The person created by the author to tell a story.

Point of view-the side from which the story is being told.

Speaker-the person telling the story. Character-Imaginary people created by the

writer. Motives-why a character does what he/she does.

EVIDENCE INFERENCE

details directly described in the poem

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information that in indirectly described

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.

Stopping by Woods on A Snowy EveningClick to watch and listen to the poem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex4gAlCs2og

   Whose woods these are I think know         His house is in the village, though.         He will not see me stopping here         To watch his woods fill up with snow.

      My little horse must think it queer      To stop without a farm house near,       Between the woods and frozen lake       The darkest evening of the year.

                    He gives his harness bells a shake                    To ask if there is some mistake.                    The only other sound's the sweep                    Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,         But I have promises to keep,         And miles to go before I sleep,         And miles to go before I sleep.

Interpreting Poetry

Inference and Evidence Questions

In the following questions, decide whether the statements are:

A - given directly in the poem. B - are inferences based on evidence in

the poem. C- are not in the poem and are

contradictions to evidence in the poem.

1. It is the middle of the winter

A. This is directly supported by the poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by the poem

2. The speaker feels guilty and uncertain about stopping.

A. Directly supported by poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by evidence

3.The speaker has lost his way.

A. Directly supported by poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by evidence

4.At the end of the poem the speaker and his horse leave the woods and go home.

A. Directly supported by poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by evidence

5. The speaker thinks uneasily about his own death.

A. Directly supported by poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by evidence

6. The owner of the woods and the speaker don’t get along

A. Directly supported by poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by evidence

7.The speaker admires the snowy woods and is attracted to its stark beauty and solitude.

A. Directly supported by poem

B. Inference based on evidence

C. Not supported by evidence

Journal EntryWrite a short narrative in your journals that expands upon hints and questions raised by the narrative told by the speaker in "Stopping By the Woods." Some suggestions are :

1. imagine the circumstances that have brought the speaker to this place in the wood. 2. speculate on what it is that compels him to stop on so cold and dark a night. 3. speculate on the nature of the promises the speaker has made. 4. or write about the speaker's relationship to the person whose woods these are.

The only rule is that their inferences must have some defensible basis in the actual words of the poem.

Other Robert Frost Poems

Now that you have practiced, your group will click on the following links to read other Robert Frost poems. Choose one poem to answer the same questions as before and

present your poem and you interpretation of it to the class.

"Birches," "Mending Wall,"

"Out, out--" "The Wood Pile,"

"The Runaway,"

"The Road Not Taken,"

Parent and Student Resources

Glossary of Literary Terms The Robert Frost Web Site "A Close Look at Robert Frost,“ "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,

" an annotated version extensive collection of critical commentar

y (on Robert Frost)