MRS. RUDD LAKE HAZEL MIDDLE SCHOOL

 LITERARY TERMS  EVIDENCE AND INFERENCE  INTERPRETING POETRY

 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.  Characte r- 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

 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.

Click to watch and listen to the poem.

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.

 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

Write 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,"

 Glossary of Literary Terms Glossary of Literary Terms  The Robert Frost Web Site The Robert Frost Web Site  "A Close Look at Robert Frost,“ "A Close Look at Robert Frost,“  "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," an annotated version "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," an annotated version  extensive collection of critical commentary (on Robert Frost) extensive collection of critical commentary