|
The
Road Not Taken - by Robert Frost
- Which road did the traveler
not take, the first or the second one?
- What finally determined
his choice between the roads?
- What kinds of differences
might the poet be referring to in the:
- last line?
- the second?
- the less traveled
one?
Life offers everyone various
roads (or opportunities) to follow, and the choice of one over the
other might lead to fame, fortune, and happiness - or it might lead
to frustration, misfortune, pain and death. These are the kinds of
differences the poet has in his mind. (The choice of poetry writing
as a career made "all the difference" in Robert Frost's life: it brought
him fame and happiness.)
(questions
submitted by Tzilla Kratter)
- Symbolism of the poem.
*the yellow wood *the time of the day * the lonely traveler * the
crossroads * two roads of one choice * the narrator's personality
* "...I shall be telling this with a sigh ..." * the title
- What kind of dilemma is
the poet faced with?
- What evidence is there
in the poem that the poet took a long time to reach a decision on
which road to follow?
- Why do you think the title
of the poem is "The Road not Taken" rather than "The Road Taken "?
- What can you tell about
the character of the poet from the choice he made.
- In what way does the poem
reflect the lives of so many people ?
- How do you think Robert
Frost's auto/poetic biography is reflected in the poem? Did he really
write about himself and his choices in life ?
(questions
submitted by: Bronia Kabakovitch
-Lod Science
Comphrehensive High School )
Fire
and Ice - by Robert Frost
- What two prophecies about
the end of the world does the poem mention?
- What two forces of evil
in the world do fire and ice stand for?
- Which prophecy does the
poet say he holds with?
- What is the thought which
the poem expresses indirectly?
- Which lines are examples
of understatement?
- It will be consumed
in fire; it will be covered with ice.
- Fire = desire
- or greed or selfishness; ice = hate.
- The poet says
he holds with "those who favour fire", although the next five lines
suggest that on reflection he has another thought.
- That nothing
is more dangerous and destructive than hate. (Romeo and Juliet;
prejudice/racism etc.).
- The last four,
especially the last two are examples .
(questions
submitted by Tzilla Kratter)
Stopping
by Woods - by Robert Frost
- Why does the poet
stop by the woods? Why doesn't he hurry home?
- Besides the beauty
of the woods on a snowy evening, what else holds the poet spellbound?
- What rouses him
and breaks the spell?
- What reasons does
he give himself for driving on?
- Can you think of
any reason why the poet repeats his last line? What might "miles to
go" stand for? What does "before I sleep" seem to refer to?
Content questions:
- Describe the facts.
- Where does the owner
of the woods live?
- Does the owner of the
woods appreciate their beauty? Why not?
- What time of the year
is it? What time of the day?
Inference questions
- Why does the poet stop
by the woods? Why doesn't he hurry home?
- Besides the beauty of
the woods on a snowy evening, what else holds the poet spellbound?
- What rouses him and breaks
the spell?
- What reasons does he
give himself for driving on? (Why does he go on in the end? / What
are [might] the promises [be]?)
- Can you think of any
reason why the poet repeats his last line? What
might "miles to go" stand for? What does "before I sleep" seem
to refer to? (What do the last three lines of the poem mean? / What
does sleep symbolize here?)
- Why does the horse "think"
they should be moving on?
- What could the woods
be a symbol for in this poem?
Literary questions:
- What's the structural
form "whose woods these are I think I know"?
- Discuss the rhyme pattern.
What does it remind you of?
- Do you think there is
a special meaning (more than one meaning) for choosing a "horse"?
- Do the words and
rhythm in stanza #1 create a mood? What kind of mood?
- the "woods fill with
snow". The scene is peaceful and he is caught in the spell of its
quiet restfulness. It invites him to rest.
- Perhaps the thought
of eternal rest occurs to him.
- The jingling of the
harness bells brings him back to earth.
- "Promises to keep"
= responsibilities to fulfill before he can give in to the spirit
of rest. It is not time yet for the eternal rest that for the moment
on this quiet, peaceful night seems so inviting.
- The repetition suggests
the pull of life itself, back into the stream of events. After yielding
for a moment to the thought of eternal rest, he finds himself pulled
vigorously back into activity. "Miles to go" suggests the many things
he wants to accomplish before his life is over ("before I sleep").
(questions
submitted by Tzilla Kratter)
- Symbolism of the poem
* the lonely traveler * the owner of the woods *the horse * *woods
, winter nature and its sounds * the darkest evening * the narrator's
decision
- What are the choices in
the poem ?
- What are the literal and
metaphorical meanings of the last verse ?
- Argue for or against the
interpretation that the poet is contemplating suicide.
- What is the message of
the poem ? Provide quotes to support your answer.
- What do you know about
Frost and how his auto- / poetic biography is reflected in the poem?
(questions
submitted by: Bronia Kabakovitch
-Lod Science
Comphrehensive High School )
"Mending
Wall" - by Robert Frost
Content questions:
- Where is the wall ?
- What season/time of the
year is it? / When does the speaker mend the wall ? Who helps him?
- Why does the wall need
mending ?
- What do the hunters do?
/ What is "the work of hunters"?
- Why is the wall actually
not needed?
- What causes the boulders
to fall every year?
- What do the two farmers
grow?
- When can walls be useful,
according to the poem?
- Describe the neighbour.
Inference questions:
- What is it "that does
not love a wall"?
- What does the wall represent?
the gaps ? the pine/apple trees?
- What is the poet's attitude
to walls ?
- In repairing the wall,
what are the neighbours acting against ?
- What is spring responsible
for ?
- Why is the spell needed?
- What are "elves"? What
are they possibly connected with?
- In which line (approximately)
does the poet begin to be serious ?
- What is the wall a symbol
of ?
- How is it suggested that
the neighbours are opponents ?
- What is the difference
of opinion between the two neighbours ?
- How does the poet make
us feel that his neighbour is not a very sensitive person?
- What is the "darkness"
the neighbour seems to move in ?
- Contrast the two characters,
the poet and his neighbour.
- Why is the speaker unhappy
about rebuilding the wall between his neighbour and himself ?
Literary questions:
- Why does the poet begin
with an inversion "Something there is that doesn't love a wall" instead
of the more usual "There is something that doesn't love a wall" ?
- What would you say are
the basic character-traits of Frost's neighbour? Why is he described
in this way ?
- Contrast the two characters.
- Would you say Frost's
language is special? How?
- What kind of images does
Frost use?
- Do you know what the
sound pattern of the poem is called?
- Do you know anything
that links Frost to Israel, so to speak?
-
The symbolism
of the wall in the poem. What does the wall represent ?
-
How do
each of the two neighbors in the poem feel about the wall? Take
the side of each and explain.
-
How would
you describe the relationship between the two neighbors . Do they
really need the wall ? Your opinion. (Quote from the poem )
-
Why is
it necessary to mend the wall?
-
Is the
speaker convinced that "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors "?Which
arguments is he trying to use to convince the speaker?
-
Describe
the speaker in the poem.Could this poem only be spoken by a rural
New Englander? Who else might use a similar argument and a similar
symbol ?
(questions
submitted by: Bronia Kabakovitch
Lod Science
Comphrehensive High School )
Richard
Cory by Robert Frost
Content
questions
- Describe Richard Cory.
- How did Richard Cory
dress? behave?
- How did people react
to Richard Cory?
- What are the facts told
in this poem?
Inference questions
- Why is the last line
such a surprise?
- Why did the poem shock
you? Did it?
- Why did the towns people
envy Richard Cory?
Literary questions
- How is a poem different
from a news item in a paper?
- What is the tone of this
poem?
- How is irony (of situations)
created?
- From whose point of view
are the facts told?
- Do you know what an allegory
- How is Richard Cory presented
in the poem? *his name * looks,education,manners (quote) *his attitude
towards the commoners .
- How are townspeople presented
in the poem? What is their attitude towards Richard Cory?Why ? How
do you think they felt " ...one calm summer night..." ?
- Is there any significance
in the poet's choice of the characters and their feelings? *the name
* the bitterness of the people on the pavement * the ideal image of
R.C. * the time of the day/night
- Why do you think he committed
suicide ?
- What is the message of
the poem? Quote from the poem to support your opinion.
- How is the narrator presented
in the poem ? Why do you think the poet wrote about Richard Cory ?
(questions
submitted by: Bronia Kabakovitch
Lod Science
Comphrehensive High School )
Musee
des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
-
How can
Auden's autobiography be related to the ideas presented in the poem
? Why was the poem written ? What inspired Auden to create this
masterpiece?Explain the title.
-
What is
the poem suggesting about the nature of cruelty?
-
Who in
the poem cares about human suffering ?
-
How is
the religious motif ( a sign, an image, a melody representing smth./sb.)
revealed in the first three stanzas.
-
Take one
of the images of the poem and comment on its appropriacy to the
theme of the poem.
-
Comment
on how the choice of words reflects the meaning of the poem.
-
Why do
you think the poet chose Peter Bruegel's "Icarus" to illustrate
his theme of the world's indifference to human suffering ?
(questions
submitted by: Bronia Kabakovitch
Lod
Science Comphrehensive High School )
|
