Poem By Robert Frost How Can NATURE Inspire You?
Before ReadingBirchesPoem by Robert FrostMending WallPoem by Robert FrostHow can NATUREinspire you?RL 1 Cite strong and thoroughtextual evidence to supportinferences drawn from the text.RL 4 Analyze the cumulativeimpact of specific word choices onmeaning and tone.Spending time in nature often inspires us to think of things beyondour ordinary routines. Whether it’s hiking through woods orcanoeing down a river, for example, being in “the great outdoors”can help us appreciate our place in the world at large. In thefollowing poems by Robert Frost, the speakers gain new insights intotheir own lives through their experiences with nature.QUICKWRITE Think of an outdoor activity that says something aboutyou and what you’re like—such as birdwatching, fishing, climbing, orswimming. Write a paragraph describing the activity and what it hashelped you realize about yourself.886
Meet the Authortext analysis: frost’s styleIn many ways, Robert Frost is a transitional figure between the19th and 20th centuries. Like his predecessors, Frost loved andwrote about the natural world, particularly rural New England.His poems, however, contain more than his impressions ofsimple country life. In them, Frost often uses humor to point tomore serious matters, such as themes of solitude and isolation.In this way, his writing anticipates later works of modern poetryand fiction. The following are key aspects of Frost’s style: conversational or colloquial language rich sensory imagery imaginative similes and metaphors realistic dialogue a playful, mocking toneAs you read, notice how these stylistic techniques helpmake “Birches” and “Mending Wall” works of rare beautyand complexity.reading skill: make inferencesIn modern poetry, speakers do not often make directstatements about how they view the world. Instead, readersmust use clues in the texts to make inferences, or logicalguesses, about the speakers’ ideas and feelings. For example,speculate about what the following lines from “Birches” revealabout the speaker’s desires:So was I once myself a swinger of birches.And so I dream of going back to be.As you read each poem, try to “read between the lines” andrecord your inferences in a chart like the one shown.“Birches”Poem DetailsMy AssociationsInferences“When I see birchesbend to left and right/Across the lines ofstraighter darker trees/I like to think some boy’sbeen swinging them.”Birches are white,flexible trees.Seeing bent birchesmakes the speakerinvent a playfulexplanation forthem.Robert Frost1874–1963Unruly YouthAlthough Robert Frost is linked with ruralNew England in the public imagination, hespent his early years in cities. At age 11, Frostmoved with his mother and sister from hisbirthplace, San Francisco, to the industrial cityof Lawrence, Massachusetts. Undisciplined ingrade school, Frost became co-valedictorianof his high school graduating class. However,he dropped out of the two universitieshe attended—Harvard and Dartmouth—because he disliked the discipline ofacademic life.Farmer-PoetIn his 20s and 30s, Frost worked a 30-acrefarm in Derry, New Hampshire. Captivatedby Derry’s inhabitants and rugged landscape,Frost wrote many of his most beloved poemswhile living there. He used traditional poeticdevices—such as rhyme and meter—tocapture the speech patterns of rural NewEnglanders. Frost’s immense achievementwas recognized with 4 Pulitzer Prizes inpoetry and 44 honorary college degrees.background to the poemsNature’s SplendorIn the selections, Frost captures the starkbeauty of rural New England. In “Birches,”he paints a vivid picture of the white-barkedtrees that adorn much of the countryside.The birch is a tall, delicate tree with aslender white trunk that can bend easily ina moderate wind. The title “Mending Wall”refers to the act of repairing the stone wallsthat divide farms and fields in New England.Farmers typically build these wallswith stones removed fromtheir own land.AuthorOnlineComplete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.Go to thinkcentral.com.kcentral.com.KEYWORD: HML10-887887
BirchesRober t Frost510152025When I see birches bend to left and rightAcross the lines of straighter darker trees,I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stayAs ice-storms do. Often you must have seen themLoaded with ice a sunny winter morningAfter a rain. They click upon themselvesAs the breeze rises, and turn many-coloredAs the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shellsShattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—Such heaps of broken glass to sweep awayYou’d think the inner dome of heaven had fallen. aThey are dragged to the withered bracken1 by the load,And they seem not to break; though once they are bowedSo low for long, they never right themselves:You may see their trunks arching in the woodsYears afterwards, trailing their leaves on the groundLike girls on hands and knees that throw their hairBefore them over their heads to dry in the sun. bBut I was going to say when Truth broke inWith all her matter-of-fact about the ice-stormI should prefer to have some boy bend themAs he went out and in to fetch the cows—Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,Whose only play was what he found himself,Summer or winter, and could play alone. caFROST’S STYLEFrost uses plain andcolloquial words— such ascontractions— throughoutthis poem. Find one ortwo examples in lines1–13. What effect do theseeveryday words create?bFROST’S STYLEWhich sensory detailspresented so far helpthe image of the birchescome alive for you?c1. bracken: weedy ferns having large triangular fronds and often formingdense thickets.Treetop Flier, Rod Frederick. Paper, 225/ 8 45/ 8 . Courtesy of The Greenwich Workshop, Inc.MAKE INFERENCESReread lines 21–27. Whatcan you infer about thespeaker?
303540455055One by one he subdued2 his father’s treesBy riding them down over and over againUntil he took the stiffness out of them,And not one but hung limp, not one was leftFor him to conquer. He learned all there wasTo learn about not launching out too soonAnd so not carrying the tree awayClear to the ground. He always kept his poise3To the top branches, climbing carefullyWith the same pains you use to fill a cupUp to the brim, and even above the brim.Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.So was I once myself a swinger of birches.And so I dream of going back to be.It’s when I’m weary of considerations,And life is too much like a pathless woodWhere your face burns and tickles with the cobwebsBroken across it, and one eye is weepingFrom a twig’s having lashed across it open. eI’d like to get away from earth awhileAnd then come back to it and begin over.May no fate willfully misunderstand meAnd half grant what I wish and snatch me awayNot to return. Earth’s the right place for love:I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.I’d like to go by climbing a birch tree,And climb black branches up a snow-white trunkToward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,But dipped its top and set me down again.That would be good both going and coming back.One could do worse than be a swinger of birches. fdFROST’S STYLEIn lines 28–40, Frostdescribes a boy swingingin the birches. Whichwords or phrases conveyFrost’s playful andenergetic tone?deFROST’S STYLEIdentify the simile usedin lines 41–47. What ideasbeyond the literal meaningof the words does thissimile communicate?fMAKE INFERENCESReread lines 48–59. Thinkof what this final passagesuggests about thespeaker. Does he acceptor deny reality? Explain.2. subdued: brought under control.3. poise: balance.birches889
Mending WallRobert FrostIn what ways might thesetting shown in thepainting represent thatof “Mending Wall”? Inwhat ways might it bedifferent?Cotswold Landscape (1981), Derold Page. Private collection. Photo The BridgemanArt Library.510Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,That sends the frozen-ground-swell under itAnd spills the upper boulders in the sun,And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. gThe work of hunters is another thing:I have come after them and made repairWhere they have left not one stone on a stone,But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,To please the yelping dogs.1 The gaps I mean,No one has seen them made or heard them made,But at spring mending-time we find them there.1. The work . . . yelping dogs: The speaker has replaced the stones huntershave removed from the wall when they have been pursuing rabbits.890unit 8: author’s style and voicegFROST’S STYLEThink about Frost’sdecision to use theinformal, plain wordsomething in line 1.In your opinion, woulda more descriptiveword have provided abetter effect? Explainyour opinion.
15202530354045I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;And on a day we meet to walk the lineAnd set the wall between us once again. hWe keep the wall between us as we go.To each the boulders that have fallen to each.And some are loaves and some so nearly ballsWe have to use a spell to make them balance:“Stay where you are until our backs are turned!”We wear our fingers rough with handling them.Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,One on a side. It comes to little more:There where it is we do not need the wall:He is all pine and I am apple orchard.My apple trees will never get acrossAnd eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.He only says, “Good fences make good neighbors.”Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonderIf I could put a notion in his head:“Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t itWhere there are cows? But here there are no cows. iBefore I built a wall I’d ask to knowWhat I was walling in or walling out,And to whom I was like to give offense.Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d ratherHe said it for himself. I see him there,Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the topIn each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.He moves in darkness as it seems to me,Not of woods only and the shade of trees.He will not go behind his father’s saying,And he likes having thought of it so wellHe says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”hMAKE INFERENCESDescribe the speaker’sfeelings so far aboutmending the stone wall.Which words and phraseshelped you make yourinference?iMAKE INFERENCESReread lines 23–31,looking for details thatconvey the speaker’sopinion of his neighbor.Does the speaker admirehim? Why or why not?jjFROST’S STYLEConsider Frost’s overalltone, or attitude, in thispoem. Do you think thepoet himself approvesor disapproves of wallsbetween neighbors?Explain.mending wall891
After ReadingComprehension1. Recall In “Birches,” what two explanations does the speaker give for thebent trees?2. Clarify Which explanation does the speaker seem to prefer? Explain.3. Recall According to the speaker of “Mending Wall,” what two forces causethe stone wall to fall apart?4. Clarify Why is there no practical need for the wall?Text Analysis5. Make Inferences Review the charts you made as you read. Think about thekey inferences that helped you understand each speaker. What personalitytraits and values does each speaker appear to have?6. Interpret In “Mending Wall,” the neighbor reminds the speaker that “goodfences make good neighbors.” Paraphrase this statement. Do you agree ordisagree? Explain your response.7. Analyze Tone Through Imagery In his works, Frost often reveals amischievous attitude toward his subjects through his choice of images.Review lines 23–42 in “Birches” and lines 15–26 in “Mending Wall.” Whichsensory details in each poem strongly convey Frost’s playful tone?8. Analyze Frost’s Style One hallmark of Frost’s style is his use of imaginativesimiles and metaphors. Identify two similes and two metaphors in the poems.Explain how they convey ideas beyond the literal meaning of the words.9. Generalize About Poetic Form Frost often relied on conventional verse formsin his work. Both “Birches” and “Mending Wall” are written in blank verse—a form of unrhymed iambic pentameter favored by many English poets,including William Shakespeare. What does Frost’s regular use of this poeticform suggest about him and his writing style?Text Criticism10. Biographical Context Sharing his understanding of good poetry, Frost oncesaid: “A poem is never a put-up job, so to speak. It begins as a lump in thethroat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. . . . It is at its bestwhen it is a tantalizing vagueness.” Select either poem and explain how itmight fit Frost’s standards. Use examples from the poem to support yourresponse.How can NATURE inspire you?What can nature teach you about humanity?892unit 8: author’s style and voiceRL 1 Cite strong and thoroughtextual evidence to supportinferences drawn from the text.RL 4 Analyze the cumulativeimpact of specific word choices onmeaning and tone.
Languagegrammar and style:Use Verbals EffectivelyPoetry consists of words and phrases that are carefully chosen to createparticular rhythms and effects. One kind of phrase that often appears inpoetry is the infinitive phrase, which consists of an infinitive—a verb formthat begins with to—plus its modifiers and complements. Infinitive phrasesfunction as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, but often they are able to provide moreinformation than would one-word examples of these parts of speech. Here aresome instances of Frost’s use of infinitive phrases. Note how they function as anoun and adverbs in the poem.L 1b Use various types of phrasesto convey specific meaningsand add variety and interestto writing. W 9a (RL 2) Drawevidence from literary texts tosupport analysis; determine atheme and how it is refined byspecific details.I should prefer to have some boy bend themAs he went out and in to fetch the cows—Some boy too far from town to learn baseball (“Birches,” lines 23–25)In the following revision, notice how the writer uses an infinitive phrase tobetter describe the neighbor’s wish. Use similar techniques to revise yourresponses to the prompt.student modelto maintain the wall between their propertiesThe speaker in “Mending Wall” doesn’t understand his neighbor’s wish.reading-writing connection YOURBroaden your understanding of Frost’s poems by responding to thisprompt. Then use the revising tip to improve your writing.TURNwriting promptrevising tipExtended Constructed Response: AnalysisReview your response.Did you use infinitivephrases to enhanceyour writing style?If not, revise yourresponse.How does the dialogue and imagery in “MendingWall” help illuminate the differences between thespeaker and his neighbor? How do the differencesbetween them help reveal the poem’s theme?Using examples and direct quotations from thepoem, write a three- to five-paragraph response.InteractiveRevisionGo to thinkcentral.com.KEYWORD: HML10-893birches / mending wall893
Oct 20, 2014 · Mending Wall Poem by Robert Frost 886 RL 1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support inferences drawn from the text. RL 4 Analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. NA_L10PE-u08s3-brbir.indd 886 12/25/10 8:31:20 PM
Feb 24, 2015 · Frost Is In The Air: Robert Frost's Words, Your Voice We want you to record your favorite Robert Frost poem and become a part of the Frost Is In The Air digital poem collection project. Frost Is In The Air is a project aimed at collecting diverse vo
Introduction to the poem ‘Bereft’ Robert Frost was a great American poet who writes a large number of great poems. Bereft is one of his famous poems. This poem has ominous tone and there are different interpretations of this poem. The body of the poem is not very clear but we interpret that the poet is alone in this world.
3. couplet – a two line poem in which the last words of each line rhyme 4. shape poem – the words of the poem create the shape of the object of the poem 5. concrete poem – a verse that outlines the shape of the object of the poem 6. acrostic – verses created from each letter of a word chosen as the poem topic;
ABC Poem Introduce the poem by displaying the poem strips on the whiteboard or chart paper. Make sure all students can see the poem. Read the poem aloud twice to the students, pointing to each letter and word as you read them. Read the poem a third time, encouraging students to read along with you. Tell the
The speaker in “Mending Wall” is a concerned citizen, possibly even Frost himself. Because Frost was a farmer in the Northeast, many of his poems reflect this experience. Although this poem is told in the voice of a farmer, Frost meant for the theme to be conveyed to all of society. “Mending Wall” portrays a farmer and his neighbor .
2. Plan and write a poem Use the . Poem Planner. to help you think of ideas for a new version of the poem. Read the prompts and note your ideas down. Write your poem out. 3. Practise a performance Practise performing your new poem. Think about the speed that you read, the rhythm of your poem, your expression and any actions. Well .
Week 4: Read a new poem. Week 5: Read a new poem. Week 6: Enter the poet in your Book of Centuries. Week 7: Read a new poem. Week 8: Read a new poem. Week 9: Choose one of the previous poems and illustrate it. Week 10: Read a new poem. Week 11: Read a new poem. Week 12: Tell what you know about this poet. Wee
A poem that tells a story A poem that shows emotion A poem without set rhyme or rhythm I was starving! The voice of the poem A pair of rhymed lines The leaves danced in the street. A group of lines in a poem Known, grown Poetry is pretty popular The beat of a poem 5 7 5 Moo Comparison does not use like or as
