Preparing for the Frost Exam
For the Frost exam, I will give you a choice of two of the following Frost poems:
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
“Home Burial” (you would write on a section)
“Out, Out—”
“Design”
“After Apple-Picking”
“Mending Wall”
“Birches”
“Desert Places”
“Acquainted with the Night”
Bring your packet to class—you will need to use it for the exam.
You will have the full class period to write a commentary on ONE of the assigned poems. That means you will write an essay offering your interpretation of the piece and analyzing it.
Your commentary will be an in-depth, detailed analysis of the poem. You will analyze the poem’s style, language, content, and structure, and discuss the way that they work together to create meaning. You should have a controlling idea—a thesis statement that summarizes your interpretation of the poem. You should also organize your supporting paragraphs in a coherent way that supports your interpretation.
One way to set up your commentary:
Paragraph 1: A “big picture” discussion of the poem: a summary of the poem’s literal meaning, perhaps with some mention of its major themes, followed by your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should attempt to connect form to meaning: how the formal techniques you will discuss contribute to the meaning and effect of the poem. Example thesis for “Stopping by Woods”: “Through vivid imagery, symbolism, and an exceptionally rigid form, Frost creates a somber portrayal of a pause in a journey that becomes a metaphor for life and death.”
Paragraphs 2-?? (you may have more than 3 supporting paragraphs): Support your thesis statement through discussion of form (dramatic narrative, sonnet, etc.) and how the poet’s choice of form adds to the effect or meaning of the poem; analysis of meter/rhythm; discussion of diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence structure, punctuation); analysis of rhyme; theme; movement from specific to general; discussion of poetic devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc. If you notice parallels to other Frost poems, point them out and discuss the significance of these connections. If it is a short poem, one effective way to organize this section is simply to work your way through the poem line by line or stanza by stanza. You can also just devote a paragraph to your discussion of meter, a paragraph for rhyme, etc. Whatever structure you choose, you should try as much as possible to relate form to meaning.
Final Paragraph: Sum up your interpretation in a brief conclusion.
Whatever format you choose, your essay should consider the following (focus on the ones that are most relevant to the poem and your interpretation of it; try to show as much knowledge as possible):
Literal meaning
Form (narrative, sonnet...)
Meter/rhythm; line length
Use of enjambment vs. endstopping
Rhyme (or its absence; consider internal rhyme as well as end rhyme)
Syntax (sentence structure and punctuation)
Diction (word choice; consider connotation vs. denotation)
Imagery
How the subject/topics are typical or atypical of Frost; similarities/connections to other specific Frost poems
Themes
Poetic devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, displacement/metonymy, etc.): try to discuss not only what devices Frost uses, but why he uses them/what effect they have on the reader/how they contribute to the meaning of the poem
Movement from specific to general or physical to metaphysical
Literary allusions, if any
How to Prepare
Review and study the poems listed. Re-read the essays on “Stopping by Woods” and “Design.” Review your class notes. Study the poetry terms. Think about the poems and formulate your own interpretations of them. Mark up your packet; jot down ideas about possible thesis statements.
If you want to look at some critical responses to Frost, check out the Modern American Poetry web site maintained by the University of Illinois at http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/frost.htm . This is a better source than Sparknotes. However, if you use any of the ideas you find there (or elsewhere, including Sparknotes, etc.), you must cite your source.
A Note on Punctuation
Titles of poems (except book-length poems like The Odyssey) should be put in QUOTATION MARKS, not underlined or italicized.
When quoting the poem, cite the line number as you normally would cite page numbers. If you quote more than one line, put a slash at the line break and put both line numbers in parentheses. Example:
Frost ends “Home Burial” with the husband’s threatening words: “Where do you mean to go? First tell me that. / I’ll follow and bring you back by force. I will!—” (115-116).
There’s a different way for citing poetry excerpts of more than three lines, but we won’t worry about that for now!
How to Use Your Exam Time
1. Plan: Don’t skimp on your planning time. Spending 5-10 minutes re-reading the poem, marking it up, writing notes to yourself, and jotting down an outline is well worth it since it can help you organize your essay and ensure that you don’t forget anything important.
2. Write your essay. Be sure to include specific textual support.
3. Polish: In the last five or ten minutes, proofread your essay. Check for spelling, punctuation, grammar, legibility, and sense. Clearly cross out anything you do not want me to read.
Scoring
This exam is worth 50 points—10 points for each of the following categories: Knowledge and Understanding; Interpretation; Presentation; Appreciation of Literary Features; Formal Use of Language. (See rubric for details.)
What to Bring
This essay must be written in black or dark-blue ink. Please bring:
two reliable pens
your own Frost packet (you may--and will need to--use your packet on the exam, but may not use any other notes or handouts, nor may you use any other student’s packet*)
several sheets of blank notebook paper
* Note: If you forget to bring your packet, you will have to write on one poem, rather than having a choice (I will have photocopies of one, and only one, poem). Sharing packets or using another student’s packet during the exam is cheating and both students involved will get a 0 on the exam. (It’s OK to study together before the exam, and if you have missed a class you should certainly get notes from a classmate, but for the exam itself you must rely on your own mental resources!)
