Carroll, Frost, and Brooks Poetry

Carroll, Frost, and Brooks Poetry

By Paula Rein

Reading: Reread in Order to Paraphrase

To paraphrase means to restate or explain something in your own words. When you paraphrase lines of poetry, you make the meaning clear to yourself. If you are unsure of a poem’s meaning, reread the parts that are difficult. Follow these steps:

• Look up unfamiliar words, and replace them with words you know.

• Restate the line or passage using your own everyday words.

• Reread the passage to make sure that your version makes sense.

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Reading: Reread in Order to Paraphrase

Look at these lines from “Father William”:

“In my youth,” said his father, “I took to the law

And argued each case with my wife;

And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw

Has lasted the rest of my life.”

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Reading: Reread in Order to Paraphrase

The first line tells you that Father William “took to the law.” If you look up law in a dictionary, you will learn that one of its meanings is “the legal profession.” Father William is saying that he was a lawyer. That knowledge will help you understand the second line: Father William prepared for his legal cases by arguing them with his wife.

You probably know or can guess that muscular has to do with muscles.

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Reading: Reread in Order to Paraphrase

Now you have all the ingredients to write a paraphrase of the verse. It might look like this:

“When I was young,” Father William said, “I was a lawyer

And I talked over every case with my wife;

And as a result, I developed strong jaw muscles

That I still have today.”

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​Literary Analysis: Rhythm, Meter, and Rhyme

Rhythm and rhyme make poetry musical. Rhythm is a poem’s pattern of stressed ( ́) and unstressed ( ) syllables.

Meter is a poem’s rhythmical pattern. It is measured in feet, or single units of stressed and unstressed syllables. In the examples below, stressed and unstressed syllables are marked, and the feet are separated by vertical lines (|). The first line of “Father William” contains four feet, and the second line contains three feet. The two lines of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” contain four feet each.

​Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of lines.

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Poll

How many stressed syllables are there in this line from “Jim”?

There never was a nicer boy

• two

• three

• four

• eight

Multiple Choice

What is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in this line from “Jim”?

The sun should drop its greatest gold

• stressed, unstressed

• unstressed, stressed

• stressed, stressed

• unstressed, unstressed

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of these lines from “Jim”?

The sun should drop its greatest gold / On him

• The sun should shine on Jim always.

• Jim is as accomplished as an Olympic gold medalist.

• The sun should allow Jim to become wealthy.

• Jim should be rewarded for his good deeds.

Multiple Choice

What is the best paraphrase of the last verse of “Jim”?

• Jim tiptoes around while his mother is sick, caring for her and thinking of baseball.

• Jim, neatening his mother’s room on tiptoes, is terribly sorry he is not playing baseball.

• Jim tiptoes, cleans his mother’s room, and feels terribly sorry he is not playing baseball.

• Jim quietly neatens his mother’s room and does not let on that he misses playing baseball.

Multiple Choice

What is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in this line from “Father

William”?

“You are old, Father William,” the young man said

• stressed, unstressed, stressed

• stressed, unstressed, unstressed

• unstressed, stressed, unstressed

• unstressed, unstressed, stressed

Multiple Choice

Father William’s son asks Father William about the goose he has eaten because he

thinks that people as old as his father?

• should eat only suet.

• need a balanced diet.

• can chew only the softest foods.

• should not be eating such rich foods.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best summarizes the main idea of “Father William”?

• Old people are often ridiculous.

• Young people are usually insensitive.

• Society’s views on what is age-appropriate are silly.

• There will always be quarrels between parents and children.

Multiple Choice

How many metrical feet are there in each of these lines from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”?

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.

• two

• three

• four

• five

Multiple Choice

Where does the speaker in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” halt his horse?

• by a farmhouse

• on a dirt road

• in the village

• by the woods

Multiple Choice

Why does the speaker in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” hear so few sounds?

• It is the darkest evening of the year.

• The horse’s bells drown out other sounds.

• The snow muffles most noise.

• The village is very far away.

Multiple Choice

What is the best paraphrase of these lines from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy

Evening”?

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, / But I have promises to keep

• I would like to stay, but I have too many other responsibilities.

• I made a promise that I would not take the road past the woods.

• The woods are beautiful, but they are owned by someone else.

• The woods are beautiful, but my horse is tired and hungry.

Multiple Choice

On a symbolic level, what does the speaker in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy

Evening” mean when he says, “And miles to go before I sleep”?

• He has a long way to go before he can go to bed.

• He has much to do before the end of his life.

• He is too far from home to get much sleep that night.

• He hopes he will not fall asleep on his way home.