English 9
Examine literary texts as reflections of personal or
collective values within their structural context.
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A line in poetry is a single row of
words that extends from the left
margin to the right, often containing a
single thought or part of a larger idea.
A stanza is a grouped set of lines
within a poem, often set off by a
blank line or indentation.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To
where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
Rhymes can be exact (e.g., “see” and “tree”)
or slant (e.g., “bloom” and “gone” which
have similar but not identical sounds). The
rhyme scheme of “Trees” is AABBCCDD.
I think that I shall never see (A)
A poem lovely as a tree. (A)
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest (B)
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast; (B)
A tree that looks at God all day, (C)
And lifts her leafy arms to pray; (C)
The rhythm of "Trees" is regular,
following a pattern known as iambic
tetrameter, where each line consists of four
iambic feet (an iamb being an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable).
I think / that I / shall nev- / er see
(da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM)
A tree/ whose hun- / gry mouth / is prest
(da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To
where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
Twenty odd years have turned to air;
Now she’s the girl I didn’t dare
Approach, ask out, much less declare
My love to, mired in young despair.
The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land
They look at the sea all day.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
The sense of danger must not disappear:
The way is certainly both short and steep,
However gradual it looks from here;
Look if you like, but you will have to leap.
Tough-minded men get mushy in their sleep
And break the by-laws any fool can keep;
It is not the convention but the fear
That has a tendency to disappear.
Leap Before You Look (An Excerpt)
Here and there
his brown skin hung in strips
like ancient wall-paper,
and its pattern of darker brown
was like wall-paper:
shapes like full-blown roses
strained and lost through age
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To
where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I
pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume
of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly
there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping
at my chamber door
Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and
weary,
Over many a quaint and curious
volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping,
rapping at my chamber door
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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To
where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
The primary theme of “Trees” is respect
for nature and the beauty of the natural
world. The poem suggests that nature, in
its simple form, is more beautiful and
perfect than any human creation.
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
...
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To
where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
“A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;”
symbolizes the tree’s connection to the
earth and its dependency on nature.
“A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;”
symbolizes a spiritual connection and
reverence for the divine.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could To
where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
CRITERIA
(10 POINTS) (7-9 POINTS) (4-6 POINTS) (1-3 POINTS)
Thorough and accurate Mostly accurate identification Partial identification and Inaccurate or minimal
ANALYSIS OF identification and explanation and explanation of features explanation of features with identification and explanation
of all features. Clear with minor inaccuracies. Good several inaccuracies. Basic of features. Weak or no
FEATURES connections to the poem's connections to the poem's connections to the poem's connection to the poem's
meaning and effect. meaning. meaning. meaning.
Uses quotes and lines from the
Effectively uses quotes and Uses some quotes and lines, Fails to use quotes and lines
poem to support analysis and
USE OF EVIDENCE lines from the poem to support but support for analysis is from the poem to support
explanations with minor
analysis and explanations. weak or inaccurate. analysis and explanations.
inaccuracies.
Clear, well-organized, and Presentation lacks
Organized presentation with Disorganized presentation
engaging presentation with organization and equal
PRESENTATION good participation from most with minimal participation and
equal participation from all participation; some parts are
group members. several unclear parts.
group members. unclear.
DISCUSSION Actively engages the class Engages the class with Minimal engagement with the Minimal engagement with the
with thoughtful questions and questions and allows for some class and limited class and limited
ENGAGEMENT encourages discussion. discussion. encouragement of discussion. encouragement of discussion.
