Category: Explication Drafts (Page 2 of 2)

In the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, The poem opens on an individual, the speaker and protagonist, who have met an intersection that he is voyaging. The fork offers the speaker a selection of streets, and we immediately come to comprehend that these streets symbolize decision all in all: all of us arrives at endless byways of our lives, and we need to settle on decisions dependent on what restricted data we have around then. The speaker remains in the forested areas, thinking about an obstacle on the road. The two different ways are similarly worn and similarly overlaid with un-trodden leaves. The speaker picks one, disclosing to himself that he will take the other one more day. However he realizes it is far-fetched that he will have the chance to do as such. Also, he concedes that some time or another later on he will reproduce the scene with a slight bend: He will guarantee that he took the less-voyaged street.

At the beginning of the poem, Frost indicates “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.” These two lines show, assuming that it might even be the better alternative of the two, since it is verdant and looks less worn than the other way and however, since the speaker has really strolled on the subsequent street, the person believes that as a general rule the two streets more likely than not been pretty much similarly worn-in. In these two sentences, the speaker is discussing the outcome of his decision. He is indicating that one path’s outcome looked better than the other path’s outcome and therefore he took it. I feel this specific part of the poem resembles a part of everyone’s lives. We constantly need to make decisions on a regular basis. We also all have a moment in life where we feel stuck, but we must choose one “path” over the other.

The poem demonstrates all the terms of imagery, metaphor, symbol, denotation, and connotation is a good method to show the speaker’s future in their life to settle on a choice occurs for themselves. This poem could have unlimited implications to it since one could see that his past made the explorer need to have a superior life or the injury of disappointments that the voyager has since they’re not ready to pick between two streets. The denotation for the word wear is to use habitually for clothing, adornment, or assistance and it can also mean to hold the rank or dignity or position signified by. This word has both a positive and negative connotation. It is positive because it can be used to signify a good action such as wearing a crown. It is negative because it can also mean energy wasted gradually. For example, I am worn out from all the work today.

Raysi Perez

Poetry Explication

English 1121 (Prof. Scanlan)

April 12, 2020

Poetry Explication: “Immigrant Mother (lovely to me)”

The poem “Immigrant Mother (lovely to me),” by Taiyo Na is a very long formal verse poem and it is also a song that Na wrote. In the poem “Immigrant Mother (lovely to me) by Taiyo Na, Na is thanking his mother for everything she has done for her children, he’s also understanding everything that she did when he was young. How she went through a lot to make sure that her kids had food and a good education. How she started dating horrible guys because she felt like she had nobody. It was hard for her to communicate with people since she couldn’t speak English very well. How she worked all the time and barely had any time for herself. The two lines at the beginning of the poem “It takes a whole lot to leave your homeland And raise a few children with your own hands,” show how the mother went through a lot to take care of her children. The poem terms that these two lines show are Enjambment, Assonance, Consonance, Denotation, and Connotation. 

In the first line, “It takes a whole lot to leave your homeland,” Na shows the readers how his mother had to leave her native land and how it was very difficult for her to leave. In the second line, “And raise a few children with your own hands,” Na shows the readers how his mother had to take care of her children all by herself without anyone helping her out. When both lines are combined, it shows the readers how Na’s mother had to leave her native land to take care of her children and how it was very hard for her to do that since she had to do everything all by herself. In these two lines, there is an Enjambment between the words “Homeland” and “And.” Assonance and Consonance are being used. Assonance is found in the words “own,” “whole,” and “homeland.” Also in the words “Takes” and “raise.” And “homeland,” “hands,” and “And.” Consonance is found in the letter “L,” he used the words “whole,” “Lot,” “Leave,” “Homeland,” and “Children.” Also the letter “S,” he used the words “takes,” “raise,” and “hands.” And the letter “D” he uses the words “Homeland,” “Hands,” and “And.” 

There are many Denotations and Connotations in these two lines. The word Homeland means a person’s Native Home, the country where someone was born. This reminds me of a loving, happy place where all their family and friends are at. The word Children means someone’s son or daughter, a person someone gave birth to. This reminds me of the responsibility that someone would need to have and how joyful and tiring it is. The word raise has many different definitions but in this poem, raise means to take care of.  This reminds me of how hard and challenging it might be to take care of somebody. The word Leave means to go away. This reminds me of how sad, hard, and emotional it can be to leave.

Yinghe Zhao

ENG 1121

Prof. Scanlan

April 13, 20 

  Explication of Two lines of Poetry from “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

In the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, what people are likely to face when they stand on the edge of a choice because life is full of choices, the choices we make determine the course of our lives. The choices we make have an impact on our future. If we make the wrong choices, we will regret it, but we can’t go back. So we have to choose wisely. The two lines towards the beginning of the poem: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” & “And sorry I could not travel both.” It seems to me that these two lines are the core of the poem and have a unique meaning. These two lines, especially representing the poem terms of symbolize, consonance, imagery, denotation, and connotation. While many people understand this poem to mean that people’s decisions matter, I think it actually about life is full of choices (whether it is the big choices or the small choices) and all the choices are different.

In the first line, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” The poet uses one detail in the first line of this poem — “yellow wood.” And made it the symbol of the entire forest (symbolize). The use of a feature to define wood suggests one of the basic idea/theme of the poem: there is a decision to be made and a life will be changed. Consonance is found in the d’s of “roads” and “wood.” Using imagery, imagery is used to make the reader feel things through the five senses.The poet uses the sense of sight such as yellow wood, that helps the reader actually perceive what they are reading. The yellow wood suggests that the poem is set in fall. In the fall, the leaves of all the plants turn bright yellow. Acknowledging this “road” can reveal both denotation and connotation for the lines I selected. The denotation of this word is a wide way leading from one place to another; especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use. The connotation of this word symbolize the journey of life, a road forking off into two paths symbolize a choice. And the word “yellow wood” also can reveal both denotation and connotation at the same line I selected. The denotation of this word is any of a number of trees which have yellowish timber or yield a yellow dye. The connotation of this word is the yellow wood also evokes a fleeting sensation; One season will soon give way to another. This means that one choice/decision you make today will soon be replaced by your next choice/decision. 

The next line, “And sorry I could not travel both.” The speaker only can choose one way at a time, telling himself that he will take the other another day. Acknowledging this “travel” can reveal both denotation and connotation for the lines I selected. The denotation of this word is to make a journey, typically of some length or aboard. The connotation of this word is which road to take? The speaker wants to take both, but this is physically impossible. And the word “both” also can reveal both denotation and connotation at the same line I selected. The denotation of this word is used to refer to two people or things, regarded and identified together. The connotation of this word is the choices/decisions.

Marchella Prado
English 1121 (Prof. Scanlan)
Draft
April 4, 2020
Poetry Explication: “The Road Not Taken”
The poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, illustrates life and the choices we make in them. Everyday, a decision is made. Whether it be a good decision or a bad decision, the decision made will affect one’s life moving forward. Take notice of the title of the poem, it says, “The Road Not Taken,” keyword “Not.” It doesn’t say the road that is taken. The speaker and as well, the reader, can be at a questioning of, what if? The first two lines that start the poem, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both,” impacts the rest of where the poem is going to go. Throughout each stanza of the poem, the denotation and connotation of words within the lines filled with the use of metaphors and symbols allows us to fulfill the true meaning and theme of the poem.
In the first line, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” the speaker has two choices and can only pick one. These two roads are an indication of two different life paths. The yellow wood is a metaphor of the setting, the season is currently Fall. The season in which the leaves fall, the colors change, as well as the weather. The season of change. Yellow would be the season and wood itself is representing life. The road symbolizes the journey of life. Either one of these paths could potentially affect the speakers life in a positive or negative way. With just that line alone, the reader can connect with the speaker. In life, there’s typically two choices to make, the easy or hard one. Which I feel these roads represent in some way. They’re obviously going to lead to two different destinations but which one will be worth the walk?
In the second line, “And sorry I could not travel both,” the speaker couldn’t pick both paths of life to explore. The desire the speaker had to begin with, having two roads in front of him/her with different possibilities of life knowing they couldn’t have it all. Emphasizing the word sorry in the line could sound like possible regret. The fact of having more than one option can create curiosity of once again, what if.
When both lines combine, it sets the whole tone of the poem. It allows the reader to grasp the true meaning and theme that Robert Frost wants the readers to understand. The metaphors and symbolism within the poem sets the point across. In life, a decision has to be made. The decision must be made thoroughly as any decision is made. At the end of the poem, the speaker makes it clear to which road was chosen, “the one less traveled by.” The speaker didn’t share whether or not the “the one less traveled by” was the right choice. As the reader, it can create curiosity as it would in one’s own shoes.

Joyce Wu 

ENG 1121

Prof Scan.

April 13, 2020

The Road Not Taken Explication 

In the poem “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, he addresses the concept of indecisiveness, whereas making decisions is hard for all individuals to do what’s right for themselves. The speaker seems to want the reader to verify that if there’s a way “in” there would be a way “out”. In the eyes of the traveler, his thoughts are extremely impacted by the past and being stuck in the middle of wood, he knows that he can only choose one route. As in the first stanza lines one and five, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” and “To where it bent in the undergrowth” reveals a strong emotion of pressure, regret and fear that indicates the purpose of life. These two lines contain symbols, denotation, connotation, metaphor, and irony to provide a judgment conducting oneself that lead to an individual compromise. 

In the first stanza of line one, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” the speaker illustrates that the paths are divided into two and is yellow rather than typical green. The word “roads” denotes “a wide way leading from one place to another”. In other words symbols could refer to connotations because the speaker not only gets out, but decides which route to take for “success”. The road symbolizes one’s destination by the decision that leads us there. He gave the readers a better visualization of standing whether to go left or right. The mood can perhaps be looked as ambivalent because of the setting it seems that it could possibly be auatum by the yellow leaves. The words “yellow wood” denote any various trees having yellowish wood or yielding a yellow extract or the expansion of trees. However, the word “yellow” suggests a light of happiness and hope. Frost uses metaphors throughout the poem because the roads metaphorically have an outcome that is pleasant or not. Some interpretations believe that the irony given here is false because it’s undefined which route is bad. This emphasizes the personal obstacles one has to face to choose the “road” that differs from the past. 

The next line, “To where it bent in the undergrowth” is a symbol of the traveler’s eye vision. He is only able to see up to a certain distance and not furthermore. The denotation of “undergrowth” means something that is beneath the ground. The connotation is you can’t see past the present. This gives a good insight that nobody can tell one future until action takes place. This has irony because the traveler can choose to believe that the route he didn’t take was “bad” could turn out to be his better option. He can’t predict life to be the way he wants. 

The two lines merge give the reader a better understanding that judgments are not going to help you find the answer. The sense of confusion will lead to harsh and negative energy. The traveler could be judging through the colors that one interferes as “blindness”, while the other as “brightness”. A positive interpretation is that one can find their own compromise and fulfill their dream by working for it. The connotation of yellow wood and undergrowth gives the ability to be complicated. 

With the poem indicating all the terms of symbol, denotation, connotation, metaphor, and irony is a great way to show the speaker’s highlight in their life to make a decision happen for themselves. This poem could have endless meanings to it because one could view that his past made the traveler want to have a better life or the trauma of regrets that the traveler has since they’re not able to choose between two roads. 

Zachary McCallum

04/08/2020

English 1121-D398 (Prof. Scanlan)

Poetry Explication

Explication of Where I’m From by Willie Perdomo

 “Where I’m From” gives a deep description of the area in which the author lives. When a woman asks where the speaker is from, he remembers the positive and negative occurrences in his neighborhood. Willie Perdomo’s description gives the poem a tone in which things that appear to be alarming compared to the norm is quite standard to where he lives. With his words he manages to show the readers the hidden allure of where he’s from masked by negative occurrences. The speaker subtly describes the injustice in his community with a tone of aggravation. He gives the readers a glimpse of the relationship his neighbors have with the police in his area. This includes him describing the pointless harassment and murders of the people in his neighborhood. The two lines in the middle of the poem; “Where I’m from, the police come into your house without knocking. They throw us off rooftops and say we slipped,” are one of the most significant lines in this poem. It describes the injustice of the people in his community that seem to be a norm.

In the first line, “Where I’m from, the police come into your house without knocking,” Willie Perdomo shows the readers the abuse of power by authority in his neighborhood. Even though, this line is very straight forward it also symbolizes the lack of freedom that the people in his area have. The police in his community have made people feel unsafe in their own home just because they are able to. In addition, the author uses assonance in the first line with the words from and come.

In the second line, “They throw us off rooftops and say we slipped,” the speaker uses graphic imagery to show the readers the perilous injustice that goes on in his neighborhood. He also shows how the police are able to get away with their wrongdoing by being untruthful.  This line is very straight forward and easy to understand. He narrates his community’s unpleasant confrontations with the authority. Willie Perdomo describes it in a way as if it’s something that he’s not pleased with but accepts. He realizes that there are just some things that cannot be changed where he’s from. Even though, he comes to terms with the tyranny in where he lives, it is clear it still puts him on edge.

Leviza Murtazayeva

Professor Scanlan ENG1121

Explication of two lines from the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”

The whiskey on your breath

Could make a small boy dizzy;

But I hung on like death:

Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans

Slid from the kitchen shelf;

My mother’s countenance

Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist

Was battered on one knuckle;

At every step you missed

My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head

With a palm caked hard by dirt,

Then waltzed me off to bed

Still clinging to your shirt.

Quote: “You beat time on my head

With a palm caked hard by dirt,

Then waltzed me off to bed

Still clinging to your shirt.”

Explication: In this line from the poem “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke, the speaker expresses deep emotion towards his relationship with his father. By using a metaphorical comparison of “you beat time on my head,” the phrase “beat time” means that time is passing by and the father is still beating the speaker or the child with his “palm caked hard by dirt,” suggests that the father is a hard worker, maybe a gardener since hands are caked in dirt. “Caked hard by dirt” suggests that the father is working with his hands and the metaphor “caked” means that the hands are not clean but are fully dirty, touching his child. On the other hand, the use of the word “beat” in this event is unfitting. If this line were truly referring to a dance which is a sign of gentle and romance, a more proper and gentle word to use would be “kept”, as in keeping time rather than “beat” or waste time.

The lines show a sign that such an event was not pleasing for the speaker and he felt uncomfortable. The line also connotes that there is abuse present from the drunk father who is being rough with his child. But at the same time, the child seems not to go away from his father but stays connected to him when the speaker adds “still clinging to your shirt.” This strengthens the idea that the relationship between the father and son is at the same time very intense but still, there is a deep connection and love towards each other, since “waltz” is used herein a soft and gentle manner. Furthermore, the line that says “Still clinging to your shirt” can be a very powerful demonstration of the love that the son has for his father. The son does not want his father to leave him and clings on to him to stay with him as long as he can before he goes back to bed. This poem is an actual presentation of where an author uses his words to express many different meanings to a reader. The word choice of these two lines brings a reader an idea of the speaker experiencing a great unease and disturbance from his intoxicated father that is rough with him, the author expresses that is an ironic way because the word choice mostly suggests the opposite of what it is happening.

Hi Class,

Please post your drafts of your explication to this CATEGORY: EXPLICATION DRAFTS.

After you post, then answer these PEER REVIEW questions in a COMMENT right under the essay you have been assigned to review. PLEASE DON’T BEGIN TO PEER REVIEW UNTIL I HAVE GONE OVER THE DIRECTIONS ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY (APRIL 13 AND 15).

DIRECTIONS: First copy and paste these questions in a COMMENT under the essay to which you have been assigned. Second, answer each question as completely and helpfully as possible. NEW: Make sure to review a draft that has less than two reviews. If it has two reviews, then select another one.

Please note: I will GRADE your peer review. If you answer all six questions in a caring, supportive manner, you will get all ten points (homework).

QUESTIONS:

1–Is the title of the poem and full author’s name provided in the first or second sentence? Be specific if something is missing.

2–Does the student provide the two lines he or she will explicate?

3–What poetry terms does the student examine?

4–Copy and paste your two favorite sentences from the students essay. Then explain why you like them. (example: not only is this an example of the college sentence, this sentence highlights an important poetry term (metaphor) in a very clear way–I get it completely)

5–Copy and paste two sentences that are confusing. Then explain what is confusing about them. (example: you may have mixed up the terms alliteration and assonance, please check to make sure you have the right term for repeated vowel sounds)

6–Make two concrete suggestions. (example: expand the range of connotations rather than name one connotation; example: instead of using the verb “like” three time in the first paragraph, consider different varying the idea by using “love” or “can relate to”; example: when you revise this, change the lower case “i” to “I”–Prof. Scanlan will definitely say something about that.)