PersuasionLesson 24: Post-assessments of Literary Interpretation and Persuasive Writing

24.1 Literature Post-Assessment

Turn to pg. 199.

Silently read, “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost and then complete the Literature Post-Assessment.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

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.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

Discussion: Literary Response and Interpretation

Questions Why does the speaker stop to watch the snow? Why would the horse think that it is odd to stop? What is the difference between what the horse probably wants and what the speaker wants?

What kind of snowstorm is illustrated in the poem? What words tell about the atmosphere of the evening?

How are the structure and the rhyme scheme of the last stanza different from those of the other stanzas?

Why does the poet repeat the line, “and miles to go before I sleep”?

Discussion: Reasoning Questions

What inferences might you make about the owner of the woods? On what evidence do you base your inferences?

What does the poem say about responsibility?

Discussion: Change Questions

How does the poem relate to the generalizations about change?

What feelings might the phrase, “The darkest evening of the year” bring up in a reader? How does the rest of the poem change or dispel those feelings?

24.2 Persuasive Writing Post-Assessment

Complete the assessment independently.