ROBERT FROST
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. He is considered one of the founders of the modern American poetry because he expressed in a simple philosophical way different feelings about every day life. He was awarded several Pulitzer Prizes.
Here you´ve go 2 popular poems by him.In this year you will have your first contact with English Literature and we will work with different writers, poets.
We are going to work with pronunciation, rhythm and try to anlayse a little bit the following poems.
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.
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.
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.
Do you understand the poem? Here we have some reflections about nature.
- What is nature for you?
- What feelings does the poet have about nature? It seems that he id drawn by an hipnotic spell but Is he positive or negative about Nature?
- Here we don´t have the typcial Romantic version of some romantic poets
- Do you understand the last stanza? What did he want to do? What prevents him from that?
THE ROAD LESS TAKEN
Some times we have to make choices in life. It is not possible that one can choose one way and decide to turn back for the other. All the choices we make are going to affect our future.
It seems both roads are "eaqually laying", they are pretty much the same, that´s why the decision sometimes is so difficult to make... because depending on what you choose you may have regrets...
CARL AUGUST SANDBURG
(January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was a writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. He was called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."
This poem may be a bit difficult to understand because it has lots of new vocabulary for you. So let´s focus on general ideas and once more on rhythm and pronunciation.
Have you got a favourite city? Could your write a poem or a short text about what your city , or your favourite place makes you feel?
This poem is an Ode to Chicago, city where the poet lived, and it shows the industrial moment the city was going through. It shows some social realism. The poem also celebrates his pride in his nation, and its people
To finish here you a have a shorter poem by Sandburg too.
What is Happiness about? What is happiness for you?
