American Literature Work

Instructional Objectives for this activity:

• Discuss works written by major twentieth century authors.
• Employ the ten-step method for poetry analysis.

Please review the American Literature Study Guide (also in Doc Sharing) to help you with this assignment.

Important note: In individual work, express your own ideas and do not use outside sources. Using outside sources can lower your scores, and often they can lead to plagiarism.

1. After reading both poems by Robert Frost ("The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"), use the Ten Steps of Poetry Analysis to interpret both poems.

2. In a 250 word essay, compare and contrast the speakers in both poems, using the questions below as guidelines.                                                  

• What is happening in each poem?
• What is the conflict for each speaker?
• How does each speaker resolve his conflict? Do not use outside sources (other than the poems) for this assignment.

Important:  Your paper must have a well developed introduction, body, and conclusion.

Please format the essay correctly by doing the following:

• • Make sure that your essay is double-spaced.
  • Use only a standard 12 pt. font, such as "Times" or "Times New Roman" (no italics, bold, or fancy fonts).
  • Indent paragraphs five spaces and have one-inch margins on all sides.
  • Your essay should conform to the APA style for formatting and citations, but for this assignment, you should only have one citation, which is the main anthology since no outside sources should be used.
  • Use only your own ideas about the readings. Authentic, personal, and insightful responses earn more points, while essays that use material from outside sources may receive a reduction in points.