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A TEACHER’S Guide TO THE SIGNET CLASSICS EDITION OF POEMS BY ROBERT FROST A BOY’S WILL AND NORTH OF BOSTON

by James E. MCGlinn Series Editors: Jeanne M. McGlinn and James E. McGlinn TEACHER’S Guid 2 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

Table of Contents

Introduction...... 3

Before Reading...... 3

During Reading Activities...... 7

After Reading Activities...... 17

Useful Online Resources...... 19

About the Author of this Guide...... 21

About the Editor of this Guide...... 21

Free Teacher’s Guides...... 23

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Printed in the United States of America A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 3

INTRODUCTION

Robert Frost is one of the most widely cele- This volume of Frost’s early poems presents a brated of American poets. During his lifetime rich resource for readers. It comprises the first he received four Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry, two published books of poetry and largely and his works are still widely anthologized in consists of poems centered in rural life in collections of American poetry and school New England. A Boy’s Will shows Frost’s vari- literature textbooks. In the afterword to this ous uses of the lyric and traditional poetic volume, the poet Peter Davison says that for forms, and North of Boston explores the use of some time Americans “tended to regard Frost blank verse in longer narrative poems to pres- as the other bookend to match Norman ent reflections on human experience. Some Rockwell…whose work could be counted on of Frost’s best known and loved poems are to convey the values of traditional American contained in these two books. For example, country life” (p. 147). However, this concep- “Mowing,” “The Tuft of Flowers,” and “Reluc- tion does not account for the depth and tance” are in A Boy’s Will and “Mending complexity of even some of the most Wall,” “The Death of the Hired Man,” and straightforward-seeming poems. Frost expe- “After Apple Picking” in North of Boston. rienced times of intense hardship and grief in Students will find many opportunities to his personal life, and echoes of his grief and explore, enjoy, and be challenged by the levels the wisdom he learned about the hard truths of meaning they find here. And in their explo- of life can be found in his poetry. Along with rations, students can learn about the elements vivid images of American life and landscape, of poetry—imagery, metaphor, rhyme, rhythm, Frost’s poetry also contains deep and some- diction—that Frost uniquely developed in times enigmatic reflections on life and nature. his expression of “the sound of meaning.”

BEFORE READING

Exploring Frost’s Life 2. In addition to the printed works, there are a few useful biographical resources of Robert 1. As mentioned by Peter Davison in the after- Frost online: word to this volume, an excellent biography Robert Frost Biography of Frost is Into My Own: The English Years of http://www.biography.com/articles/ Robert Frost 1912-1915 by John Evangelist Robert--Frost-9303322 Walsh. This work focuses on a period when Frost wrote some of his greatest poems and when A This essay reviews the major events of Frost’s Boy’s Will and North of Boston were first pub- life and also discusses his work and signifi- lished. It is useful in that it discusses the context cance as a poet. of Frost’s writing such poems as “Mending Modern American Poetry: Wall” and also gives a more sympathetic por- Frost’s Life and Career trait of Frost’s character than the three-volume http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/ official biography by Lawrance Thompson. poets/a_f/frost/life.htm If you can get several copies from your media This site contains two biographical summa- center or local library, have students sign up in ries of Frost’s life—one by William H. pairs to read specific chapters from this biog- Pritchard, writer of the introduction to this raphy and report interesting points to the class, volume which includes a commentary on using a Power Point presentation. Alternately, Frost’s work. The other is a slightly longer as a class, students could build a timeline of essay by Stanley Burnshaw which describes significant personal and professional events more of the personal details of Frost’s life. in Frost’s life as covered by this biography. 4 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

Robert Frost Biographical Information making study of the elements of poetry a http://www.ketzle.com/frost/frostbio.htm secondary means to responding to the poetry. Based on a detailed chronology published in Reader response gives students an opportu- Robert Frost: Collected Poems, Prose, and Plays nity to express their personal reactions to the (1995), the chronology listed here includes poems through open-ended questions and interesting details about Frost’s life in a brief journal writing. For example, the teacher can format. ask students to explore a group of poems and then choose the poem that they liked the best The online biographies can be used to give and tell why in a journal. Then, as a class, students an outline of Frost’s life and provide students can discuss their reactions and a context for his poetry. Assign students to explore their choices and different reactions. read one of the online sources and choose In another reader response activity, students one event in Frost’s life before 1915 when the reread a poem several times, choosing what Frost family moved back from England to they believe are the most significant lines first America. Students could report on how the and then after a second reading, the most event they have chosen could have been significant word in the poem. Students share instrumental in the development of the life their ideas with a partner, again reflecting on of an artistic person. Ask the students to dis- how their responses are different and alike. cuss their reasons for the choices they made. Teachers who begin with reader response 3. Places and Poetry prompts encourage students to not only http://www.frostfriends.org/places.html is express their reactions but also to explore a very interesting biographical sketch with why they are reacting in a certain way. This links to pictorial essays illustrating the places type of open-ended discussion can build stu- where Frost lived including San Francisco, dents’ confidence in their ability to under- where Frost was born, and villages in New stand poetry and their willingness to take Hampshire, England, and Vermont. risks in expressing their ideas. Assign students in teams to visit one of the sites and capture images for a video presenta- Reader Response and tion to the class about the place they studied the Importance of Choice and Frost’s life there. Since reader response encourages choice, an On Teaching Poetry approach to teaching the poetry in this volume is to focus on those poems that are According to Frost, teachers should not take most interesting to both you and your stu- a “pre-graduate school” approach to teaching dents. After handing out Poems by Frost to the poetry in high school and college. He students, take 10-15 minutes to have stu- believed that a scholarly approach to teaching dents survey A Boy’s Will and individually poetry was not appropriate. He stated that identify three to five poems that they would the object of the poet is “to entertain you by like to read. Because the poems are generally making play—it’s symbol and metaphor, shorter and more traditional in this book, it see—by making play with things you already is appropriate to consider them before know” (Frost, 1954). It follows from this approaching those in North of Boston. Stu- view of poetic composition, that the goal in dents can find their favorite poems initially teaching poetry is to enable students to by skimming through the section, reading “make play” in reading. In other words, the titles and a few of the lines of each. Have teachers should encourage and facilitate stu- students list their choices to be handed in. dents’ delight in reading the poems. One With the whole class, discuss why students approach to enabling personal enjoyment is made the choices they did and share the titles through focusing on reader response first and of your favorite poems with the class. Using A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 5 the students’ and your choices, you can now designed to extend your background knowl- identify the corpus of poems for whole group edge and show your responses to the reading. reading and analysis. 3. Choose roles Alternatively, you can lead students in this Choose roles for each member of your group: survey of the poetry, pointing out titles and Discussion Director (develops questions for themes as you go and then following this up the group discussion), Literary Luminary with choosing those works that you and the (chooses several key lines of the poems being students would like to study, based on their discussed to read aloud to the group), Inves- initial reactions. tigator (looks up background information on any topic related to the poetry, identifies Reader Response unfamiliar terms or vocabulary words), in Poetry Circles Travel Tracer (describes where the action takes place—this will be useful especially in Poetry circles can be created for students to the longer poems), Connector (makes con- engage in reading, responding to, and dis- nections between students’ experiences and cussing self-selected poems. Poetry circles are the themes in the poems), Poetics Expert designed to give students: (leads the analysis of form, meter, and rhyme • the opportunity to choose poems they scheme), Summarizer (prepares a brief sum- want to read mary of the day’s reading and discussion), • control over the pace of the reading and Illustrator (sketches or finds images on • opportunities to respond to the poetry the internet or in magazines related to the and discuss it in detail poetry). Since most groups will be no larger • choices for how they will contribute to than five students, some of the roles, sug- the discussion gested by these labels, can be combined. The • opportunity to develop skills of literary teacher will explain the role of each group analysis member. Your group will be counting on you • time to develop independent thinking to contribute to the group’s effort. • time to engage in creative group projects 4. Set goals During each group meeting, students need to Instructions for students: accomplish the following: A. Discuss the poems thoroughly, using 1. Choose a group of poems questions prepared by the Discussion Direc- Independently identify poems you would tor and information on the poetry presented like to read in A Boy’s Will and in North of by the Literary Luminary, Investigator, Boston. Choose at least three poems in A Boy’s Travel Tracer, Connector, and Poetics Will and at least one from North of Boston. Expert. Explore and discuss symbolic or You will be assigned to a group of four or five metaphorical meanings as appropriate. students based on the poems you choose. B. Keep a journal recording the new 2. Plan the Reading vocabulary related to the poetry and the When your group meets for the first time, poetic elements discussed. decide how members want to read and dis- C. Work on a creative project. cuss the poems (independently, in pairs, (Note: The teacher can assign one of the fol- groups, silently, aloud) and the pace of the lowing activities: plan a Reader’s Theatre reading (how many poems per day). Your presentation of one of the poems to the class teacher will give you a deadline for comple- or to another poetry circle; write a poem, tion of the selections and the projects imitating the subject matter, structure, meter, 6 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost or rhyme scheme of one of Frost’s poems. Poetic Devices There are more suggestions in After Reading Activities.) Robert Frost had an ear for the music in poetry and was a master of poetical structure 5. Evaluate and devices to create this music. In order to As a group, assess the work of the group and enable students to better respond to his poetry, its members. How effectively did group have them work in groups to find and present members work together? Did you keep to examples of Frost’s use of sound. In a com- your schedule? What can you do to improve puter lab setting, assign groups of students to the quality of your poetry circle? study different sections of “The Poetics of Robert Frost: Sound Devices” at: http:// Poetic Form www.frostfriends.org/sounddevices.html and Structure The sections include: Assonance, Consonance, in Frost’s Poetry Alliteration, Rhyme, and Tone. After students have understood the concept In addition to starting out with reader assigned, have them explain their concept to response activities, teachers can review and the class giving examples from Frost’s poetry. build students’ background knowledge of At least some of their examples should be poetic form. The tutorial on poetics provided beyond those presented on the site. by the Friends of Robert Frost (http://www. frostfriends.org/tutorial-poetics.html ) has Meter a very useful approach to analyzing the form and structure of Frost’s poetry. It identifies Since Frost uses natural, colloquial language three main forms used by Frost: lyric, dra- in his poems; students can rely on the mean- matic, and narrative. It also discusses the ing they understand in the lines of poetry to structure of the forms used by Frost, dividing guide them in their expressive reading of the these into stanzaic form (referring to the poetry. However, it may prove useful for stu- number of lines in the stanzas), fixed form dents also to scan the meter of the poems (including the sonnet and blank verse), and while preparing to read the poems out loud. continuous form (not broken into stanzas). “The Poetics of Robert Frost: Meter” at: Students can be directed to this site either http://www.frostfriends.org/meter.html individually or in pairs to learn about the gives examples of the various uses of meter by definitions of form and structure and to see Frost and also gives an example of how to examples in Frost’s poetry. scan a poem using “Birches.” Another site, “About the Sonnet” http:// In analyzing the meter, students will need to www.english.illinois.edu/maps/sonnet. be able to recognize the different types of htm, gives a clear definition of the sonnet metrical feet used by Frost in his metered and other elements like lyric, pentameter, lines. An additional site defining the different and rhyme scheme. types of metrical feet is “Examples of Iambs, After studying these sites and discussing with Trochees, Spondees, Dactyls, and Anapests” the class the various forms and structures http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/ Frost used, students can create a word wall or Examples%20of%20iambs.pdf visual maps, called graphic organizers or Teachers can use these sites in their teaching thinking maps, of poetic terms with clear of the concepts of meter and feet or else assign definitions. These maps can be displayed students to gather definitions and examples around the classroom so students can apply from the sites. Again students can create these concepts when analyzing and discuss- thinking maps that display definitions and ing individual poems. examples to post around the classroom. These A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 7 thinking maps will provide a ready resource practice reading the poem aloud to empha- to consult when reading Frost’s poetry. size the meaning. Volunteers can present their reading to the class and have the class During reading students can compare poems discuss which reading best captures the to see how the meter of a poem conveys or meaning of the poem and why. reflects meaning. For example, have students compare the meaning, tone, and meter of “Into My Own” with “Flower-Gathering.” Levels of Diction Ask them to identify how the differences between the poems are emphasized by the As William Prichard states in the introduc- different meter used in each? tion, Frost wrote the poems in North of Boston in a “different cast and style” than inA Sound of Sense Boy’s Will. In the latter book, Frost “dropped to an everyday level of diction that even In the introduction to this volume, William Wordsworth kept above” (p. 7). In some of Pritchard refers to Frost’s use of the “sound of the poems he realistically captures the speech sense” in his poetry, and quotes how Frost of the rural New Englander, and he also considered “Mowing” to “come so near what breaks from colloquial to more poetic speech I long to get that I almost despair of coming at heightened moments in the narratives. In nearer” (p. 4). Acquaint students with the order to enable students to be sensitive to the concept of “sound of sense” or the reciting of levels of diction that Frost uses, have them sentences in poetry in a way that communi- expressively read in small groups “The Death cates their meaning through expressive into- of the Hired Man,” and listen for the point nation. First have students silently read where the poem uses a more elevated form of “Mowing” and brainstorm their initial ideas language. Ask students to discuss why the about its meaning. Then have them listen to change in language occurs where it does. Frost’s recitation of the poem at: “Robert “Home Burial” and “After Apple Picking” are Frost Out Loud” http://robertfrostoutloud. other poems that are very appropriate for com/Mowing.html. Ask them in what ways students to analyze for the change of tone they think Frost’s intonation conveys the and diction with meaning. meaning of the poem? Have students practice For a clear contrast between elevated and reading the poem out loud in pairs similarly colloquial speech, have students contrast the emphasizing the meaning in their reading. formal language in “My Butterfly” (the first Then have students in groups read and dis- poem Frost published) with a poem such as cuss the meaning of “Storm Fear.” Based on “Blueberries” which maintains a strict poetic their understanding of the poem, have them structure despite the colloquial voice.

DURING READING ACTIVITIES

Modeling Discussion The general reader-response approach will be to of Frost’s Poetry Using elicit students’ first impressions and the literal Levels of Questions meaning in the poems, before discussing the deeper levels of meaning and the ways the poet expresses this meaning through figura- Depending on the ability of your students, it tive language and other techniques. In order may be best to begin with whole class discus- to hear the music in Frost’s poetry, a good way sions of some of Frost’s more accessible to start is to read the poem out loud a couple poems to model how students can approach of times and then silently. The teacher might them when they read and respond on their first read the poem aloud, then call on a stu- own and in groups. 8 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost dent to read it or ask students to read the poem similar process when responding to poems to a partner, and then ask the students to read individually or in their poetry circles. Stu- the poem silently, identifying a key word or dents should first read the poem out loud and line and journaling about why they think it is silently, discuss the surface meaning of each significant. Following is a model of the types stanza, discuss the overall meaning or theme, of questions that can be used to discuss first discuss possible metaphorical meanings if each stanza and then the whole poem, after appropriate, find personal connections, and the initial reader response discussion. then consider the elements of the poet’s style in conveying the meaning of the poem. “Into My Own” Thematic Approaches • What does the poet say in the first to Frost’s Poems stanza? What else does he say? • What images do you see or hear? Although Frost’s poems depict the New Eng- land village and farmland and the characters • What tone is set in this first stanza? indigenous to this setting, the themes and How is this tone conveyed? reflections expressed in these poems have uni- After reading and discussing each stanza, ask: versal interest and relevance. The poems in A Boy’s Will and North of Boston can be grouped • What change referred to in the last according to general topics, with individual stanza would the person undergo? poems expressing different points of view • Why do you think that this experience and insights. The activities provided here can might lead to this change? be used as teachers lead students as a whole • What do you think is the overall thought class or in small groups. Poems addressing a or idea the poet wants to convey? similar topic are listed together, though some of the poems are covered in more than one • How might this poem be interpreted at section. Discussion questions are included a symbolic or metaphorical level? for each of the poems. These can be used as • Is there anything in your personal support for students as they develop their experience that connects with the abilities at analysis following a reader theme or ideas in this poem? response approach. Once students become confident and insightful in their personal After this initial discussion of meaning, ask responses to the poetry, these questions students to reflect on the impact of sound might be made available only as a backup for and meter in the poem: students to use as needed. Look for discus- • What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? sion questions at the first listing of the poem. • What is the meter? • What effect does the regularity of the The Journey form in this poem have on you? From A Boy’s Will: “Into My Own,” By discussing this poem in this manner, you “A Late Walk,” and “Reluctance” have modeled a questioning approach which From North of Boston: “The Wood-Pile,” begins with readers’ personal responses and and “Good Hours” then leads into analysis for meaning. The poetic style of the poem is then analyzed to Frost uses the journey as a metaphor for the see how it helps to convey the meaning and significant issues that individuals face in their the overall effect of the poem. Discuss with lives, and in some of his poems, the image of students the steps in the process you have the journey seems to reflect his own personal followed and encourage them to follow a crises. For example, at a difficult turning A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 9 point in his life, Frost journeyed to The Great “Reluctance” Dismal Swamp in Virginia. Have students • Where has the speaker journeyed? read about this journey at: “Robert Frost in the Dismal Swamp” http://www.literary • How are his heart and feet in conflict? traveler.com/literary_articles/robert_ • What is the meaning of the last frost_dismal_swamp.aspx stanza—that it is good to go with For a vivid description of the swamp, have the drift of things or not? students read a sight seer’s journal at: “Swamp in “The Woodpile” a Quagmire” http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m1016/is_4_106/ai_67547037/ • Why does the speaker pause in the frozen swamp land? Show students an image of a road like the one Frost took into the swamp at: “Great • Why does he go on? Dismal Swamp Road” http://www.pbase. • How does he personify the small bird? com/tmurray74/image/84401122 • Describe the image of the woodpile. Ask students to discuss Frost’s possible moti- • Why would someone work so hard at vation for journeying into the swamp. What chopping and stacking wood and leave was he seeking? What might happen to him it to decay? from this experience? Then ask students to tell about individual journeys they have • What metaphorical meanings are taken which have been meaningful for them. suggested by this journey to the How did the journey change them? Did they swamp, the bird, and the woodpile? learn anything on the journey? What did “Good Hours” they learn about themselves? • What does the speaker see and hear Have students read the cluster of poems on the way out of town? which reference different kinds of journeys. Ask them to discuss in small groups or lead a • How far does the poet go, discussion in class and ask: and why might he repent? • What happens in each of the poems? • What does the speaker see and feel on the way back? • What is the journey? • What metaphorical meanings are • What is the insight gained from the suggested in this poem? journey? • Which poem seems most appropriate Romantic Love to Frost’s experience in The Great Dismal Swamp? From A Boy’s Will: “Love and a Question,” Following are additional questions for discus- “A Late Walk,” “Wind and Window Flower,” sion on each of the poems. “Flower Gathering,” “A Dream Pang,” and “A Line-Storm Song” “A Late Walk” From North of Boston: “The Generations • What does the speaker see on of Men” his late walk? In this group of poems, Frost explores the emo- • What is the speaker’s mood? tions of the romantic lover whose yearning • How does his mood change for love is largely unfulfilled and is reflected at the end of the poem? in the natural setting. To begin discussion of Frost’s various reflections on romantic love, • What might be the significance of show the picture of the painting “Lovers” by the faded blue of the flower? 10 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost the 19th century painter, Pál Szinyei Merse, • What is his lover’s response at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ when she sees his return? File:Szinyei_Merse,_P%C3% • How might his lover feel upon A1l_-_Lovers_(1869).jpg the speaker’s return? Ask students: What do you see in this paint- “A Dream Pang” ing? Describe the figure of the man. Describe the woman. Describe the landscape. What is • What is the action in this poem? the relationship of the man to the woman? • What does the girl who approaches What is the overall effect of this picture? the wood say in the dream? Does the landscape reflect the emotion How does the speaker respond? evoked by the lovers? How does it do this? Or how does it suggest a different emotion? • What do the last two lines indicate actually happened between the Have students read the biographical sketch boy and girl? about Frost by Stanley Burnshaw at http:// www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/ “A Line-Storm Song” frost/life.htm regarding the events leading • What are the images of nature up to his marriage to his high school sweet- in this poem? heart, Elinor White. Ask students how Frost • What has happened to the responded to Elinor’s refusal of marriage. sounds of nature? What does this suggest about Frost’s tempera- ment? What sort of love poems do you think • What images does the poet evoke Frost might write given this temperament? that are especially striking? Following are additional questions for discus- • What, if anything, is attractive about sion of each of the poems on this topic. the idea of being in love in the rain? “Love and a Question” • What is the analogy that the poet draws in the last stanza? • What is the underlying question asked by the stranger? • What does the east wind represent for the speaker? • What does the bridegroom want for his bride? • How are these poems similar in meaning and how are they different? • How should the bridegroom respond to the stranger and why? • What are the different moods of romantic love that the poet expresses? • At a deeper level, what might the stranger symbolize? “The Generations of Men” • What does the poet suggest about • What did the governor proclaim? marriage? • What marked the ancestral origin of “Wind and Window Flower” the Stark family? • What is the attraction of the winter • What spoiled the gathering at wind to the flower? the cellar hole? • What might be the attraction of the • What happens between the two flower to the wind? who meet there? • What might the poet be saying about • In what ways is the young woman love in this poem? connected to the Stark family heritage? “Flower Gathering” • Why do the two joke that the girl may be mad? • Why has the speaker left his lover? A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 11

• What do the two pretend to see? Relax, close your eyes, and breathe • To what does the young man listen? deeply, become aware of your breath- ing. You have left the turmoil and ugli- • What do the voices tell him to do? ness of the city, seeking peace within • How is Granny’s voice different? yourself. You go out to the countryside. You walk out at dusk into a field. You sit • Why does the girl feel she must leave? and relax and breathe deeply and gaze at • How would you describe the the sights around you. What do you relationship between the young man see? What do you hear? What odors do and woman at their parting? you smell? You let your mind wander— what do you think about? Hold this Nature’s Beauty thought in your mind. Let this thought float away as if it is on a cloud. How do and Power you feel? Hold on to this feeling for a while. Now open your eyes, and come From A Boy’s Will: “A Prayer in Spring,” back to the classroom. “Rose Pogonias,” “Asking for Roses,” “Wait- ing—Afield at Dusk,” “Going for Water,” After the guided imagery, ask for volunteers “The Tuft of Flowers,” and “October” to answer: Many of Frost’s poems have a natural setting, Were you able to visualize a field? What kind and in the poems included here, Frost looks of field was it? What was in the field? What directly at the beauty of the natural world. did you see or hear or smell? What thoughts Begin discussion of this subject by showing the came to your mind? How did you feel? class the images in “Spring in New England by Following are additional questions for discus- George W. Drew” at http://americangallery. sion of each of the poems on this topic. wordpress.com/category/drew-george-w/ “A Prayer in Spring” or “Field of Flowers” at http://www. johnharveyphoto.com/PanoramaRidge/ • What is the speaker’s prayer? FieldOfFlowers.html • What images do you see and hear in Discuss: How are these pictures realistic? this poem? How are they idealized? How does nature • What might the last stanza mean? have the power to inspire us? How can nature be frightening to us? “Rose Pogonias” Ask students to write freely in their journals • What does the meadow look like? about a time they were outdoors in nature • Why are the speaker and the person and felt inspired or frightened. Have students with him bowing? share their writing in pairs, and then call on a few students to share their writing with the • What are the images you see here? class. Brainstorm a list of emotions inspired by • What is the prayer in the last stanza? nature and post this list for students to add to • How does this poem connect with when discussing the poems on this subject. “A Prayer in the Spring”? To get students in the mood to read Frost’s “Waiting—Afield at Dusk” lyrical nature poetry, have them take a mental journey into nature through a guided imagery • Where is the speaker? activity. • At what time of day is it? Dim the classroom lights and say in a calm, • What are the images of moon and sun? slow voice, loud enough for everyone to hear: • What does the poet “dream” of? 12 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

• In what way is this a love poem? Poetic Inspiration • Why has the speaker come to this field? From A Boy’s Will: “To the Thawing Wind,” • Why is the poem titled “Waiting”? “In a Vale,” “Mowing,” “Pan with Us,” For what is the speaker waiting? and “Reluctance” “Going for Water” In speaking about poetic inspiration, Frost • What are the images in this poem? observed that true poems begin tentatively “as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a home- • How might the water in the brook be sickness, a lovesickness” (Walsh, 1988, p. 126). like pearls? Like a silver blade? For example, Frost wrote “Birches” while long- • How do these images contrast with ing for home and reminiscing as he was “tramp- those in “A Prayer in Spring”? ing the muddy yard at the Bungalow” sometime during his stay in England from 1912-1914. To • Besides going for water, what other get students thinking about poetic inspiration, reason has brought the speaker and the ask about what inspires them when they write person with him on this journey? personally, for themselves. Discuss what might “The Tuft of Flowers” inspire a poet to write poetry? • What happens in this poem? Following are additional questions for discus- • Why has the speaker come to the field? sion of each of the poems on this topic. “To the Thawing Wind” • What does he think about being alone in the field? • To what is the poet referring in line 2? • What does he see? • In your own words identify the • What does the butterfly show him? meaning of lines 3, 4, and 5. • How does this sight change his feeling • What is the literal meaning of the about being alone? second half of the poem? “October” • What could be the poetic or symbolic meaning of the second half? • What does the poet ask of the October morning? • Do you see any connections between this poem and your personal experience? • What is the mood of this poem? “In a Vale” How does it contrast with the mood of “A Prayer in Spring”? • Discuss this poem stanza by stanza. “Storm Fear” • Stanza 1: How might a fen ring? • In contrast to the previous nature poems What could have given the speaker discussed here, in this poem Frost the impression of a trailing garment? suggests a menacing aspect of nature. • Stanza 2: Where is the speaker? • How is the wind like a beast in this poem? What is the time of day? • What do those who are awake in the • Stanza 3: What do we learn about house during the storm think about? the speaker? • How does the speaker feel about his • Stanza 4: How might the bird and ability to survive the storm? flower be “one and the same”? • How is this poem different from • Stanza 5: Why were the speaker’s imag- “Waiting—Afield at Dusk”? inative musings not in vain? How can the imagination enrich our life? A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 13

“Mowing” personal grief they have had (or the grief of a person they know), and, if the atmosphere is • As in “In a Vale,” the speaker imagines conducive in the class, take some time to hearing a voice. What does he guess the share their writings. These reflections may scythe may be whispering? cause students to be open to the reflections • What does he say that the scythe does on sorrow and death in Frost’s poetry. not whisper about? Following are additional questions for discus- • Why is this distinction of what is said sion of each of the poems on this topic. important to the speaker? “My November Guest” • What could the “facts” be that the • In what “beauties” does the speaker’s speaker refers to in this poem? “Sorrow” take pleasure? “Pan with Us” • Why might the poet not be able to tell • What is the action in the first three his “Sorrow” about the pleasure he stanzas? takes in “bare November days”? • In the last three stanzas, why does Pan “Stars” “toss his pipes”? • What is the image of the first stanza? • What does Pan choose for his music now? • How might someone feel in such • What songs might Pan (or the poet) play? a landscape? • How does this poem reflect • In the second stanza, where do the ideas in “Mowing”? the stars go at dawn? • How might this image apply to Grief/Death where the speaker is heading?

From A Boy’s Will: “My November Guest,” • In the third stanza, what is the “Stars,” “Spoils of the Dead,” and “The simile the poet makes? What does Trial by Existence” this show about the speaker’s feeling about the stars? From North of Boston: “The Death of the Hired Man,” and “Home Burial” “Spoils of the Dead” In the afterword to this volume, Peter Davi- • What is the action in this poem? son notes the sadness and turmoil Frost • What do the fairies do with the man’s experienced in his personal life. Frost “lost jewelry? two children to death in early childhood, • How does the speaker’s view of death another to insanity, another to death after differ from that of the fairies? childbirth, and still another (after the death of [his] wife, Elinor) to suicide” (pp. 145- • How does the tone of the poem 146). Given the personal tragedies Frost change from beginning to end? experienced, it seems inevitable that a strain • What might be an overall message of grief and, perhaps, bitterness would run of this poem? through his poetry. Review with the class one of the online biographical timelines such as • What connection do you see between “Robert Frost Biographical Information” this poem and “Stars”? http://www.ketzle.com/frost/frostbio.htm, “The Trial by Existence” mentioned earlier. Discuss the personal trials Frost faced in his life. Ask students how they This is one of Frost’s more complex and expect such experiences might affect his ambiguous poems and may be profitably poetry. Also, ask students to journal about a assigned as a challenge to the more able 14 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

students. The focus of the discussion as • How is the relationship between the always should elicit students’ personal man and woman revealed in their interpretations. physical postures toward each other? • What happens in this poem? • Does the man want to share the • Why are the souls gathering? woman’s grief? How does he reveal his attitude about her grief? • What choice is given the souls waiting for birth? • What does the woman find abhorrent in the man? • Why can the brave souls who make the choice not remember • What does she find abhorrent about that they did choose? death? • What is the effect of the trial by • What does the last stanza reveal about existence on the individual? the relationship between the woman and the man? • What view of human existence is expressed in this poem? Character Sketches After students have discussed this poem, in North of Boston an option is to assign them to read a critical interpretation such as Frost dedicated this book to his wife Elinor, “Frost, Schopenhauer, And ‘The calling it “this book of people.” These poems, Trial By Existence’” at http://personal. for the most part, depart from the lyricism of georgiasouthern.edu/~jpellegr/ the poems of A Boy’s Will. Instead in North of articles/frostarticle.html Boston, Frost uses blank verse and colloquial After noting key ideas in the critique, speech in narrative, conversational poems as students can reread the poem for a he depicts the attitudes and struggles of New deeper analysis. England farm people. His character sketches of his subjects often reveal the effects of “The Death of the Hired Man” alienation and the loneliness of the life of the • What is the scene of the first stanza? small farmer. Because so many of these poems • Why does Warren not want Silas back? consist of dialogue, it is especially important that they be read aloud with realistic expres- • Why did Silas leave during the last sion. These poems often lend themselves to haying? being read in parts, as with Reader’s Theater. • How has Mary received Silas? Following are suggested discussion questions for poems not already covered. • What do Silas’ remarks about Harold Wilson and his troubled feelings about “Mending Wall” Harold reveal about Silas? • What is the meaning of the first four • How are Warren and Mary different lines? What makes the gaps in the from each other? stone wall? • What does the poem reveal about their • Why do hunters tear apart a wall? relationship? • Why might the speaker consider that “Home Burial” rebuilding the wall with his neighbor is “just another kind of out-door game”? • What happens in the first stanza? • In general, why might the saying that • Why hasn’t the man noticed the view “Good fences make good neighbors” of the graveyard at the top of the stairs? be true? A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 15

• Why does the speaker not think • How does the scholar reveal that he that the saying is true for his and is a democrat only on principle? his neighbor’s wall? • Which of these two characters do you • What is it that the speaker imagines find the more trustworthy and why? does not love a wall? “The Black Cottage” • What does it tell us about the neighbor • What is the sequence of action that he won’t consider any other idea in this poem? about whether to maintain the wall? • What has made the cottage walls • What are the differences between the look black? speaker and his neighbor? • What does the interior of the cabin “The Mountain” look like? • What does the speaker see when he • Why does the cottage seem forsaken takes a walk at dawn? by the minister? • What is the image of the mountain as • How did the woman feel about the he speaks with the ox-cart driver? principle of equality? • How does the speaker’s imaginings • How does the minister feel about this about the mountain differ from the principle? view of the driver? • How was the woman innocent in the • Why doesn’t the driver want to climb minister’s eyes? the mountain? • What is the minister’s view of “truth”? • What is peculiar about the spring flow- ing from the top of the mountain, and • How is the last stanza different from what is the natural explanation for this? the rest of the minister’s monologue? • How does the diction of the driver “Blueberries” differ from that of the speaker, and • What is the image of the blueberries what does this suggest about their in the first stanza? personal differences? • Were the blueberries planted or wild? • How might this poem be interpreted metaphorically? • What kind of person is Loren? “A Hundred Collars” • Do you think the speakers of the poem should compete with Loren and his • In the first stanza, why does the family for the berries? scholar decide to spend the night in Woodsville Junction? • How is the meaning of the couplet at the end of the poem appropriate? • Why does he consider his fellow “A Servant to Servants” boarder a brute? • How are the two men different in • What does the speaker reveal physical appearance? about herself? • From the scholar’s actions and words, • Why do you think that she doesn’t know what do we discover about his character? how she feels about things in her life? • How is the salesman’s character • What does Lake Willoughby represent different from the doctor’s? to her? • What is her husband, Len, like? 16 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

• What motivates Len? • Why does the other helper stay? • What motivates the speaker of the poem? • What story does the helper tell? • How does the speaker feel about the • What caused the sense of dignity of pen in which her father kept her uncle? Sanders to be hurt? • What does the speaker see that she • Why didn’t Sanders fire the field hand? must do in life? • What is the moral of the story for the • Why is the person who has come to town-bred farmer to learn? camp so interesting to the speaker? “The Housekeeper” • Trace the change of subjects in the • What is the housekeeper doing when speaker’s conversation. What does this the speaker enters the house? reveal about her? • What has been the relationship of • How is the speaker’s life similar to her Estelle and her mother to John? mother’s? • What effect has Estelle’s leaving • What advice would you give the had on John? speaker? • Why hasn’t John married Estelle? “After Apple-Picking” • Why has Estelle left John? • What is the sequence of images in this poem? What is the first thing we see? • What do Estelle and John have What next? in common? • What explains the magnified images the • Why does the speaker consider speaker sees while drifting off to sleep? Estelle to be bad? • Why has the speaker worked so hard at • Why does the mother call John a picking apples? “dreadful fool”? • Has the harvest of apples been fulfilling? • What do we learn about the attitudes and What in the poem supports your inter- values of the farmer and the two women? pretation? “The Fear” • What will trouble the speaker’s sleep? • What is the action in this poem? Why? • What has the woman seen? • How might this sleep be like the wood- chuck’s sleep? • What is she afraid of? • How might you interpret this poem • What indicates that the woman has metaphorically? For what might been afraid for a long while? apple-picking be a metaphor? • What is Joel’s response when the • What effect does the rhyming in this man on the road identifies himself? poem have on your response to it? • What happens at the end? “The Code” Why does the lantern hit the ground? • What is the setting in the first stanza? • What has contributed to the woman’s fears? • What images do you see? “The Self-Seeker” • What has the “town-bred farmer” said? • What is the sequence of action • Why does the one helper head home? in this poem? • What has the farmer found out? A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 17

• What has happened to the • What is the attitude of the lawyer injured worker? toward the worker? • What sort of mill has he been • What is Willis’ view of the agreement? working in? • Why is the worker so anxious to get • What has the injured worker’s the signing of the agreement over with? avocation been? • What does his gesture at the end of the • What can be inferred about Anne’s poem convey? love of wildflowers and her relationship to the injured worker?

AFTER READING ACTIVITIES

Now that students have been immersed in Robert Frost Frost’s poetry, they can return to specific on Symbolism poems or sets of poems to engage in a deeper analysis of Frost’s themes and to relate Frost’s 1. Frost discusses his use of symbolism in his poems to other poetry they have read. They letters as quoted in Monteiro (1988): can also engage in various creative activities, such as Reader’s Theatre and writing their own I should be sorry if a single one of my poems modeled after Frost’s style or themes. poems stopped with either of those things—stopped anywhere in fact. My poems—I should suppose everybody’s Comparing Frost poems—are all set to trip the reader to Longfellow head foremost into the boundless. Ever since infancy I have had the habit of The title of A Boy’s Will alludes to Henry leaving my blocks carts chairs and such Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “My Lost like ordinaries where people would be Youth.” Have students read Longfellow’s pretty sure to fall forward over them in poem at: Representative Poetry Online: the dark. Forward, you understand, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807- in the dark. I may leave my toys in the 1882) http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/ wrong place and so in vain. It is my 1335.html intention we are speaking of—my After discussing Longfellow’s poem, ask stu- innate mischievousness. (Selected Letters dents to compare and contrast its poetic of Robert Frost, p. 344) structure, tone and meaning with Frost’s “In After reading “Mending Wall,” or “The a Vale.” Alternatively, have students find a Wood-Pile,” ask students how these poems poem in A Boy’s Will that reflects the mean- “trip the reader” into considering the deeper ing, meter, or rhyme scheme of one of meanings suggested. Longfellow’s stanzas, or is counter to these 2. Frost also discusses the use of symbolism in features of Longfellow’s poem. Discuss with his talks at the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference students which of Frost’s poems resemble at Middlebury College in Connecticut. In that of the romantic poet and which have a “Being Let in on Symbols” Frost discusses the more realistic tone or perspective. value of metaphor and also that poetry should be understandable by the normal lit- erate person who has grown up with figura- tive language and not just by scholars. Have students listen to or read the transcript of this 18 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost talk at: http://midddigital.middlebury.edu verse. Have students use the poem as a model /local_files/robert_frost/lectures_readings and write an eight-line poem about a trip /transcripts/1953_june_25.html, and then they have made that was important to them. ask them to discuss their own feelings when 2. In “The Generations of Men” in North of they find it difficult to understand poetry that Boston, Frost plays with New England rural they are reading. Discuss the importance of diction in the speech of the young woman first getting the literal meaning as best they and more notably in the young man’s imita- can by taking the poems line-by-line, looking tion of Granny’s speech. After reading aloud up unfamiliar references, making connec- and discussing the speech patterns in this tions with their own experience, and then poem, assign students to identify persons or discussing with others possible deeper or groups whom they know with distinctive symbolic meaning in the poetry. “Into My speech patterns and listen carefully to bring Own” and “Stars” are good poems on which in examples of expressions and turns of to practice this way of reading for deeper phrase they hear. Then, have students com- meaning. pose a dialogue including the expressions they have heard. The dialogue can be written Responding to the Critics in poetic form, using iambic pentameter, figurative language, or stanzas. 1. One of Frost’s contemporaries, the poet 3. Nature is often the setting and at times the Amy Lowell, opines that North of Boston “is subject of Frost’s poems. After reading the the epitome of a decaying New England.” poems listed under the “Beauty and Power of Have students read the review and its com- Nature” topic in the During Reading section ments about the various poems, and choosing of this guide, modify the guided imagery one poem write a personal review that supports activity described there to have students first or refutes Lowell’s comment. Her review is identify a difficult problem or challenge they at: Review-a-Day—Poems by Robert Frost: are currently facing and then go to the natu- [A] Boy’s Will and North of Boston http://www. ral setting for reflection. Have them become powells.com/review/2001_05_17.html conscious of the sights, sounds, and odors of 2. John F. Lynen in The Pastoral Art of Robert the setting and then reflect on the problem. Frost (1960) published by Yale University Perhaps you can have them meet a favorite Press (New Haven, CT) compares Frost to person or someone they consider wise, tell William Wordsworth and states that, unlike that person their problem, and listen to his or Wordsworth, “Frost views nature as essen- her advice. Immediately after the guided tially alien….he looks at nature across an imagery, have students write freely a narrative impassable gulf.” Have students read “Nature of their experience. Ask students to compose and Pastoralism” at http://www.frostfriends. a poem of their own structure or modeled org/FFL/Nature%20and%20Pastoral after one of Frost’s such as “A Late Walk,” ism%20-%20Lynen/lynenessay1.html. “Rose Pogonias,” or “Waiting: Afield at Dusk.” Ask students to outline Lynen’s comparison of Frost with Wordsworth, and then choose Reader’s Theatre one of the poems in A Boy’s Will and analyze it discussing the relationship of the speaker to Students can create a Reader’s Theatre pre- the natural world. sentation of a poem. Poems in this volume that especially lend themselves to dramatic Writing Poetry readings are: From A Boy’s Will: “Asking for Roses” 1. In its regular meter and rhyme, “Flower- Gathering” in A Boy’s Will makes a good poem From North of Boston: “The Death of the Hired for students to emulate in writing their own Man,” “A Hundred Collars,” “Home Burial,” A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 19

“Blueberries,” “The Code,” “The Generations version can be typed and duplicated, of Men,” “The Housekeeper,” and “The Fear.” if the students wish. Students create a script from the poem they e. Students choose the parts they will select and then perform, assuming the voice read; one person is needed for each of the narrator and characters. They do not character, plus one for a narrator. use physical action; rather, the interpretation f. Students read through the poem once or of events and characters must come through twice, stopping as they wish to discuss voice, gestures, and facial expressions. Students the characters and how to interpret do not memorize their parts, and elaborate (deliver) their lines. They should decide props or costumes are not needed. what facial expressions and gestures Steps to create a Reader’s Theater Script: will make the characters come alive and a. Choose a poem or a section for the practice voice inflections, pronuncia- longer poems. tions, speed, and other vocalizations. b. Make copies of the poem and highlight g. Readers stand or sit together in one the dialogue. place. If standing, they may step forward to read their lines. Props and costumes c. Adapt the poem by adding a narrator’s are not necessary but simple ones may line to set the scene and bridge gaps. be used. Students should concentrate d. Students assume roles and read the on interpreting the characters as fully poem aloud, revising the text until they as possible for their listeners. are satisfied with the effect. The final

Useful Online Resources

Additional brief biographical essay and links to a variety Robert Frost Poems of Frost’s poems and also biographical sketches and criticism. Teachers may wish to refer students to other popular poems of Frost outside of those col- Robert Frost: America’s Poet http://www. lected in this edition. ketzle.com/frost/ This site, maintained by Jeff Ketzle, links to additional poems from Links to all of the poems in A Mountain Inter- the volumes: New Hampshire (including val, Frost’s third volume of poetry including “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” “Stopping by “The Road Not Taken,” “Birches,” “The Hill Woods on a Snowy Evening”); West-Running Wife,” and “‘Out, Out—’” can be found at A Brook (“Tree at my Window,” “Acquainted Mountain Interval: http://www.bartleby.com with the Night”); A Further Range (“Two /119/index2.html Tramps in Mudtime”); and others. Also included are links to a detailed biographical timeline and other resources. Miscellaneous Poems to 1920 http://www. bartleby.com/155/ includes “The Axe Helve,” “Fire and Ice,” and “Good-by and Keep Cold.” PoemHunter.com: Robert Frost http:// www.poemhunter.com/robert-frost/ Contains links to 116 poems listed in alphabetical From The Academy of American Poets: order for ease of finding. Also links to a bio- Robert Frost http://www.poets.org/poet. graphical sketch and a multitude of quota- php/prmPID/192 This Webpage includes a tions taken from the poems. 20 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

Multimedia Critical Reviews

Robert Frost Out Loud http://robertfrost- “The Art of Poetry No. 2 Robert Frost” outloud.com/ Links to poems read by Frost, http://www.parisreview.com/media/4678_ accompanied with text, including: FROST.pdf From A Boy’s Will—“To the Thawing Wind,” A 1960 interview of Frost published in the “Mowing,” “The Tuft of Flowers,” “October,” Paris Review. He discusses his early years, and “Reluctance.” some of his acquaintances in England, such From North of Boston—“The Pasture,” as Pound and Eliot, and some of his poetry, “Mending Wall,” “A Hundred Collars,” and such as “The Subverted Flower.” “After Apple Picking.” The Poetry Foundation: Robert Frost From Mountain Interval—several poems (1874-1963) http://www.poetryfoundation. including “The Road Not Taken.” org/archive/poet.html?id=2361 Some poems have a different reader. A critical review of Frost’s work. It includes discussion of Frost’s style, use of colloquial Robert Frost http://town.hall.org/radio/ speech, metrical form, New England region- HarperAudio/012294_harp_ITH.html alism, and views of life and nature found in Here are more poems read by Frost. Several his poetry. Also includes summaries of his are grouped together on the same audio files, published books of poetry and comments on so individual poems may be hard to find. But his significance as an American poet. includes many of the popular poems such as “The Death of the Hired Man” and “Birches.” The Friends of Robert Frost http://www. frostfriends.org/ Poetry Everywhere http://www.pbs.org/ This is an essential site for teachers which has wgbh/poetryeverywhere/frost.html helped inform this guide on teaching Frost’s Here is a video of Frost reading “Stopping by poems. Resources here include a tutorial for Woods on a Snowy Evening.” students, a Frost library, a biography, and a chronology. Modern American Poetry: A Robert Frost Exhibit http://www.english.illinois.edu/ The Robert Frost Tutorial http://www. maps/poets/a_f/frost/exhibit.htm frostfriends.org/tutorial.html This site contains a variety of images of Frost, This site gathers a variety of resources for the places he lived, book covers, and a hand- student including links to biography and written manuscript. criticism. Especially useful is the “The Poetics of Robert Frost” which includes instruction on Frost’s use of figurative language, imagery, Robert Frost—A Chronology http://www. meter, and other devices. frostfriends.org/chronology.html Together with the detailed chronology of Frost’s life are pictures of Frost and his family. A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 21

Books in Print References

Frost, R. (1995). Collected Poems, Prose, Frost, R. (1954). On teaching poetry. and Plays. (New York: Library of America). Retrieved February 17, 2010, from Robert This comprehensive volume of Frost’s work Frost at Bread Loaf: An Online Exhibit Pre- also contains notes on the texts and a detailed sented by Special Collections at Middlebury chronology. College: http://midddigital.middlebury.edu/ local_files/robert_frost/lectures_readings/ Walsh, J. E. (1988). Into My Own: The English Years of Robert Frost, 1912-1915. Frost, R. (1964). Selected Letters of Robert (NY: Grove Press). Frost L. Thompson, (Ed.). New York, NY: Holt. Thompson, L. & Winnick, R. H. (1981). Robert Frost: A Biography, one-volume ed. Monteiro, G. (1988) “Linked Analogies.” (NY: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston). Retrieved February 17, 2010, from Robert Frost and the New England Renaissance: http://www.frostfriends.org/FFL/ Frost%20%26%20NE%20Renaissance %20-%20Monteiro/monteirotitle.html

About the Author of This Guide

James E. McGlinn, Professor of Educa- interests currently focus on motivating and tion at the University of North Carolina at increasing the reading achievement of stu- Asheville, teaches methods of teaching and dents in high school and college. He is the reading courses. He has taught high school author and editor of numerous Penguin English and developmental reading to stu- Teachers’ Guides. dents age 6 through adulthood. His research

About the Editor of This Guide

Jeanne M. McGlinn, Professor in the Language Experience Special Interest Group Department of Education at the University of the International Reading Association. She of North Carolina at Asheville, teaches Chil- has written extensively in the area of adoles- dren’s and Adolescent Literature and directs cent literature, including a critical book on the field experiences of 9-12 English licen- the historical fiction of adolescent writer Ann sure candidates. She serves on various edito- Rinaldi for Scarecrow Press Young Adult rial and professional boards, such as the Writers series. 22 A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost

notes A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Poems by Robert Frost 23 F ree T eacher ’ s G uides

A full list of Teacher’s Guides and Teacher’s Guides for the Signet Classic Shakespeare Series is available on Penguin’s website at: us.penguingroup.com/tguides Teacher’s Guides Adventures of Frankenstein A Narrative of the Life The Scarlet Pimpernel Huckleberry Finn The Grapes of Wrath of Frederick Douglass, The Secret Life of Bees An American Slave Animal Farm Great Expectations Silas Marner Nectar in a Sieve Anthem n Heart of Darkness n Sophocles: 1984 Beowulf Incidents in the The Complete Plays The Call of the Wild Life of a Slave Girl The Odyssey A Streetcar Cannery Row Jane Eyre Of Mice and Men Named Desire City of God A Journey to the One Day in the Life A Tale of Two Cities of Ivan Denisovich The Country Center of the Earth n A Thousand of the Pointed Firs The Jungle The Pearl Splendid Suns and Other Stories The Kite Runner Persuasion The Time Machine The Crucible Listening is an n Poems by Treasure Island n Dear Zoe Act of Love Robert Frost Two Years Before Death of a Salesman Looking Backward Pride and Prejudice the Mast Doctor Faustus Lysistrata The Prince Up from Slavery and the Pauper A Doll’s House Main Street n The Wal-Mart Effect Pygmalion Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The Mousetrap Washington Square Ragged Dick Dubliners and Other Plays n We the Living A Raisin in the Sun Ethan Frome My Ántonia The Women of The Red Pony Brewster Place The Fountainhead The Scarlet Letter Wuthering Heights Teacher’s Guides for the Signet Classic Shakespeare Series Antony and Cleopatra Julius Caesar A Midsummer Richard III As You Like It King Lear Night’s Dream Romeo and Juliet Hamlet Macbeth The Merchant of Venice The Taming of the Shrew Henry IV Part I Measure for Measure Much Ado About Nothing The Tempest Henry V Othello Twelfth Night

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