First Impressions

Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening

Discussion:

First impressions are important because they form an important basis for further reading and study. We respond consciously and unconsciously to what we read. We may be trying to understand what we are reading, but we are also learning something about ourselves. We can examine both the work and our responses to it to begin the process of inquiry and develop a deeper understanding of the work.

Goals:

The goals of this section are to (1) examine your thoughts and feelings about reading poetry, (2) record and examine your first impressions of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,", (3) begin examining and developing your writing process, and (4) explore ways to use your computer in reading and writing.

Assignments:

1. Before reading the poem, write a journal entry about your previous experiences reading poetry. The goal of this assignment is to recall some of your experiences, thoughts, and feelings about poetry, poems, and/or poets. For this assignment you may want to try free writing as a method of getting some ideas down on paper.

2. Read "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and write your in initial response to the poem in your journal. Try to record your thoughts and feelings as accurately as possible. Click here for more on writing initial responses.

3. Listen to a recording of Robert Frost reading the poem.

4. Read "Reading Poetry" in The Bedford Introduction to Literature (p. 701-722), "Suggestions for Reading Stopping by Woods, and Annotating Text.

5. Read and annotate the poem using the high lighter and comment feature in word, and enter your annotations in your journal.

6. Using your annotations, write a paraphrase of the poem. Enter your paraphrase in your journal.

7. E-mail me a copy of your journal as an attachment.