AP English 12

Ms. De Soto

Sample presentation using William Wordsworths There was a Boy and Robert Frosts

The Most of It

SUMMARY

In Wordsworths poem, a boy imitates owls, they hoot back at him, and then there is silence.

In Frosts poem, a man of indeterminate age yells across a lake, hoping to hear something other than his own echo.

OVERALL MEANING

In Wordsworth: The natural world is lively and engaging, is full of beauty and joy; being alone in nature is actually a fulfilling, interactive experience; humans are just part of the natural world, not alien or superior to it

In Frost: The man who believes himself distinct and superior to nature and seeks only human affirmation is sure to be disappointed and lonely; finding no joy or companionship in the natural world is bound to be unsatisfying.

LITERARY TERMS

Wordsworth uses a combination of personification and apostrophe (ye knew him well, ye cliffs/And islands of Winander!) to create a kind of dialogue between the boy and the natural worldelements of nature are as active and engaging and human as any human, so there is no hierarchy or conflict of man vs. nature. Using apostrophe is particularly effective because here the speaker is talking to nature, not about nature.

Wordsworth also uses enjambment which gives the poem a feeling of openness and possibility and suggests movement and interaction. Without a lot of end punctuation, there is a give-and-take suggested, an exchange of words and sounds between the boy and the owls.

Frost utilizes a limited third-person point of view to emphasize the mans isolation and solipsismthis is a monologue, much to his chagrin. The poems structure of five quatrains of alternative rhyme scheme (ABAB) suggests limitation and closure. There is no room for spontaneity or playfulness.

SOUND

Wordsworth: Aside from the enjambment, what really stands out for me is his use of exclamation points and dashes. This punctuation adds to the speakers effusiveness and the poems energy. Apparently, this is in blank verse (e.g., unrhymed iambic pentameter) which would also add to the energy and enthusiasm, as iambs have a rising rhythm. Unfortunately, when I try to scan this poem, I dont hear the overall iambic rhythm so I wouldnt write about it.Frost: As I mentioned about, there is an alternate rhyme scheme here, and Frost does use iambic pentameter that I actually can hear. Yay for me. However, the iambic rhythm in Frosts poem, though it is still rising, also contributes to this idea of closure and of a death of possibilities, really, especially at the end of the poem: and that was all.

INTRODUCTIONThe basic scenario in both William Wordsworths There Was a Boy and Robert Frosts The Most of It is similar in that both involve an individuals experience in nature. However, using apostrophe, enjambment, and enthusiastic, energetic diction and grammar, Wordsworth creates an endearing and playful dialogue between the boy and the natural world. In contrast, Frost utilizes a limited third-person point of view, quatrains of alternate rhyme scheme, and dispassionate, even matter-of-fact diction and grammar, all of which emphasize the mans feelings of alienation from and superiority to the natural world. For him, unlike the boy in Wordsworths poem, only a human response will provide comfort, or so he thinks.