Mending Wall

Overall Interpretive methods
1. Can the characters, events, or objects in the work be seen as standing for abstract ideas? What ideas?
2. Can the characters, events, or objects in the work be seen as representing political points of view?
3. Can the characters, events, or objects be seen as representing frequently occurring people or things?
4. Can the characters or events in the story be seen as representing different aspects of a single person?
5. Can the struggle of the main character be seen as a struggle that all humans (or Americans) face
Additional Interpretive tools
A. Can you find any symbols (things that are frequently used to represent something else)?
B. Are there analogies (metaphors or similes)? If so what are they trying to tell us?
C. Are there allusions to other times, places, or things? If so, why are they made?
Assignment Objective:
For this assignment we will be using the checklist above to interpret one of two Robert Frost poems, The Road Not TakenLinks to an external site. or Mending WallLinks to an external site.. You can choose which poem to analyze. The Road Not Taken is a very familiar poem and one that is shorter and easier to analyze. If you would like to start out with more of a challenge, I would encourage you to analyze Mending Wall instead.
Your job will be to analyze the poem using points 1-5 and A-C above. Please offer 3 separate interpretations by using 3 different overall interpretive strategies from the 1-5 list above. For example, I might interpret Mending Wall first as a story about abstract ideas, then as a story about political points of view, and then as a story about the universal human struggle. I would like you to try out 3 of the methods separately so that you can get used to interpreting the same story from more than one perspective. I would also like you to note if you see any symbols, analogies or allusions. If you see them, point them out and say how they contribute to the story.
This might seem like a difficult project, but remember there is no one right way to interpret any story. Just think for yourself, be creative, give your own reasons for your responses, and have fun!
Points possible: 15
Steps:
Read through the two Robert Frost Poems, The Road Not Taken and Mending Wall. Decide which poem you would like to analyze. (Mending Wall is the more difficult of the two, but will also involve 5% extra credit.)
Re-read your selected poem and try to interpret the poem in each of the methods discussed in the 1-5 interpretive methods checklist above. Jot down your ideas as you go through the 1-5 checklist. If you find that you need to review the methods, you might want to return to the lecture to see how we used the methods in interpreting the nursery rhyme Jack & Jill.
Re-read your poem looking for symbols, analogies and allusions. Your poem may not have each of these elements, but if you do see them, jot down the examples you see and think about how they are contributing to the poem.
Now you are ready to write your paper. In your paper discuss the 3 methods of interpretation that you found the most productive from the 1-5 checklist. Discuss how you interpreted the poem using each of those 3 methods.
Complete your paper by discussing any symbols, analogies, or allusions that you found and how you think they contributed to the story. If you found more than one symbol, analogy or allusion then just discuss the one from each category that you found most interesting!
Your completed paper should be at least 2 pages in length (650 words). It is worth 15 points.
Post your analysis to your groups discussion board. Note that this is not a group assignment, but I have created the group discussion board to allow a more intimate discussion setting. Each person is responsible for his or her own analysis and paper. Be sure to say in the “subject” area of your post if you are covering Mending Wall or Road Not Taken. (*Note: if you attach your file as a Word doc, please also cut and paste the content directly into the message window so that those without microsoft office can also read and benefit from your post). You can find the group discussion board for this assignment by clicking on the Assignments link in the left menu, or you can follow this shortcutLinks to an external site..
After posting your work, take a look at the work of your classmates. Compliment at least one of your classmates for discussing something that you did not find in your own analysis. Be specific, and say exactly what it was that they discussed and why it is interesting to you. (3 points).
You will be evaluated on steps 4-8 above. Steps1-3 are there to help you prepare..
Below is a sample paper. Your paper may vary considerably and may cover different elements of the checklists, but please be sure to follow this same basic format for your own paper, including having underlined headers that start out Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4.

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