Unit 3 Revision

Revision Unit Three
The Final Countdown
“Contents
“Advertising Basics!
3
“Media Studies!
9
2011 Junior Certificate Higher Level Media Studies!
10
“Poetry!
15
“Robert Frost!
18
The Tuft of Flowers!
19
Critical Commentary: The Tuft of Flowers!
22
The Road Not Taken!
24
Critical Commentary: The Road Not Taken.!
26
Out Out!
27
Critical Commentary: Out Out!
28
Poetry Versus Prose!
31
In order to access the enhanced media contained in this and other
h a n d o u t s , p l e a s e c o n s u l t t h e we b s i t e :
www.cianhogan.com
“Ad
ve r t i si n g
Basics
1. E m o t i o n a l A p p e a l
T h i s t e c h n i q u e m a ke s u s e o f t wo s e p a r a t e s t r a t e g i e s - ( a ) i t
appeals the needs of consumer s and (b) it employs the fear
f a c t o r.
The most common appeals to consumer need include:
■
the need for something new
■
the need to gain acceptance
■
the need to be listened to
■
the need for secur ity
■
the need to become attr active
■
the need to improve your life
T h e m o s t c o m m o n a p p e a l s t o c o n s u m e r fe a r s i n c l u d e :
■
the fear of accident
■
the fear of death
■
the fear of social isolation
■
the fear of getting sick
■
the fear of aging.
2. Promotional Adver tising
T h i s t e c h n i q u e i nvo l ve s g i v i n g aw ay s a m p l e s o f p r o d u c t s fo r f r e e t o
c o n su me r s . It e ms a re u s u a lly offer ed at the tr ade fair s, pr omoti onal
e ven t s , a n d e ve n o n t h e s t reet to i n or der to r ai se br and aw ar eness.
3. Bandwagon Adver tising
T h i s t y p e o f t e c h n i q u e a i m s t o c o nv i n c e c o n s u m e r s t o j o i n t h e g r o u p
o f p e o ple wh o h ave a lre a dy bought the pr oduct and ar e happy that
they did so. For example . The V.H.I is cur rently r unning an add that
m a ke s u s e o f t h is t e c h n iqu e .
4. Facts a nd St a t i st i c s (p se udo s c i e n c e )
A dver t is e r s o f t e n u s e s t a t isti cs, number s, and r eal-life exampl es in
o r de r t o de mo n s t r a t e ju s t how super i or thei r pr oduct i s. For e .g.
“ D ome s t o s f lo o r c le a n s 99. 9 9% of al l know n ger ms”.
5. U n fi n i s h e d A d s
A dver t is e r s play wit h wo rd s by cl aiming that their pr oducts wor k
better than their competitor s. However, they fail to say just how much
better the product is.
6. Weasel Words
I n t h i s t e c h n iqu e , wh ile a dver ti ser s don’t to be better than their
c o m pe t it o r s , bu t do n ’ t a ls o fai l to deny that they ar e . O ur pr oduct
r e du ce s wr in k le s .
7. E n d o r s e m e n t s
A dver t is e r s u s e c e le br it ie s to pr omote thei r pr oducts. F r equently,
c e l ebr it ie s will de s c r ibe t h eir ow n posi tive exper i ences w ith the
product. For example One Direction endor ses Pokémon.
8. Complementing the Consumer s
I n t h i s c a s e , adver tiser s of ten u se u sed pu n ch lin es th at complemen t
c o n su me r s wh o h ave ma de the choice to buy thei r pr oducts. E.g.
L o r e a l ’s s l o g a n “ B e c a u s e yo u a r e wo r t h i t ,” i s a n o bv i o u s o f t h i s .
9. Ideal fa m i ly, i d e a l rel a t i o n s h i p s s c e n a r i o
A dver t is e r s u s e t h is t e c h n ique to demonstr ate that the fami l i es or
people using their products are perfect.
10. Q u e s t i o n i n g C o n s u m e r s
H e r e a d ve r t i s e r s p o s e q u e s t i o n s t o t h e i r c u s t o m e r s a n d t h e n a n s we r
them. Insur ance companies frequently use this technique .
11. T h e E n t i c e m e n t
T h i s t e c h n i q u e i s u s e d t o b r i b e t h e c o n s u m e r s by r e d u c t i o n s i n p r i c e
o r e n h a n c e d s e r v ic e s .
12. S u r r o g a t e A d ve r t i s i n g
T h i s t e c h n i q u e i s g e n e r a l ly u s e d by t h e c o m p a n i e s t h a t c a n n o t
adver tise their products directly.
Break up into groups of four and using the above cr iter ia analyse the
fo l l ow i n g te l e vi s i o n an d i n te r n e t adve r ti s e m e n ts .
Add No 1 Add No 2 Add No 3
Advertising Techniques Advertising Techniques Advertising Techniques
Used
Used
Used
One aspect of the add One aspect of the add One aspect of the add
that appealed or did not that appealed or did not that appealed or did not
appeal to you
appeal to you
appeal to you
Is the add effective?
Support your answer.
Is the add effective?
Support your answer.
Is the add effective?
Support your answer.
Of the three adds which one would persuade you most to buy the product?
Give reasons for your answer. Remember to ground your response in the
language of media studies.
______ 6 ______
To v i e w t h e s e a t h o m e d ow n l o a d U n i t t h r e e f r o m t h e we b s i t e .
w w w.cianhogan.com
______ 7 ______
______ 8 ______
“Media Studies
Ju n i o r
cer tificate 2008
2. L o o k a t t h e p o s t e r s o n Pa g e 2 a n d Pa g e 3 o f Pa p e r X . ( T h e s e i m a g e s
are included in reduced for m below.) Click on the following link to
see t he o r ig in a l. h t t p : / / w w w. e x a m i n a t i o n s . i e / a r c h i ve / e x a m p a p e r s / 2 0 0 8 /
J C 0 0 2 A LPC 00E V. pdf
( a ) W h i c h o f t h e t wo po s t e r s do you think conveys i ts message most
e f fe c t i vely ?
E x p l a i n yo u r a n s we r w i t h d e t a i l e d r e fe r e n c e t o t h e p o s t e r. ( 2 0 )
( b) M e dia St u die s t e a c h e s u s that the Media can be a power ful for ce for
c h a n g e . Se le c t ONE fo r m o f m edia ( e .g. r adio, tel evision, new spaper s,
i n t er n e t , e t c . ) a n d e x pla in h ow i t could be used to combat r aci sm. ( 20)
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2 0 1 1 Jun ior Cer t ifi cate Highe r Le ve l Media Studies
______ 10
A n swe r e it h e r Qu e s t io n 1 o r Q uestion 2.
1. L o o k at the info r m atio n ab o ut new sw o r thine ss that appe ar s o n Page 3 o f
Pa p e r X w h i c h a c c o m p a n i e s t h i s ex a m i n a t i o n p a p e r.
can
be
downloaded
at
(The or iginal add
h t t p : / / w w w. e x a m i n a t i o n s . i e / a r c h i v e /
e x a m p a pe r s / 2011/ JC 002A LP C00EV.pdf )
( a ) T h i n k o f a ma jo r n e ws s tor y w hich has captur ed your attenti on in
the last twelve months.
Fo r me , t he news s t o r y that mos t captur e d my attenti on i n th e
l a st t welve mo n t h s wa s t h e s upposed Mayan Apocalypse . O n the 21 s t of
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2 , t h e e n d o f t h e M aya n l o n g c o u n t c a l e n d a r o c c u r r e d .
Kn ow n in Mayan as b’ak’tu n , th is date mar ked th e en d of a 144,000 day
c y c l e wh ic h ma ny pe o ple fe ar ed woul d br i ng about the end of human
c i v i l i z a t io n .
(b) Br iefly identify the stor y. Explain how this stor y meets any three of the
cr iter ia for newswor thiness set out in the infor mation on Paper X. (20)
Thi s st o r y met a number of the cr i te r i a for ne w swor thiness as set
o u t i n t h e in fo r ma t io n o n Pa per X. To begi n w ith, thi s end of the wor ld
st o r y ’s t imin g wa s pe rfe c t . E nd of the wor ld stor ies ar e per ennial . Each
ye ar br in gs with it dif feren t th eor ies on h ow th e wor ld is goin g to f ace
its doom. The timing of this stor y contributed greatly to its
n e w s wo r t h i n e s s . Pe o p l e b e c a m e f a s c i n a t e d by t h e i d e a o f t h e M aya n
l on g c o u n t c a le n da r wh ic h e n compasses a 26,000 year cycle .
The s i g ni fic a nc e of thi s stor y w as exagge r ated becaus e , i f i t we r e
to prove tr ue , then the entire planet could have been affected.
F u r t h er mo re , t h o u s a n ds o f p eopl e fl ocked to Centr al Amer ica and a
vi l l age in Fr an ce wh ich was su pposed to con tain a safe zon e in order to
w i t n e s s t h e a p o c a ly p s e . T h i s l e n t t h e s t o r y a g l o b a l a p p e a l a n d
c o n t r i bu t e d t o it s n e ws wo r t hi ness.
F i n a l ly, t h e s t o r y h a d e n o r m o u s h u m a n i n t e r e s t b e c a u s e i t
appealed to our collective insecur ities concer ning the precar iousness of
h u m an existen ce . Many of th e n ews repor ts cen ter in g on th is stor y
fo c u s e d o n qu i r ky tal e s o f e c c e n tr i c i n di vi du al s pr e par i n g fo r th e e n d o f
time .
(b) Major news stor ies are gener ally covered across a var iety of media.
O u tl i n e th e advan tages an d disadvan tages of followin g a n ews stor y
u s i n g a t l e a s t t wo o f t h e m e d i a l i s t e d b e l ow :
Techn o l o g y
n e w sp a pers
Major news stor ies are gener ally covered across a var iety of
m e di a. T h e n ewspaper is on e of oldest an d most u sed mediu m for
c o nve y in g n e ws . Th e fir s t n e w spaper, the Acta Diu r n a, w a s p u bl i s h e d i n
5 9 B . C . in Ro me . Sin c e t h e n new spaper s have for med a centr al par t of
we s te r n cu ltu re . T h e advan tages of th is mediu m are many. Fir stly, it is
c h ea p t o pro du c e a n d t h e in ter face i s ver y easy to use . I nfor mati on can
be tr an smitted to a wide au dien ce of all ages an d tar get mar kets. O n e
o f t h e big g e s t a dv a n t a g e s o f this medi um is that new s i s cover ed in a
pr o fe s s ion al an d in -depth man n er.
T h is cer tain ly th e case with th e
broadsheet newspaper s. These paper s afford the consumer the
possibility of reading infor med and considered views and opinions about
s to r i e s wh ich are n ewswor thy. H owever, th e biggest disadvan tage to th is
m e di u m is t h a t it o f t e n la g s b ehind the new s- cycle . New spaper s cannot
r e ac t to qu ickly ch an gin g stor ies an d as a resu lt of ten f ail to provide
breaking news.
ra d i o
T h e r a d i o i s a n o t h e r l o n g e s t a bl i s h e d m e d i u m fo r c ove r i n g n e w s s t o r i e s .
U n l i ke n e w s p a p e r s , r a d i o s t a t i o n s c a n r e a c t q u i c k ly t o b r e a k i n g n e w s ,
and in this sense , can remain on top of the news cycle . However, in a
visual age this medium is unable to provide the type of cover age that
m a ny c o n s u me r s a re s e e k in g .
te l ev i sio n
L owe l l T h o m a s h o s t e d t h e fi r s t - e ve r n e w s b r o a d c a s t o n t e l e v i s i o n i n
1 9 3 0 a n d t h e fir s t re g u la r ly schedul ed televi si on- new s br oadcast in
1 9 4 0 i n A me r ic a . Sin c e t h e n, televi si on new s has become the main
s o u r c e of n ews for most people . Today, en tire ch an n els are devoted to
c ove r i n g th e n ews cycle . As a resu lt, television n ews can react qu ickly to
c h an gi n g stor ies an d provide th e viewer with th e type of visu al
e x pe r i en ce th at most people n ow expect. T h e biggest disadvan tage to
television news is its cost. Progr ammes are expensive to make and as a
r e s u l t are h eavily depen den t on adver tisin g revenu e . T h is can sometimes
pl ac e pressu re on television n ews progr ammes to appeal to a wide
au di e n ce . Con sequ en tly, many television n ews progr ammes su ch as S KY
N E W S te n d t o s e n s a t io n a lis e stor ies i n an attempt to w i n mor e viewer s.
i nte rn et. (20)
This is the newest of the four media mentioned above . The
i n t er n e t h a s re vo lu t io n is e d h ow new s stor i es ar e conveyed. New s feeds,
bl o gs , social n etwor kin g sites, vlogs an d tr adition al n ews provider s all
m ake u se of th is mediu m to convey stor ies. Its advan tages are many. Its
c h e ap, vir tu ally u biqu itou s, easy to u se an d en ter tain in g. O f all th e
m e di a de dic a t e d t o n e ws c over age this one can r eact most qui ckly to an
e ve r c h an gin g n ews cycle . O n e major disadvan tage of th is mediu m is th e
gr ow th of u nver ifiable so-called citizen jou r n alism. T h e recen t con f licts
i n t h e ar a b wo r ld h ave de monstr ated just how qui ckly the inter net can
g e t n e w s s t o r y t o m i l l i o n s o f p e o p l e by by - p a s s i n g g ove r n m e n t
r e st r i c t io n s . H owe ve r, it is o ften ver y difficult to ver ify the accur acy of
som e of t h e n e ws re po r t s that appear on the inter net. F ur ther mor e ,
i n te r n e t sites are in su ch a h u r r y to broadcast a n ews stor y th at th ey
ve r y o f ten f ail to exercise du e diligen ce wh en ch eckin g th e proven an ce
o f a st o r y.
Hom e wo r k :
OR
2 . ( a) Wr ite th e text of an adver tisemen t to be broadcast on you r local
r adio station. Your adver tisement should aim to convince more young
people to use their local libr ar y. (20)
(b) I n addition to th e r adio commercial you h ave already wr itten , h ow
e l s e cou ld you u se var iou s media to ef fectively promote th eir local
l i br ar y to you n g people? You sh ou ld refer to at least two oth er for ms
o f m e dia in yo u r a n s we r. (20)
“Poetry
S o m e q u e s t i o n s a n d s a m p l e a n s we r s fo r “ H e i d i w i t h B l u e H a i r ” .
1 .
( a )
Fro m yo u r re a din g of thi s poem do you think the father and
daughter have a good relationship? Explain your answer.
(10)
F r o m my re a din g o f t h is poem I thi nk that the father and daughter
h ave a ver y good relation sh ip. I believe th is to be th e case becau se
throughout the poem there is evidence that they speak to and respect
o n e an oth er. In th e th ird stan za, th e speaker makes it clear th at H eidi’s
‘f re e d om -loving father ’ ph on ed th e sch ool on h er beh alf . In th e fou r th
s t a n z a , H e i d i ’s f a t h e r i n fo r m s t h e s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l t h a t t h e y h a d
‘ d i s c u s s e d ’ d y i n g h e r h a i r w i t h h i m fi r s t . I t i s c l e a r f r o m t h e s e
c o nve r sa t io n s wit h t h e s c h ool, that Heidi ’s father stands up for and
su ppo r ts h is da u g h t e r.
( b)
D o yo u t h in k t h is is a sad or funny poem or both? Explai n your
answer. (10)
I t hin k this is bo th a f un ny an d a s ad p oe m . I t is cle ar f r om th e
n ar r ati ve th at H eidi’s moth er is dead an d th at h er f ath er is doin g h is
best to r aise his daughter on his own:
______ 15 ______
I t w o u l d h a v e b e e n u n fa i r to m e n ti o n
your m ot her's death, but that
s h i m m e re d b e h i n d th e a r gu m e n ts .
I t m a ke s me fe e l s a d t o t h in k of Hei di gr ow ing up w ithout her mother.
T h e p o e m i s a l s o q u i t e f u n ny. T h e p o e t p o ke s f u n a t t h e s c h o o l r u l e s .
S h e m a ke s i t c l e a r t h a t H e i d i ’s e ye s a r e n o t i n ‘a sc hool colour ’. T h is
m ake s th e sch ool sch ool r u les regardin g H eidi’s h air colou r appear
som e w h a t r idic u lo u s . Fin a lly, the descr iption of Hei di’s fr iend’s hai r dyed
i n t h e s c h o o l c o lo u r s is h ila r i ous:
N e xt d a y y o u r b l a c k f r i e n d h a d h e r s d o n e
i n gre y, w h i te a n d f l a xe n ye l l ow –
I t m a de me la u g h t o t h in k o f the school’s r eacti on to thi s hair col our.
( c )
C omme n t o n t h e u s e of the under l i ned wor d in one of the
fo l l ow i n g l i n e s :
– yo u r m o th e r ’s de ath ... shi mmer ed behind the ar guments
– th e te ac h e r s twittered and gave in.
(10)
I t h i n k ‘twittered’ is a mar velou s ch oice of words to descr ibe h ow th e
teacher s reacted to Heidi’s blue hair. One can imagine their highpi tc h e d, excited voices as th ey discu ssed th is ch allen ged to th e sch ool
r u l e s . T h e poet caref u lly ch ooses th e word, so as to su ggest, th at th e
sch oo l ’s o bje c t io n t o He idi’s hair i s faintly r i diculous.
(i) F rom you r readin g of th e poem wh ose side do you th in k Fleu r
A dc o c k is o n ? (20)
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G i ve r e a s o n s fo r yo u r a n s we r.
I n my opin ion Fleu r Adcock is fir mly on H eidi’s side . Fir stly, th e sch ool’s
pr e o c c u pation with obser vin g r u les is made to seem r idicu lou s by th e
poet. The teacher s seem to ignore Heidi’s behaviour twitter ing and
c o n ce n tr a t e o n t h e c o lo u r o f her hai r :
‘She's not a punk in her behaviour ;
i t' s j u s t a s ty l e .’ ( Yo u w i p e d y o u r e ye s ,
a l s o n o t i n a s c h o o l co l o u r. )
By m e n tion in g th e f act th at H eidi’s eye colou r was also n ot th e same as
the school colour the poet pokes fun and the r ules. In the fifth stanza,
th e po et in for ms u s th at H eidi’s moth er is dead. I th in k th at th is pu ts
the school’s objection to Heidi’s hair colour in context. The death of
h e r m oth er is, in my opin ion , f ar more impor tan t. T h en in th e fin al
s tan z a, th e depiction of H eidi’s f r ien d’s h air in th e sch ool colou r s is
hilarious:
i n gre y, w h i te a n d f l a xe n ye l l ow –
th e s c h o o l co l o u r s p re ci s e l y :
T h e p o e m ’s c o n c l u s i o n m a ke s i t ve r y c l e a r t h a t t h e p o e t i s fi r m ly o n
H e i d i ’s s i d e .
______ 17 ______
“Robert Frost
R o be r t Fro s t lo o ms as a gi ant fi gur e in the Amer ican l i ter ar y
landscape. By
concentrating
on
the
landscapes, language
and
e x pe r i e n c e s o f A me r ic a , h is poetr y has done much to establ i sh an
A m e r i c a n po e t ic ide n t it y. In fact, his w r y, countr ifi ed, New England
n a r r a t i ve vo i c e h a s o f t e n b e e n p r a i s e d a s t h e q u i n t e s s e n t i a l vo i c e o f
A m e r i c an liter atu re . H is deter min ation to weave poetr y ou t of ever yday
e x pe r i en ce distin gu ish es h im f rom most oth er poets of h is age . H is
poems are honest, open and autobiogr aphical, so much so that Frost
n e ve r r eally tired of retellin g th e stor y of h is own life . H e was also th e
u n di s pu ted master of poetic for ms. Wr itin g in a per iod domin ated by
f r e e ve r s e , i n a t i m e w h e n p o e t r y s e e m e d t o h ave g i ve n u p o n
pu n c tu ation an d capital letter s, Frost in sisted th at poetr y h ave a defin ite
fo r m , th at it be dr amatic an d th at it rely on voice ton es to var y th e
e f fe c t of its rhyth ms. If you are readin g th e poetr y of R ober t Frost for
______ 18 ______
th e fi r st time , on e of th e th in gs th at sh ou ld str ike you str aigh t away is
th at h i s poems are deceptive . Wh at at fir st appear s to be a simple
nature poem will often yield complex and interesting interpretations.
The Tuft Of Flowers
I we n t t o t u r n t h e g r a s s o n c e after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.
T h e d e w w a s g o n e t h a t m a d e h i s bl a d e s o ke e n
Before I came to view the leveled scene .
I l oo ked fo r h im be h in d a n is l e of tr ees; 5
10
15
I l i st e n ed fo r h is wh e t s t o n e on the br eeze .
But he had gone his way, the gr ass all mown,
A n d I mu s t be , a s h e h a d be en—alone ,
“ A s a l l mu s t be ,” I s a id wit h in my hear t,
“ W h et he r t h e y wo r k t o g e t h e r or apar t.” But as I said it, swift there passed me by
O n n o i s e l e s s w i n g a b e w i l d e r e d bu t t e r f ly,
S e e k i n g w i t h m e m o r i e s g r ow n d i m o ’ e r n i g h t
S o m e r e s t i n g f l owe r o f ye s t e r d ay ’s d e l i g h t .
A n d o n ce I ma r ke d h is f lig h t go r ound and r ound, ______ 19 ______
A s w h e re s o me f lowe r lay wither i ng on the gr ound.
A n d t h e n h e f le w a s f a r a s e ye coul d see ,
A n d t h e n o n t re mu lo u s win g came back to me .
I t h o u g h t o f qu e s t io n s t h a t h ave no r eply,
A n d wo u ld h ave t u r n e d t o t oss the gr ass to dr y; 20
25
30
35
But he tur ned fir st, and led my eye to look
A t a t a ll t u f t o f f lowe r s be s ide a br ook,
A l ea p i ng t o n g u e o f blo o m t he scythe had spar ed
Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.
T h e m owe r i n t h e d e w h a d l ove d t h e m t h u s , By leaving them to flour ish, not for us,
N o r yet t o dr aw o n e t h o u g h t of our s to hi m,
But from sheer mor ning gladness at the br im.
T h e bu t t e r f ly a n d I h a d l i t u p o n ,
N e ver t h e le s s , a me s s a g e f ro m the daw n, T h a t m a d e m e h e a r t h e w a ke n i n g b i r d s a r o u n d ,
A n d h ea r h is lo n g s c y t h e wh isper i ng to the gr ound,
A n d fee l a s pir it k in dre d t o my ow n;
S o t h a t h e n c e fo r t h I wo r ke d n o m o r e a l o n e ;
But glad with him, I wor ked as with his aid, A n d we a r y, s o u g h t a t n o o n wi th hi m the shade;
A n d dr e a min g , a s it we re , h e ld br other ly speech
With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.
______ 20 ______
“ M e n wo r k t o g e t h e r,” I t o ld him fr om the hear t,
“ W h et he r t h e y wo r k t o g e t h e r or apar t.” 40
G lo s sa ry
_____________________________________________________________________
1 to tu r n th e gr as s – to to s s gr as s s o th at
o n th e A po s tl e s ( Ch r i s t’s fo l l owe r s ) . F or
i t wi l l d r y.
the
2 dew – m ois tu re th at is deposited f ro m
bu t t e r f ly ) , t h e t u f t o f f l owe r s o f fe r s a
th e air i n small drops on plan ts, espe c i al ly
m o m e n t o f i n si g h t a n d i n s pi r a t i o n t h a t
at night.
br i n gs h i m i n to c l o s e r h ar m o ny w i th th e
3 keen – en th usiastic , sh ar p.
n a t u r a l wo r l d .
6 w h etston e – a s ton e on wh ich th e
2 4 s c y th e – a l o n g, c u r ve d bl ade u s e d for
garden er wou ld sh ar pe n th e blade o f h i s
m owi n g l o n g g r a ss .
knife or his scythe .
2 6 to f l o u r i s h – to gr ow i n abu n dan c e o r
12 bewildered – confused, dazed or
to thr ive .
disor ientated.
2 9 l i t u po n – m e t o r c a m e u po n .
13 gr ow n d i m – bec ome f ain t o r dar k .
3 3 k i n dre d – ve r y c l o se o r si m i l a r t o.
18 tr emu l ou s – q uive r ing o r trembling .
3 3 a s pi r i t ki n dr e d to my ow n – h e r e , th e
22 br ook – a s mall st re am.
s p e a ke r fe e l s s o c l o s e t o t h e a b s e n t
23 A l eapin g ton gu e o f bloom – pe r h aps
gardener that it is as if they are wor king
the speaker is echoing the Bible here . In
i n t h e fi e l d t o g e t h e r.
speaker
the Bible , a tongue of flames descended
______ 21 ______
(and, indeed, for
the
Critical Commentary: The Tuft of Flowers
1. Content
_______________________________________________________________
F i r s t p u bl i s h e d i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n A B oy ’s W i l l , ‘ T h e Tu f t o f F l owe r s ’
r e v i si t s o n e o f Fro s t ’s f avo ur i te subj ects: the wor k associ ated w i th
h ay m akin g. In th is poem, Frost moves f rom a belief th at all men are
i n di v i d u a ls , le a din g s e pa r a t e l i ves, to a conviction that we all shar e a
c o m m o n bo n d o f h u ma n it y. In the openi ng stanza, the poet tells us that
h e we n t d ow n ‘to turn the grass ’, so that it would dr y. This gr ass had
already been ‘ m ow e d [ … ] i n t h e d ew b e fo re t h e s u n’ by an unnamed
per son. In the second heroic couplet, the speaker makes it clear that
s o m e h o u r s h ave p a s s e d s i n c e t h i s p e r s o n wo r ke d i n t h e fi e l d .
N e ver t h e le s s , t h e s pe a ke r lo oks and l i stens for si gns of the wor ker :
I l o o ke d fo r h i m b e h i n d a n i s l e o f t re e s ;
I l i s t en ed for hi s whetsto ne o n th e b reeze .
I t so o n be c o me s a ppa re n t that thi s man ‘h a d go n e h i s wa y’ on ce h is
wor k was finished. The speaker is left completely on his own. In the fifth
c o u pl e t, h e con templates th e implication s of h is solitu de an d comes to
the conclusion that ultimately all men are alone , ‘ Wh eth er th ey w o rk
together or apar t ’. At that moment, a ‘ b ew i l d e re d b u t t e r f l y’ stu mbles in to
th e po et’s view. In th e speaker’s imagin ation , th e bu tterf ly is dr awn to
______ 22 ______
this place by the dim memor y of the flower it visited the previous day.
H owe ve r, i n t h e n e x t c o u p l e t , we l e a r n t h a t t h a t f l owe r h a s b e e n
m owe d an d lies with er in g on th e grou n d. Con f u sed an d lost, th e
c r e a t u r e f lie s ‘ ro und and ro un d ’ u n til it almost van ish es f rom th e poet’s
s i gh t. T h e bu tterf ly retu r n s to th e speaker’s lin e of vision . T h is cau ses
the poet to ponder over ‘ q u e s t i o n s t h a t h a v e n o re p l y’. U n able to come
u p w i th satisf actor y an swer s to th ese u n specified qu estion s, th e speaker
tur ns to ‘ toss the grass to dr y ’. Then, suddenly, in the eleventh and
twelfth stanzas, the poet has a profound moment of e piphany , or
r e vel a t i o n . A s h e t u r n s t o lo ok i n the di r ecti on of the br ook, he has an
almost religious, or spir itual, awakening. The sight of the flower s that
h ave been u n h ar med by th e wor ker wh o mowed th e gr ass on th e
previous day moves the poet deeply. He now realises that ‘ The mower in
the dew had loved them thus , | By leaving them to flour ish, not for us ’. T h e
s pe ake r n ow feels th at h e is lin ked to th e wor ker. T h e ar r ival of th e
bu t t e r f ly a n d t h e s i g h t o f t h e unhar med flower s l ead hi m to believe that
h e c an see an d h ear th e mower. You will remember th at th is is
s o m e th in g h e in itially felt u n able to do. T h e in ten sity of th e speaker’s
fe e l i n g s g r ow s u n t i l h e fe e l s :
[…] a s p i r i t k i ndred to my own ;
So t ha t he n c e fo r t h I wo rked n o mo re a lo ne;
N o l on ge r a lo n e , t h e po e t n ow imagines himself wor king w ith the man.
U n i te d by a common bon d of f r ater n al love , h e addresses h is fellow
wor ker directly:
“ Me n w ork toge ther,” I to l d h im fro m the h ear t,
“ Wh eth er the y wo r k together o r apa r t.”
T h e p o e m ’s fi n a l h e ro i c c o u p l e t r e ve r s e s th e s pe ake r ’s pr e vi o u s be l i e f
that we are all alone and separ ate .
______ 23 ______
The Road Not Taken
Two r o a d s d i ve r g e d i n a ye l l ow wo o d ,
A n d sor r y I c o u ld n o t t r ave l both
A n d be o n e t r ave le r, lo n g I s t ood
A n d l oo ke d down o n e a s f a r as I coul d
To w h e r e i t b e n t i n t h e u n d e r g r ow t h ; 5
10
15
20
T h e n t o o k t h e o t h e r, a s j u s t a s f a i r,
A n d h avin g pe rh a ps t h e be t t er cl aim,
Because it was gr assy and wanted wear ;
T h o u g h a s fo r t h a t , t h e p a s s i n g t h e r e
H a d wo r n t h e m r e a l ly a b o u t t h e s a m e , A n d bo t h t h a t mo r n in g e qu a lly lay
I n l e aves n o s t e p h a d t ro dde n bl ack.
O h , I ke p t t h e fi r s t fo r a n o t h e r d ay !
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I do u b t ed if I s h o u ld e ve r c o m e back. I sh a l l b e t e llin g t h is wit h a s igh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two r o a d s d i ve r g e d i n a wo o d , a n d I —
I t oo k t h e o n e le s s t r ave le d by,
A n d t h a t h a s ma de a ll t h e dif fer ence . ______ 24 ______
G lo s sa ry
_____________________________________________________________________
I n th i s po e m, Fro s t forces u s to
of year has often been associate d
i n t er pr e t t he c ho i ce th a t h e f a c es on
w ith the appr oach of old age .
a sy m bo li c l e ve l. T h e f act th at th e
poet intends us to react in this
5 the under gr ow th – the vegetati on
m an n e r is o bvio u s f rom th e degr ee
growing a the base of the trees.
o f im po r tan c e h e attach es to th is
8 w anted wear – the path had not
c h oi ce in t he la st st a n za . 1 diver g ed
been walked on recently.
–
12 tr odden – w al ked on.
separated, went
in
different
directions. This, of cour se , adds a
16 I shal l be tel l i ng thi s w i th a sigh –
ce r tain degr ee o f u r gen cy to th e
by u sin g th e f u tu re ten se h ere , th e
po et’s c h oi c e . 1 ye ll ow wood – th e
poet is implying that the jour ney has
ti m e of th e ye ar i s au tu mn . T h is ti me
n o t ye t e n d e d .
17 ages hence – i n a l ong time to
______ 25 ______
Critical Commentary: The Road Not Taken.
‘ T he R o a d No t Ta ke n’ , w hich Fr ost clai med w as i ns pir e d by h i s
f r i e n d E dward T h omas, is perh aps on e of th e best-kn own poems in th e
E n g l i s h l a n g u a g e . I t o p e n s w i t h a ve r y s t r a i g h t fo r w a r d s t a t e m e n t :
Two road s di ve r ge d i n a yellow wo o d
I t i s a u tu mn a n d t h e s pe a ke r, standing at a for k in the r oad, i s faced w ith
a c h o i c e . H e can take eith er road an d th ere is n oth in g preven tin g h im
f r o m doin g so. H e wou ld like to tr avel both roads bu t, of cou r se , th is is
si m ply n o t po s s ible . Th e s pe aker fir st star es dow n one r oad to ‘ w h e re i t
b e n t i n t h e u n d e r g row t h’. U n willin g to commit to th is road, h e decides to
as s e s s th e oth er road. In th e secon d stan za, h e tells u s th at th is road is
j u st a s f a ir a s t h e pre v io u s o ne . However, gi ven that i t is gr assy, the poet
i n fe r s th at it is less tr avelled th an th e oth er path . In th e fin al lin e of th e
sec o n d s t a n za , h e a dmit s t h at ‘the passing there | Had [in truth] worn
them really about the same ’. In the third stanza, it becomes clear that
th e po et h as committed h imself to followin g on e of th e roads. H e
begins his jour ney in the mor ning:
Ye t k n ow i n g h ow wa y l e a d s o n t o wa y,
I d ou bte d if I sho uld eve r co me b ac k .
T h e fi n a l s t a n z a l o o k s fo r w a r d t o a t i m e ‘a ge s h e n c e ’ when he ‘ sh a ll b e
telling [his stor y] with a sigh ’. H is ch oice h as been made an d h e h as
taken ‘the [road] less traveled by ’. This life-alter ing choice ‘ h a s m a d e a ll
the difference ’.
______ 26 ______
Out Out
_______________________________________________________________
T h e bu z z s aw s n a r l e d a n d r a t t l e d i n t h e ya r d
A n d m a de du s t a n d dro ppe d stove- l ength sti cks of wood,
S we e t - s c e n t e d s t u f f w h e n t h e b r e e ze d r e w a c r o s s i t .
A n d f r om t h e re t h o s e t h a t lif ted eyes could count
F i ve m o u n t a in r a n g e s o n e be hi nd the other 5
10
15
20
H e s aw a l l s p o i l e d . “ D o n ’ t l e t h i m c u t my h a n d o f f — 25
U n d e r t h e s u n s e t f a r i n t o Ve r m o n t .
A n d t h e s aw s n a r le d a n d r a t t led, snar led and r attled,
A s i t r a n lig h t , o r h a d t o be a r a load.
A n d n ot h in g h a ppe n e d: day w as all but done .
Call it a day, I wish they might have said To p l e a s e t h e b oy by g i v i n g h i m t h e h a l f h o u r
T h a t a b oy c o u n t s s o mu c h w h e n s ave d f r o m wo r k .
His sister stood beside them in her apron
To t e l l t h e m “ S u p p e r.” A t t h e wo r d , t h e s aw,
A s i f t o prove s aws k n e w wh at supper meant, L e a p e d o u t a t t h e b oy ’s h a n d , o r s e e m e d t o l e a p —
H e mu s t h ave g i ve n t h e h a n d . H owe ve r i t w a s ,
N e i t h er re f u s e d t h e me e t in g . But the hand!
T h e b oy ’s fi r s t o u t c r y w a s a r u e f u l l a u g h ,
A s h e s wu n g t owa rd t h e m h o l ding up the hand, H a l f i n a p p e a l , bu t h a l f a s i f t o ke e p
T h e l i fe f r o m s p i l l i n g . T h e n t h e b oy s aw a l l —
S i n c e h e w a s o l d e n o u g h t o k n ow, b i g b oy
D o i n g a m a n ’s wo r k , t h o u g h a c h i l d a t h e a r t —
T h e d o c t o r, w h e n h e c o m e s . D o n ’ t l e t h i m , s i s t e r ! ”
S o. B u t t h e h a n d w a s g o n e a l r e a d y.
______ 27 ______
T h e d o c t o r p u t h i m i n t h e d a r k o f e t h e r.
H e l ay a n d p u f fe d h i s l i p s o u t w i t h h i s b r e a t h .
A n d t h e n —t h e wa t c h e r a t h is pul se took fr i ght. 30
N o o n e be lie ve d. Th e y lis t e n ed at hi s hear t.
Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.
N o m o re t o bu ild o n t h e re . And they, since they
Were not the one dead, tur ned to their affair s.
Critical Commentary: Out Out
1. Content
_______________________________________________________________
‘“Out, Out—”’ deals with the tr agic death of a young boy who dies as a
r e su l t o f c u t t in g h is h a n d u s ing a saw. T he poem opens w ith the sound
o f t h e s aw a s it ‘s narled and rattled i n the yard | And made dust and
d ro p p e d s t ov e - l e n g t h s t i c k s o f w o o d’. T h e du st th rown u p by th e saw is
swee t - s me llin g a n d, in t h e backgr ound, the sun i s setti ng over the ‘Five
m o u n t a i n ra n ge s’ of Ver mon t. T h e saw sets to its task with ease . T h e
day’s wor k ‘[is ] all but don e’. T h e n ar r ator in ter r u pts th e n ar r ative to
beseech them to give the boy a break from his wor k. This is the fir st
h i n t i n th e poem th at someth in g dreadf u l is abou t to h appen . H is sister
then ar r ives to tell the boy that his supper is ready. As if to prove that
i t u n de r s t o o d ‘w h a t s u p p e r m e a n t ’, the saw ‘ se e med to l e ap’ ou t at th e
boy ’s h an d. T h e boy’s h an d is taken by th e saw an d h is on ly reaction is
to offer a ‘ rueful laug h ’. H owever, owin g to h is age , th e boy is f u lly
aware of th e ser iou sn ess of h is situ ation . H e is, af ter all, a ‘ b i g b oy |
Doing a man’s work ’. The ar r ival of the doctor in line 28 br ings with it
the fir st hint that he may die . The doctor places the boy in the ‘ d a rk o f
e t h e r’. S lowly, th e boy’s h ear tbeat becomes f ain ter an d f ain ter u n til
______ 28 ______
there is ‘nothing’ and the boy is dead. The other s, ‘ since the y | We re no t
the one dead’ , get on with th e bu sin ess of livin g th eir lives.
2. Stylistic Features
_______________________________________________________________
O n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t fe a t u r e s o f ‘ “ O u t , O u t — ” ’ i s i t s t i t l e , w h i c h
c o n t a i n s a n a llu s io n t o o n e o f the most famous sol i l oquies i n all of
English literature. It alludes to a passage in “Macbeth” in which Macbeth
h a s j u s t b e e n t o l d o f h i s w i fe ’s d e a t h . T h e ke y m o m e n t i n t h i s s p e e c h i s
ar r ived at when Macbeth under scores the tr agic brevity of human life .
She s hould have di e d hereafter ;
T h ere woul d h ave been a ti me fo r su c h a wo rd.
To- morrow, and to -mo r row, and to -mo r row,
Cre e ps in t hi s pe tty pace fro m day to d ay,
To t he l a s t syl l able o f reco rd ed ti me;
A nd al l our ye ste rdays have lig h ted fo o ls
T h e wa y to dusty death. Out, o ut, br ief candle!
L ife ’s bu t a wal k i ng shadow, a po o r playe r,
T h at s t ru t s and fre ts his h o ur u po n th e sta ge ,
______ 29 ______
A nd t he n is he ard n o mo re . It is a ta le
Told by a n i d i o t, full o f so und a nd fu r y,
Si g n ifyi n g n othi ng .
I n t h i s se n s e , t h e t it le c a pt u res per fectly the ful l meaning of this poem.
By m e an s of th is allu sion , Frost n ot on ly rein forces th e emotion s
c o n t a i n ed in t h e po e m, bu t a l so helps to define its theme . T he theme of
‘“Out, Out—”’ is, of cour se , the uncer tainty and unpredictability of life .
T h e o pen in g of th e poem attempts to captu re th e sou n d of th e bu zz
s aw. I t r attles an d sn ar ls an d is made to sou n d men acin g. In order to
dr aw us into the nar r ative , Frost appeals to all of the senses. We can
fe e l th e breeze as it dr aws across sticks of wood an d th e scen t of th e
c u t wo od assails ou r sen se of smell. An oth er ef fective featu re of th e
po e m i s th e man n er in wh ich th e saw is per son ified. By givin g th e saw
h u m an attr ibu tes, Frost in creases th e emotion al impact of th e poem. T h e
boy doesn’t drop the saw, it ‘ l e ap[ s] o ut at [ his] hand ’. T h is makes th e
saw see m a g g re s s ive a n d t h e boy, in tur n, i s made to seem an innocent
victim of this aggression. In a similar fashion, Frost makes use of
m e t onymy (t h e u s e o f s o mething cl osely r elated i n pl ace of the thi ng
actually meant) when he descr ibes the injured boy holding up his cut
h a n d : ‘a s i f t o ke e p | T h e l i fe f ro m s p i l l i n g’. H ere , th e poet liter ally mean s
to keep the blood from spilling, but by substituting the word ‘ life’ for
bl o o d, th e poem gain s in clar ity, force an d emotion al in ten sity. T h is
e m o t i o n a l in t e n s it y is mir ro r ed i n the poem’s constr ucti on. ‘“O ut, O ut
— ” ’ i s a n ar r ative in blan k ver se , con tain ed with in a con tinu ou s
s tr u c tu re . T h ere are n o stan zas an d n o physical breaks in th e poem. By
n o t s tr u ctu r in g th e poem in a for mal man n er, Frost does n ot attempt to
c o n fi n e th e emotion al respo n se of th e reader. Fin ally, wh ile th e poem
pr ovo kes an emotion al respon se in its reader s, its ton e is at all times
i m p e r so n a l. Th e n a r r a t o r s imply r el ates the tr uth of the boy’s accident
and death in a str aightforward manner. It is left to us to respond
e m o t i o n a lly t o t h e e ve n t de s cr i bed.
______ 30 ______
Poetry Versus Prose
H av i n g r e a d a n d s t u d i e d t h i s p o e m , c o n s i d e r h ow t h e l a n g u a g e o f
poetr y differ s from the ordinar y prose . This is the news stor y that
i n sp i r ed Fro s t ’s po e m.
T h e March 31, 1910, edition of T h e L ittleton Cou r ier of L ittleton , New
H a m p s h i r e , c a r r i e d t h e fo l l ow i n g s t o r y :
R ay m o n d Tr a c y F i t z g e r a l d , o n e o f t h e t w i n s o n s o f M i c h a e l G . A n d
Mar garet Fitzger ald of Bethlehem, died at his home Thur sday after noon,
Mar c h 24, as a resu lt of an acciden t by wh ich on e of h is h an ds was
badly hur t in a sawing machine . The young man was assisting in sawing
u p s o m e wo o d i n h i s ow n d o o r ya r d w i t h a s aw i n g m a c h i n e a n d
ac c i de n tally h it th e loose pu lley, cau sin g th e saw to descen d u pon h is
h an d, c u ttin g an d lacer atin g i t badly. R aymon d was taken in to th e h ou se
an d a physician was immediately su mmon ed, bu t h e died ver y su dden ly
f r o m t h e e f fe c t s o f t h e s h o c k , w h i c h p r o d u c e d h e a r t f a i l u r e [ … ] M a r c h
31, 1910.
______ 31 ______

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