Choose one of the following three poems, and write an explication of the poem's theme(s) as you understand them.
Robert Frost: "The Road Not Taken" (540)
Robert Frost: "Mending Wall" (539)
Langston Hughes: "Theme for English B" (552)
An explication is an analysis of how a poem creates meaning. Unlike an analysis of a work of fiction, which focuses primarily on incident (i e. "what happens"), an explication is "a line-by-line commentary on what is going on in a text" (Barnet et al 55). It focuses on "the implication of words...the function of rhymes...the development of contrasts," and the form which the poem takes. In your analysis you should emphasize "how the details make the meaning," in other words. Consult the checklist for "Drafting an Explication" on page 60 for further direction.
You will have two full class periods to write this open-book essay. You can bring a one- page outline with you from which to write, and print outs of any source material you plan to use in the exam. This is your chance to tell other readers what meaning you think the poet is trying to convey, or what meaning you take away from the poem. Convince your audience by providing concrete details from the poem in question. Based on which poem you choose, you should write a 5-6 paragraph analysis of 3-5 handwritten pages in length.