The document outlines a 3 part process for analyzing poetry: 1) Write a summary paragraph that chronologically summarizes the content and events of the poem. 2) Analyze the tone of the poem by identifying shifts in tone and how the author creates different tones through language. 3) Discuss the theme and meaning of the poem. It provides a sample summary and tone analysis of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" to demonstrate this process.

1. Poetry Analysis
3 Part Process

2. Summary Paragraph
 The first paragraph of your poetry analysis
essays will be a summary of the content of the
poem.
 Format:
 Chronological
 Focus on Author (Power Verbs)
 Transitions

3. Sample – Stopping By Woods on a
Snowy Evening
 Topic Sentence:
 In “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,”
Robert Frost relates an event involving a traveler
through the woods on a snowy evening.
Title and Author’s name
Basic event of the poem

4. Sample - Continued
 1st Stanza
 In the first stanza, the speaker reveals that he
believes that he knows whose woods these are, but
he is not worried about stopping to watch the snow
because the owner of the house actually lives in
the village.

5. Sample - Continued
 2nd Stanza
 In stanza two, the focus shifts to the speaker’s
horse. The speaker believes his horse probably
thinks he is strange to be stopping because there is
no farmhouse. Further, there is only a frozen lake
and it is the darkest evening of the year or the
winter solstice.

6. Sample - Continued
 3rd Stanza
 In the third stanza, the horse seems to get impatient
as he shakes his harness bells almost as if he is
asking a question. The only other sounds that
speaker hears are the sound of wind and snow
falling

7. Sample - Continued
 4th Stanza
 At this point, in the final stanza, the speaker reflects on the
woods. He states that the woods are both “lovely” but also
“dark and deep.” He seems to want to stay there and enter
the woods, but then says he has “promises to keep.” He
does not elaborate on the promises that he has to keep, but
he does say he also has “miles to go before I sleep.” This
line is obviously important to the poem because it is
repeated a second time.

8. Tone Paragraph
 The tone paragraph
 Is written chronologically
 Identifies the different tones in the poem
 Explains to the reader HOW the author creates
these tones
 Identifies where the tone shifts and HOW it shifts
 MUST include direct quotes from the poem.

9. Sample Tone Paragraph – Stopping
By Woods on a Snowy Evening
 Topic Sentence:
 MUST include the word “tone” in this sentence.
 The tone in “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy
Evening” is set in the first stanza through the
images and sounds created by the author.

10. Sample - Continued
 The alliteration of “h” creates a soft and
soothing sound throughout this stanza that
leads to a calm or soothing tone.
 HOW – alliteration of “h”
 WHY – creates a soft and soothing sound

11. Sample - Continued
 Frost further develops this tone with the image of the
speaker watching the “woods fill up with snow.” Since the
speaker can stop to watch the snow, he is not rushed thus
the feeling of calm continues. The snow blanketing the
woods in white also transforms a place that usually is
associated with darkness and fear into something
beautiful.
 HOW - the image of the speaker watching the “woods fill up
with snow.”
 WHY - Since the speaker can stop to watch the snow, he is not
rushed thus the feeling of calm continues
 WHY - snow blanketing the woods in white also transforms a
place that usually is associated with darkness and fear into
something beautiful

12. Sample Continued
 The tone shifts in stanza two when the speaker’s
awareness of the horse is revealed through
personification. The horse thinks (a human ability)
that this situation is strange. By placing the horse on
the same level as the speaker, the speaker must
acknowledge that the situation may actually be
strange and a feeling of anxiety or questioning
develops.
 HOW - the speaker’s awareness of the horse is revealed
through personification
 WHY - By placing the horse on the same level as the
speaker, the speaker must acknowledge that the situation
may actually be strange and a feeling of anxiety or
questioning develops.

13. Sample Continued
 That tone of anxiety or nervousness heightens
when the images of the “woods,” “frozen
lake,” and “darkest evening of the year”
appear. Unlike the transforming snow in
stanza one, these images of the words and
winter are not comforting, but foreboding.
 HOW - the images of the “woods,” “frozen lake,”
and “darkest evening of the year” appear.
 WHY - these images of the words and winter are
not comforting, but foreboding.

14. Sample - Continued
 This tone continues into the third stanza with
the metaphor of the harness bells to a
questioning voice. Bells traditionally
symbolize a reminder of obligation. Because
this symbol of obligation is combined with
questioning if there is a mistake, the anxious
tone continues.
 HOW - the metaphor of the harness bells to a
questioning voice
 WHY - Because this symbol of obligation is
combined with questioning if there is a mistake,
the anxious tone continues.

15. Sample Continued
 In the last two lines of this stanza, the tone shifts
again with the alliteration of “s” and the images of
“easy wind” and “downy flake.” The soothing sound
of “s” and the choice of “easy” to describe the wind
as well as “downy” to describe the snow create a
comforting tone as if a soft blanket has been wrapped
around the speaker and the scene.
 HOW - the alliteration of “s” and the images of “easy
wind” and “downy flake.”
 WHY - The soothing sound of “s”
the snow create a comforting tone as if a soft
blanket has been wrapped around the speaker and
the scene.

16. Sample - Continued
 At this point the speaker meditates on the
woods as if they are inviting or tempting when
he calls them “lovely, dark and deep.”
 HOW - “lovely, dark and deep.”
 WHY - the speaker meditates on the woods as if
they are inviting or tempting

17. Sample Continued
 This new tone of desire, however, is soon replaced
with a reminder of obligations with the “promises to
keep” and the repetition of the final two lines, “And
miles to go before I sleep.” The repetition of the lines
indicates how important it is, thus there is a tone of
both disappointment at having to leave the woods but
also a tone of acceptance of his obligations.
 HOW - reminder of obligations with the “promises to
keep” and the repetition of the final two lines, “And miles
to go before I sleep.”
 WHY - The repetition of the lines indicates how important
it is, thus there is a tone of both disappointment at having
to leave the woods but also a tone of acceptance of his
obligations.