My November Guest

1. My November Guest By: Robert Frost Apoorva Trivedi

2. Significant Biographical Data Robert L. Frost: March 26, 1874 – January 29 1963 Often used themes involving rural life in New England (Born in CA, but after 11 yrs moved to NE area) Won 4(four) Pulitzer Prizes First poem was “My Butterfly: An Elegy”

3. And now I will read My Sorrow, when she’s here with me,    Thinks these dark days of autumn rainAre beautiful as days can be;She loves the bare, the withered tree;    She walks the sodden pasture lane. Her pleasure will not let me stay.    She talks and I am fain to list:She’s glad the birds are gone away,She’s glad her simple worsted gray    Is silver now with clinging mist.

4. …the poem continued . The desolate, deserted trees,    The faded earth, the heavy sky,The beauties she so truly sees,She thinks I have no eye for these,    And vexes me for reason why. Not yesterday I learned to know    The love of bare November daysBefore the coming of the snow,But it were vain to tell her so,    And they are better for her praise. --Robert Frost

5. I will now select a classmate to read for us. • My Sorrow, when she’s here with me,    Thinks these dark days of autumn rainAre beautiful as days can be;She loves the bare, the withered tree;    She walks the sodden pasture lane. • Her pleasure will not let me stay.    She talks and I am fain to list:She’s glad the birds are gone away,She’s glad her simple worsted gray    Is silver now with clinging mist. • The desolate, deserted trees,    The faded earth, the heavy sky,The beauties she so truly sees,She thinks I have no eye for these,    And vexes me for reason why. • Not yesterday I learned to know    The love of bare November daysBefore the coming of the snow,But it were vain to tell her so,    And they are better for her praise. • --Robert Frost

6. The Poem’s Speaker The speaker is the author He expresses the setting of the poem He allows readers to unknowingly infer that he dislikes “November Days” but it becomes evident at the conclusion that either he has become accustomed to the environment or he simply has learned to enjoy these days. • It coincides with his particular upbringing • His move from CA may trigger a thought that he is unaccustomed to the weather, however, this is incorrect.

7. Attitude toward subjects • The subjects are: 1) Sorrow as an uninvited guest 2) November days • 1) The author enjoys feeling secret and mysterious to Sorrow. • 2) Initially, the transition from an equatorial region to a northeastern one probably proved to be challenging, but the author enjoys these days now.

8. An Unusual analysis • The ending is key to the story; it is the denoument of the story • Sorrow’s misconception is that the November Days are associated with her and are therefore inherently intertwined together with her • Her misconception arises from this and is linked to the surprise ending when the author enjoys the days, yet does not tell Sorrow because he feels it is fruitless to do so. (to connect an intrinsically evil natured emotion to emotions that invoke happiness)

9. Literary Devices - Organization • Frequently uses brachylogy; is deceiving because it tricks readers into believing the poem is open • Deceivingly uses chiaroscuro; contrasts the dark days of November • Uses technopaegnion; cleverness in the ending • Iambic tetrameter and four stanzas

10. Specific Organization where Sorrow is introduced The unraveling of the truth • Lines 1-13: Sorrow is introduced • The atmosphere is effectively captured • The reader assumes many things • Lines 13-20 • The author conveys his opposing ideals • Surprise – adds to effect • Fits into his upbringing; describes his adaptation and liking of the November Days

11. Imagery Sorrow- personification of a human emotion and is used to associate weather with the emotion itself. Sorrow questions why the author does not enjoy the weather and nature. Weather- imagery here resides around detailed description of the negative effects of pre-winter conditions. It builds the outlook of the reader and disposes the reader to negative emotions regarding this weather and as a result, the reader expects the same from the author.

12. Diction and Syntax • Colloquial standard -consistent • When words like “vexed” appear, they draw attention to the reader • Other divergences occur to preserve rhyme scheme of abaab • vain- important to understand the meaning behind this word refers to fruitless, or not able to achieve the desireable outcome. (rather than arrogant, etc.)

13. Diction and Syntax continued • The conditions described are excellent • They are based on close observation; perhaps through living through these conditions, the author has started to enjoy the weather • The adjectives used are accurate

14. Conclusions This poem begins with the introduction of Sorrow. It is key that Sorrow arrives during November. Furthermore, the author describes the bleak conditions New England faces with clear, precise word choice. The reader can be easily misled into believing that the author does not enjoy the conditions. The second section tells the readers otherwise. It furthermore explains that perhaps the author adapted over time to the weather and even has been enjoying it for a long time. He ends by stating that it would be useless to tell Sorrow this because she would not understand.