SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR ESSAY #2
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
“Harlem”
1. Why is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost so often taught and interpreted incorrectly? What is the correct interpretation, and what is the incorrect one most people associate with the poem?
2. What (if any) is the significance of religion in Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “The Road Not Taken,” or both?
3. What role does the speaker (narrator) play in Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “The Road Not Taken,” or both?
4. Is the speaker (narrator) in Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost thinking about his own death? Is he contemplating suicide? Why or why not?
5. What is the significance of nature in Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “The Road Not Taken,” or both?
6. What role does punctuation play in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost? How about verb tense?
7. What is the importance of verbal irony in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke?
8. How does Roethke create tension through ambiguity in “My Papa’s Waltz”?
“My Papa’s Waltz”
“cream of wheat”
“Trifles”
9. How is alliteration used to intensify the ambiguity of the scene being described in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke?
10. While the vast majority of critics would agree that Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is riddled with irony, could they be wrong?
11. What is the role of metaphor and simile in “Harlem” by Langston Hughes?
12. What is the significance of the Hughes’s use of italics in “Harlem.”
13. How does Hughes use imagery to convey his theme in “Harlem”?
14. Is race a theme in “Harlem” by Langston Hughes? Why or why not? Can the poem by read the same without considering race?
15. What is the significance of the title of “Harlem” by Langston Hughes?
16. Should race be considered when reading “cream of wheat” by Lucille Clifton? What role does it play?
17. What is the significance of names in Clifton’s “cream of wheat”?
18. How does Clifton explore the dehumanizing effects of commercialism in “cream of wheat”—in general, as it relates to race, or both?
19. Clifton uses symbolism throughout “cream of wheat.” What are some of these symbols? How are they significant?
20. Can comparisons be made between “Harlem” by Langston Hughes and “cream of wheat” by Lucille Clifton?
21. Can any significance be given to Clifton’s choice not to capitalize the title of “cream of wheat”? Why or why not?
22. Glaspell uses symbolism throughout “Trifles.” What is the symbolism of the canary? The quilt? The preserves?
23. As a play, “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is written to be performed. How does that affect the way it’s written and how the audience (should) read it?
24. Gender clearly is a major theme of “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell. Consider writing your essay exploring this theme as it relates to one or more of the following:
• Marriage
• The Judicial System
• The Obliviousness of Men
• Isolation
• Rural America
• The Time in Which the Play Is Set
