Background: The word explication comes from the Latin, explicatus, which means "unfolded." So, in a sense, to explicate something is to unfold its various parts that have folded together by the poet, a perspective that implies one is exploring not only the what of the poem but also, and perhaps most importantly, the why. One might also consider the analogy of looking at a poem as if one were holding up a magnifying glass to it- what many scholars refer to as a close reading. As we have already discussed, poetry is often steeped in ambiguity and, as a result, a poem has many possible interpretations; however, this does not mean that a poem can simply mean whatever you wish to make it mean. As we discussed in class, before one can make the "figurative leap," one must begin with the language of the poem; in other words, whatever interpretation you wish to explore must come first and foremost from the actual text of the poem- and, as one explicates a poem, one must explore that text and use one's analysis of it to support that exploration. Leave no part of the poem unexplained ...

An explication is part interpretation, port analysis, and port explanation. Focus on the language of the poem!!

Task: Explicate one of the following Robert Frost poems: "Design," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," or "The Road Not Taken". Note: You cannot write about "Nothing Gold Can Stay" or "Fire and Ice."

To Prepare: To help you better prepare for the essay, I want you, before you begin, to print out a copy of the poem you are writing about and then, in the margins, summarize, word for word, what the poet is describing/discussing. I'd also like you to write down your initial reflections and analyses about what you might infer from the language of the poem. This way, before you begin writing, you will have engaged the poem closely enough to provide you with enough material to shape your initial writing direction. Note: your writing task will be much easier if you take the time to read the poem many times so that you will be very familiar with what happens in it.

What Should I Be Explicating? In general, when explicating, one explores the text of the poem- specifically such things as the poet's use of metaphor, simile, symbols, personification, paradox, hyperbole, imagery, form/structure, and music (alliteration, assonance, consonance, end rhyme, internal rhyme). Keep in mind, however, that one does not need to cover all of these things (nor does each poem utilize every one of these devices). It is not your job to offer a shopping list of every figurative or musical device in a poem but, instead, to closely examine those that are most relevant to the poem. I do not, for example, want you to write something like the following:

In the poem "Design," Robert Frost uses a variation of the Italian sonnet form. The poem has the following rhyme scheme: ABBAABBA CDCCDD. Frost uses personification and symbols as well as similes. In the first eight lines of the sonnet, what is called an octave, Frost tells the reader about a white spider on a white heal-all that he encounters. In the last six lines, which are called a sestet, Frost asks several questions.

Each "item" on this list is most certainly relevant, but instead of just listing items, you need to explore each facet on its own and show your reader its relevance. For example, the discussion of the sonnet form is very useful if you are demonstrating how the poet uses the conventions of that structure to explore (a) the questions theme brought up in the poem and/or (b) how the poet addresses them.

Audience: When writing about a poem, many students struggle with choosing what to say and what not to say and what to cover in the poem and what not to cover. One can reduce the difficulties of such choices by considering who the audience for one's paper will be. For our purposes, I want you to write as if you are writing to your fellow classmates- which means that you will be writing for an audience who is familiar with the poem. DO NOT USE "I" OR "YOU" FOR THIS ESSAY.

Structure: You do not need a formal introduction. You do not need a thesis statement placed at the beginning of your essay. Either begin by offering a general summary of the poem's theme and then body paragraphs that explicate all of the lines and literary devices- or just jump right in and explicate the poem. State your thesis (what you think the poem "means") in your conclusion. This way you will have argued towards your conclusion / thesis.

Citation: Since you will be writing about a single poem- and you will be providing the title of the poem and the author's name in your introduction- you only need to cite the line number each time you quote from the poem you have chosen to explicate.