ITALICIZED = WORD CHOICE OR OVERGENERALIZATION
Andy Wilson
January 20, 2014
AP English III
3rd Hour
Formal Analysis
Imagine this: You pull into your driveway after spending the day at work; open the door
to the house that you raised your kids in, where you’ve slept for the past 30 years, where you
proposed to your wife. You see that everything and everyone is gone, forgotten, abandoned.
The poem, “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser tells loosely a disheartening story about just
that; a family that, suddenly and unknowingly, deserts their home. The text advantageously
uses various literary techniques to portray its message, such as inference, imagery, diction, and
repetition. type of imagery? Diction? Be specific here…
The structure of this text is split into three stanzas. In each stanza, one clause of a
sentence states an appropriate inference, and is quickly followed by the next clause giving the
acquitted reason for why the inference is being made. For example, the text reads, “He was a
big man, says the size of his shoes/on a pile of broken dishes by the house”(1-2). In this excerpt
you can cleary see AF the structure previously described when it makes the claim, and then
follows it with why that claim is reasonable. This “claim-reason” structure doesn’t just describe
the farm and the house, but it gives the underlying reason for why such a thing I happening.
You can tell that “Something went wrong,” because of what “they [the inferences] say”(24),
and that helps tell the story better. This sentence structure is apparent throughout the entire
poem, until the very last line, when it says, “Somethine went wrong, they say”(24). In this
sentence, the inference is stated, but it does not give the image, or the reason why. This cut-off
section of the poem evokes a sense of mystery; what happens next?
This text is excellent in using imagery in conjunction with inferences to sum up its
essence and entirety. It tells its story and message purely through images; “a rusty tractor with
a broken plow”(23), “jars of plum reserves”(13), “the rags in the window frames”(15) are key
pictures that are quintessential to the “spirit” of the text. Each individual image the text offers
chronologically compile to eventually create the tone, HOWS SO?or better yet, the tone-shift.
This compilation of images connects seamlessly with the other strong literary aspects of the
text, like inference and diction. The imagery in this poem is important to the meaning because
it shows how and why “Something went wrong”(24) through the ominous images it illustrates.
HOW SO?
The choice of words and their placement used in the passage, and even the title, add
again to its entirety and meaning.<--TRUE OF ALL POEMS The word, “Abandoned” means to
give up completely, which when boldly placed in the title, brings an off-putting “tang” to the
encompassment of the poem. Words like, “scarce”(13), “cold”(15), “weed-choked”(18),
“nervous haste”(20), and “wrong”(17,24) as well bring with them negative and harsh
connotations. These words affect how the infered story plays out. The text hints two examples
of repetition, one being the untouched jars in the cellar, and another saying that the “Man”
wasn’t a farmer. Why are these in the poem? Repetition is used widely for emphasis, but it is
not used like that in this text. It seems as if it wasn’t used deliberately, but pleonastically. They
were included either to solidify the meaning HOW SO? the the passage, or for rhythmic
purposes. HOW SO?
All of these individual aspects combine to make the passage what it truly is. When
dissassembled, the usual literary terms can only mean one thing, but when put together in
literature, they can take the shape of whatever they please. The unique use of these devices
accurately tell this story. In “Abandoned Farmhouse,” its almost rhythmic “inference-to-image”
structure, and its diction allow it to be what it accurately is.
STRONG FIRST PARAGRAPH OF ANALYSIS. COMPARE HOW SPECIFIC WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IN
THIS PARAGRAPH IS TO SOME OF YOUR MORE (OVER) GENERAL CLAIMS ABOUT WHAT OTHER
PARTS OF THE POEM ARE DOING. DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE. IF YOU CAN BE MORE SPECIFIC
ABOUT WHAT THESE OTHER PARTS OF THE POEM ARE DOING YOU’LL HAVE A VERY STRONG
ANALYSIS. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF REACHING FOR THE BIG WORDS OR BROAD CLAIMS, BACK
OFF AND KEEP IT SIMPLE. FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH IS IDEAL FORMALIST CRITICISM.