Narvasa, Juvy B.
22 - BSA – 01
ACTIVITY 2&3: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LITERARY PIECES
ACTIVITY 2: Choose one poem and one short story, and identify all the elements.
Poem: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
Whose / woods / these / are / I / think / I / know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
A
A
B
A
STANZA
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Elements:
 Stanza - The poem is composed of four quatrains, with each stanza consisting of four lines.
 Rhyme Scheme - The rhyme scheme is AABA, BBCB, CCDC, DDDD. The second and fourth lines of each
stanza rhyme with each other, creating a sense of continuity and musicality.
 Meter - The poem predominantly follows iambic tetrameter, with four iambs (unstressed syllable followed
by a stressed syllable) per line. This rhythmic pattern contributes to the poem's steady and reflective tone.
 Imagery - Frost employs vivid imagery to depict the scene of snowy woods and a solitary traveler. Phrases
like "woods fill up with snow," "frozen lake," and "easy wind and downy flake" evoke a serene winter
landscape, inviting the reader to visualize the setting.
 Theme - The poem explores themes of solitude, contemplation, and the passage of time. The speaker's
pause in the tranquil woods on a snowy evening reflects a moment of introspection and appreciation of
nature's beauty, but ultimately, duty and responsibilities compel the speaker to continue their journey.
 Figurative Speech - Frost uses figurative language, such as personification and metaphor, to enrich the
poem. The woods are personified as silent observers, and the speaker's horse is given human-like qualities,
reflecting the speaker's contemplative state of mind. Additionally, the woods serve as a metaphor for the
unknown and the mysteries of life.
 Symbol - The snowy woods symbolize a moment of respite and reflection amid life's journey. They
represent a place of solitude and beauty, where one can pause to appreciate the present moment. However,
they also symbolize the unknown and the depths of the human psyche, hinting at the complexities of
existence and the passage of time.
Short Story: "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
Elements:
 Plot - The plot centers on the narrator's descent into madness and their obsession with the old man's eye,
ultimately leading to murder and its aftermath.
 Exposition The narrator, who suffers from an acute sensitivity to the eye of an old man with whom they reside,
introduces themselves as a rational and sane individual. They express a growing obsession with the
old man's pale blue eye, which they describe as resembling that of a vulture. Despite their assertion of
sanity, the narrator's behavior becomes increasingly erratic as they fixate on the eye, culminating in a
decision to commit murder to rid themselves of its unsettling gaze.
 Rising Action As the tension mounts, the narrator meticulously plans the murder, obsessively observing the old
man's nightly routine and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Their paranoia intensifies, and
they become convinced that the old man can sense their intentions. Despite their efforts to maintain
composure, the narrator's mental state deteriorates, leading to moments of intense anxiety and
agitation.
 Climax:
The climax occurs when the narrator, unable to withstand the sight of the old man's eye any longer,
resolves to carry out the murder. In a fit of madness, they enter the old man's room while he sleeps
and suffocate him with a heavy mattress. This pivotal moment marks the peak of the narrator's
descent into madness and sets the stage for the story's resolution.
 Falling Action:
Following the murder, the narrator dismembers the old man's body and conceals the remains beneath
the floorboards. Despite their efforts to cover up the crime, the narrator's guilt manifests in the form
of auditory hallucinations, as they become convinced that they can hear the old man's heart beating
beneath the floor. The tension gradually diminishes as the narrator's paranoia escalates and they
ultimately confess to the murder.
 Resolution:
The story concludes with the narrator's confession to the murder and subsequent arrest, revealing
the extent of their madness and the consequences of their actions.
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Point of View - First-person narration
Setting - The story is set in the home of the narrator and the old man, with the action primarily taking place
in the old man's bedroom.
Characters: - the main character is the unnamed narrator, whose first-person narration provides insight
into their disturbed psyche. The old man serves as the object of the narrator's obsession and eventual
victim.
Theme - Themes of guilt, paranoia, and the nature of sanity are central to the story, as the narrator grapples
with the consequences of their actions and the boundaries of their own morality.
Conflict - The main conflict arises from the narrator's internal struggle between their desire to prove their
sanity and their guilt over the murder of the old man.
Imagery - Poe uses vivid imagery to create a sense of unease and foreboding throughout the story,
particularly in descriptions of the old man's eye and the narrator's surroundings.
Symbolism - The old man's pale blue eye symbolizes the narrator's guilt and inner turmoil, serving as a
physical manifestation of their subconscious fears and anxieties.
Mood/Tone - The mood of the story is dark, ominous, and psychologically intense, as Poe explores the
depths of human madness and the fragility of the human mind.
Style - Poe's writing style is characterized by its emphasis on mood, atmosphere, and psychological depth,
as he immerses readers in the narrator's disturbed psyche through intricate narrative techniques and vivid
imagery.
ACTIVITY 3: Identify the differences among the following: Formalism, Feminism, Marxism, and Post Colonialism.
FORMALISM
FEMINISM
MARXISM
POST-COLONIALISM
Formalism is a literary
Feminism refers to a
Marxism is a
Post-Colonialism is a
theory that prioritizes the broad range of social,
philosophical, economic,
critical theory that
analysis of a text's formal political, and intellectual
and political theory
investigates the cultural,
components, such as
movements and
developed by Karl Marx
political, and economic
structure, style, and
philosophies that
and Friedrich Engels. It
consequences of
language, over external
advocate for gender
focuses on the analysis of colonialism and
variables such as the
equality, women's rights,
class relations, economic
imperialism. It analyzes
author's biography or
and the abolition of
systems, and the
power dynamics between
historical context.
patriarchal structures and exploitation of the
colonizers and the
Formalists believe a
discrimination against
working class by the
colonized, how the
literary work's meaning
women. Feminist literary capitalist system. Marxist colonized are represented
and worth come only
criticism studies how
literary criticism explores in literature and culture,
from its internal qualities. literature either supports how literature reflects
and the impact of
They study literature as
or questions gender roles social and economic
colonialism on former
an independent object.
and power differences. It
power, class struggles,
colonies. Post-colonial
also examines how
and ruling class ideology.
literary criticism
women are portrayed in
deconstructs colonial
texts.
narratives and
investigates themes of
identity, resistance, and
mixed culture.