Bereft MSL Sample Responses
For this MSL, you had to accomplish four things:
1. State the theme or main idea of the poem in your paper.
2. Quote individual word choice (DICTION) that revealed the theme and explain those words.
3. Quote an example of figurative language from the poem (Similes, Metaphors, Personification).
4. Explain how the figurative language helped to create the tone.
Here are three good models and what they do well.
Model #1
In the poem, the writer’s word choice and figurative language convey the meaning of “Bereft.”
While reading, the reader gets a sense of tone due to the writer’s word choice. Words such as “alone,” “sagging,”
“somber,” and “sinister” show us this poem has more of a gloomy meaning rather than joyous. We can assume that
bereft itself probably doesn’t mean anything good.
Within the poem, the author also uses metaphors. A lion roaring is compared to the wind, and leaves hissing and
coiled are compared to a snake. The use of figurative language hints to us that bereft likely has a darker meaning;
after all, you wouldn’t assume a roaring lion and a hissing snake are up to any good.
Model 2
The writer’s choice of words conveys the meaning of “Bereft.” The writer uses words like “somber,” “restive,”
and “alone.” These words show a sorrowful state and suggestive the speaker is uneasy (restive) or lonely (alone).
The writer also uses figurative language to get his point across. He uses, “Leaves got up in a coil and hissed” as a
metaphor to a snake. This conveys a feeling of being bereft because snakes are dangerous and sometimes take away
one’s life, which is saddening.
Robert Frost also uses another metaphor to a lion, writing “where had I heard this wind before change like this to
a deeper roar?” He is also ending this with a question, which shows his uncertainty.
Model 3
The writer of “Bereft” uses specific words and some figurative language to convey the meaning of the poem.
Words like “change” and “restive” show the speaker’s sense of uncertainty about the situation. Additionally, he talks
about being “alone” and “having no one left but God,” showing his undesired solitude.
In lines 1-2, the wind is compared to a lion’s roar, and lines 9-10 compare leaves to a hissing snake. The two
animals used as comparisons are apparently agitated and ready to kill the speaker. Everything seems dangerous to
him, which again shows his uncertainty and anxiety towards his life at the moment.
The diction and figurative language make it obvious that “Bereft” is about a man’s loneliness. He is not quite sure
why he’s alone or how long he will be alone for this time.