Bereft
Where had I heard this wind before
Change like this to a deeper roar?
What would it take my standing there for,
Holding open a restive door,
Looking down hill to a frothy shore?
Summer was past and the day was past.
Somber clouds in the west were massed.
Out on the porch's sagging floor,
Leaves got up in a coil and hissed,
Blindly striking at my knee and missed.
Something sinister in the tone
Told me my secret my be known:
Word I was in the house alone
Somehow must have gotten abroad,
Word I was in my life alone,
Word I had no one left but God.
5
10
15
Robert Frost
1. A good first step with a poem is to note any unknown words. Which words in the poem do you need definitions
for?
2. DICTION: List three to four individual words (and their line numbers) that are key to assessing the speaker’s
TONE.
3. Based upon those words, describe the TONE as you understand it at this point.
4. Sometimes the weather (SETTING) in a poem can mirror or explain the speaker’s TONE. What is the weather of
this poem, and what does it suggest about the speaker’s state of mind or TONE?
5. Seasons are often symbolic and significant in understanding tone. (We saw this in the poem “A Widow’s Lament
in Springtime.”) Why is it significant that “summer was past” (6)? How does this symbolically match the speaker’s
tone or state of mind?
FINDING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
6. Lines 1-2 are a metaphor. To what is the wind compared? How do you know?
7. Lines 9-10 are a metaphor. To what are the leaves compared? How do you know?
8. Are the two comparisons in this poem positive or negative? Serene or threatening? How do you know? (You can’t
just label them one or the other; you have to explain.)
Using the poem “Bereft,” how does the author’s choice of words and the figurative language impact the meaning
of the text? Include examples from the text in your answer.
Score 0
Score 1
Score 2
Score 3
Score 4
No response or the response does not address the prompt
Fulfills only 1 of 4 requirements of a level 4 performance.
Fulfills only 2 of 4 requirements of a level 4 performance
Fulfills 3 of 4 requirements of a level 4 performance
 Clearly and coherently identifies the meaning of the poem.
 Clearly offers examples of word choice and figurative language
 Supports answer with one relevant example from text
 Supports answer with another relevant example from the text.