1. Birches
By Robert Frost

2. What the heck does it mean?
Man walking through the woods and sees trees with ice
Imagines little kid swinging on the branches
Makes him want to escape and swing on the trees

3. Themes Live life on edge because life is short.
Things never stay the same
Life is full of risks
Its up to you if you want to live or not

4. Structure Blank verse Iambic pentameter
Doesn’t follow any regular style
Is awkward in style

5. Symbolism Boy- is just imaginary and a younger version of himself
Tree- is a symbol of life
Snow- hard times in life

6. Tone
Negative
Melencholy
Sad
Yet light

7. Diction The poem first starts off negative Ice storms Winter Broke
Down
Pains
Fallen
Dragged
Straighter
Sunny
Truth
Summer
Conquer
Love
Heaven

8. Words to know!!! Brim- the edge or over flow
Subdued- is to conquer or to bring under control
Crazes- drive insane
Enamel- a coating on metal
Weary- tired and exhausted
Bracken- a wide spread weedy fern

9. Line 3: The speaker imagines a boy has bent some birches out of shape.
Lines 23-27: The imaginary boy lives in a "pastoral" world, meaning that he is closely tied with animals and spends most of his time happily playing in nature.
Lines 28-32: The boy is also a metaphor for the rugged, American individual. He has struck out into the land that is his by birthright and conquered anything there was to conquer. This individual often stands as a metonymy for America's Manifest Destiny towards the continent (and world).
Lines 33-40: The boy learns moderation and sensitivity towards his natural environment. His mastery of nature does not create a large "footprint."

10. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

11. Bio
Robert Frost
March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963

12. Born in San Francisco
William Prescot Frost and Isabella Moodie
Raised in a city but loved rural life
Dad died when he was 11
Mom died of breast cancer
Life filled with tragedy

13. Started writing poetry in high school
At first his poems were about city life and loss
Later they became more in touch with nature
Became teacher in 1911

15. Quiz Where was Robert Frost born? What year did he become a teacher?
What’s the meter of the poem?
Name two of the themes.
What is the rhyme scheme?
What did the poem mean to the poet?
What is the meaning of the whole poem?
List some negative words.
What did the boy in the poem symbolize?
What did the tree symbolize?