Listen to the letter (given under in this lesson) read out by your teacher/on the audio tape. As you listen fill in the table given below:

The writer apologizes (says sorry) because
The writer has sent this to the reader
The writer sent it in the month of
The reason for not writing earlier
Sarah goes to
Who is writing to whom
Where and when were they last together?

Metaphors

The word ‘Metaphor’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘transfer’.

Metaphors compare two different things or ideas.

• the leg of the table: The leg supports our body. So, the object that supports a table is described as a leg.

• the heart of the city: The heart is an important organ in the center of our body. So, this word is used to describe the central area of a city.

Some more examples of metaphors:

1. Life is a dream.

2. Rana Pratap was the lion of India.

3. I am the star of my family.

In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared.

One has been done for you.

Have you ever been in great difficulty, and felt that only a miracle could help you? How was your problem solved? Speak about this in class with your teacher.

What is a ‘dust of snow’? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?

How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.

(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?

(ii) Again, what is ‘a hemlock tree? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple or an oak, or a pine?

(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent-joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crew shakes off a hemlock tree stands for?