View a FREE sample

1. Describe the form of "The Gift Outright."

Frost's poem is 16 lines in a single stanza. The lines are written in loose blank verse, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter.

2. Explain the poem's title.

The speaker claims that the colonists had to give themselves like a gift to the land they were living on. Thus, the colonists--and by extension, the American people--are the "Gift Outright."

3. To whom is it implied the pronouns "our" and "we" refer in this poem?

The speaker is likely referring to Americans, both past and present. This group includes the colonists, as well, even though they were not technically "Americans," as the country had not yet been created.

4. Explain the synecdoche in line 4, "In Massachusetts, in Virginia."

The speaker cites Massachusetts and Virginia specifically, but what he is really referring to is the land occupied by all 13 colonies. Using a part (two specific colonies) to refer to the whole (all of the colonies) is an example of synecdoche.

(read all 60 Short Essay Questions and Answers)

This section contains 354 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample