Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING
A PowerPoint presentation by Robert Frost
PROJECT GOALS:
- To watch woods fill up with snow.
- To do so without being observed.
- To steal some time from other projects.
- To stay mindful of other projects, however.
RISKS OF PROJECT:
- Could get caught by owner of woods.
- Could cause disorientation in horse.
PROBABILITY OF DISCOVERY:
- Identity of owner not 100 percent sure.
- Likeliest candidate lives in village.
- Cannot rule out other owner or owners, or recent real estate sale.
- Would be wise to be ready to start up sleigh.
STATUS OF HORSE:
- Likely disoriented by unplanned stoppage.
- Additional reasons for disorientation:
- No farmhouse near
- Only woods and frozen lake nearby
- Darkest evening of the year
- Horse shows uneasiness by shaking bells.
STATUS OF WOODS:
- Lovely; dark; deep
- Largely silent, though wind and snow flurries are slightly audible
LIMITATIONS ON PROJECT:
- Strictly short-term
- Other commitments have priority
- Also need to sleep
- Commitments involve miles of travel.
- Travel has precedence over sleep.
Close of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech:
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low . . . and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. . . .This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope . . . we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood . . . we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire . . . the mighty mountains of New York . . . the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania . . . the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado . . . the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia . . . from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee . . . from every hill . . . of Mississippi! From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
When we let freedom ring . . . from every village and every hamlet . . . every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at Last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
I HAVE A DREAM
A PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
SOME OF MY DREAMS:
- We achieve a level playing field.
- The glory of the Lord becomes visible.
STRATEGY FOR REALIZING DREAMS:
- Must rely on faith.
- Must stick together.
- Need to pray a lot.
- May have to go to jail.
- Must use catch phrase, "Let Freedom Ring."
(Cut to MP3 track of "My Country 'Tis of Thee")
EXPECTATIONS:
- Freedom rings in a broad range of places.
- Will speed day of racial and religious harmony.
- Day will include a sing-a-long.
- Singers: Black men, white men, Jews, Gentiles, Protestants, Catholics.
- Song of choice: old Negro spiritual.
- Song's inspirational tagline:
- "Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."