...“Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever” (Keri Russell). The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, published 1916, depicts the narrator at a fork in the road, having a bit of a difficult time trying to choose which road to take. In the end he takes the one “less traveled by”. The essay will have points mainly about the hidden meaning behind the allegorical poem. Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is an allegorical poem, and has extended metaphor throughout the story. The poem is shown to be allegorical, and is misunderstood by readers all the time, as they don’t understand the actual meaning behind the poem. In actuality, neither of the roads in the poem are less traveled by. The narrator proves this when he says “And both that morning equally lay / In leaves no step had trodden black” (Lines 11-12). Meaning that...
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...like the decision to get your homework done now or put it off until later, with the possibility of it being late or falling behind. We all face the decision on which path(s) to choose in life. Robert Frost’s 1916 poem “The Road Not Taken” demonstrates how the poet emphasizes ambiguity, which is “the use of language that has more than one meaning, creating uncertainty about how to interpret what has been stated,” (Clugston, 2010) that is associated with life choices. He also uses a metaphor, which is “an image that imaginatively compares one thing with another, showing how each has qualities that resemble the other,” (Clugston, 2010) by comparing the two roads with life choices of right or wrong. This poem captured my interest because it represents the decisions people make every day and the after effect that these choices may have on one’s life. In this essay I will use the formalist approach, which is “most widely used in literary criticism; it focuses on the form and development of the literary work itself,” (Clugston, 2010) to better explain my analysis. The poem is made up of four stanzas that include five lines each and the rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAAB. Although this is a short poem that does not take away from the fact that it has powerful meaning. People may never know the true meaning behind Robert Frost’s famous poem, “The Road Not Taken” but we all have our own opinions, beliefs and interpretations. Stated in Washington Times, “In the 44 years since [Robert Frost]'s...
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...Make: Examining “A Road Not Taken” Aaron J. George 31 July 2011 English 102 OUTLINE I. Thesis Statement on A Road Not Taken A. Regret or satisfaction B. Choice and consequence II. Theory about the meaning behind the poem A. Second stanza B. Traveler and his options III. The setting of the poem A. Emotions experienced B. Unknown future IV. The title and its interpretation A. Simple or complex title B. Ulterior meanings of the title V. Making the choice A. Living with the choice you made B. Having the guts to choose The Road Not Taken is a simple, yet contrastingly complex, meaningful poem about a simple walk on an unsure road in the woods, which leads to places only the traveler will know as the choice unfolds. This is a poem told by the narrator, but based on the readers’ outlook on life. At first glance, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, is about a walk on a leaf-littered road in the fall woods, but it has a more significant meaning of how it feels to live with life’s certainty, uncertainty. The poem is celebrated as one of Frost’s masterpieces, created with a unique style, ironically, forcing the reader to make a choice as well, on the opinions created from each readers unique perspective. In the end, a sigh by the lone traveler could mean regret or it could mean satisfaction, which is up to the reader to define. The Road Not Taken has memorized readers...
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...Instructor: Corey King March 9, 2013 Short stories and poems are constructed differently but always each having their own meaning behind them. A number of the short stories of writers we know as novelists--in this country say Cheever, Paul Bowles, Helprin, Oates--are works of art finer than any of their novels. Sometimes a born short story writer tries to write novels and finally succeeds, as Katherine Anne Porter and Eudora Welty did. Every author puts their own underlying message behind them which they attempt to transport to the reader using their own style, characterization and rhythm which is essentially used for the purposes of the narrative. Every poem and short story is created to form ones imagination or personal experience. It is through their imagination that we are able to apply our own, in a way that all it takes is a few words from the poem or the story to allow us to see what the author was seeing at the moment of writing his/her work and even feel his/her emotion, creating a personal connection with the literature. We use our imagination to visualize what the author is portraying in his writing, but at the same time we apply our own imagination to look deeper into the symbolization and the descriptive language that is being used. “A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, are two literary pieces that share the same theme, in which each author applies their own writing style and the reader applies its...
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...Robert Frost’s “A Road Not Taken” and Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” both focus upon one set theme within each of their writings, that of journey. While these two writers have displayed the same theme there are two different viewpoints that the readers must clearly establish between Frost and Welty. Both of the authors have shown that the particular journey within their writings is one of which that life can have hurdles and hardships that must be dealt with and come to peace with. Both pieces of literature have different characters, context within historical means and symbolism to show each journey in their full light. Journey has a different meaning to each person that experiences it within their life. Many view a journey as a mode to travel to a destination forgets the meaning beyond each step that they have taken. While the focus is upon the destination, people neglect to recognize the whole process that they have undergone. The joy and thrill of voyage allows people to learn both negative and positive things of other cultures and people that one will meet. This allows the person upon the voyage to learn new experiences within life that will be useful throughout the whole of their lifetime. Going upon a journey allows one to broaden their thinking, concepts along with their ideals that can ultimately change whole individual. The theme of journey within literature was and is very well described by many authors and poets that have shown the different aspects of traveling...
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...the surface, but his observations have an edge of skeptics and irony, which the reader discovers upon reading several of his poems. His poems are never as old-fashioned, easy or carefree as they might appear on the surface. Though Frost used the uncomplicated language of the New England countryside, the complicated and darker themes of his poems do not appear on the surface. Nature comes into play in the first live of the poem “The Road Not Taken” when Frost introduces two separate paths in the woods, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both” (Frost, 1999/1916, line 1-2). He has to make a choice during his journey in the woods regarding, which path he should choose to be same and happy at the end but is not able to decide the right path on which he should travel. The disappointment of the speaker is “[he] could not travel on both [paths]” (Frost, 1999/1916, line 2). He knew that the possibilities of changing his decision later in life were very slim. Finally the speaker made the decision of traveling the road less traveled by and took the other path (Frost, 1999/1916). The speaker would say later in his life that the...
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... Reading a story, a poem, or a play introduces you to an imaginary world (Clugston, W.R. (2010). When reading literature we must enter the imaginary world; enter the world the author is creating. The story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty in 1941 and the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost in 1916 both use the theme of journey to symbolize life decisions. One speaks of a “Path” the other a “Road” the theme that each of these writings share is presented differently throughout the piece of literature. These two pieces of literature symbolize a journey, through using content, form, style, symbolism and imagination, although used differently in many ways they both are symbolizing a journey through life. The theme in a story is a representation of the idea behind the story (Clugston, W.R.(2010). In the pieces of literature I have chosen, the theme is speaking of journeys, one journey for love and the other life, but both having to make life decisions. The authors took different approaches in showing the reader the journey, the life decisions that had to be made. Both works have characters making a journey. In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, the narrator has been traveling and has reached a point where the road divides. The narrator is a traveler. Likewise, in the short story “A Worn Path”, the main character is on a trip to town. She is travelling from home through the pines up the hill and down the valley. In both the poem and the short story, the characters are walking...
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...Symbolism of the Journey Paths and Roads Student Name ENG125 Instructor Name Date “A Worn Path and “The Road Not Taken” are literary works that take us on a literary journey exploring choices and obstacles the protagonists encounter adding dimension to the stories. The authors of “A Worn Path” and “The Road Not Taken” use different point of views to narrate their stories. Point of view is the way the author allows you to "see" and "hear" what's going on. Skillful authors can fix their readers' attention on exactly the detail, opinion, or emotion the author wants to emphasize by manipulating the point of view of the story” (Woods, 2010). Both stories use symbolism to show the hardship of life the characters endure along their journey and that how life can change along the way. The readers’ perceptions about the events are changed by the symbolism surrounding the characters and the conflicts that are presented. When it comes to literary works there’s always a deeper implication hidden behind the piece, and it’s up to the reader to dig around to find it. Both forms share a similar theme with different point of views along with several literary devices. Both of these literary pieces focus on one particular theme that is “Life’s Journey”. A theme of a story should give the reader its point of view and a reader should be able to understand the theme from the story through the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. Both show how the decisions we make...
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...Picture yourself crossing A road, when out of nowhere a speeding motorist hit and kills the person that was only a few feet infront of you. Now see yourself as that person or a loved one as that was the one to be hit. In life we have choices to make some are good and others are not but we must learn form our choices to become more responsible people. Speeding is the wrong answer and never should it happen but however in the world today we see it happening everyday around us. It is said that it takes a village to raise a hole. When someone is doing the wrong thing it is our job and the people around us to stop them. Take charge, speak out, be a helping hand, and most of all care to intervene in any form or fashion. Motorised transportation is...
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...Name- Student name- Tutor name- Week 2 I have gone through first part of all the stories and decided to make the folio based on ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ as it sounds really interesting to me. After reading thoroughly the first part of the story, I can say that Mr. Morris, Sargeant-Major has gone through some rough and brutal phase for which he holds ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ guilty and responsible. There was some bitter fact that he hides from his friend, Mr. White though he warns him about the misfortune. As for Mr. White, I felt that he is curious to know about the truth behind ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ but at the same time somewhere down the line he has a greed of getting more by making wish to ‘The Monkey’s Paw’. Whilst Mrs. White and his son takes this issue in a humorous and light way. From the very beginning author has set the mood of the story as suspicious and mysterious which fills the mind of the reader with a surge to reveal the unknown. From the suspicious environment created, it can be predicted easily that some ghosts and haunting is coming on the way. Very cleverly author revealed that there is some misfortune related to the history of the monkey’s paw and a holy man has spelled something over the mummified paw of monkey but what is that misfortune? Also, what was happening upstairs after Mr. White wished for the first thing? These are yet unsolved questions. Reading the very first part of the story, I can say that the story is filled with thrills, unexpected...
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...The Road Not Taken Poetry Essay In order to write a poetry analysis essay, the reader must first understand the symbols and deeper meaning behind the speaker’s words in the poem. In his poem, “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost faces two roads which seem to depict choices in life. The speaker evaluates his choices and consequences, makes a decision, and follows it through regretfully. The writer used imagery to describe the road he took and diction to imply regret and reflection regarding his decision. He used symbolism and archetype in the statement “fork in the road” which reflects unseen choices about life that must be made. In the first stanza, the speaker writes “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood” in which he describes his situation (610). He has come upon a fork in the road. The poem was written in 1916, when there were scarcely cars around so the imagery in this stanza depicts that the roads were most likely worn out paths with a lot of yellow leaves on the ground. In lines 2-3, the speaker wants to go down both roads but realizes he cannot be on two roads at the same time. He appears regretful that he cannot travel down both paths and so he stands there initially hesitant. The word “stood” in line 3 suggests he was not driving a car. The line “And Looked Down One As Far As I Could” illustrate he is looking down the road to see where it goes (610). One could imagine what if it was not really a fork in the road but a fork in the road of the speaker’s...
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...Final Paper Ashford University Introduction to Literature ENG 125 The difference between a poem and a short story starts with the structure but ends in the same way- their meanings and themes to tell the readers aim one thing, to entertain. For poems, the readers gets drawn to it through the different and interesting rhythms used in writing and reading them while for short stories, the characters, the settings and the plot of the story is what makes it interesting for readers. According to literature experts, creating a good plot with interesting settings is not enough for a story to be read but it also needs the reader’s imagination. Every reader can have their own visualization of what they are reading and sometimes, what they see and the way they interpret what they read might be different from the interpretation that the author want them to have. For example, the poem entitled “The Road Not Taken” and the short narratives entitled “A Worn Path” and “Used to Live Here Once” all have the same theme but when read together by different people and asked what do they think of the stories, they might give different descriptions. These stories and poem deal with one thing which is the main character’s journey towards the unknown and how the main character made decisions that will change the course their lives forever and their loved ones. The stories are presented in different ways. For Robert Frost, he presented his poem’s...
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...way. Everyone in life or spirit, will often reflect back on the path or road one has choose to contemplate, with never truly knowing if it we did choose the right or wrong direction. I will compare and contrast the literary works of “The Road Not Taken”, by Robert Frost and “I Used to Live Here Once”, by Jean Rhys. The two literary works attention is on the journey that an individual has decided to take through life. One of the narratives focuses on symbolizing choice, while the other is death, but in the same way are similar, because life itself is a journey that can lead into a life or death situation. “A symbol is an object, person, or action that conveys two meaning: its own literal meaning and something it stands for as well,” (Clugston, 2010). “The Road Not Taken” uses symbolism by starting with “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” (Frost, 1916). Two roads diverged is symbolizing the looking back, (a reflection point one has on life altering choices) on life’s lessons, (events) that have impacted one’s journey, while out of curiosity wondering where the other road may have lead. The yellow wood helps the reader to imagine fall leaves bedding on the woods floor, also enforcing the traveler has aged and is looking back in life. Frost uses symbolism with metaphors throughout the lines of his poem. This poem ends with showing us that a traveler is standing back reflecting on the split roads, or...
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...Robert Frost, first four- time Pulitzer Prize winner, was the best colloquial tone writer. This type of writing made his poems simple, clear and ideal. Robert conquered many hardships and persevered throughout his whole life. He took a hard road and found success. Frost is a poet no one will ever forget and his poems will forever carry on. Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874. He lived in San Francisco with his father, mother, and sister for eleven years until his father's death. He then moved to the east Massachusetts with his mother and sister to be with his grandparents. Frost continued his life there going to Lawrence High School where he wrote his first poem, and met his wife. There Frost graduated as valedictorian and class poet...
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...stay bare through the winter. In spring, the first green to appear is really gold as the buds break open. The willows and maples have this temporary gold hue. In only a few days, the leaves mature to green. Figurative Language Figurative language uses "figures of speech" - a way of saying something other than the literal meaning of the words. For example, "All the world's a stage" Frost often referred to them simply as "figures." Frost said, "Every poem I write is figurative in two senses. It will have figures in it, of course; but it's also a figure in itself - a figure for something, and it's made so that you can get more than one figure out of it." Cook Voices p235 Metaphor A figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things essentially unalike. To Frost, metaphor is really what poetry is all about. He is notably a poet of metaphors more than anything else. This is so important, we should hear directly from the poet. Frost said," Poetry begins in trivial metaphors, pretty metaphors, 'grace metaphors,' and goes on to the profoundest thinking that we have. Poetry provides the one permissible way of saying one thing and meaning another. People say, 'Why don't you say what you mean?' We never do that, do we, being all of us too much poets. We like to talk in parables and in hints and in indirections - whether from diffidence or from some other instinct". ... Excerpt from an essay entitled "Education by Poetry" by Robert Frost. Examples: The Silken...
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