...that is not the case most of the time. You cannot judge a book by its cover. Or believe all that you see at first glance. There are many of times that a poem or a short story can carry the same message or make the same point or so we think. Just because they may fall under the same category does not mean that the carry the same meaning. For example “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “A Worn Road” by Welty are both about the directions that can be taken in life. We all at one or another are faced with having to make a choice that will affect us for the rest of our life. Some paths may lead us down the right road to happiness and wealth. While other paths, may lead us down heartache and sorrow. At the end it is up to us on how we live the life that we choose for your self’s. The two reading that I choose to compare and contrast are “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “A Worn Road” by Welty. As it looks at first glance they might be about the same thing, but in reality they are not. One is a poem and the other written as a short story. They both talk about the paths, roads and choice in life. “The Road Not Taken” is about a journey and choice and decision on what or which way to go in life and also the unknown. This poem is about the decision and the direction of life and where it might take you. The second is a short story about an old women and her journey in life. She recalls stories and the path that she has traveled many of times. On her travels she is dreaming...
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...Frost, Where the Road Brings Us #201337029 English 1080 Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” both portray similarities in themes of the weight of realities, while taken place in a setting of nature. Each are about experiences in life in “The Road Not Taken” the speaker is youthful, making the decision to last a lifetime metaphorically portrayed by an autumn forest. He must overcome his mentality to succumb from the more beaten path in a road, showing his uniqueness to take the other. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” where as Frost uses an older speaker, more grizzled and experienced in life. The speaker also experiencing a choice, seeking a life without struggle in isolation he then reflects upon his responsibility towards the society. In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, the speaker stumbles upon a choice that will effect him forever. The poems talk of the speaker coming to a fork in his path, whereas now he has to choose one way or the other. This intersection in the road is a metaphor to all the decisions we have to make in life, and how easily it could alter with just by starting down a new path. The speaker thinks about his choices and feels that whatever path he takes; he will have to take for good. The speaker feels strongly that he must think really hard upon what path to take, so he doesn’t end up regretting his choice. “And looked down the road as far as I could...
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...Nuckols ID:24404996 WRITING STYLE USED: APA Two Roads, One Choice Jamie Nuckols Liberty University Online Robert Frost (1874-1963) The Road Not Taken - 1920 1. Possible Themes a. Goes own way b. Commitment- stays on path chosen c. Reflection on life with regret 2. Literal Setting a. Time of year- autumn b. In the woods c. Two roads d. evening 3. Mood of Poem a. Undergrowth, Black, Sigh, Difference. Suggests Sadness? b. Doubted- suggests regret? 4. Literary Devices to communicate theme a. Two Roads- One Traveler b. Long I stood c. Kept the first for another day d. I took the one less traveled by Working Thesis Statement The Poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost can be interpreted literally and figuratively. Through Frost’s use of theme, setting, mood and literary devices he sets the stage for the age old dilemma of making decisions in a crisis. Two Roads, One Choice Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” addresses the age old dilemma of making the correct choice and regretting the choice made. A man observes two roads in a wood and through much deliberation chooses the one he thinks has been less worn. The poem can be interpreted literally and figuratively. Through Frost’s use of theme, setting and literary devices he sets the stage for the age old dilemma of making decisions in a crisis. The title of the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” causes readers to begin thinking before they have...
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...The Road Not Taken: Poetry Essay Name Course Instructor’s name Date Thesis statement: The symbolic setting, title, content and metrical devices support the poem’s (The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost) overall meaning. Outline: Title “Poetry Essay” I. Introduction A. The influence of decision making process in human life. B. The problem faced by the speaker in the poem. II. Body A. Theme B. Symbolic setting C. Significance of the title D. Rhyme scheme and metrical devices III. Conclusion A. The lyrical elements of the poem B. All the elements of the poem support its overall meaning. Poetry Essay The Road Not Taken, the poem by Robert Frost is related to the dilemmatic situation of decision making in human life. To be specific, one’s decision in critical situations transforms one’s life into success or failure. Besides, wise decision at apt situations leads to success in life. But human beings are not ready to take decisions based upon their free will. This creates much tension in future life because false decisions lead to failure, which cannot be changed. In this poem, the speaker faces the same problem faced by human beings for generations. Theme: As pointed out, the theme of the poem is related to making a choice in one’s life or simply...
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...“The Road Not Traveled. Outline: The Road Not Traveled • Decision Making • Mood Setting • Significant Title Literary Device • Communication • Contradictions Narrator Final Thoughts The theme of the poem is decision making. The Road Not Taken is a decision we have to make every day. The decisions we make in life determines the outcome of the future. Just as if the road that “was grassy and wanted wear” was less traveled, our decision depends on if we are going to take the grassy road that no one else took or take the other road that everyone took. I believe that the setting in the poem is a gloomy setting in deep thought. I feel as though he may have been walking to clear his mind and came upon a fork in the road and he had to make a decision to go left or to go right. The lines “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth” “…Because it was grassy and wanted wear …”(Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”, 1874-1963) are the lines that lead me to believe that he was out just walking to clear his mind when he came upon a fork in the road. A specific word in the poem is what gave me the information to think that the setting is gloomy and he was in deep thought; undergrowth. Undergrowth pertains to a deep forest or a area of land that has grown up to be thick and full of trees. The setting of the poem, The Road Not...
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...Poetry Analysis Essay for “Road Not Taken” By: Robert Frost Course # and Title: ENGL 102: Literature and Composition Semester of Enrollment: Spring 2012 Name: Timothy Bayless ID #: L22915807 Writing Style Used: MLA Timothy Bayless L22915807 ENGL-102 C04 Poetry Analysis Essay Outline I. Introduction A. Facts: Robert Frost thought a poem should start with delight but end in wisdom and has also won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times. B. Title and Author: “The Road Not Taken” By: Robert Frost C. Thesis: The poem displays the difficult decisions people make in order to progress in life and how one choice can alter the future for better or worse. II. Body A. Meaning and Message i. Surface Meaning: A person comes to a “y” in the road and has to decide which way to go. ii. Deeper Meaning: Internal debates are overwhelming when deciding what the right decision to make is. iii. Theme: The choices made in life can alter the future for better or worse. B. Tone i. The person speaking in the poem seems to have a certain level of maturity and it shows in the debate about which road to take. ii. The tone of the speaker is solemn in nature. iii. The reason the tone seems solemn is because the speaker is left with...
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...are today and the people they will be in the future. This theme clarifies the ambiguous interpretation of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” as it is often misconstrued on its underlying meaning. Many believe Robert Frost’s intentions were to convey a message to discover new roads and challenge one’s self. Others believe the poem to stay true to its title and suggest that people should proceed along the road less traveled by others, in other words express individuality. The poem tells the story of Robert Frost himself, who comes to a fork in the road in his life and is not sure as to which path to proceed along. Each path looks just as good as the other, in fact they look exactly the same which is why he finds great difficulty in making a decision. When he finally chooses, he pictures what life would have been if he had taken the other. In this poem “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost portrays not of having the ability to make a choice, but rather how a choice defines him as an individual and how this ultimately affects his lives. Frost makes it clear that each path is virtually the same, so instead of the theme being taking the road less traveled by; it is truly about how the choice to take the road less traveled by identifies him as a person. In the first stanza of the poem, Frost discusses what he sees before him; a fork in the road. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both, And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far...
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...The Road Not Taken Robert Frost Mercado, Jency The Road Not Taken Robert Frost Mercado, Jency 2014 2014 Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” speaks into your soul and gives you the decisions that need to be made in your life. The Road Not Taken shows you how your decision can and will affect your personal outcome in either positive or negative way. It helps you reflect in your past and helps plan for your future. Decisions in life can be the most difficult choices we make for ourselves, our families, our loved ones with each decision having consequences that can affect everyone around them. I chose this poem because it fits in my life. Choices and decisions, what road is the best road to pick, the road not taken or the well-worn path. Will the paths meet in the middle or take me different ways? This poem was written in first person so I wonder if he was conflicted about something in his life. He states that it was written on one of his friends who took the wrong path. (Hollis, 2014) “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” This is meant to be two roads that start out as one and splits into different directions. We all start out on a path and we need to pick our roads and the directions that it takes us. “And sorry I could not travel both.” He wants to take both paths, but he knows he can only go down one. “Long I stood, and looked down one as far as I could. To where it went in the undergrowth.” The choices we make and the paths we take are not simple...
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... “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is designed to show readers that the choices humans make may lead them down a road that will be beneficial or make them unhappy. I. Introduction A. Theme of the poem II. The Setting A. Season 1. Fall 2. Roads 3. Symbols III. Title A. Meaning 1. The Road Not Traveled IV. Rhyme and Metrical Device A. Stanza B. Rhyme V. Conclusion Poetry Essay: The Road Not Taken The poem, “The Road Not Taken”, by Robert Frost presents an interesting take on life and the choices people make about life. The theme of the poem is focused on roads that they are traveling through life, and no matter which road people travel, humans may or may not be happy with the choices that they take in life. These choices can cause unhappiness and regret. This is a lesson that all of humanity endures at multiple times throughout life. Every decision is a choice about which road people would like to travel down. The setting of the poem is in the woods. The woods are described as a yellow wood that has grass and leaves. By the setting, one might think it is fall, as the leaves are turning color and are falling to the ground, based on Frost’s comment, “In leaves no step had trodden black (Frost, 2010, p. 610)”. Frost also states in the poem, “Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (Frost, 2010); that gives you the impression that one of the roads seems to be traveled more than the other road. This...
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...Poetry Essay Submitted to Professor Downie, in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the completion of the course. ENGL 102 Composition and Literature Liberty University Online By Melinda Cleary July 24th, 2014 I. Introduction Robert Frost’s “The Road not Taken” is probably the most well-known Poem in American Literature. Taught in high school English classes across the nation and studied by generations of professional scholars. Readers have the belief that “The Road not Taken” was speaking of a cross roads in Frost life. That he had to choose which path to follow and the one he took was “less traveled by”. The poem misleads you; in fact neither of the roads is less traveled by. II. Back up my theory a) “diverged in a yellow wood” – sets the location- yellow wood is only found in isolated locations across the south eastern U.S. -forest areas. b) “was grassy and wanted wear”- had not been stepped on or used. He speaks as if the woods needed someone to cross. c) “had worn them really about the same”- both roads were the same, neither was better than the other. d) “both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black”- sets the season which could be early spring cause in the woods leaves are always on the ground. Trodden black was term used for crushed down by ones feet. III. Analysis of the Poem a) Literal setting – woods or forest b) Literal situation – author was alone and leaving away from something c) Mood of Poem- sad and melancholy d)...
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...decisions. The poem, "The Road Not Taken" written by Robert Frost is how a road chosen by a traveler had an impact in his life. Through his poem, Frost have shown that the decisions we make should be chosen carefully because not only will it affect our choices in the future, but there is no going back.Throughout the poem, Frost has addressed the idea of making decisions in a melancholic manner. The first stanza revealed the situation: the speaker came across a fork in a road and has to decide which road to take, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," (1). The line, "And sorry I could not travel both," (2) apprises that he wants to take both roads, however, since it is not possible he decides to make a choice— the other road. "Oh, I marked the first for another day!" (13). His dream of taking the other road someday is crushed by reality. "Yet knowing how way leads on to way/I doubted if I should ever come back," (14-15). This reveals that the decision he had made has already affected the decisions in the future as well. We do not know if the speaker will regret his decision, however, he does tell us that he will be "telling this with a sigh," (16). The sigh can be the cause of happiness or grief by taking the "less traveled by road," (19). However, rather good or bad, it already "made all the difference," (20), therefore, he will have to accept his decision.In addition, we should be able to take risks with our decisions. The speaker chose the less traveled road, "Because it was grassy...
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...Sarah K. McAfee May 8, 2008 English 151-15 The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, tells a quick story about a lone traveler who arrives at the end of a path leading to a fork road. Confused about which road to take, the traveler speaks figuratively about how each path looks and in the end decides to take the path he calls “less traveled by” (line 19). Each person in life comes across crossroads where he or she has to choose which path leads to a better future. The reader can take what Frost wrote and interpret that this poem represents that decision that we eventually have to make. One of the major themes of this poem is “life’s decisions” because the author creates a scenario where people have to make a decision of which road to take in life. The poem’s theme is “life’s decisions” because in the poem the traveler arrives at a fork in the road and has to choose the path to take to get to his destination. In life, we also have to make that decision. This could be Frost’s interpretation of someone who is approaching this kind of scenario . The first stanza of the poem states: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth” –Robert Frost This stanza is describing the thinking process of the person who has to make his or her decision on which path to take. The person is trying to figure out how far each path will go but...
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...Poetry Essay “The Road Not Taken” By: Robert Frost English 102 In Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”, he creates a negative tone which reflects the difficult choices humans make in life. It is about taking chances with major life choices and the uncertainties that one may face in life. Some of the themes in “The Road Not Taken” are individualism. The speaker makes a choice to go his own way by taking the road that is less traveled. Another theme is caution. Before the speaker decides to the “the road less traveled” the speaker decides to take time to think about taking the other road. Commitment is another theme in “The Road Not Taken”. The speaker does not have second thoughts about the road he decides to take which is the “road less traveled”. The speaker also has accepted the decision he has made to take the road less traveled. The “Road Not Taken” does have some symbolism. It is about actual and figurative roads which represents the roads that we drive and walk on. As the speaker of the poem states “every road we take, there is a road we don’t take”. Even if we make a wrong turn and take a different road these decisions may make us have changes in our lives and we will always think about the roads we did not take. The identity of the narrator is unclear. The poem does not state who the speaker is or the physical appearance of the speaker. It is left up to our imagination on what the speaker’s physical appearance is. I would describe the speaker...
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...Analyzing Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ “Every life is a march from innocence, through temptation, to virtue or vice.” Lyman Abbott In the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ Robert Frost toys with the ideas of innocence and experience that one can relate to in his or her own life by the choices they have to make in their day to day lives. Like his other works that explore fundamental questions of existence, depicting the loneliness of an individual in an indifferent universe, the poem ‘The road not taken’ explores a man’s uncertainty to choose from two paths that lay before him. In the following article I shall present a close analysis of Frost’s poem and how it can relate to one’s life. Most people have come across a time where they have to make a decision between two figurative roads. Not sure where to go and unaided, they might choose the road that would take them to the place where they want to go or the road that takes us somewhere new, but either way the path we choose takes us to where we are now. In life situations where we have to choose from different metaphorical paths such as which college to join, which house to buy, etc. there exists a road we took that got us where we are and a metaphorical road not taken. While making such decisions we come across the big question of whether to take the well beaten path or be non-conformists and take the less travelled route. Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is all about these quandaries present in every person’s life. The...
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...(book, 2011) Symbolism of the Journey ENG 125 September 11, 2011 Symbolism of the Journey, a comparison of two stories The short stories “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost are both stories that involve using the journey as a symbol. The symbol that the journey portrays in both of these pieces of literature is that of life. Life as a human being involves the right of choice in one of the literary works, and a lack of choice in the second. This paper will compare and contrast these two literary works which share the same theme. The comparison of the two stories will involve a comparison of the content, form, and style in an effort to provide deep insight into the theme of the stories; as well as insight into the hidden meanings poetry offers its readers to touch us on a deeper level. Content In the story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, content is developed through a complex series of descriptions. The story begins with a description of the setting which is a cold December morning in a far off path through a pinewood forest. The character is an old Negro woman who is described as being very old and small and wearing a head tied red rag. The woman is further described as wearing a dark red stripped dress and apron and carrying a cane and an umbrella. These descriptions of the setting give the reader a clear picture of the setting and character in the story as well as how the character moves when the author describes her as moving...
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