...Sarah Gledhill Tara Aiken English Comp 2 March 25, 2016 The Road Not Traveled Robert Frost uses his poem The Road Not Traveled to highlight the difficulties of indecision through the use of symbolism, metaphors, and vivid imagery. The Road Not Traveled is a compilation of such devices that allude to a person making a decision, standing on the edge of a forked road peering out at two paths and having to choose one of the two. One road leads to a path most take, and can be considered safer, or reliable; the other being “the one less traveled by,” or, essentially, making his own path outside normal expectations. Robert Frost uses these poetic devices to narrate the moment of indecision that has probably plagued us all at one point or another at some time. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” begins Frost, as he sets up the setting and theme of the entire poem in just the first sentence. Albeit simple, this single sentence does a lot for the poem, such as indicating to us that a decision needs to be made about which path to take amongst these two roads, while the yellow wood is a powerful descriptor to give us an idea of the setting. The first line speaking of the yellow wood provides us with an idea that it is probably autumn when trees in the wood would begin to turn yellow and die for the winter. The “wood” that is mentioned is a clear symbol for someone’s life, these two paths more than likely being paths the traveler can choose for his own future. Just those...
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...The Road Less Traveled Many people do not realize what it’s like to undergo a disability or even take care of someone who has a disability. During this assignment, I realized how our society could be selfish and view a person with a disability as dumb, incapable, or broken. You never know the sentiments or emotions until you are in those person’s shoes. Therefore, we need to cherish everything we have in life and live a fulfilling life because one day we can be a happy family and the next we are going through a road less traveled. On March 26, 2014 I was scheduled to meet with my neighbor whom is two houses down from me. Mrs. Villarreal is a 48-year-old woman born and raised in McAllen TX, a mother of 2 children, and a loving wife. She has two girls named Lizette who is 5 years old and Yvonne who is 6 years old; both who are healthy and very active. Raising them was no problem for her and as they grew up, they routinely did every thing as a family. However, she did mention that she has a brother named Ruben who has a disability, and would visit every so often at her mothers house. Ruben has severe rheumatoid arthritis disease in which led to high levels of disability, the use of a wheelchair, and inability to work. In addition, he has heart disease, anxiety, and depression. As for her, everything seemed to go perfectly fine with her mother being the primary caregiver for her brother for three years. Her mother was very active and on top of Ruben’s needs. Until, a year later...
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...The Road Less Traveled On Throughout life we have all encountered and overcome obstacles thrown in our paths. Life is a journey, life is like a road. Everyone is on this road and everyone has a destination. The windiness and bumpiness of the road, the stops we make, and the directions we choose to go are the things that make our journey and lives different. Goals are the most important stops and the final destination in the road of life. To be without goals, is to drive an unknown road without a map. No set destination can be achieved without an attempt at plans or directions. Some roads are shorter than others, due to life choices or life obstacles. Many people make choices that cause them to crash and others sometimes just need a little tow from a friend to get their lives back in the right direction on the road. Life is a road we are on, it is our destiny to choose where our road takes us, this I believe. Despite young age, many of us have encountered hardships beyond our years. Many people have overcome poverty, peer pressure, and the loss of loved ones. I personally have dealt with all these. One of the biggest bumps in my road has been the loss of a close aunt, she was like a second mother to me. I felt like giving up on my goals and my path, depression led to a lack of motivation. However, I continued driving through the rocky patch of road I was on. Both a hardship and blessing, I now am a teenage father. The statement by Drew...
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...20, 2012 The Symbolic Meaning of “The Road Not Taken” Thesis Statement: The poem provides the reader with symbolic meaning; coaxing the reader to consider the idea there are choices to be made, and based on the verdict determines what our future holds. I. Introduction a. Thesis b. Connection Sentence II. Title c. Key to interpretation d. How the symbolism could be different if the name was changed III. Theme e. Choices f. Individualism IV. Setting g. ? h. ? V. Conclusion Running head: THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF “THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” The Symbolic Meaning of “The Road Not Taken Gabrielle Brown Liberty University Abstract The Symbolic Meaning of “The Road Not Taken” The poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, provides the reader with symbolic meaning; coaxing the reader to consider the idea there are choices to be made, and based on the verdict determines what the future holds. In order for the reader to gain a full understanding of the symbolic meaning of the poem it is vital for the reader to grasp the importance of the title, themes, and setting. The title of Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken” is vital to the reader in their interpretation of the message. If the title had been changed to “The Road Never Traveled” or “The Road Less Traveled,” it could have changed the point that...
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...APA Thesis: Robert Frost’s, “The Road Not Taken” uses symbolic language to describe his turmoil in deciding which direction he should go in. This lyric poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker. I. Introduction a. Coming to a fork in the road the how to decide II. Body a. Setting b. Choosing the right direction in life III. Symbolic Meaning a. Imagery IV. Conclusion Road Not Taken Essay The first line of the poem leads me to believe that this takes place in early autumn because he speaks of leaves of golden and green and mentions that there are leaves on the ground. The poem consists of four stanzas and five lines all with a rhyme scheme of ABAAB. In the poem it doesn’t mention where he’s going or where he’s coming from but there is a dilemma he is facing because he has come to a fork in the road. As he stands and ponders which direction he should take, he analyses both roads. In the beginning he believes that one is less traveled than the other but as he continues to observe them both he rethinks his first opinion and believes they have been traveled equally. I guess that was his initial process of elimination in choosing which direction to go based on which road had been traveled the most. Since both were traveled equally he had to make a decision on his own. He attempted to look as far down each road as his eyes could see but found a bend it the road which prevented him from seeing as far...
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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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...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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...“The Road Not Taken” Joshua Henson Liberty University English 102-D01 APA Format When readers hear the title of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and read the poem for the first time it is likely to bring feelings that it is noble and righteous to take the so called less traveled path in life. It evokes thoughts of individualism and standing up for what is right. Once a reader studies this poem and reads in numerous times they learn this is not the case. “The Road Not Taken” is not a poem about less traveled roads, but quite the opposite. It is about the roads traveled by everyone. The poem starts off by describing two separate paths along a wooded trail. This is an image familiar with reads, both literally and figuratively. Readers should almost instantly know that Frost is talking about paths chosen in life, not the woods. This poem describes the woods and the paths beautifully, taking care to describe the state of each path. Almost immediately after the path is chosen, the poem describes the feeling of doubt with a sigh. It goes on to say that when the story of this decision is told in the future, it will be the road less traveled that was chosen. However, this poem is not titled the road less traveled; it is titled “The Road Not Taken”. What Frost is trying to explain is that sometimes in life people have to make decisions without knowing what the outcome will be. How can someone know they made the correct decision? The poem is very...
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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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...The speaker in this poem starts standing in the woods, considering which fork to take in the road. Both ways seem to be the same to the reader, equally worn out and overtaken with leaves. The speaker chooses a path, and tells himself that one-day he will go back and take the other. Deep down he knows there isn’t a big chance that he will have the opportunity to do so. He discusses in the poem that someday in the future he will do the same scenario as the last except he claims he will take the road less traveled. This poem contains four stanzas and five lines with the rhyme scheme of ABAAB. The rhymes are masculine, and there are four-stressed syllables per line. Of the two roads the speaker says “the passing there/ Had worn them really about the same.” He goes on to say “that morning lay/ In leaves no step had trodden black.” This means that neither of the roads is less traveled by. This poem relates to us all, in our everyday life we come to forks in our paths and have to make a decision as to which one to pick. We never will know what the other path may have held for us nor do we know what the future holds for us on the path we did choose. Paths in the woods and forks in the roads are deep metaphors for our lives full of crisis and decisions. The fact that both paths were identical symbolizes the idea of free will versus fate. We are free to choose our paths but technically we do not know what we are choosing between. It is almost as if every path we take is a chance in...
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...in one way or another. The poem, "The Road Not Taken" tells a story of a man who reaches a fork in the road and must choose which path to take, each path different from the other. In this poem, Robert Frost contends that every decision we make, no matter how insignificant it may seem, will have an impact on our life. Robert Frost uses a walk in the woods as a metaphor for making a decision in life, a situation that people face daily. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood . . . " Each road starts from the same place, but may lead to two entirely different destinations and the traveler has no idea where those destinations may be. Not sure which path to choose, and afraid of making the wrong choice, he compares the two roads, much like we do when contemplating a choice, analyzing the pros and cons. Many times, we tend to choose the easy way out. The path that is traveled more often has a predictable outcome that keeps us inside our comfort zone, even though it may not be the most beneficial choice. In his comparison of the two roads, Robert Frost shows us the importance of making a decision and how it could affect us later on in life. By comparing the two roads, the traveler finally makes up his mind, choosing the road that is more beautiful and less traveled. The traveler took the plunge, taking the road that had not been used as often as the other. Aware of how "way leads onto way . . . " the traveler regrets that he cannot take both roads. Although he knows that he may never be...
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...between different lands from the year 200 BCE to 1450 CE, the Silk Roads experienced many patterns of interaction. During this period of time, the roads changed such as the amount they were used, which changed as nations and empires rose and fell; the goods and ideas that traveled the roads after Europe and Asia increased their trading; and lastly the safety of the roads varied throughout this time period. However, the Silk Roads still experienced many continuities as well, for example their original purpose which was to facilitate the exchange of goods between Asia and Europe never changed; they continued to influence many cultures especially with the traveling of religions; and the Silk Roads have always had long term affects and influence on powerful empires. Towards the beginning of their patterns of interaction in 200 BCE, the Silk Roads were minimally used in East Asia. As time progresses, the roads increase as did empires such as Rome and Han who grew both economically and culturally due to usage of the roads. But, instability and economic pressures took a toll on the two empires, and when Rome fell in 476, the Silk Roads were used far less than how they originally were. The roads managed to pick up again as the Byzantine Empire in the east emerged and was able to prosper from usage of the already available roads. However, the Mongols come into play and invade the empire and end Byzantine’s era with the Silk Roads. In Western Europe, society was in the period called the Middle...
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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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...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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...Interpretation on Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken by Endah Wahyuni Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken seems to represent indecision. It tells us about a travelers who is standing in front of two different roads that basically look the same. He doesn’t know where each of the roads leads to, but he should make a choice whether he would take the first road or the other in order to move forward. Of course the roads here are just a symbol. It represents something much concrete in our reality: choices. In our life we are often meet with so much choices that could lead us to our future. The first stanza explains about a traveler in a yellow wood, stood in front of two diverged roads and he can only choose one road to be traveled. So he takes an intense look to the first road to know where it goes, but he can’t get a good look because the road is covered by undergrowth. What does it means? I think the yellow wood is a symbol. Since the road in the wood is yellow, we can picture this as autumn, when leaves change color. Thus, autumn could represent an old phase of someone’s life. If you’re in your late year which means an old person and you have two choices in front of you, it is rather difficult to choose between one of them. Much further, we will never know where are those choices would take us. It is indeed take a long time to make a decision. The traveler then take a look at the other road as well, described in the second stanza. He feels that this road look a little better than...
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