...Literature INSTRUCTOR: Alex vuilleumier March 17, 2013 ANALIZTION OF THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Jackquiline Dixon English 125 Introduction to Literature INSTRUCTOR: Alex vuilleumier March 17, 2013 ANALIZTION OF THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Analization of The Road Not Taken Jackquiline Dixon English 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Alex Vuilleumier This paper is an analyzation and evaluation of Robert Frost’s literary work entitled. The Road Not Taken. In this paper I will explain why the work captured my attention. I will also describe one of the analytical approaches outlined in chapter 16 of me text book, using details from the test to support my interpretation. Then I will evaluate the meaning of the selected work using the analytical approach chosen. I hope that after you read this paper on The Road Not Taken, the formalist approach that I use for analyzation, will give more enlightenment on this work. But I do believe that that archetypal approach would also be effective on this work also. The Road Not Taken interests me for many reasons. I was drawn in because of the title of the work. It insinuates an irony. As if the road taken should have been taken. The symbols and metaphors that are used lead one to represents life choices that many of us may take. I also see the allegory in this work. The different concepts that we may encounter. The regrets of not taking a certain road. The approach that I choose is the formalist approach, because it...
Words: 334 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 856 - Pages: 4
...There’s much to say about Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. In what seems like a simplistic array of symbolisms, the metaphor of the poem takes us much deeper. It instantly creates an intimate bond to the familiar theme: Decisions. It was said that Frost referred the speaker of the poem to be his friend and colleague Edward Thomas. He would describe Thomas, as “a person, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn’t go the other.” (cite) With that knowledge, it gives validity to the poems multiple layers of decision-making, regret and curiosity. The speaker begins with the vivid description in the first stanza of where he is and the significance of his dilemma. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (1), is where the poet drops us right in the thick of it. The two roads are a metaphor to the important and crucial choices we must decide in our lives. Frost vividly and simply painted a picture with only his first line. He gave us a time, place, color, and a dilemma. The yellow wood is a description of the season, giving a visual of a forest with yellow leaves which concludes that its autumn. That indication also serves as a time limit to the decision, implying that the speaker is running out of time. The speaker must make their decision before winter comes, which is a cold and dead season of progressiveness. The yellow also serves as a cautionary color, giving warning to the speaker that the decision must be made with careful and astute consideration. There is also...
Words: 1149 - Pages: 5
... | [Poetry Essay] | | “The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost demonstrates the power of allegory in simple writings of poetry with vivid use of symbolism to convey the true message. “The Road not Taken” is written by Robert Frost who was born on March 26, 1874 and passed away on January 29, 1963. His father William was a 1872 Harvard graduate and a teacher and his mother Isabelle was a Scotswoman and a teacher as well. They moved from Pennsylvania to San Francisco where they had their first son who they named after the southern hero General Robert E. Lee. Robert had one sister Jeanie who was born in 1876. Robert seemed to struggle as a child in school but after graduating from Lawrence High school top of his class he started college at Dartmouth College but dropped out before the semester ended. In 1894 Mr. Frost sold his first poem and shortly thereafter 1895 he married his high school sweetheart Elinor. In 1906 Derry Enterprise publishes “The Tuft of Flowers” after a public reading of the poem. Shortly thereafter in 1913 David Nutt and Company publishes Frost’s first book of poems called “a Boys Will. In 1937 Frost won The Pulitzer Prize for “A Further Range”. In the midst of all the publications and literature success Frost is plagued with family problems that include the death of several of his children one by suicide and the passing of his wife and he himself passed away on January 29, 1963. “The Road not Taken” clearly shows the use of allegory in order...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 917 - Pages: 4
...THESIS: “The Road Not Taken” discusses the choices humans make in life and how these choices may or may not affect the entirety of one’s life. I. Introduction A. The impact and influence decisions make one one’s life II. Body A. Relationships 1. Life altering decisions 2. Real Life situations B. Metaphors 1. Used to provide insight about the writer 2. Used to make the reader compare the decisions made C. Punctuation 1. Used to emphasize the decision making process 2. Used as a form of symbolism D. Title Significance 1. Reinforced the fact that there is always more than one decision 2. Reinforced the fact that there will always be doubt about those decisions III. Conclusion A. Lyrical Elements 1. Writer starts in the past tense 2. Finally writer shows contentment with the decision to take the road less traveled B. Title supports the Overall Meaning of the Poem “The Road Not Taken” Decisions are tasks we inquire in all that we do. From the time that we are conceived to the time that we leave this world, decisions are either made for us or by us which impacts our lives. “The Road Not Taken” discusses the choices humans make in life and how these choices may or may not affect the entirety of one’s life. In this poem, Robert Frost, brings to life the challenges humans face when making decisions. The person in this poem is traveling and happens upon “two roads diverged”...
Words: 920 - Pages: 4
...Sydney Faulkner Poem Analysis “The Road Not Taken” By Robert Frost can be defined as a narrative poem because it tells a story, uses symbolism, mood, tone, and assonance typically associated with narratives. The poem describes a person, who chooses between two roads and wonders about his choice later. In the first stanza of the poem the person walks in the woods and comes to the place where two roads go to two different sides. The traveler is full of doubts since he does not want to miss the opportunity and wants to choose the right road. He spends time looking for both roads and thinking about the right choice. The road in this poem becomes a symbol of life, change and transformation. That is the reason the choice becomes so important for the traveler. He thinks not only about the right way to choose in the forest but also about the right path in life. That is the reason we can feel the switch of the mood by the end of the poem. When the traveler realizes that he will not be able to take another road, left by in the past, he regrets it as lost opportunity. He is disappointed because of the opportunity he missed. He states: “I kept the first for another day!” and we can hear regret in his tone. Now he realizes that his choice was final and looking at the road he did not choose, he “doubted if I should ever come back”. By the end of his journey the traveler realizes that each decision we take influences all our further life and this decision cannot be changed. Decisions...
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
...When I think of the poem, The Road not Taken, it makes me reflect on an image that constantly captures my attention. That would be the image of a path. For me a path is symbolic of choices and movement. Will I continue moving forward or turnaround and go backwards? This is exactly what the poem, The Road not Taken is about choices. For example, the first line of the poem Frost speaks of choosing between two roads of diverging paths in a wood. When I think about choices, there always seems to be at least two: Yes or No, Right or Wrong, Left or Right, Up or Down, On and Off , and In or Out to new a few. Although making choices are important in life, I believe the bigger issue would be can we live with the decisions we make. Eleven years ago my family was faced with one of the toughest decision ever. Our mom was diagnosed with stage three Ovarian Cancer, and we needed to help her decide the method of treatment. The decision was should our mom receive Herbal Therapy or Chemotherapy? Naturally, my family was in a quandary much like Frost who expressed, “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). Although both therapies could have been possible considerations, we needed to decide which therapy would be the most effective given our mom’s condition. Therefore, my siblings and I were task to research the treatments, side effects, etc. Well, after carefully...
Words: 462 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 2221 - Pages: 9
...Outline Thesis: In “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost uses imagery, metaphors, and the theme to tell the reader what has made the difference. I. Frost uses imagery to show the reader how decisions change fate. A. Visual imagery was used to show how bright his future is. B. Without Frost using imagery, the reader would not have understood why the decision was so important. II. The poem was an extended metaphor. A. The description of autumn is a metaphor for Frost’s fall in life, growing old. B. The roads are a metaphor for the future. C. “I doubt I should ever come back”, Frost was making this line a metaphor for one a person make a choice, they can’t take it back. III. Theme is centered around choices. A. Paths represent choices in life. B. Frost Talks about one path more but still chooses the other. Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” uses figurative roads to show readers how choices impact ones daily life. The poem begins with the narrator standing at a fork with two available roads ahead. Even though he explains how one path looks, he chooses the opposite path. Then changing his mind, to say the paths could be the same, but at the end says he took the less traveled by. Most of the time, the decisions people have to make are not easy or even logical. In “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost uses imagery, metaphors, and the theme to tell the reader what has made the difference (Kennedy & Gioia, 2007). Frost uses imagery to show the reader...
Words: 942 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 775 - Pages: 4
...life. Moreover, one choice can alter the future for better or worse. II. Body c. Body i. Surface meaning: An individual comes to “x” in the road and must decide which path he must go. ii. Deeper meaning: Internal debates are overwhelming when faced with the choice to make the right decision. iii. Theme: The choices, which we make in life, can alter the future for better or worse. d. Tone iv. The individual speaking in the poem displays a certain level of maturity and it is revealed in the debate of the path, which must be taken. v. The tone of the speaker is solemn in nature. vi. The tone is solemn due to the fact that the speaker is left with the uncertainty in regards to what lies down each road and speaks in past tense throughout the poem. e. Figures of Speech vii. The speaker is using a metaphor when speaking. viii. The comparison of the wear of the two roads makes the decision more difficult. Moreover, the yellow wood usually refers to autumn, or an age of dying. The fact that the roads were worn evenly also displays the time it takes for them to be worn. ix. The speech reveals that the speaker was mature moreover; the difficult decision was elevated due to the similarities between the roads, thus making the decision more difficult. x. The metaphors used in the poem are to displays the mindset of the speaker and also the...
Words: 509 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 1034 - Pages: 5
...The Road Not Taken 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; 5 Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost (1874–1963). From: http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html September, 2013 The Road not Taken Assignment Choose 1 of the following to best demonstrate your interpretation of the poem. 1. Prepare a piece of art that you feel captures the meaning of poem. Include a one paragraph explanation of why you chose to represent the poem that way. 2. Prepare a video with accompanying reading that illustrates what you feel is the meaning of the poem. 3. Turn the poem into a story. Write a narrative version of the “Road not Taken”. (max 2 pages double spaced) 4. Write the next chapter. You are Robert Frost. What has happened since ‘taking the road less travelled’? Write as the poet...
Words: 401 - Pages: 2
