...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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...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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...school, earn your college degree, or pursue a career, these significant choices in our lives ultimately define us in our unseen futures. These decisions are the ones that make and shape someone into the person they 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...
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...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 and talking...
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...THE OTHER ROAD: THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Barbara Smith ENG 102 Professor Downie February 15, 2012 Edited On: March 7, 2012 The Other Road Not Taken Outline Thesis: In the following paper, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, will be broken up to show the themes, settings, and symbolism. I. Introduction II. Themes A. Choice B. Dreams, Hopes and Plans C. Man and the Natural World D. Exploration III. Settings A. Forest B. On a gravel or dirt road IV. Symbolism A. Roads B. Nature V. Conclusion The Other Road Not Taken Speaking on roads that are not taken can literally be analyzed on a personal stance. Before I get into the poem I would just like to take the time to make this a reality. We all know the singer Whitney Houston passed away a few weeks ago. Her life can be analyzed as being two roads and which one she should have taken. Whitney grew up in a church in New Jersey where she began singing in the church choir. Her career took off in 1987 officially. Fast forward a few years and the good girl we knew seemed to crumble up before our eyes. Whitney married Bobby Brown and had a daughter Bobbi Kristina. Whitney and Bobby’s relationship soon became a downhill ride over powered by drugs and alcohol. We thought by looking at her, that her career was over. She proved us wrong by coming back more faith driven than ever before and with a new attitude. You see in “The Road Not Taken”, you have a decision to make as to which...
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...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 the other one although...
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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 Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a controversial poem published in 1916 about making choices and decisions. There are always multiple paths/roads one can take in life some right, and some wrong. However, we as the travelers of notional “path of life” have to make decisions concerning where it leads us at the end. I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement B. The decision making process in human life, and it’s significance C. Narrators problems when facing tough choice in between two roads in life II. Main body A. Theme B. Symbolism C. Significance of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost title D. Mechanical devices and rhyme scheme III. Conclusion A. Speakers point of view in “The Road Not Taken” poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a controversial poem published in 1916 about making choices and decisions. There are always multiple paths/roads one can take in life some right, and some wrong. However, we as the travelers of notional “path of life” have to make decisions concerning where it leads us at the end. The author’s use of metaphors, descriptive language and past tense signifies the struggle he has to go trough before making a decision. Moreover, clever choice of descriptive language incorporating colors and description of each road amplifies traveler’s complex thought process even when faced with only two choices in life. This complex use of imagery places the reader in similar situation while reading the poem. “The Road Not...
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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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...The Road Not Taken Poetry Explanation The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is one of the most famous poems ever written. It is also one of the most misunderstood poems. Many people have been faced with “a fork in the road”. This may include a choice between two decisions, a choice between jobs or careers, or a choice between other things. Because you can only choose one, there is the “road” you did not take. In the future, you may look back on these decisions and may have regrets. The Road Not Taken is about these decisions. 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. (Lines 1-5) This, if taken literally, talks about a traveler that cannot choose between two paths in the woods. He has to take one but cannot choose. He is “sorry” that he cannot travel both which implies regret on his decision. He “takes the other, as just as fair” which states that he took the other path. This is a play on words because it could mean that he could view the other path as equal or it could be a fair choice. It states that both roads are equal which implies a good future for both. The poem continues by stating “and perhaps having the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear.” The speaker is still unsure because the other one is “perhaps” better. The other path is just as appealing because...
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...The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost: Memorandum Stanza 1 1. Two roads diverged[1] in a yellow wood, Line explanation: The speaker is describing a fork in the road. The 'yellow wood' suggests it is autumn season. 2. And sorry I could not travel both 3. And be one traveler, long I stood Line explanation: The speaker wants take both roads at once, but realizing that it is impossible, he decides to choose one. 4. And looked down one as far as I could 5. To where it bent in the undergrowth[2]; Line explanation: He is thinking hard about his choice. He stares at the one road, to see where it goes but he cannot see past the first bend because it bends in to the undergrowth. Summary of Stanza 1: On the road of life, the speaker arrives at a point where he must decide which of two equally attractive (or equally frightening) choices is the better one. He examines one choice as best he can, but the future (undergrowth) prevents him from seeing where it leads. [pic] Stanza 2 6. Then took the other, as just as fair[3], 7. And having perhaps the better claim[4] 8. Because it was grassy and wanted wear[5], Line explanation: He looks at the other road and thinks it would be better because it hasn’t been walked on/used very much. 9. Though as for that the passing there 10. Had worn them really about the same, Line explanation: He changes his mind and says that both roads look the same. Summary of Stanza 2: The speaker selects the road that...
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...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...
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...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...
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...The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost English 102 B23 Liberty University 16 June 2014 The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost A stylistic and exploratory analysis of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” uncovering the message from the work received by a diverse audience. There are a few themes in the poem The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost. The author communicates that he is faced with a choice to take one path or another and faces apprehension, hesitation, fear, indecision and regret as he is faced with the choice. While exploring the poem it seems that at first glance the author may be celebrating his choice of taking the road less traveled “took the one less traveled by” but in realty he is in a sense moving forward while looking back with the title being “The Road Not Taken”. This indecision is counter productive making him unable to live his life but to waste it away in indecision. The author communicates the difficulty of choices in life and the ability to have two different paths that can seem paralyzing from fearful uncertainty, which can lead to regret from indecision. The fear, possible regret, uncertainty, indecision and stagnation seems to be the tone of the poem. The poem is set in nature during fall with autumn leaves “in a yellow wood” piled on the ground from falling a while “leaves no step had trodden black”. The falling leaves pointing to time passing, two roads pointing to a choice at hand, the bend with the undergrowth as the uncertainty, the worn...
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...will affect our life 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...
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