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Road not taken by robert frost critical analysis
The road not taken by robert frost critical analysis
The road taken by robert frost analysis
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We all have faced challenges that make our lives succeeding difficult, but the way we approach these challenges is what affect us in the long run. In “Annabelle Lee”, by Edgar Allan Poe, “Oranges” by Gary Soto, and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost they all feature speakers that deal with hardships that they must overcome. The three poets use literary devices to show how they deal with theses challenges along with the struggles that come with it.
In “ Annabelle Lee” Poe uses diction to show how the speaker deals with the death of his bride. Poe states, “ The angels, not half so happy in Heaven went envying her and me- Yes! – that was the reason,” which shows the death of Annabelle Lee has led the speaker to insanity (Poe 21-23) . We can
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When Frost states, “Oh, I kept the first for another day,” it shows how childish the speaker is (Frost 13). The inability to make a decision and stick with it is shown here. Frost makes no commitment whatsoever and it belittles his personality. But the speaker is able to redeem himself when he states, “Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back,” which shows some maturity in his character (Frost 14-15). It takes maturity to be able to recognize immaturity and the speaker exudes this here. This gesture of recognizing his flaw is exactly what separates Poe and Frost’s speakers. Poe states,” with a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven coveted her and me, and this was the reason that, long ago, in this kingdom by the sea, a wind blew out of a cloud, chilling my beautiful Annabel Lee,” which shows the speaker blames the angels rather than accept the death of his partner was natural (Poe 11-16). By saying the almighty angles were jealous of the love he had for Annabelle Lee would be a stretch but saying they would kill for this shows how immature the speaker is. The two speakers both have immature moments yet only one was able to correct
Though this poem is only a small snapshot of what I personally thought Douglass was going through, I could never adequately understand the frustration he must have had. My hope in writing this poem was not to provide a psychoanalysis or theoretical idea structure to any audience, but rather to show that even today, a modern audience member like me, can appreciate the struggle of a fellow human and speak against injustices, specifically in Douglass’s time.
The ways in which Wilfred Owen’s Disabled and Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise present the overcoming of burdens are very intriguing. Each character possesses a burden that stands in their way, holding them back in life. In Disabled, the individual’s burden is the disability, trauma, and loss afflicted onto him by war and in Still I Rise racism, stereotypes, and a rough history endured by africans is Angelou’s burden. Though the authors experience very different problems and portray opposite atmospheres they contain similarities and use many of the same devices such as symbolism and juxtaposed antithesis points to deliver their messages.
A mutual understanding towards many of Poe’s works is that the loss of a lover brings about insanity, but the truth is that in Poe’s works the loss of a young lover leads to depression. This is a theme that is played out in more than one of Poe’s works, but it is most prevalent in the depressing poem Annabel Lee. The speaker is conflicted with losing what is his whole world and his childhood lover. While all is well with both him and the girl alive, an insurmountable depression takes hold once the winds blow out to carry her to the grave. This is a theme that plays out often in his works and has been observed as one of his main inspirations. Within Peter Coviello’s research, he comes to the conclusion that “Within [Poe’s] world, only very young girls, who are not yet encumbered by the revulsions of adult femininity, seem capable of providing a site for stable heterosexual male desire in Poe.” Rather than using a full fledged adult as his lover, he engineered a child into his poem so the lover does not harness the potential to mutate into a monstros...
In analyzing and comparing symbolism, form, and style of the literary work “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and the short story of “A Worn Path” by Eudora, Welty I ask so what is the symbolic discovery that gives the reader new ideas, connecting experiences, considering deeper insights, and coming to conclusions with harmonious delight? Although we all have ‘roads’ or ‘paths’ to take on our journey in life it is in how we handle the experience; and what we gain from those life journeys that will either enrich our life or be our demise. I intend to show that detail in the short story gives us a more precise imagery giving a lead to our imagination than that of the poem. The Symbolism in both brings to light a positive message each in its own rhythm and to each individual reader a metaphor and food for life.
I will now explain how Frost used literal and figurative techniques to describe a man traveling through the woods and his thoughts on deciding which road to take. Literally, the man appeared to be content with his travels until he reached the fork in the road, and had to make a decision. Figuratively, he is a man who was living his life and became troubled when he was faced with a big decision.
The central image that Frost presents, which is the path, provides a clear picture that the reader can focus on in order to reveal something about the poem. The “two roads diverged in a yellow wood'; vividly portray the fact that it is always difficult to make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the opportunity that will be missed out on. There is a strong sense of regret before the choice is even made and it lies in the knowledge that in one lifetime, it is impossible to travel down every path that one encounters. In an attempt to make a decision, the traveler "looks down one as far as I could." The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. As much as he may strain his eyes to see how far the road stretches, eventually it surpasses his vision and he can never see where it is going to lead. It is the path that he chooses that sets him off on his journey and determines where he is going and what he will encounter.
In her poem entitled “The Poet with His Face in His Hands,” Mary Oliver utilizes the voice of her work’s speaker to dismiss and belittle those poets who focus on their own misery in their writings. Although the poem models itself a scolding, Oliver wrote the work as a poem with the purpose of delivering an argument against the usage of depressing, personal subject matters for poetry. Oliver’s intention is to dissuade her fellow poets from promoting misery and personal mistakes in their works, and she accomplishes this task through her speaker’s diction and tone, the imagery, setting, and mood created within the content of the poem itself, and the incorporation of such persuasive structures as enjambment and juxtaposition to bolster the poem’s
In Frost's poem he uses metaphors to describe the action of decision making. For example, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could
The poem “The Road Not Taken”, by Robert Frost has an interesting story to its creatively written lines. Briefly, the poem is about the nar...
The speaker is at spot in the road where it is splitting, he can see that both paths are equally worn. The speaker then goes through a dilemma, where he doesn’t know which path is the better one to take, the speaker know that he has to pick one of them and there is no turning back once he (Frost Early Poems). How the reader interprets the speaker’s point of view is based on each stanza, the organization and form of the poem, and the use of a metaphor with the poem and the path of life.
“The Road Not Taken” basically talks about the many obstacles in life, the choices and decisions that you have to make, and how the things you choose affects everything in your life and in your future. Frost also tells how he chose a path or a road, that even though was odd or different from everyone else’s, he went on with his instincts and decided that it was the right choice. He tells how one single decision in life can make huge or drastic differences being either good or bad. This was expressed when he said “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
The first metaphor Frost uses in this poem can actually be found in the first line: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” The two roads splitting in the woods is a metaphor for a choice you must make when presented with two different options. Wherever the speaker’s life has taken him so far, he has come to the point where he must make an important decision to go any further (Schmoop). The second metaphor Frost uses can be found in lines four and five: “And looked down one as far as I could / To where it bent in the undergrowth.” Looking down the road is a metaphor for the future; when making a decision, we can only predict so much. Just like how the speaker can only see the path in the woods for so far we can only see the consequences of our decision in the near future. A third metaphor can be found in lines 13 through 15: “ Oh, I kept the first for another day! / Yet knowing how way leads on to way, / I doubted if I should ever come back.” Here, it’s clear the speaker wanted to take both roads; however, he realizes that he will probably never be able to come back to this crossroads. This is a metaphor for a decision that changes everything; a decision you have made where you have reached a point of no
Robert Lee Frost was a famous American poet who was always acknowledged for his vivid and unique writing style, which contributed tremendously into him becoming one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Throughout his life, Frost has written many amazing poems but like the majority of poets at that time, many of his poems from his early writings went unnoticed. He was known for following a very well organized structure for his writing, a great example for this would be: “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, which are two of Frost’s greatest pieces as they bring to the table all of his writing characteristics, ranging from the dominant figurative language that makes the poem vivid, to his flexible idealistic
Imagery is one of the most notable elements in the poem due to the fact that Frost is describing the setting and scenery for the majority of the poem. His word choice is quite specific, clearly painting a picture for readers to visualize the scene he is describing. Frost describes the paths the narrator is considering as “two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” (1). Frost later goes on to describe the path the narrator is considering by stating, “…it was grassy and wanted wear” (8). The imagery is perhaps used as a means to demonstrate the fact that the way a path may look is not entirely representative of what lies ahead. Choices in life should be made with a great deal of thought, going beyond the superficial appearances. The narrator considers both paths before making an informed decision. The outward appearance of a path is not nearly as important as knowing what is best for an individual overall. The imagery in Frost’s poem sheds light the importance of making a choice by the narrator considering both paths in great detail because he or she recognizes the lasting influence a decision can have throughout his or her
In addition, Frost uses symbolism to illustrate that the easy decision is not always the right one to choose. Symbolism is crucial in this piece of work because Frost uses it to show his readers the difference between the two roads that the narrator needs to choose between. For example, he describes road less travele...