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Symbolism in robert frost
Analysis of robert frost poems
Analysis of robert frost poems
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“The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost is about making a choice. God has given His people, the human race, free choice. In life, one choice leads to another and then another. In “The Road Not Taken,” the title, figures of speech, rhythm and rhyme to convey the uncertainty in choosing a path in life. However, believers in Christ are sure of their destination when choosing His path for life. Notice the title, “The Road Not Taken ,” immediately leads the reader to the conclusion a choice exists between the two roads. This poem is often mistitled as “The Road Less Traveled,” words found in line 19, but the speaker only hopes to make the claim that of choosing “the one less traveled by.” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 19) People who choose to …show more content…
“Two roads diverged,” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 1); the roads - a metaphor for, life and where they go off in different directions represent the presence of a tough decision. The remainder of the poem carries the theme of making a choice. For people this choice is the decision to follow Jesus; the choice of life, or not to follow Him; the choice of death, but a choice indeed is made by all of mankind . The metaphors of the scenery develop a picture of heading for the unknown, “undergrowth” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 4), “grassy and wanting wear” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 8), and “leaves no step had trodden black” (Frost “Road” 1916/2013, 12). Although, Christians cannot foretell what is beyond each bend in the road of life. The end point, eternal life in Heaven, is the certain destination. There is a level of uncertainty in the decision as one stands and looks carefully down each road for some sign that the choice would become clear . This dilemma is much different than that for Christians, “God makes known [to those who follow Him] the path of life. ”
Frost’s poem uses iambic rhythm , although a few lines are anapestic, this beat helps facilitate the reader’s sense of actually walking down the road. Each line of the four stanzas has an end rhyme in the ABAAB pattern. This pattern ties the story together, keeps the reader engaged and develops a sense to keep reading to hear what comes
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That seems unlikely as one road leads to the next and the next (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 14); just as one choice leads to the next set of choices. Conversely, people can always come to that juncture and choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the narrow road - life, no matter how many times they walk the broad road – sin and death. Only when the speaker looks back upon this decision, ‘ages and ages hence,” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 17) will he attest “took the one [road] less traveled by.” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 19) That is the way that the speaker will sum up how he ended up where he ended up, the one decision that led to many other decisions, not necessarily the condition of the road or the heart.
He begins the final stanza with a “sigh,” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 16) perhaps wondering what was lost by not taking the other road; Christian’s know that is the road to destruction, despair and death. The stanza and the poem ends by stating a truth, the road taken – the narrow road- “has made all the difference.” (Frost, “Road” 1916/2013, 20)
The road not taken on its exterior looks the same as the road traveled. Christians have confidence that the path that God has revealed to them is the only path to eternal life. The mystery is people must realize that the path to life in Christ
In “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, there are many religious analogies. Most people agree that in the poem Frost was expressing the belief that it is the road or path that one takes or chooses that makes him the man he is today and will be tomorrow. Everyone is a traveler on life’s roads. In the poem there is never just one road to take. Religion can be found in this poem by the decision the speaker must make, the road he chose, and the road not taken.
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.
Have you ever been faced with two important decisions? Life is full of options and when when you encounter two decisions you have to choose what path you are going to take. Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” represents two tough decisions and having to choose one and not the other. Robert Frost uses a few poetic devices, such as, metaphor, symbolism and vivid imagery to express and show the decisions we make in life. These poetic devices also help Robert Frost get his point across about the roads.
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost shows the reader how the choices they make will be hard decisions and will follow them. The setting of this poem takes place in the woods, in the fall. The woods will typically be a quiet and serene place making the setting an ideal place for decision making. The setting also helps to show the symbolism that Frost shows by describing the two paths. Frost uses pathos when appealing to the reader’s feelings because any reader has had to make a decision in their life. Creating this symbol helps to relate to the reader. The Imagery that is created helps to make the reader feel as if they are standing in the snowy woods, looking down two paths, and trying to make the decision of which one to take. Frost used
In “The Road Not Taken” Frost emphasizes that every person is a traveler choosing the roads to follow on the map of their continuous journey-life. There is never a straight path that leads a person one sole direction in which to head. Regardless of the original message that Robert Frost had intended to convey, “The Road Not Taken” has left me with many different interpretations. Throughout this poem, it is obvious that decisions are not easy to make and each decision will lead you down a different path.
In his celebrated poem "The Road Not Taken," Robert Frost describes the decision one makes when reaching a fork in the road. Some interpret Frost as suggesting regret on the part of the traveler as to not choosing the path he forgoes, for in doing so he has lost something significant. Others believe he is grateful for the selection, as it has made him the man he is. The diverging roads are symbolic of the choices society is faced with every day of life. Choosing one course will lead the traveler in one direction, while the other will likely move away, toward a completely different journey. How does one know which is the right path; is there a right path? The answer lies within each individual upon reflection of personal choices during the course of life's unfolding, as well as the attitude in which one looks to the future.
This poem by Robert Frost was first read to me in the last year of my high school experience. Back then, not only did I have absolutely no interest in any literary work, but moreover, had no intension to lye there and analyze a poem into its symbolic definitions. Only now have I been taught the proper way to read a literary work as a formalistic critic might read. With this new approach to literature I can understand the underlying meaning to Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken". In addition to merely grasping the author's intension, I was able to justly incur that this poem, without directly mentioning anything about life's decisions, is in its entirety about just that.
The two roads in the poem relate to various paths one might be faced with in life. One path “bent in the undergrowth” (5) which means it had taken many times. However, the other path “was grassy and wanted wear” (8). This is the path in one’s life, which seems “unpopular” at the time. Not many people choose the path that is not typically chosen by others. This is what Frost is doing in his poem as he uses these solid metaphors: challenging his readers to “go against the flow” as the man did.
Robert Frosts “The Road Not Taken” shows how the choices that one makes now will ultimately effect one’s life later. In addition, one cannot go back and change the choices that one makes had made later in life. The symbolism the speaker uses signals that a choice is permanent and it effects one’s life and the people around one’s life.
The poem entitled “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is perhaps one of the most well-known poems to date. Frost’s poem explores the different paths and choices individuals are presented with throughout their life, which can later influence their lives significantly more than originally anticipated. Specifically, Frost describes a fork in the road at which the narrator must choose between two very different paths with varying outcomes. “The Road Not Taken” emphasizes the importance of taking the less traveled road through Frost’s usage of a wide range of literary devices. “The Road Not Taken” suggests that individuals should fully experience the process of making a choice before reaching a decision as that one single choice may later have
Above all, 'The Road Not Taken'; can truly be interpreted through much symbolism as a clear-sighted representation of two fair choices. The two roads in the poem, although, 'diverging,'; lead in different directions. At the beginning they appear to be somewhat similar, but is apparent that miles away they will grow farther and farther away from each other. Similar to many choices faced in life. It is impossible to foresee the consequences of most major decisions we make and it is often necessary to make these decisions based on a little more than examining which choice 'wanted wear.'; In
In Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, Frost shows the everyday human struggle to make a choice that could change the course of one’s life. In his poem, a person has the choice to take one road or the other. One road is worn out from many people taking it, and the other is barely touched, for fewer have taken that road. Throughout the poem, the speaker learns that just because so many other people have done one thing, or walked one way, does not mean everyone has to. Sometimes you just have to go your own way.
The main theme of the poem that Frost attempts to convey is how important the decisions that one makes can be, and how they affect one’s future. In lines 2-3, he expresses the emotions of doubt and confusion by saying, “And sorry I could not travel/ And be one traveler, long I stood”, which explains how the speaker contemplated their decision of which road to take. In the closing, line 20 of the poem further reestablishes the theme when it states, “that has made all the difference”, meaning that making the decision of which road to take for themselves is the important key for a successful future. Frost helps to express this theme by using symbolism to portray a road as one’s journey of life. Using symbolism, Frost suggests that the speaker of this poem is taking the harder of the two roads presented before them, because the road the speaker chooses, “leaves no step had trodden black” (12...
One of Robert Frost’s most well known poems is The Road Not Taken. Frost had mentioned numerous times that it was a “tricky- very tricky” poem (Grimes). This can be examined in the structure of the poem, the symbolism, and the diction. The simple language he uses in the poem reveals the common relevance of the poem to the people. People have to go about making choices each and every day of their lives. However, sometimes we come to a cross-road in our lives that can be life changing that is what the sentence structure reveals to us (Mcintyre). He uses common words but in a way that is unclear to the reader. For example the opening line of the poem is “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Frost, Robert. “1.”). The reader is not sure what is meant by yellow woods. It may mean the onset of fall or even the coming of spring. The season could relate to the speakers stage in life. It may mean this is their youth and they have to make a decision that will plan out the rest of their life, such as I am about what college to attend. Or is it indicating he has reached his mid-life, the fall, and is now presented with opportunity to change his...
This poem is one of many written by Frost in 1916 and it is commonly used in high school writing classes. It has been written about frequently and often analyzed because of the connection people feel to the poem for the reason that everyone has to make life choices. The reading of the poem touches a wide variety of readers because each one can identify with the writers predicament of having to make a choice, with two different options, as in the poem which road to take either the well-traveled path or as he decides the less journeyed. As an outcome of this choice, the writer states, that his life was profoundly different than it would have been had he taken the other road. The other road the more traveled and seemingly the safer of the two makes the reader seem more fearless to except what the unknown has to offer thus making his own way in the world. In reading further the roads are almost the same both being beautiful and equally passable. The writer tries to explain why things happened the way they did and that is a significant moment in his life. One might pick the road that gets them to w...