Life itself is built upon layers of decisions, substantial or miniscule, that become intertwined in an attempt to define who we are. I believe that the choices we make will ultimately work to construct our future, whether it is the way in which I perceive the world around me, or what I choose to believe. In “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost manages to further illustrate these points in order to convey deeper meaning within the text. Stumbling across two separate paths in the woods, one that is worn and the other not quite so much, Frost is left with a challenging decision as to which path to follow. At first glance, they both appear to be relatively similar, but after a moment of contemplation, he decides to take the path less traveled. …show more content…
In this moment in time, there is no assurance as to where writing will take me as I follow this pathless “woods.” However, I hope that at the end of my journey, this decision will make all the difference as well. The depiction of fall to winter, shown in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73,” holds a far deeper meaning behind the changing of the seasons. Shakespeare is able to delineate both a literal meaning of fall coming to an end as the chill of winter begins, and also a metaphorical message of people as they begin to change and grow older through time. I cannot feel myself gradually aging as the speaker when he states that, “In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire / That ashes of his youth doth lie.” However, I see the lines of age begin to define themselves through those around me. Whether it be physical lines imprinted as maps of knowledge across the kind faces of my grandparents, or perhaps more mental lines as my friends begin to find courage and self-assurance within …show more content…
Without the ability of time, which allows us to grow and change, my brother would not have been able to overcome his darkness. Although I understand Shakespeare’s sonnet, and it does relate to me, I interpret his view of death in a different manner. In truth, death is inevitable, but I don’t wish to be consumed by the idea of it. Only through ever changing time can we create a deeper understanding of the world in which we live, and develop strength and compassion within ourselves and one another. Instead of being fixated on the end, I believe in concentrating on the world around me right now. Just as Shakespeare urges us, “This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong / To love that well which thou must leave ere long,” I try to breathe in every moment, and learn all that I can. So that when death comes eventually, I will not be full of longing for the past and things I should have done, but rather an acceptance and joy for the life I have
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is often misinterpreted. For many years to come, people are going to read this poem by Robert Frost and one of many things will happen. The reader will either misinterpret or misunderstand the poem itself, and its’ sense of irony does not help either.
In this poem, Frost illustrates that every person has his own opinion. He states “Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim” (line 6-7). What make it better was “it was grassy and wanted wear” (line 8). It was something that was obviously not for everyone because it seems that the other people take the more popular one. “And both that morning equally lay/ In leaves no step had trodden black” (line 11). No one had yet to pass by on this road since the leaves have fallen. “I kept the first for another day” (line 13). The desire to travel down both paths is expressed and is not unusual, but “knowing how way leads onto way” (line 14). The speaker of this poem realizes that the decision is not just a temporary one, and he “doubted if I should ever come back”
First of all, there is uncertainty in the story told by the speaker. It is clear that deciding which path to take was a hard task for him. For example, the speaker says that he felt sorry about not being able to travel two roads at the same time, so he stood for a long time, looking down the road as far as he could see (Frost 2-4). As the speaker admits, he wanted to take both roads. Therefore, he took time, trying to notice something special in one road, or he might have wanted to see where
Frost uses personification to explain the choice made by the traveler. An example here is “Because it was grassy and wanted wear”, Frost is saying the road wants to be walked on, which it cannot ‘want’. This tells us it’s the one that was better kept, since it was the one less traveled. People choose the path that “should be taken” since it’s the one some have already used. “And having perhaps the better claim” Here the traveler seems unsure of the choice he is making, he thinks “perhaps” after looking down as far as he could of the first road the second one is better. This helps the reader see how this compares to real life problems; when you have to make choices in life you would want to select the bes...
The persona had two roads to chose from and wonders what would have happened had he taken the other road. Frost’s title reflects this. The first three lines, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both /And be one traveler, long I stood", tell us the speaker must choose between two roads he finds equally appealing. It is apparent the narrator has a difficult choice to make and is carefully considering his options.
What path would you choose? You’re out one day hiking, and you arrive at a split in the road. The left path is clear, but, the right path looks more adventurous with the overgrown plants. This similar situation is demonstrated in Robert Frost’s Allegorical poem “The Road Less Traveled.” However Frost figuratively compares the decision to a life decision. Robert Frost demonstrates that mankind cannot determine their own fate but in fact influence it in “The Road Not Taken,” by the use of an extended metaphor, imagery, and symbolism.
...us hate through the symbols of fire and ice. The narrator chooses fire over ice because it’s the most relatable for them and is, in his or her mind, preferable to the hate and coldness of ice. The narrator in “The Road Not Taken” also makes a decision based on how the choices presented relate to them. They chose to be an individual and not to shape their life around someone else’s decision. “Fire and Ice” is, at a deeper level, also very different from “The Road Not Taken” because it presents two specific choices that both lead to the same end while “The Road Not Taken” opens up the possibility for endless paths and decisions with an unknown result. Regardless of where the poems guide the narrator, Frost makes it clear that our decisions affect who we are, but also opens up speculation about what it would be like had we taken different turns. It’s impossible to know.
The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost addresses the idea of decision-making and choosing what direction life will take you. The poem is about the speaker arriving at a fork in the road, where both paths are carpeted with leaves. The persona, who is believed to be Frost himself, chooses to take the road less traveled by. He tells himself that he will take the other road another day, although he knows it is unlikely that he will have the opportunity to do so. The poem concludes with the speaker satisfied by his choice in taking the road less traveled by.
In his perhaps best known poem, Frost recognizes something that everyone should realize. The simple picture of a man deciding which path to follow is suddenly changed into a description of life by the mastery of Frost's poetic hand. No matter how small a decision appears to be at the time that it is made, that decision will affect a person's life forever, or as Frost puts it, each and every choice will make "all the difference."
“Sonnet 73,” published by William Shakespeare in 1609, reveals through symbolic imagery and metaphors mans promised fate, death. The theme of “Sonnet 73” is that, as life draws to an end, it becomes more valued. In a melancholy mood, the narrator concedes that many years have passed by and that the end of his life draws ever near. He reflects through imagery, and with a sense of self-pity, the loss of his youth and passion to the ravages of time. In this essay I will detail the use of symbolic imagery and metaphors in “Sonnet 73” and how it portrays the author’s experience of aging.
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.
This poem is so much more than a man choosing which path to go down; it is a time line of events and decisions that develop who Robert Frost was and what the world today represents. From these lines, you can see that Frost took the road that no one usually takes. The poem was written in 1915, so it is a recollection of Robert Frost’s younger years. For most of his life, Frost lived in Massachusetts. Frost became a farmer not long after marrying the love of his life. Unfortunately, his crops failed and he was unsuccessful. Robert Frost and his wife packed their bags and moved to Great Britain. “Two roads diverged in a...
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” provide us contrasting and sometimes similar glimpses of life. “The Road Not Taken” is about taking control and living life. “Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening” entails the desire for rest, perhaps due to the speaker’s feelings of weariness from facing life’s struggles. The poet also explains the tough choices people stand before when traveling the road of life. Sometimes people regret the possibilities of the road not chosen, sometimes people feel proud about the road they have chosen.
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...
The speaker in Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken' gives the reader insight into human nature with each line of poetry. While, Frost had not originally intended for this to be an inspirational poem, line by line, the speaker is encouraging each reader to seek out his or her own personal path in the journey of life. Romanticizing the rural woods of New England creates the perfect setting for the theme of self-discovery laid out and described by the speaker.