Comparing Lentricchia And Richardson's The Road Not Taken

The comparisons of each poem are so identical it presents similarities with the choices he wrestle with. First, the poet does not know what to do. For example, in both poems the poet is torn in between the two. For another example, he takes a moment to think in both poems. Second, he has an opportunity in both poems to turn around. For example, in The Road Not Taken, he chooses to pick to a path. For more proof, In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, he could

In “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, we are given a piece of art that simply will leave you clueless unless, you understand the pain and frustration the man is going through; when choosing what route he feels will give him the most joy. In the poem a man is walking through the woods and he comes upon a fork. He who wants to take both roads chooses the route that he feels is traveled less on. Little does he know that both road have been equally traveled on. He who travels on the route that has fresher leaves lies to himself, by convincing himself that he will come back and take the other route. Though it was a very stressful and a hard decision for the man to make, many people are put into very similar situations like in John Updike’s A and P and as well as in James Joyce’s Eveline. Both Sammy and Eveline find it troubling to make a decision that will change their life completely.

Not only are metaphors utilized throughout the poem, but a literary device known as Imagery is as well. Imagery is alternative as important a device for it allows for the reader to have a clear picture of what the character in the poem is visualizing. Furthermore, it also helps covey the theme the author is aiming to represent to the reader. Imagery is made known in stanza two line three, which states, “Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (Myer, 1091). Here the author is using imagery to inform the readers the traveler is coming up with a reason for why one path could be more favorable over the other. The reader analyzes this line of imagery to obtain a clearer representation of the traveler’s decision-making process. Another line where the author uses imagery is in stanza two line five, which states, “Had worn them really about the same” (Myer, 1091). Here the author is using imagery to inform the reader that the paths are “worn” down, which informs the reader that both of his choices have been equally chosen by people before him. These examples help the reader begin to form the theme of self-justification in decision-making. After analyzing the metaphors and the imagery Frost uses in this poem, the reader can conclude so far that the theme the poet is conveying

In the Robert Frost poem ‘’The Road Not Taken’’ there is a pervasive and in many ways intrinsic sense of journey throughout. In such, the poem explores an aspect associated with human decision, or indecision, relative to the oxymoron, that choices with the least the difference should bear the most indifference, but realistically, carry the most difficulty. This is conveyed through the use of several pivotal techniques. Where the first such instance is the use of an extended metaphor, where the poem as a whole becomes a literary embodiment of something more, the journey of life. The second technique used is the writing style of first person. Where in using this, the reader can depict a clear train of thought from the walker and understand

The poem relates the problem of decision-making that affects lives of individuals. The poet does not seem to regret the choice that he has made.  But, certainly he feels lonely. When there are several opportunities available, it often becomes difficult to make the right choice.  But, once a choice has been made one has to move ahead without turning back.  Determination and hope lead a person through difficult times.  The future is unpredictable.  With relentless pursuit and faith in oneself, anything can be achieved.

Frost uses the debating between the two roads to show the reader the two choices that are presented to him and how those two choices offer countless amount of possibilities. There are multiple different ways to decipher the poem, but Frost connects with the reader in the sense that no matter what road is taken, another road will later replace the past road. Frost begins to notice one of the two roads looks more worn down than the other, “Though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same” this is representing real-life traumas and can show the decision making process when choosing between two options. Looking down one of the roads of life before actually following the trail shows a different perspective and point of view from the basic stand point of only seeing a problem one way and never seeing the problem or decision from another point of view. Frost decides in the end to take one of the paths and says he will take the second path another day although he may never go back to the starting point of his journey. It is more than just human instinct to not want to take the more unnatural or harmful pathway; it is easier to take the cleaner path so that the problem will be over with faster and Frost depicts this problem perfectly in the form of a short poem.

Frost presents the traveler's choice of paths as a metaphor for the difficult decisions a person must make in life. The divergent paths are the choices to be made at various points along the way. Regardless of how he tries, the traveler cannot see beyond where the path is "bent in the undergrowth" (5). Likewise, nobody can predict what effect one choice will have on his life. The traveler sees the two paths as very similar or "just as fair" (6). As much as the traveler would like to return to the diverging roads, he realizes that he will not get another chance to travel the other path. With maturity comes a resignation that a choice has affected a person's life and there is no going back. He also tries to make the best of his decision by saying that it has "made all the difference." (20).

The poem “The Road Not Taken” is about how the author himself has come to a split in a path while walking in the woods without a map. The season is fall, and the leaves are turning red and yellow. He isn’t sure which way he should go, and he wishes he didn’t have to choose and could go both ways. He looks down one path as far as he can see, but he then decides to take the other. The path he decides to take is not quite as worn as the other one, the leaves are freshly fallen with no foot prints or tracks. The author reflects on how he intends to take the road that he didn 't take next time, but he doubts that he will ever come back. Instead, in the future, he will be reminded of how his decision was ultimately the right one. I decided to adapt this poem into a drawing because I feel like it can be interpreted in various ways and has a lot of hidden meanings. This poem demonstrates that everyone needs to choose their own path and not anyone else’s. This theme was communicated with Frosts usage of symbols and imagery.

In this poem, I believe the theme is that you have to jump at an opportunity when you get it, or you may never get that opportunity again. Moving on to the tone of the poem, I believe that it is wistful, and that the speaker might be looking back on his days, and realizing that he taking the other road might have made all of the difference in his life. There is very good diction in this poem, as some words express Frost’s feeling more than other’s would’ve. For example, in the line “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” (1), Frost really emphasizes the two roads separating from each other. In another line “In leaves no step had trodden black” (12), trodden is a more appropriate than another word such as crushed or pulverized, because it is the past form of trod, or to step in something, and gives an image of human feet stepping on the freshly fallen leaves.

The poem’s author, Robert Frost, focuses on the theme and the mood by representing the choices and decisions that have to be made.

In the poem I crafted, “The Roads Within”, it extend the ideas of the original poem, “The Road Not Taken”. One of the major ideas of the original poems is that we all have a choice in the decisions and paths we take in life. In my poem I enforce that idea in line 4, “Long I waited, considering each choice”. Before any one decides to live a certain way they must consider if they would not have regrets on the life they chose to live. The idea of not being able to go back to the point where the decision is made is represented in both poems.

No matter who you are or what you do, you must make decisions every day in your lifetime, whether it be choosing what to eat that day or choosing which occupation you would like to do for the rest of your life. No matter how big or small the decision there is always more than one option available. For every choice that is chosen, there is one that you did not pick — the school you didn’t go to or the outfit you did not wear. Robert Frost has written about choices like these in his poem “The Road Not Taken”. The narrator in the poem comes to a fork in the road and needs to decide which road he will take and which road he will not take. A number of poetic devices work together to help develop an overall understanding and relatability to the poem. They also support the poem’s theme ¬¬— to choose your pathways in life and be content with them whether they seem popular or not. The devices used to create this effect and theme is imagery, symbolism, and connotative and denotative language.

When someone faces a choice in their life they look at how each choice will play out. They look at the pros and cons of every choice and then they try to decide off of which will be the better choice. However, if they don’t know how the path will end out then they try to decide which to take just by a guess. Some people think taking the path that not a lot of people take is the better choice. Frost’s poem is perceived in this notion by some people.

By choosing the harder path, the speaker declares his rebellion against the popular opinion as represented by the other road. He decides not to conform to society and takes up a less popular choice. When considering his choices the speaker shows the typical human reaction. He considers taking both paths at first. He says, “Oh I kept the first for another day”, but later confesses he “doubted if [he] should ever come back” (13-15). Thus the poem’s significance lies in the speakers making a decision by choosing a road and moving on with his life. The act of choosing the road represents his uniqueness and the fact that he is always moving forward, even without stopping.

“The Road Not Taken” is a poem that involves a common dilemma faced in every single life. Robert Frost wrote the poem trying to explain to his friend Edward Thomas that he took the best decision in his life taking the road least travel. His friend misunderstood Frost intentions and after read the poem, he took the other road in his life and it made all the difference. Instead of travel to America and be a great professor, Thomas felt the sensation of be an unsuccessful writer and a non-patriotic citizen which help him to take the decision of enlist during the war. After taking the other road in his life, he finishes with his life during the war. The poem creates a connection with the reader because the situation presented emphasizes the life of any person. Every person is forced to decide a path and the decision made it, will always make a difference. The result of a person's character or life is related in the decisions made it during his or her life. In “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost uses different types of conflicts, character versus self, character versus nature, character versus society, to show how the path taken in life makes all the difference.