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The road not taken poem analysis line by line
Analysing poetry ENGL 102
The road not taken poem analysis line by line
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The Road Not Taken
(1) Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
(2) And sorry I could not travel both
(3) And be one traveler, long I stood
(4) And looked down one as far as I could
(5) To where it bent in the undergrowth;
(6) Then took the other, just as fair,
(7) And having perhaps the better claim
(8) Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
(9) Though as for that the passing there
(10) Had worn them really about the same,
(11) And both that morning equally lay
12 In leaves no step had trodden black.
13 Oh, I marked the first for another day!
14 Yet knowing how way leads on to way
15 I doubted if I should ever come back.
16 I shall be telling this with a sigh
17 Somewhere ages and ages hence:
18 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
19 I took the one less traveled by,
20 And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
Fiction elements:
What are the major aspects of a certain character?
Character
Actions perhaps torn by indecision about which way was the best direction to travel, where life could lead next, and to determine what one would miss by passing by the opportunities on the path left behind. (2) And sorry I could not travel both,
Speech contemplative, yet somewhat lighthearted, and a bit mocking (13) Oh, I marked the first for another day!
physical appearance an impression of a very indecisive person who is always afraid that they will be missing something important by taking the other road. (4) And looked down one as far as I could,; (11) And both that morning equally lay
morning, perhaps referring to the beginning of adult life, (11) And both that morning equally lay
name – I - in the first person – making a decision “alone”, (3) And be one traveler, long I stood
reactions of other characters to the character - (not present in this poem as I see it, only that of perhaps an older, wiser self (a new older character), looking back through time from the future
(17) Somewhere ages and ages hence:
setting
How does the location affect the story?
regional influences
historical aspect Frost seems to be saying that either path would be the same, but that there may be some regret in the future.10) Had worn them really about the same,
props – the woods (1) Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,, the undergrowth (5) To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Without the use of stereotypical behaviours or even language is known universally, the naming of certain places in, but not really known to, Australia in ‘Drifters’ and ‘Reverie of a Swimmer’ convoluted with the overall message of the poems. The story of ‘Drifters’ looks at a family that moves around so much, that they feel as though they don’t belong. By utilising metaphors of planting in a ‘“vegetable-patch”, Dawe is referring to the family making roots, or settling down somewhere, which the audience assumes doesn’t occur, as the “green tomatoes are picked by off the vine”. The idea of feeling secure and settling down can be applied to any country and isn’t a stereotypical Australian behaviour - unless it is, in fact, referring to the continental
In “A Worn Path” colors are used to emphasize the depth and breadth of the story, and to reinforce the parallel images of the mythical phoenix and the protagonist Phoenix Jackson. Eudora Welty’s story is rich with references to colors that are both illustrative and perceptive, drawing us in to investigate an additional historical facet of the story.
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 have conflicting thought regarding Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road. My initial thoughts of the novel were that it was solely built on the complete devastation of two characters lives and the surrounding landscape and their constant search for survival. However after giving it further insight I discovered the underlying messages of the importance of good and bad people in my life, the beauty of the little things in life and constant greed showed by desperate individuals. I believe the novels successes comes from the messages of the significant value of human life and the importance of memories in our lives.
The persona begins to think about how he cannot take both paths and be the same “traveler”
The author, Larry McMurty in his article “A Road They did Not Know” sheds light on the happenings of June 25-26, 1876, at the battle of the Little Big Horn. He mentions, in the summer of 1875, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer revealed the presence of gold in the Black Hills in front of the whole nation. After which the government was regretting their agreement of giving the Black Hills and other lands to the Sioux, to which, the whites in the peace party and many others said that the government should honor the agreement, especially, this agreement which was announced publicly in 1868. The Sioux, of many become Indian agency, their free life of hunting was possibly on in some areas; the Powder River, parts of Montana, South Dakota west of
The desire to travel down both paths is expressed and is not unusual. The speaker of this poem realizes that the decision is not just a temporary one and he "doubted if I should ever come back.
Little details can make all the difference, from poems to movies, details can pick out the littlest difference. Anthem is a book that can easily relate to other books, poems, movies, and even songs. The movie Village, written by M. Night Shyamalan, and the poem The Road Not Taken written by Robert Frost, can both be immensely the same in significance. From using fear to control people and keep them in an orderly manner, to taking the road less traveled. There are so many details that make these and many other books, cut from the same cloth.
“Authors use setting to create meaning, just as painters use backgrounds and objects to render ideas.” - Literary Anthology. The setting of "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, takes place on a cold December morning during the 1940 's. In "A Worn Path", the setting allows readers to grasp a better understanding of various components which make up the story. The components are the character qualities, symbols and the mood and atmosphere. The path the main character, Phoenix, follows to the city and what she endures through her journey shows what kind of person Phoenix is and the true qualities of her character. The symbols found in the setting allow a deeper incite to the meaning of the story and why they are present.
Decisions are made every day, and greater the number of choices, the harder it becomes to evaluate the opportunity cost of a particular option, especially when the outcomes are unknown. Everyone experience a dilemma at some point in life, maybe, critical enough to alter their fates; some regret while others rejoice. Such is the case for the narrator, of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, who is required to choose his fate. There is deep regret because he “could not travel both” only to settle for the “one less traveled by” (19). Blanche Farley, however, tries to cheat out of regret through her lead character of “The Lover Not Taken;” a companion poem of “The Road Not Taken,” only with a parodistic spin. Although the poems share common features of structure, style and a common theme, there is a distinct difference in the imagery and perspectives in the respective poems.
in life, like the traveler in "The Road Not Taken", are not to be taken
“And sorry I could not travel both” (2), the speaker is coming to a decision. In everyone’s life, they must make a decision to follow God or not to follow God. In this poem, the speaker has to make this choice. He tries to look down both roads as far as he can to see the choices that might result from taking either path. “Yet knowing how way leads on to way” (14), he knows that this decision is not temporary. He knows that once he chooses a path, he “doubted if I should ever come back” (15[VR1] ).
Decisions, decisions! So, what we do is come up with some justification for the choice we have made, even though we are already questioning our decision, even as we make it. When the choices are so close to being equal, does it real...
The narrator must choose between two 'fair'; roads, of which he cannot see the endpoints. Wandering between the two, he finally decides to take the road 'less traveled by.'; Yet, like most people, he later sighs with regret thinking of what he might have
The two roads presented in this poem represent difficult decisions we are faced with in life. He uses the relationship between the paths and real life decisions throughout the whole poem. This is an example of extended metaphor, which is used to help the readers understand the analogy between the two. The man in the poem said: “long I stood” (3), which lets us know the decision was not made instantly. It was hard for the man to make a final judgment.