Freddy Pineda
Prof. C. Jason Smith
English 102
September 30th, 2013
"The Road Not Taken"
Robert Frost was born March 26th, 1874, and passed away due to "surgical complications" on January 29th, 1963. To get into more detail into Frost's death, he was suffering from cholera ("an infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea".) Frost was born in San Fransisco, California, a interesting fact is that his dad William Prescott Frost, Jr. was a journalist. It seems as though his dads journalistic influence, was one of the factors that lead Frost to be such a great writer, and story teller. Just like how musical parents end up having children with musical talent, because of their surroundings, but I digress. Frost has been widely admired till this day for his vivid, complex, and realism of his work. Frost would write about his life experiences, and that of course would resonate with so many people which made people only appreciate him even more.
"The Road Not Taken" by, Robert Frost Mountain Interval. 1920. is a poem that has stuck with me for so many years. It was easy for me to chose this poem over any other, because of the personal connection I have with it. I really related with this poem, no matter how many times I read it; it still has the same effect it did when I first read it.
The major symbols in my poem are the traveler in the 3rd line is the main symbol, which to me seems to be the connection between the reader, and the character. The sense of doubt on the 5th line in the 3rd stanza signifies the contempt with the decision they have made; they weren't sure if they should come back which shows some regret in the decision. The undergrowth on the 5th line of the first stanza helps paint a vivid picture in the readers mind to help them see through the travelers eyes. And finally the two roads being diverged in the 3rd line of the 4th stanza have a lot of meaning behind them which will be talked about in the upcoming paragraphs signify the two major decisions the traveler can choose from.
According to Websters dictionary, Diverge: means to split and move out in different directions from a single point.The two roads being split signify the two completely different paths/options you are able to take. The undergrowth reminds me of a forest with grass, and shrubs everywhere. The traveler represents all of us reading the poem, and wondering what road/decision are you going to make? The traveler puts all of us into the poem like we're apart of it, and are experiencing everything the traveler is. Experiencing the doubts, and the indecisions.
In the first stanza, line 1, and 2 state "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both". Right off the bat a decision has to be made, which road are you going to take? When you read these beginning lines you already know what those two roads are, and those two roads are personal roads, or decisions you have to make. It's different for everyone, and I believe that this was done intentionally. Frost was also describing the roads, one being more alluring/attractive than the other. When the traveler decides to take the road less traveled (no pun intended) he flipped a switch in the readers mind. It goes much deeper than just making a decision, I believe that Frost was trying to pioneer being different. Step outside of your comfort zone, do things that you wouldn't normally do. By taking the road less traveled it has made a significant difference, thinking past the poem your decisions are different because of the different road you took. It's amazing how many perspectives a poem may have, this is my meaning of this poem. Other people may see it differently, and that's the best part.
Works Cited:
Robert, Frost. - "The Road Not Taken".
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536
"Robert Frost". - Biography and Works"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost
Prof. C. Jason Smith
English 102
September 30th, 2013
"The Road Not Taken"
Robert Frost was born March 26th, 1874, and passed away due to "surgical complications" on January 29th, 1963. To get into more detail into Frost's death, he was suffering from cholera ("an infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea".) Frost was born in San Fransisco, California, a interesting fact is that his dad William Prescott Frost, Jr. was a journalist. It seems as though his dads journalistic influence, was one of the factors that lead Frost to be such a great writer, and story teller. Just like how musical parents end up having children with musical talent, because of their surroundings, but I digress. Frost has been widely admired till this day for his vivid, complex, and realism of his work. Frost would write about his life experiences, and that of course would resonate with so many people which made people only appreciate him even more.
"The Road Not Taken" by, Robert Frost Mountain Interval. 1920. is a poem that has stuck with me for so many years. It was easy for me to chose this poem over any other, because of the personal connection I have with it. I really related with this poem, no matter how many times I read it; it still has the same effect it did when I first read it.
The major symbols in my poem are the traveler in the 3rd line is the main symbol, which to me seems to be the connection between the reader, and the character. The sense of doubt on the 5th line in the 3rd stanza signifies the contempt with the decision they have made; they weren't sure if they should come back which shows some regret in the decision. The undergrowth on the 5th line of the first stanza helps paint a vivid picture in the readers mind to help them see through the travelers eyes. And finally the two roads being diverged in the 3rd line of the 4th stanza have a lot of meaning behind them which will be talked about in the upcoming paragraphs signify the two major decisions the traveler can choose from.
According to Websters dictionary, Diverge: means to split and move out in different directions from a single point.The two roads being split signify the two completely different paths/options you are able to take. The undergrowth reminds me of a forest with grass, and shrubs everywhere. The traveler represents all of us reading the poem, and wondering what road/decision are you going to make? The traveler puts all of us into the poem like we're apart of it, and are experiencing everything the traveler is. Experiencing the doubts, and the indecisions.
In the first stanza, line 1, and 2 state "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both". Right off the bat a decision has to be made, which road are you going to take? When you read these beginning lines you already know what those two roads are, and those two roads are personal roads, or decisions you have to make. It's different for everyone, and I believe that this was done intentionally. Frost was also describing the roads, one being more alluring/attractive than the other. When the traveler decides to take the road less traveled (no pun intended) he flipped a switch in the readers mind. It goes much deeper than just making a decision, I believe that Frost was trying to pioneer being different. Step outside of your comfort zone, do things that you wouldn't normally do. By taking the road less traveled it has made a significant difference, thinking past the poem your decisions are different because of the different road you took. It's amazing how many perspectives a poem may have, this is my meaning of this poem. Other people may see it differently, and that's the best part.
Works Cited:
Robert, Frost. - "The Road Not Taken".
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536
"Robert Frost". - Biography and Works"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost
