The poem titled "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is about a person looking back on a choice they once had to make. The way things turned out are not said to be good or bad. The narrator states that the choice they made has made “all the difference” in the way his life has changed. This poem is about the importance of choices made in ones life. The poem begins with the narrator regretting that he had not been able to take both paths instead of being forced to take just one to one.
The unchanging rhythm indicates that his emotions don’t change. The poem is split into 2 parts, but is still contained within one stanza because it revolves around one single metaphor, rain. The poet’s state of mind is revealed in the opening line, while creating an atmosphere of sorrow, depression and anxiety, “Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain.” The poet’s use of ‘midnight’ reflects his state of mind, where light is used to symbolise hope. It thus signifies complete, utter darkness which entails no trace of light and thus no hope for the poet’s survival at all as he is completely certain he will die. The word ‘Nothing’ is another metaphor used as a means of showing that he has no future, his life is to come to an end and he feels devoid of emotions, resigned to his fate.
The courage to start a new journey is the theme and the first connection between these two stories. In “The Road Not Taken”, the first line “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood (Clugston, 2010, p.45)”shows that the character has arrived at a crossroad, thus starting the beginning of his journey. The next two lines tell the reader that he stands alone and apologies to the roads for he could only choose one to travel. This implies that the journey itself might not be difficult, but choosing the right road to start his journey would be. The roads are said to be equally worn the same, giving little foresight to which would be the best road to travel.
He finds himself wanting to be rid of society and all the things that it represents. In “The Road Not Taken” the speaker comes across a fork in the road and he must choose which path to follow. The road is a symbol of the choices we decide in life. As the speaker decides which road is best to follow he comes to realize that whichever path he decides will be for good. He must think long and hard and weigh his decisions, so he has no regrets.
Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken seems to represent indecision. It tells us about a travelers who is standing in front of two different roads that basically look the same. He doesn’t know where each of the roads leads to, but he should make a choice whether he would take the first road or the other in order to move forward. Of course the roads here are just a symbol. It represents something much concrete in our reality: choices.
This is why the speaker takes his time thinking which path to choose because not only is he concerned about which road to take but also which path in life is the correct one. There could be more than one correct road but in reality you only choose one. When the speaker finally chooses a path automatically it can feel the mood changes because the speaker knows that it will not come back to be able to take the other path, left by in the past. The character then regrets its missed opportunity. In the beginning of the poem when the traveler is introduced for the first time he has to make a decision of what road to take.
It is a negative event in life and something to be dreaded, mainly because it is an unknown. Given that both of these poems were written about death one would assume that they were both very much alike; however, that is not the case. Death is the main theme but they both also talk about the possibility of some sort of afterlife, though they do not have any reference to God in them. Both poems are also very different in tone. The poem, “Because I could not stop for Death-“, alludes to a possible afterlife or existence in different manifestations, especially in the last two lines “I first surmised the Horses’ Heads Were toward Eternity_”.
Whitman likes to contemplate the stars quietly, and he figures he will learn more this way than by listening to the astronomer. He believes that by pursuing preciseness and numbers, people forget the beauty of things as they really are. He likes to learn about things by creative exploration, not numbers and logic. Therefore, Whitman can be considered a transcendentalist. This poem was written from a first-person point of view and in free verse, meaning it has no meter or rhyme.
Critique of A.E. Housman’s “Loveliest of Trees” The poem of “Loveliest of trees” written by Housman portrays a 20 years old young man who just realizes he is getting older and he cannot turn back time. “Loveliest of trees” happens in spring season, even though there is “snow” in the last line of the poem. It also explains the human condition and advices partial solution, which is our life is very short and time is not enough to enjoy the beauty of nature in his life. This poem makes this young man sense the beauty of nature surrounds him.
The first stanza begins as the speaker dismisses the depressing views of the psalmist he speaks to. The poem explains that life is real and believing otherwise puts one in an illusion. If one believes in the supposed futility of life, then their soul sleeps and eventually dies. The second stanza builds on this idea, proclaiming the Realness of life, “Life is real! Life is earnest!” (Longfellow).