The setting is a “yellow wood”(1) and there is mention of leaves on the ground in third stanza, so it is assumed that it is the fall and in a metaphorical sense close to the end of the man's life. In the first stanza, three of the five lines begin with the word “and”, and words such as “doubt” “sigh”, and “sorry” are common, so it can reasonable be assumed that the narrator is the nervous and indecisive type. Throughout the poem, Frost uses the fork in the road as a metaphor for a decision. For example the narrator says,
Robert Lee Frost can be described as the most celebrated poet of the last one hundred years in America. Born in 1874, Frost went from an ordinary poet whose work was first published in a newspaper to the most renowned poet in American history. Nary has a child gone by the second or third grade without reading “The Road Not Taken” or another of his poetry. Almost every person raised in America has perceived his works as remarkable and stirring. Many of his poems have very dark and daunting themes at face value, but may have a deeper meaning when pondered upon.
Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference For example the line "two roads diverged in a yellow wood" its photographic image which stimulates the reader into seeing what Frost is actually seeing with his own two eyes. The tone of the poem is quite dramatic for the speaker is trying to decide which road to take. In literary piece Frost uses the fork in the road as a metaphor for making hard choices. The poem is inspirational and symbolizes the tough decisions adults have to make from the early morning until the late night in life.
Don’t Fear the Reaper In poetry, death is one of the most common themes. In both Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” death plays a part in the poems. While both poems are about death, they also share many differences. In Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” Death is personified as a friendly gentleman. Because the narrator “could not stop for death,” death “kindly stopped for [the narrator] (“Because” 1-2).
“Unless you are educated in metaphor, you are not safe to be let loose in the world.” This is a well-known quote by the famous poet Robert Frost and certainly hints at an extensive usage of metaphor in his poetry. Frost did indeed use metaphor extensively and it is an absolutely essential aspect of his poetry, for most of his poems are extended metaphors with vastly deep meanings. His poems almost always involve his fondness for nature and the outdoors, and they also include lots of imagery and symbolism. The usage of metaphors in Robert Frost's poetry is profound to say the least, and he uses them to more accurately portray his poems’ themes, which often include valuable life lessons. First let’s take a look at “The Road Not Taken”, which is one of Frost’s most famous poems if not the most famous.
He also chose to write about the theme of nature in his poetry, some poems having to do with death and sorrow, but he chose to write some of his poetry based on nature (Hollander). Robert Frost wrote his poems based on his life experiences he had in his past. Robert Frost had a specific style that can be found in most of his poems, he includes in his poems, some type of end rhyme. For example in the poem “Now Close the Windows”, he includes end rhyme in the entire poem. Now close the windows and hush all the fields: If the trees must, let them silently toss; No bird is singing now, and if there is, Be it my loss.
Robert Lee Frost, one of the most highly esteemed poets of the twentieth century, was different from other writers of the Modern Period. He received four Pulitzer Prizes and forty-four honorary degrees (Pritchard). New England was Frost’s “solid rock” in his writings; therefore, nature shows up in a lot of his writings (Waggoner). His poetry expresses a common emotion and everyday experiences, and it is written in simple language that affects any common reader (Magill 716-728). Frost also used ambiguity in his writings which help people apply his writings to their life (Jason 1337).
Compare and Contrast of Robert Frost Poems Jessica Dozier Introduction to American Literature -13 Instructor: Peter Kunze In both poems, “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” they are both discussing a trip that was taking in the woods and both long trips alone in the woods. The tone of both poems to me seems very sad and bitter. But most importantly both poems talk about the things that was seen in the woods and the atmosphere seem to be very gloomy and lifeless in both poems. I could not actually define speakers or the speaker’s age but I am guessing the age to be in the early forties because of the word choices and the more mature tone that is being used after reading it over and over and understanding the point of each poem. “The Road Not Taken” sounds like a decision in life that we should have made better decision on but instead we did things the way we wanted to and in the end if we had taken the other route in life we would have accomplished our goals by now.
In the numerous poems by Robert Frost, his use of nature shows symbolism to the deeper meaning of his poems. “The Road Not Taken”, “My November Guest”, “Mending Wall”, and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” all contain examples of Frost’s exceptional use of imagery. Symbolism is described as words, objects, or events that have a meaning larger than their definition and/or “an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use of images” (Princeton, “Symbolism” 1). The implantation of symbols acts as a guide for the audience, moving their eyes across the page with each customary inclusion. The known is much more comfortable for a person to encounter in poetry, rather than something unseen or unusual.
“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” As we know, a piece of literature can be interpreted in many ways that can differ dramatically. Every reader will interpret literature differently between the initial reading and a later reading. Readers will commonly pick up on things that they didn’t notice before or change their interpretation completely. Robert Frost’s piece “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” definitely has an underlying message about nature as his poems typically do. I strongly disagree with the first student author that the speaker is questioning his manhood that is indicated by the use of the words “queer” and “pretty”.
Much like the title suggests, the narrator of the poem is telling of a passing through the woods that he is traveling, but like many of Frost’s poems, the descriptions have greater meanings than their definitions. Although Frost’s choice in diction suggests that the narrator is telling of his simple journey into the woods, it has a more complex understanding. The story told through the poem tells the reader that the narrator has come to a point where he is not sure that he wants to continue on with life. This is most apparent when the narrator describes the actions of his horse: “My little horse must think it queer / To stop without a farmhouse near (ll 5-6).” This shows that the actions of the narrator are unusual and gives evidence that the narrator is contemplating not going back to the farmhouse, or in other words, not continuing on with life. This poem, like many of Frost’s poems, uses nature to describe other key elements of being.
Diandra Gobin Teacher Course Date Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening Analysis Although Robert Frost is no longer with us, his work still is. Robert Frost's work remains some of the best works of literature. Frost has written 105 poems, all are exceptional. However, one stands out among all: Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening . Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening is the best poem in the whole wide world.
Although Frost’s work goes deeper than he initial idea, he often leaves us asking questions and doesn’t really give us answers. All of these techniques helping us understand the main ideas in Frost’s work. The theme of extinction or death is also a major theme in Frost’s poems. In many of his poems, such as “After Apple Picking”, he writes of ‘sleep’, and “the essence of winter sleep”, that could lead to and is often associated with death. The symbolism of winter in this poem also gives us the feeling of cold, weary and tired all by which the theme of mortality is portrayed.
In Robert Frost’s poem ‘Stopping by woods on a snowing evening’ decision making is further portrayed “My little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near” This use of rhymes further conveys the thought of decision making as the horse would be confused as to why they would be stopping at such an odd place. Ultimately it is shown as the symbolism of equality can intently affect the process of decision-making. The ideas expressed within frosts poems also incorporate the uncommon use of seasonal settings. In Robert Frost’s poem ‘The road not taken’ the seasonal setting is expressed within the first stanza “Two roads diverged on a yellow wood” This conveys the change of season from summer to autumn which has an effect on the rest of the poem and the general aura to the poem.
Since the birth of English Literature, poetry has been distributed though both word of mouth and script. Numerous poems exist and numerous poems are to be written. This however does not change the fact that poems are difficult to interpret. Whether short or long, poems are difficult to deconstruct, analyse and understand. Two poems that are exactly as described are stopping by the woods on a snowy evening by Robert Frost, written in the 20th century and I wandered lonely as a cloud by William Wordsworth, written in the 19th century.
We often question ourselves is this to be the right or wrong road were taking such as when Robert Frost writes "two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travels both". Since the road in the wood is yellow we can picture this as autumn. When leaves change color and life starts to die. The passage makes the reader see that the decision Robert Frost is making is a difficult one. As the poem continues it says "green and wanted wear".
Frost’s poem moves from a more conversational tone to the nicer, more heartfelt tone. The language does demonstrate this change: from the colloquial “Whose woods these are I think I know.” To the poetic “Of easy wind and downy flake”, “the woods are lovely, dark and deep,” (1, 12, 13) we can see changes in the speaker’s attitude as if he answers the questions why he stopped by the woods. Aside from that, the closing repetition of the last stanza is, “and miles to go before I sleep,” “and miles to go before I sleep” (15, 16) emphasizes the speaker’s commitment to
The Crossroads of Life Robert Frost wrote a poetic masterpiece in the form of The Road Not Taken. Some of the main aspects that intrigue people about this poem are the many interpretations that can be taken of the poem and the use of layered meanings. This poem has put Robert Frost down in history as an amazing poet. This poem uses literary devices to deliver a deeply cryptic message and a life lesson that Frost has implied. The first line in the poem is “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” On the surface this is a relatively basic sentence.
Michael Watts Professor Ndeh Composition 2, 10:00am October 03, 2013 Everyday Choices The 20th century had many great American poets, but one of the most distinguished that wrote many award winning poems was Robert Frost. Robert Frost was an American poet that was most noted for his depictions of rural life in New England and his realistic portrayal of regular people in everyday situations. Two of Robert Frost’s most noted poems are “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Comparing and contrasting these two poems by using literary elements that include imagery, voice, and figurative language “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” we see how Robert Frost addresses everyday human problems in decision making. Robert Frost sets the mood and tone by the use of imagery in both of his poems “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping be the Woods on a Snowy Evening.” In “The Road Not Taken” the speaker is faced with two roads one of which he must choose to travel by. Looking at the two roads the speaker notices all the nice things about the soundings of each.
Decision Making: Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Nature has inspired many famous poets to come out with some of the best and fascinating poems. Robert Frost is a popular American poet who has written some of the best poems touching upon various subjects. Amongst the many poems of Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” are quite popular and impressive. The former is about youth and experiencing life and the latter is about old age, or more probably, an old spirit wearied by life. There is a strong connection between these two poems in many areas that makes these best for comparative analysis.