Aging In Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken By Sylvia Plath

Doesn’t everyone wish they could grow up faster when they are younger, but when they actually start to grow up, they just want life to slow down? Aging is a unique experience for everyone and each person deals with it differently. The theme of growing older and changing appearance in “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath can be compared to the theme of aging and reflecting on one’s life seen in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. These similarities and differences can be seen through each author’s tone, each poem’s structure, and each poem’s overall message. First, it is clear that both Plath and Frost have differing views on aging, which can be seen through the tone of each of their poems. Plath uses a more laid back, mellow, and somber tone throughout

In both “Mirror” and “The Road Not Taken”, the authors explain the process of aging, but they each put their own spin on it. In “The Road Not Taken”, Frost reflects on a decision he has made earlier in life. At the time, he thought the decision he was making wouldn’t be important. As stated in the lines, “Then took the other, as just as fair / Had worn them really about the same” (lines 6 & 10). These two lines show that the two paths didn’t seem much different to him, but as the poem goes on, the reader can see that this decision has shaped him greatly and that he thought his decision was actually the road that was less traveled. On the other hand, “Mirror” takes a very different approach to the concept of aging. In this poem, the author tries to portray the hardships that some people have when aging, such as having a hard time coming to terms that they are changing, not only on the outside, but also on the inside. This can be seen in the line, “In me she has drowned a young girl” (line 17). This line shows how the woman has grown up and the mirror has seen her through every stage of life. By referring to the girl as being “drowned” it can make the reader feel like they didn’t necessarily welcome the idea of growing up or becoming different with age, which is in complete contrast to how Frost felt in his

These two poems have their similarities and differences, which could be seen through each author’s tone, each poem’s structure, and each poem’s overall message. Despite their differences, the poems both parallel the theme of people always wanting to grow up until they actually have. Each poem is a reflection of the differences people see in their lives while growing up. The narrators show the reader how they feel about aging and whether or not they have came to terms with