ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast The Road Not Taken

1342 Words6 Pages

Darika Turner
Mr. Beall
English 251
6 April 2017

Mistaken Interpretations vs True Meaning
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is a well-known poem of the twentieth century that has become famous due to its inspirational interpretation by readers (Baym 735). In the poem, the speaker narrates and reflects on his dilemma of choosing one of two diverging roads. After great consideration, the speaker chooses the road that he proclaims as “less traveled”. Most people take this detail in the poem for face value and fail to understand the underlining message of the poem. The simplicity of the poem causes readers to dismiss questions such as, “Is the true interpretation of this poem about the speaker’s choice of the road less traveled?” In David Orr’s …show more content…

However, they differ in each authors perception of the tone that is portrayed by the poems speaker. Orr believes that the tone of the poem is regretful as a result of the speaker’s dissatisfaction with his decisions. George views the poems tone as reflective yet mocking because of the speaker’s judgement of his past and future choices. Although both authors magnify hidden objectives within the poem that can be invisible to readers, I agree with Orr’s explanation of the work because it provides a clear depiction of how the theme is encompassed in every aspect of the poem including the title. The title itself foreshadows what the poem is about and is often taken so literally that its interpretation is mistaken. Unlike what many readers believe, Orr says that the road not taken is just that, it is the road that the speaker does not take. Because the speaker does not take this road but instead chooses the road less traveled, he feels remorseful when he analyzes his decision closely. The speaker states that, “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence,” announcing the regret of his decision (Baym 736). Someone who is proud of the decisions that they have made would not merely sigh when thinking about them if it impacted their lives in a positive way. Furthermore, Orr is pointing out that the poem isn’t about what the speaker did in his lifetime but what he did not

Show More
Related

Sotomayor's 'Road Not Taken'

149 Words | 1 Pages

The “Road Not Taken” and Sotomayor had a connection of making a decision between different roads to take. They are a little different because in the poem the narrator had to make a decision about two yellow roads and for Sotomayor she had the decision of taking the road of growing up for her dream job. The roads that were available to Sotomayor were about the job she wanted when she grows up but the only problem is she had a decision between to try and become what she wanted to be or grow up to be something else. She looks back at her choices and maybe always thinks that the decision she made she won’t change her mind. Towards to the poem the narrator point of view and attitude toward the poem is that once he made the decision he thinks and says

Read More

A Comparison Of A Lesson Before Dying And The Road Not Taken

500 Words | 2 Pages

In the poem "The Road Not Taken," the speaker faces a similar choice of paths. The speaker is presented with two paths and has to choose which one to take. The speaker eventually chooses the less traveled path, knowing that it will make all the difference in their life. The speaker understands that the road they choose will shape their life and that choosing the less traveled path will lead to greater

Read More

Road Not Taken Response

598 Words | 3 Pages

Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Nathan Cervo notes the tragic irony of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" in this critical essay.

Read More

Donald M. Murray's The Stranger In The Photo Is Me

610 Words | 3 Pages

He achieves this by making a summarizing statement about how people over 60 tend to reflect on life and the impact of their decisions. He shifts his focus to the overall significance of the piece when he declares, “Over 60 we are fascinated by the mystery of our life, why roads were taken and not taken, and our children encourage this as they develop a sense of family history” (98-101). Murray conveys to the audience that people over 60 often have the tendency to reflect on major events in their life and attempt to discover a reason for why they made they the life choices that they made. This allusion calls the Frost poem to mind without mentioning it explicitly. The author utilizes the rhetorical device to conclude his writing and synopsize its significance.

Read More

Robert Roberts's The Road Not Taken

1493 Words | 6 Pages

The main theme of the poem is regret and this is shown throughout the poem numerous times. The line “Oh, I kept the first for another day” indicates that the individual is already regretting his decision and thinking about the other path by saying he will come back to it in the future. A key element that adds to the mood of this line is “oh” which shows the speakers personal emotions and affection for his decision. Another indication of regret is towards the last stanza. This is where we see that there is hesitation in the speaker about their decision and what they have done.

Read More

The Road Not Taken And Mother To Son Comparison Essay

760 Words | 4 Pages

Over seven billion people live on planet Earth; some plain sail through their lives, while others trudge through the difficulties they face. In the poems “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, the message trying to be sent to the readers are both about instances in life. Readers of these two poems can pinpoint certain poetic techniques that both authors use. From both authors’ use of symbols, metaphors, and repetition, the theme exploration may result in “new findings” or the confirmation of “old findings” emerges.

Read More

Road Not Taken Figurative Language

174 Words | 1 Pages

The theme of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about making choices in life through the means of using poetic devices such as symbolism and figurative language, like metaphors. In the poem, the author uses symbolism to convey the idea that life has many roads or paths that we encounter, but we may only choose one. For example, “Lines 1-2”. Furthermore, this evidence shows that Frost is using symbolism by making the paths directions in life that we are able to go on, and we can only travel on one. Frost also uses lots of metaphors in this poem to convey this theme, and how once we make a choice it’s irreversible.

Read More

Thesis Statement In Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken

778 Words | 4 Pages

By the end of the poem, we have learned that the difficulty of choices is that sometimes you really have to let fate take the lead. The use of symbolism with the paths shows that it doesn’t matter which side has been taken more but which is the best one for you. Frost’s use of a metaphor and symbolism helps us clearly understand the meaning of the poem and what he is really trying to say. “The Road Not Taken” is a poem in which we learn that sometimes we have to let fate take the lead. With the use of literary devices and tone we acquire that this poem is trying to show us that life is a mixture of both life decisions and fate.

Read More

Those Winter Sundays

359 Words | 2 Pages

The Road not taken, by Robert Frost in 1916, is a rather curious poem about the less traveled road or the where a person is going in life. Yet another interesting piece that has a great deal to do with life in the general sense, the journey that all people go through as a person. The structure of this poem is also very well done from writing standpoint and the last two lines bring the overall message of travel by the author the best, “I took the one less traveled by, and that had made all the difference.” Such perfect example of well written and simple writing that brings forth a very interesting message about traveling a less traveled path like everyone else. I’m not sure if I would ever use this kind of message, but I’m sure that if I did it would be quite the poem.

Read More

The Road Not Taken Figurative Language

434 Words | 2 Pages

Imagine it, you are travelling in the woods and then the trail you are on just splits! That is how the poem “The Road Not Taken” starts. The poem is by Robert Frost (1874-1963). The key elements to be analyzed are mainly what these “two paths could be.” Whatever he did he had to have been disappointed about it, because in the last stanza he wrote “with a sigh.”

Read More

Robert Frost Conformity

1688 Words | 7 Pages

In “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost puts forth the choices in life in which we are all dealt. Using these choices, Frost makes it seem as if the poem is a triumphant victory over the controlling forces of our society. Frost cleverly uses this as a literary effect to highlight the deception within our society. This is yet another tragic case of the overwhelming power of conformity in our society, as the speaker is oblivious to the fact that he has been deceived. Frost uses the poem to comment on the tragic nature of the society in which we live.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Genetic Engineering

999 Words | 4 Pages

Lareina Chen Mr. Hayward 9A January 11th, 2017 Genetic Engineering Essay Genetic engineering is a powerful and dangerous technology. Sometimes called genetic modification, genetic engineering is the process of altering the DNA in an organism’s genome. Editing the sequence of nucleotides can sometimes lead to extreme harmful effects on the human race, while on the other hand generates huge benefits for society. While talking about Genetic engineering, it is carried out by CRISPR.

Read More

The Road Not Taken Argument

1267 Words | 6 Pages

Although the poem see pretty easy to read it wasn 't as easy to figure out what Mr. frost was expressing when writting The Road Not Taken. Even famous English writers could not figure out what Mr. Frost meant about his poem. Many say that, perhaps the poem is to be diverse, to fit in those who lives seems to inspire. But the we have a group that

Read More

Literary Devices In The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

1010 Words | 5 Pages

The poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost states that in life we come upon many decisions, and there are points where we have to let fate take the lead. “The Road Not Taken” uses two paths as a symbol of a life decision. To understand this poem you have to have understanding of life’s meaning. The author helps us better understand the message by his use of tone and literary devices such as metaphors and symbolism. In this poem we come to realize that life is a combination of decisions and fate.

Read More

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost Essay

824 Words | 4 Pages

" There is an old saying when people go on a trip, it is more about the journey than it is about the destination. When that man in the poem reaches the split, it appears that he is actually enjoying his time making a choice. The uses of symbolism and nature poetry helps the reader understand "The Road Not Taken" clearly. What Robert Frost was trying to get people to think of when they read his poem is to look at all the options that are on the table and to not to go with the one that appears to look the best right

Read More

More about Compare And Contrast The Road Not Taken

Related Topics

Open Document