Robert Frost Tone

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New England poet, Robert Frost is probably one of the most beloved and critically respected American poets. Two of Frost’s most successful poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “The Road Not Taken”, are notably alike in theme and tone. In the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, Frost focuses mostly on the theme of nature, and how the speaker 's duties keep him from stopping and enjoying the beauty of nature. Even the horse gives his harness bells a little jingle as if he knows he is not supposed to be stopping. It is as if the horse too has a sense of duty. He understands that he is to keep moving and will stop when he gets to his stable. The speaker longs to stay and enjoy the beautiful scenery but knows he must move on after his brief stop. He has "miles to go before he …show more content…

It begins with a sense of uneasiness when he says, "Whose woods are these I think I know/ his house is in the village though" and the uneasiness is somewhat relieved with the next line "He will not see me stopping here". Frost repeatedly comments on the darkness of the woods, increasing the discomfort of the reader, but later calmly states "the only other sound 's the sweep/ of easy wind and downy flake", bringing back the feeling of serenity and calmness. The poem, "The Road Not Taken" centers on the theme of choice. The path that the speaker is walking on is splitting in two directions, and he must decide which way to go. The tone really focuses on how Frost feels about the uncertainty of choices. The narrator of the poem is unsure about choosing the wrong road and missing unknown opportunities. The fork in the road becomes a metaphor for all choices that people must make and how certain choices may affect the outcome of their lives. As the narrator reflects on having to make a decision, the tone of the poem becomes serious and