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Thesis: Robert Frost has depicted the theme of making choices in both…
Thesis: Robert Frost has depicted the theme of making choices in both poems through the use of imagery and literary symbolism.
Paragraph # 1: Despite both poems contain a common theme of making choices, the imagery and underlying tone of mood create a significantly different atmosphere.
"The Road Not Taken" - The narrator is standing in a yellow forest, contemplating the similarities and differences of the two roads ahead of him. Eventually, he picks the road which is "less trabeled by", and hoping he will not regret his choice in the future.
This poem centers on the theme of choice, and each choice the speaker makes will correspond to a different direction in his/her life.
The setting of the poem takes place in the woods during the season of autumn (the woods are yellow and roads are grassy". This symbolizes that the narrator is probably young and lively, and he is now facing the dillema of making a life choice.
The mood of the poem remains light-hearted and upbeat throughout the poem, reflecting the anticipatory feelings the narrator holds about his future. This is reflected through the warmth of the "yellow path" and "green grassy roads".
The tone of the poem, compared with the mood, is more serious and contemplative. The narrator is unsure which road to take and is fearful of making the wrong choices.
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" - The narrator takes a stop in the woods on a snowy evening. While he is quitely appreciating the beautiful scenary of the woods, his horse grows restless, as if asking why he is stopping in the middle of a village. The narrator decides to continue on his journey as he still has obligations to fulfill.
Although the narrator is hypnotized in the scenary of a snowy village, his prior obligatons have prevented him from staying too long in the woods. This represents that the narrator is forced to make a choice between his desires (staying in the woods to observe the natural beauty) and his responsibilities (his obligations in town).
The setting of the poem is in a snowy woods during a winter night. The surrounding is so quiet that the the sounds of "harness bell" are echoed through the woods, further emphasizing the isolated environment where the narrator is.
Visual imagery is used throughout the poem, with Frost describing snows piled high up in the woods, as if it is covering the entire forest. Thie dark, lonely scenary reflects the tranquility state of the narrator.
Auditory imagery is applied in stanza 3. This further emphasizes the quite atmosphere of the woods, with only the sounds of the horse being heard. The auditory image of harness bells ringing in the dark and visual image of frozen lake all depict the mode of silence and a sense of peacefulness.
Paragraph # 2: The use of symbolism is heavily implemented in order to portray the themes of both poems.
"The Road Not Taken" - The roads described in this poem represent both the actual and figurative roads people take. It also implies that for every road we choose, there is another road we leave behind, and the path we pick can end up being significant in once's life.
Line 1 - The path diverging into two paths is a metaphor for choice or alternative one must make at a point in his/her life time.
Lines 4-5 - The splitted road is now a metaphor for future. It represents that one can only look so far at the future, without knowing the long-term consequences of our choices. This is also a risk one must take.
Lines 6-10 - This description of the road symbolizes the path where most people would choose and "better claim", as it was grassy and full of evidences of people passing through.
Lines 13-15 - This is a metaphor symbolizing that once a decision is made (a road is picked), it is unlikely for the narrator to come back to this place. This shows that everything will change once a choice is made and regretting is meaningless.
Lines 19-20 - As the narrator takes the less traveled path, he is also rebelling against the society and refusing to conform to the norm. The last line also symbolizes that no matter which road he picks, the narrator will look back in the future and realize he has made the correct choice.
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" - This poem also deals with the decision of making choice, only that the former is an option of life while the latter involves the symbol of "death".
Lines 1,4,7,13 - The woods, vacant village, and frozen lake are all symbolisms for death. Instead of moving forward like the narrator in "The Road Not Taken", this poem is about taking a stop in journey and examines one's life.
The snowy scenary and eery atmosphere of the woods protrayed in the poem have captured the beauty and mystic characteristics of nature, and the narrator's obsession of viewing the environment confirms the point that nature is an important symbol in this poem.
Unlike "The Road Not Taken", this poem is about a journey of life and movement towards death. The last stanza describes the woods as lovely, dark, and deep, symbolizing that the narrator is seeking his ultimate destination - death.
Line 5 - Personification is used in here when the horse is "thinking", and trying to remind the narrator's duties when it purposefully "gives his harness bells a shake". This line also shows that although the village (natural world) is attractive, the narrator has unfinished business in the civilized world.
Conclusion: Both "The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" depict the dilemma of making choices, despite one towards future and another towards the end of life.
Both poems belong to Robert Frost with the common theme of making a decision among choices. However, his clever use of imagery and literary symbolisms have successfully portray two completely different atmosphere.