Introduction
In poetry, every piece of work is unique in its own way. However, most pieces of poems follow standard forms. Poems can be entertaining and or educating, depending on the poet’s choice of the role of the poem. The special characteristics that are shared by all poems include:
- The use of descriptive language and images
- Use of limited amount of words as most words are cut out.
- Poems are meant to be read and hard at the same time.
- In poetry, there is the emphasis of important words, which may lead to creation of rhythm or repetition.
In this work, I have considered the poem below:
Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken (1915)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same.And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere 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.
The poem is organised into four stanzas with each stanza having five lines.
The storyline
The most important thing is the meaning of the poem. Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is about life experience. It elaborates on the choices we make in life. The poem teaches us to thoroughly consider the reasons for making a given decision or choice in life. We must also think about the possible outcomes before deciding on a given choice of action.
The Viewpoint
This is the point of view, at which the poet writes the poem. “The Road Not Taken” is given from the first person’s viewpoint. The poet talks about himself and uses the word “I”.
Theme
“The Road Not Taken” is all about life choices and decisions, and the possible outcomes of such decisions. The persona is ready to share his experience with everyone after the decision he made. However, he wonders whether he shall come back and share the experience.
Rhyme
Here, I have considered all the three categories of rhyme. They include the end rhymes, the internal rhymes, and the half rhymes.
In the above poem, the following rhymes can be observed:
In stanza one, the last word in the first line (wood) rhymes with the last words in lines three (stood) and four (could). The last word in the second line (both) also rhymes with the last word in the fifth line (growth). This forms rhyme scheme, which can be described by a given pattern. The same can be observed in the remaining stanzas as given below:
Stanza two: Last words in lines 1, 3, and 4 rhyme. The words are fair, wear, and there, respectively.
Stanza three: Lay, day, and way rhymes.
Black and back also rhymes.
Stanza four: Sigh, I, and by rhymes.
Hence, and difference rhymes.
Works Cited
Paul Brians, et al. Reading About the World, Vol. 1, 3rd edition, Harcourt Brace College Publishing: ISBN 0-15-567425-0
Paul Brians, et al. Reading About the World, Vol. 2, 3rd edition, Harcourt Brace College Publishing: ISBN 0-15-512826-4. http://www.wsu.edu/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/frost_road.html
