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Joyce WuÂ
ENG 1121
Prof Scan.
April 13, 2020
The Road Not Taken ExplicationÂ
In the poem “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, he addresses the concept of indecisiveness, whereas making decisions is hard for all individuals to do what’s right for themselves. The speaker seems to want the reader to verify that if there’s a way “in” there would be a way “out”. In the eyes of the traveler, his thoughts are extremely impacted by the past and being stuck in the middle of wood, he knows that he can only choose one route. As in the first stanza lines one and five, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” and “To where it bent in the undergrowth” reveals a strong emotion of pressure, regret and fear that indicates the purpose of life. These two lines contain symbols, denotation, connotation, metaphor, and irony to provide a judgment conducting oneself that lead to an individual compromise.Â
In the first stanza of line one, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” the speaker illustrates that the paths are divided into two and is yellow rather than typical green. The word “roads” denotes “a wide way leading from one place to another”. In other words symbols could refer to connotations because the speaker not only gets out, but decides which route to take for “success”. The road symbolizes one’s destination by the decision that leads us there. He gave the readers a better visualization of standing whether to go left or right. The mood can perhaps be looked as ambivalent because of the setting it seems that it could possibly be auatum by the yellow leaves. The words “yellow wood” denote any various trees having yellowish wood or yielding a yellow extract or the expansion of trees. However, the word “yellow” suggests a light of happiness and hope. Frost uses metaphors throughout the poem because the roads metaphorically have an outcome that is pleasant or not. Some interpretations believe that the irony given here is false because it’s undefined which route is bad. This emphasizes the personal obstacles one has to face to choose the “road” that differs from the past.Â
The next line, “To where it bent in the undergrowth” is a symbol of the traveler’s eye vision. He is only able to see up to a certain distance and not furthermore. The denotation of “undergrowth” means something that is beneath the ground. The connotation is you can’t see past the present. This gives a good insight that nobody can tell one future until action takes place. This has irony because the traveler can choose to believe that the route he didn’t take was “bad” could turn out to be his better option. He can’t predict life to be the way he wants.Â
The two lines merge give the reader a better understanding that judgments are not going to help you find the answer. The sense of confusion will lead to harsh and negative energy. The traveler could be judging through the colors that one interferes as “blindness”, while the other as “brightness”. A positive interpretation is that one can find their own compromise and fulfill their dream by working for it. The connotation of yellow wood and undergrowth gives the ability to be complicated.Â
With the poem indicating all the terms of symbol, denotation, connotation, metaphor, and irony is a great way to show the speaker’s highlight in their life to make a decision happen for themselves. This poem could have endless meanings to it because one could view that his past made the traveler want to have a better life or the trauma of regrets that the traveler has since they’re not able to choose between two roads.Â
1–Is the title of the poem and full author’s name provided in the first or second sentence? Be specific if something is missing.
Yes.
2–Does the student provide the two lines he or she will explicate?
Yes.
3–What poetry terms does the student examine?
Symbols, denotation, connotation, metaphor, and irony.
4–Copy and paste your two favorite sentences from the students essay. Then explain why you like them. (example: not only is this an example of the college sentence, this sentence highlights an important poetry term (metaphor) in a very clear way–I get it completely)
“He can’t predict life to be the way he wants.”
“This poem could have endless meanings to it because one could view that his past made the traveler want to have a better life or the trauma of regrets that the traveler has since they’re not able to choose between two roads. ”
I like these sentences because I agree with your point and I have similar views. Travelers can’t take two roads at once because it’s physically impossible, and people can’t live their lives the way they want. Once you make a choice, you have to accept the consequences.
5–Copy and paste two sentences that are confusing. Then explain what is confusing about them. (example: you may have mixed up the terms alliteration and assonance, please check to make sure you have the right term for repeated vowel sounds)
“In the first stanza of line one, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” the speaker illustrates that the paths are divided into two and is yellow rather than typical green. ” I think you should explain in a sentence or two that why is it yellow rather than typically green.
6–Make two concrete suggestions. (example: expand the range of connotations rather than name one connotation; example: instead of using the verb “like” three time in the first paragraph, consider different varying the idea by using “love” or “can relate to”; example: when you revise this, change the lower case “i” to “I”–Prof. Scanlan will definitely say something about that.)
I think your thesis statement would be better with a “While x, I think y” format.
You are doing well on your first draft. Hope you also doing well on your final draft.
QUESTIONS:
1–Is the title of the poem and full author’s name provided in the first or second sentence? Be specific if something is missing.
Yes
2–Does the student provide the two lines he or she will explicate?
Yes
3–What poetry terms does the student examine?
Symbols, Denotation, Connotation, Metaphor, and Irony
4–Copy and paste your two favorite sentences from the students essay. Then explain why you like them. (example: not only is this an example of the college sentence, this sentence highlights an important poetry term (metaphor) in a very clear way–I get it completely)
“The two lines merge give the reader a better understanding that judgments are not going to help you find the answer. The sense of confusion will lead to harsh and negative energy. ” – I chose these two lines because it gives a sort of personal feeling about the poem. It is gives a blatant view of the lines picked by the student
5–Copy and paste two sentences that are confusing. Then explain what is confusing about them. (example: you may have mixed up the terms alliteration and assonance, please check to make sure you have the right term for repeated vowel sounds)
“The next line, “To where it bent in the undergrowth” is a symbol of the traveler’s eye vision. He is only able to see up to a certain distance and not furthermore.” – The comma should be in the quotation marks. Maybe the symbol has a different meaning to it than literally the “eye vision.”
6–Make two concrete suggestions. (example: expand the range of connotations rather than name one connotation; example: instead of using the verb “like” three time in the first paragraph, consider different varying the idea by using “love” or “can relate to”; example: when you revise this, change the lower case “i” to “I”–Prof. Scanlan will definitely say something about that.)
I think this is a very great start. Maybe try to read it over out loud a couple of times. And find more connotations for the words you chose