robert frost the road not taken questions

#Robert frost the road not taken questions free

In 'Home Burial,' for example, Frost introduces two characters whose inability to communicate eventually destroys their marriage. How does Frost discuss the importance of communication in his poems?Ĭommunication is an issue that appears in several of Frost's poems as a dangerously destructive force.

Since so many people have read these poems, new readers must force themselves to think deeply about Frost's intentions and challenge themselves to reveal yet another layer of meaning. However, this level of familiarity can also be beneficial because it forces the reader to go beyond the basic analysis that has already been established. The poems 'Mending Wall,' 'The Road Not Taken,' and 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' have been studied in so many high schools and colleges that, in some ways, it may seem as if further analysis is impossible. Some of Frost's poems are so famous that it can be difficult to create an individual analysis of their meaning. How does the familiarity of Frost's poems affect an analysis of their meaning? Is it better or worse that they are well-known?

Because Frost places so much of himself in each of his poems, they have a personal touch that makes them particularly appealing to the reader. In addition to using life events as inspiration, Frost also used many aspects of his emotional side in his poetry, such as his life-long depression, loneliness, and sadness at the deaths of so many of his family members. In many cases, Frost was able to draw inspiration from his own life for his poems and then incorporate more metaphysical themes to give each event a deeper meaning. Even two of his most famous poems, 'Mending Wall' and 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,' are based on specific events in his life. How did Frost's personal life influence his poetry?īecause Frost's poems are based on everyday events, many of his works are largely autobiographical. The fact that Frost is able to execute each form flawlessly, even while using it to express the meaning of his poems, reveals the extent of his literary talent. This also allows the reader to feel the same shifting of consciousness as the narrator while they are reading.

#Robert frost the road not taken questions free

For example, in 'After Apple-Picking,' Frost creates a specific amalgamation of traditional rhyme schemes and free verse that is meant to illustrate the narrator's constant shifting between dreaming and waking. In that way, Frost uses form in the same way that he uses the 'sound of sense' nothing is his poems is coincidental and everything is meant to evoke a certain idea, whether it is the sound of a syllable or the motion of a rhyme scheme. Instead, he carefully chooses the form that will most clearly express the idea and meaning of his poem. However, in each case, Frost does not seem to select a specific form simply for the sake of having a difficult form to work with. How does Frost use poetic form in unusual ways?įrost is atypical as a poet because he uses a wide variety of forms and rhyme schemes in his poetry. Although the basic meaning of the poem may be spelled out in a clear manner, the reader is left with unending possibilities of analysis and ultimately possesses a greater connection to each poem. As a result of this choice, Frost allows his readers to become individual explorers in each of his poems. In this way, his poems may seem to be simplistic on a cursory level, but they are actually multi-faceted in terms of their meaning and appeal. For example, a poem about taking a sleigh ride through the woods ('Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening') can also be about the threat of death in the changing seasons and the traditional expectations of duty. By writing about everyday life instead of imaginary worlds, he is able to layer the basic meaning of his poems over more metaphorical ideas. Why does Frost choose to write about everyday life in a rural environment? What is the effect of this choice on his poetry?įrost is a major advocate of 'reality' in terms of his poetry as a means of discovering greater metaphysical truths. Instead of absorbing the meaning of the poem solely through visual means, a reader is able to feel and even hear the meaning of the poem on a deeper level. By using the 'sound of sense,' Frost is able to layer additional meaning onto each of his works.

Frost is very concerned with the clarity and expression of his poetry, particularly in terms of the topic that he is discussing. For example, in the poem 'Mowing,' Frost selects certain terms (such a 'whispering') in order to convey an aural sense of the swishing motion of the scythe as it cuts the hay. The 'sound of sense' is a literary theory in which specific syllables and sounds are used to express the subject of a poem in a visceral way.

What is the 'sound of sense,' and why does Robert Frost use it in his poetry?