Emergency IT lesson 1: Figurative Language

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To 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 there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In 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 sigh

Somewhere 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.

Figurative Language

Hyperbole

1.I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Used towards the end of the poem to emphasis that he has come to the decision that, for good or ill, the choice he has made will be permanent and highly effecting of his life. He looks ahead to to time when he can look back and tell that the choice he made, whether wisely or unwisely, was the point at which his life's path was set.

Personification

1.And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Here, Frost uses personification, saying that the road has a claim. Here the speaker seems to be contradictory. He has made a choice, but is still unsure about it. It is "just as fair" yet it has "the better claim." Personification occurs here also if wanted means desired. No personification occurs, however, if wanted means lacked.

Metaphor

1.Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

This line compares a decision to two diverging roads. To travelers, two diverging roads obviously mean this is the time to make a decision, choose one or another.

2.And that has made all the difference

This quote tells us that the road the speaker chose, which also means the decision the speaker made, has made differences in his life, showing that his choice impact his life.

Simile

N.A

Symbolism

1.Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

The two roads symbolize, obviously, the choices that the speaker faces in life. He cannot take both, as much as he would like to, so he spends time in comtemplation and observation.

2.And looked down one as far as I could / To where it bent in the undergrowth;"

This symbol shows to me that the person who needs to make this life decision is trying to peer into the future to see what the outcome would be if he takes a certain path.

Why I like this poem

The Road Not Taken

Although I must admit I am not a poetry fan, many of the poems of Robert Frost appealed to me, and this would have to be the one that appeals the most, in other words, it is my favourite poem. When I first read this poem, I liked it because of it free verse style (which I like) and its apparent simplicity, but after much study, its true meaning became apparent. The obvious basic meaning is that the poem is about a person's choices in life. The narrator describes coming to a problem with the fork in the road. He must go down one but he feels he will not be able to take back his decision. He looks to see the pros and cons of each choice, and then takes the one he says the least had travelled. He leaves the outcome up t the reader and the sigh at the end can be taken as good or bad. This leaves the reader the choice of deciding whether it is better to conform with society or rebel like Frost did and take up a less stable trade.