Themes and Corresponding Works - Essay Example

Themes and Corresponding Works In APA Format Robert Frost needs absolutely no introduction; he was one of the finest poets of his time. He wrote several inspiring poems, The Road not Taken is arguably his best poem of all time. On the surface level it seems like any other poem but it has deep meaning hidden in it and one can only decipher the hidden meaning should it be read several times. Like Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson also needs no introduction. Because I could not stop for death is another very fine poem which teaches the readers more important things than one. This paper will juxtapose the two poems and all the important literary elements will be expansively presented in this paper. The use of language in The Road not Taken is impeccable; the poet gives very little away in the opening lines of the poem. Any reader would easily understand the literal meaning of the poem but it is the hidden meaning which is of major interest in the poem. It is important to read the poem over and over again to understand its deeper meaning. A traveler reaches a fork in the road and is discombobulated because the road shows the traveler two choices, the traveler after much thinking, chooses the road less travelled by people. The figurative meaning of the poem reflects upon the choices that we make in our lives. We can either choose a road which is very frequently chosen by other people or we can choose to walk on a road which is hardly chosen by other people. After making our choice, we would always have regrets because the road not taken would always force us to think about the endless possibilities. This is what the poem is all about and this poem is really popular, Robert Frost became a household name because of this poem. Literary Elements The Road not Taken has several important literary elements, antithesis is extremely important in the poem. Choosing one path between two is often very difficult and the poet is believed to be standing at a crucial point wherein he has to decide which path to take, he takes the one less traveled. The poet wishes in the poem to take both the paths but that is implausible and the poet soon realizes it. Personification is another important element which must be paid attention to. The road has been very well personified, by Frost in the poem. “All sensible people know that roads dont think, and therefore dont want. They cant. But the description of the road wanting wear is an example of personification in this poem. A road actually wanting some as a person would. However: some believe this to be incorrect and believe "wanting wear" is not a personification, but rather older English meaning "lacking". So it would be "Because it was grassy and lacked wear;" (The Road not Taken) Words like “sorry” and “sigh” must not be ignored; these words indicate the tone of the poem. The tone of the poem is sad and gloomy; we also get to see verbal irony in the poem. Frost very well knows that after a few years he would want to juxtapose his position and he would also want to know where the other road would have led him to. These are some of the most important elements in the poem. Similarly “Because I could not Stop for Death” has several important elements which must be paid close attention to. The personification of death is really important in the poem and the poem is also centered around the theme of death. Dickinson has very well personified the theme of death and like The Road not taken one can feel the gloom in the poem. We also get to know that the Dickinson is extremely busy for death; this can be made out from the opening stanza of the poem. The theme of morality is also conspicuous in “Because I could not Stop for Death”. We understand that the poet has been dead for quite some time but the poet refuses to believe that and think that she has recently died. This goes to show morality which is also conspicuous in the opening lines of the poem. The braveness of the poet has also been well personified, she is not at all scared of death in fact we understand that she is really busy and does not fear death, this is quite brave on the part of the poet. Metonymy is an important element which must be paid attention to, words like “labor” and “leisure” represents another world which the poet very vividly presents in the poem. Our mundane existence and routine have been well presented in the poem “Because I could not Stop for Death”. The example of children playing in school is of particular interest in the poem. Children playing in the school can be really emotional for some people but it is really ordinary for the poet because she is sick of her mundane routine and the labor that she has to put in everyday. “We passed” has been used as an anaphora in the poem; it again goes to show the mundane existence of human beings. These are special words in the poem and must be paid attention to in order to get to know the real meaning of the poem. Alliteration has been used in the poem “Because I could not Stop for Death”. The use of words like “gown” “gossamer” “tulle” and “tippet” clearly indicate the use of effective alliteration in the poem. “Here, similar to Dickinson in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, Frost incorporates themes of time, decision-making, and personal interpretation.  For instance, in the line, “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence” Frost speaks of himself in the future and of how he will always remember this decision as a pivotal moment in his life (The Road Not Taken).  Dickinson uses this tactic in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” (Why Dickinson is Significant to American Literature) “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” ends with “eternity”. This goes to show immortality in the poem. The poet dies several years ago but she still feels as though she passed away yesterday. “The framework of the poem is, in fact, the two abstractions, mortality and eternity, which are made to as- /15/ sociate in perfect equality with the images: she sees the ideas. and thinks the perceptions. She did, of course, nothing of the sort; but we must use the logical distinctions, even to the extent of paradox. if we are to form any notion of this rare quality of mind. She could not in the proper sense think at all, and unless we prefer the feeble poetry of moral ideas that flourished in New England in the eighties.” (Because I could not Stop for Death) Dickinson must be given credit for her imagination and her writing skills; she was one of the finest American poets. “She had all the elements of a culture that has broken up, a culture that on the religious side takes its place in the museum of spiritual antiquities. Puritanism, as a unified version of the world, is dead; only a remnant of it in trade may be said to survive. In the history of Puritanism she comes between Hawthorne and Emerson. She has Hawthornes matter, which a too irresponsible personality tends to dilute into a form like Emersons; she is often betrayed by words.” (Because I could not Stop for Death) It is also important to know the rhyme schemes of these two poems, “The Road not Taken” consists of four stanzas and it employs the rhyme scheme of ABAAB. This poem is also said to be vastly misunderstood by the readers, this is why it has been stated that several readings of this poem is necessary to get down to the hidden meaning. Anticipation is another key element in the poem “The Road not Taken”. The poet actively engages in anticipating his future and also tells the readers that he is ought to think about his future and how things would have been much different had he taken the other road. This anticipation is good to have in a poem; it engages the readers and makes them interested in the poem. “The Road not Taken” is a really tricky poem and Robert Frost acknowledged this well known fact. He said that one would find it hard to understand the poem in just one reading and this is why several readings of the poem are required. Sometimes we get to know many more things about the poem when we read it over and over again just like we end up understanding a movie better when we watch it over and over again. Some important aspects may miss our eye but upon reading a poem again we end up paying close attention to those missed aspects and this makes our understanding of the poem so much better than ever. Conclusion “Frost claims that he wrote this poem about his friend Edward Thomas, with whom he had walked many times in the woods near London. Frost has said that while walking they would come to different paths and after choosing one, Thomas would always fret wondering what they might have missed by not taking the other path. About the poem, Frost asserted, "You have to be careful of that one; its a tricky poem - very tricky." And he is, of course, correct.” (Robert Frost’s Tricky Poem) The two poems analyzed in this paper have a lot in common; the gloom is common between the two poems. Another thing which is common is personification; several literary elements are also common between the two poems. To conclude it is very fair to say that Frost and Dickinson were two of the finest poets ever and their work must be read over and over again to know the hidden meaning in their poems. “The Road not Taken” and “Because I could not Stop for Death” are two classics which will be read and analyzed for quite some time. References Because I could not Stop for Death (2011). Modern American Poetry. Retrieved from: Robert Frost’s Tricky Poem (2011). Analysis of ‘The Road not Taken’. Retrieved from: The Road not Taken (2011). Poetry Pages. Retrieved from: Why Dickinson is Significant to American Literature (2011). Dickinson’s writing Style. Retrieved from: Read More