Comparing 'The Road Not Taken And Thank You Ma' Am

Almost everyone has heard someone say the phrase “Never judge a book by its cover.” But, more often than not, the appearance of something is important. In The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, the narrator comes across two paths and describes them. Then, they make their decision of which path to take based on the appearances. On the other hand, in Thank You Ma’am, the narrator describes a lady that helps a boy who tried to steal her purse. In this story, she decided to help him based on his dirty appearance. Both of these stories use descriptions, setting, characterization and dialogue to convey the idea that appearance is important.

In The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, the theme is shown by descriptions of the setting, and making the reader infer based on appearances. The narrator arrives at a divide in the road and describes them. The author says, “In leaves no step had trodden black,” describing how no one has walked on either path that day. This description of the setting helps the reader picture the scene. They can imagine fresh leaves that haven't been crumbled. The narrator also talks about the grass and the undergrowth around the path. This use of setting helps …show more content…
These craft moves help the reader infer things that aren't said in the story, and therefore get a deeper understanding. Although some could say that these stories are nothing alike, someone else could argue that they both use the same craft moves, and the same theme. These texts are important because it shows that we shouldn’t just care about what's on the inside, but care about what's on both sides. In the text, we are still left wondering what happened after the narrator chose their path, and what happened after Roger left Mrs. Jones house. Next time before you just dive into a book, you should take a good look at the cover, it can show a