Jane Horrocks

Throughout the course of Introduction to Literature, I read many short stories, poems, and even dramas. However, for the purpose of this paper, I chose the short story “The Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Out of all the literature covered in class, these two pieces were the two I not only enjoyed the most but found myself relating to the most as well. The theme for “The Worn Path” is one that I developed being a mother for over 20 years, and the…

A fork in the road lies ahead of the speaker as he contemplates on which one is the better path. Incapable to see what lies ahead, he opts for the better looking and less worn out one, but soon contradict himself saying that both ways look equally fair. Thinking about one road, he takes the other telling himself that one-day he will return to try again, although it is very unlikely. The speaker anticipates his future with a sigh saying that he took the one less travelled by road making all the…

In the short story ‘Clearing Paths through the Past’ and the poem “To be of Use” by Marge Piercy, both of the authors have a common theme. The passages talk about how good it feels to be hardworking and helpful to others around you. Both passages give examples of jobs and labors that people do to help others, and also the impact it's made on their life. In the short story ‘Clearing Paths for the Past’ the author gives us an example of a man doing things and taking responsibility for things he…

In 1916, the poet Robert Frost published the iconic poem “The Road Not Taken” to the world. This poem is written in a first person perspective and it begins with a person explaining to the reader that they have come to a halt in the road. The road had forked into two separate roads, each going into two different directions. The person was unsure on which path they should choose, so they decided to figure out where they each went. According to the speaker, one of the roads had nicer grass and the…

The thought that first surfaces from Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is that one has not made the correct choice by choosing a certain path, and the juxtaposition of good qualities between two roads. The poem creates an impossible decision between two seemingly similar roads that lead separate ways, leaving a traveler unknowing of where it will end up, and that one may perhaps be more favorable. The reality of the poem is that there is no right choice in which path is taken. The poem's…

Stitching the Story The average adult makes about 35,000 conscious decisions in a day. The majority are rather simple, but a handful of these will make a lasting impact in our life or in someone else's. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a poem that articulates the concept of decision making. Because decision making is such a run-of-the-mill task, it can often be related to various pieces of literature. For example, the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, Mama, a rough and big boned…

On a cursory reading of Robert Frost’s 1915 poem, “The Road Not Taken,” Frost appears to be thinking that about the life choices pending a decision regarding which road to talk. Though this poem is known to be written by Frost in one of his vacant moods, the frame of mind of Frost is difficult to measure. Frost was right in analyzing his inner world when he wrote, “I’m never more serious than when joking” (Robinson, 2016). As such, literary critic and scholar David Orr (2016) is right when he…

In his essay, “The Step Not Taken,” Paul D’Angelo fully follows “Csizzy’s Formula.” He hooks the reader in two ways, through the title, and the opening paragraph. The title, “The Step Not Taken” be an allusion to the widely known poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frosty due to the similarity in title. This, if noticed from the start, could give the reader an expectation of what the essay could contain. Additionally, one might read the essay hoping for it to be a parody of Frost’s work or that…

The poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, delineates that the decisions which an individual makes in their life can have substantial effects on their future, despite the fact that they may not realize it. This idea is essentially illustrated as the speaker is initially faced with a dilemma: there is a fork in the road, although he can only embark on one path. The poem is essentially an extended metaphor about how any decision that a person makes during a present moment will determine…

One of the best poems that effectively represent poetic elements, is the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. This poem might be a contradiction to many readers, but the whole point of this poem is to represent an archetypal dilemma based on life archetypes. The main big picture in this poem is that the speaker/hero is in the middle of the woods and he sees two diverging roads leading to different pathways. The speaker is confused to which road to choose, somehow, he chose one pathway and…