Ambiguity in Robert Frosts Works - 2796 Words

Ivy Miller November 10, 2012 Introduction to Poetry Section 01 Ambiguity and Dark Undertones in Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† Robert Frost and his poetry were adored by the American public, as both were often thought to embody deeply cherished American values such as freedom, independence, nobility and rising to the occasion. The narrator of Frost’s works are often presumed to be Frost himself, as his public audience idolized him for standing for these American values – values which seemed to be the main meaning of his poems. A predisposition such as this one leads to assumptions about the poem’s meaning which are based off of preexisting positive notions society held for†¦show more content†¦In what seems to be a fit of anxiety, the speaker impulsively chooses the other road. After the speaker examines his first option, described in detail by Frost, he simply states, â€Å"Then took the other† without the same amount of thought as he used to consider the first road. The speaker claims that it has â€Å"perhaps the better claim,/Because it was grassy and wanted wear† (7-8). His uncertainty rings clear with the word â€Å"perhaps†, showing that he is not completely confident in his decision. He rationalizes his choice though, by claiming its grass was overgrown, suggesting it â€Å"wanted† or lacked attrition. This is the point at which many of Frost’s readers misinterpret the narrator’s choice to be based on principle – to take the less traveled by path in life – a cherished American idea. However, what most of Frost’s audience fails to notice is the fact that the given information does not match up. The poem is set in autumn, as previously attested by the â€Å"yellow wood†. With that being said, the fallen leaves would make it difficult for the narrator to determine whether or not the road’s grass was overgrown. The speaker continues on to admit that â€Å"the passing there/ Had worn them really about the same† (9-10). This contradicts the speaker’s reasoning behind his decision and forms ambiguity about what is true and what is fabricated by the narrator. The third stanza supports the equality of the two paths when the speaker claims, â€Å"And both that morning equallyShow MoreRelatedRobert Frost: Design1385 Words   |  6 PagesWritten by Robert Frost, â€Å"Design† is a deeply philosophical poem that understands something too big to be understood by taking a small piece and understanding it and linking it to the universe at large, answers many of the largest questions that surround the universe while recognizing those questions may potentially be unanswerable, addresses the Argument from Design and the belief in a creator, describes the two concepts of Design, which can be metaphorically categorized both as an â€Å"engineering†Read MoreThe Poetry of Robert Lee Frost810 Words    |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words,† Robert Frost once said. As is made fairly obvious by this quote, Frost was an adroit thinker. It seems like he spent much of his life thinking about the little things. 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It is known to be one of the most frequently misinterpreted poems of all time, and even Robert Frost himself has said the poem is â€Å"tricky† to comprehend (The). When analyzing this poem many readers tend to focus only on the last lines of the poem and get caught in a trap of selective-interpretation. Qui te a few people after reading Robert Frost’s poem firmly conclude that this poem is about