投稿類別：英文寫作
A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Kai-yu Yang (楊凱伃)
Shao-yu Yen (嚴紹瑜)
National Hsinchu Girls’ Senior High School
Class 201
I
Instructor: Huifang Tu (涂惠芳)
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
I. Introduction
Poems on nature have accounted for a main school in poetry. Amid the many
famous Nature poems, Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on
a Snowy Evening have been widely discussed. However, these two poems are seldom
compared with each other in related analyses, except in one by Draper (1992), who
suggests that both of the poems depict situations of making a choice. This contention
suggests that the comparison of these two poems should merit further investigation.
In light of the fact that there have been considerable analyses of the two poems
yet little comparison of the two masterpieces, the importance of further research is
evident. It is hoped that the results of the current analysis may offer some fresh insight
into the two poems and shed some light on the appreciation of them from a different
perspective, which is based on the premise that the narrators of both poems are
making a choice.
To achieve these aims, the present research consists of four sections. The first
section presents the motivation, the goal and the organization of the current research.
The second section reviews major researches on the two individual poems. The third
section further analyzes the similarities and the differences of the two poems at issue.
The fourth section then concludes the research with a summary of the major findings.
II. Review of Previous Researches on The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on
a Snowy Evening
2.1 General Analysis of The Road Not Taken
2.1.1 Text Review
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;
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
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.
2.1.2 Theme
2.1.2.1 Summary
In The Road Not Taken, there is a fork in a yellow forest for the narrator to make
a choice. He contemplates the similarities and differences of the two roads, feeling
sorry that he can not travel both at the same time (Poirier, 1990). Eventually, he thinks
that the second one might be better because it holds little traffic, and thus keeps the
first one for the future and chooses “the road less traveled by.” Nevertheless, the
narrator expounds that he will recall this unforgettable experience in the future, and
states that the choice will have a great significance in his life.
2.1.2.2 Scene
It is autumn in this poem –– the trees are turning colors, and the leaves are falling.
There is a fork which leads to two separate roads. One of them is rarely stepped on,
and the other seems to hold infrequent traffic.
2.1.2.3 Implication
The Road Not Taken centers on the concept of choice. The path that the narrator
is walking on is splitting into two directions, and he has to decide which way to go.
The path in the woods represents not only the road chosen by the narrator, but also a
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
decision in life. Something in his life is changing, forcing him to make a choice, and
he was much troubled by indecision. Yet still, unavoidably, he has to make a choice
(Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998). To sum up, decision-making is in essence one
inevitable part of life.
2.1.3 Rhetoric
2.1.3.1 Personification
There are only two lines in which personification is employed: “And having
perhaps the better claim, /because it was grassy and wanted wear.” It seems as if the
road the narrator eventually chooses has its opinions and asserts that it is the better
choice (Draper, 1992).
2.1.3.2 Symbolism
The two roads in the poem are options that the narrator has. Nonetheless, the two
roads can also be applied to alternatives in life, and maybe not only two, but any
number (Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998). Worded differently, the two roads visualize
the abstract options in life.
2.1.4 Form
2.1.4.1 Rhyme
The rhyme scheme of this poem is ABAAB CDCCD EFEEF GHGGH. The
rhymed syllables are largely stressed except one in the last line, which is “-ence.” The
tone of this poem is varied with this anomaly.
2.1.4.2 Meter
The lines in this poem are mainly written in iambic tetrameter. Most lines contain
nine syllables, which complicates the iambic meter since odd-numbered lines are less
susceptible of strictly iambic meter. The following line presents an example of the
loose iambic meter in this poem (Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998): “Two roads /
diverged / in a yellow wood.” Usually a meter contains a stressed syllable and a
non-stressed syllable. Yet as it is illustrated in the previous example, the third meter
comprises two non-stressed syllables. This similar style can be found in the other lines
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
in this poem, which forms the loose iambic meter.
2.2 General Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
2.2.1 Text Review
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
2.2.2 Theme
2.2.2.1 Summary
In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, the narrator passes through the
woods on a snowy evening, but stops for the natural beauty. Since the horse gives the
harness bells a shake, the narrator conjectures that his horse must think him crazy to
stop by strange woods on a snowy evening. Ultimately, the narrator chooses to go on
with his journey instead of watching the lovely scene.
2.2.2.2 Scene
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
The central setting in this poem is woods on a snowy evening (Ryan, 1991). In
this poem, it should be winter, and the daylight is dimming. In addition, the narrator
lingers between the lake and the woods. Also, there is a village as well as a farmhouse
nearby in which the owner of the woods lives (Bert, 1973), which expands the scene
from what the narrator sees (e.g., the woods and the lake) to what he does not see (e.g.,
the village and the farmhouse).
2.2.2.3 Implication
The scene in the woods is important to the narrator. He is totally hypnotized by
the falling snow and distracted from his duty by the natural beauty, which is the
reason why he stops by the lovely woods. However, the repetition of the final two
lines implicates that the narrator still values keeping a promise. He is responsible and
lives up to the promises that have been made (Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998).
2.2.3 Rhetoric
2.2.3.1 Personification
In this poem, the only instance of personification is found in the description of
the horse. The horse is impatient and forces the narrator to move on (Draper, 1992),
showing a human emotion and taking a human action (Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998).
2.2.3.2 Contrast
The poem comprises contrasts between appreciating and non-appreciating nature
(Draper, 1992) and how the narrator feels toward his duty and desire (Napierkowski &
Ruby, 1998).
To begin with, contrary to the narrator’s intention of stopping by the woods, it is
unclear whether the owner of the woods wants to watch the scene, creating a contrast
in which the narrator is appreciating nature while the owner of the woods is not
obviously doing so. Also, the narrator’s horse is not capable of adoring the nature but
instead forces its master to move on, making a contrast with the narrator, who is
enchanted by the beauty of nature (Draper, 1992).
Furthermore, the beauty of the scene is attractive to the narrator while his duty is
not enchanting to him. The scene is so fascinating to the narrator that he is distracted
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
from his obligations; on the other hand, the narrator’s mundane life, as is implied in
the last couplet, holds little attraction for him, since the repetition of the last line
serves as a reminder that urges him to move on (Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998).
2.2.3.3 Symbolism
In the last stanza of this poem, it is argued that the woods symbolize death
because of the ambience of gloom from the “lovely, dark and deep” woods (Ryan,
1991), yet it is also suggested that the narrator’s trip represent life, and hence it is his
time to sleep that signifies a person’s time to die (Vail, 1976). Though there is no
certain conclusion as to which statement is correct, it may be justified to argue that the
poem is death-related.
2.2.4 Form
2.2.4.1 Rhyme
The rhyme scheme of this poem is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD, which is a
classic example of the “Rubaiyat Stanza” (Fitzgerald, 1974). The pattern of the
“Rubaiyat Stanza” is within the four lines of each stanza (i.e., the first, second, and
fourth lines rhyme; the third line does not, but it sets up the rhyme for the next stanza).
Nonetheless, there is an exception to this rhyming pattern in the final stanza, where
each line conforms to the same rhyme––no new rhyme is introduced.
2.2.4.2 Meter
In this poem, the iambic meter is widely deployed, and it is basically tetrameter
(Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998). Throughout this poem, the pattern is generally
enforced strictly except in one line, as is presented as follows: “The darkest evening
of / the year.” The second meter in this line consists of two stressed syllables (i.e., “e”
and “ven”), while the other meters contain only a non-stressed syllable and a stressed
one.
2.3 Comparisons and Analyses Based on Previous Researches
In previous studies, there have been many analyses of the two poems The Road
Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening separately, yet these two
well-known poems are seldom compared with each other. Draper (1992), however,
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
once suggested:
The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening are two of
many Frost’s poems in which the speaker faces a dilemma of choosing between
the unknown, represented by wild nature, or mundane life, represented by a
clearing or town. (p. 1287)
This contention indicates that further comparison of these two poems may be a fruitful
line of research, which will be addressed in the following section.
III. The Comparison and Analysis Between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening
3.1 Similarities
3.1.1 Theme
3.1.1.1 Implication
Decision-making is of central importance to The Road Not Taken and Stopping
by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Though the narrators of the two poems are facing
different situations of making a choice, they still consider carefully and make their
own choices. In the former poem, the narrator scrutinizes the similarities and
differences of the two roads and finally chooses “the road less traveled by.” Likewise,
in the latter poem, the narrator is mesmerized by the natural beauty, but he ponders
which way to go and eventually chooses to be faithful to his duty––going on with his
journey. Though set in different situations, both of the poems picture the narrators’
making their choices.
3.1.2 Rhetoric
3.1.2.1 Personification
In The Road Not Taken, personification is involved in the depiction of the road
while in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, it is the portrait of the horse that
comprises personification. The description of the personified road in the former poem
is manifest in these two lines: “And having perhaps the better claim, / because it was
grassy and wanted wear.” Personification is employed to describe that one of the
options (i.e., the roads) the narrator has is persuading him to choose it. Similarly, in
the latter poem, the horse forces its master to move on with his journey.
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Personification is utilized to portray that the horse pushes the narrator into making a
specific choice. Worded differently, one is an option that the narrator has, and the
other is the only companion of the narrator’s. Though personification is employed in
different types of characters in these poems (i.e., the road vs. the horse), the purposes
of their human-like actions, as well as the results of their actions, are identical. In
conclusion, the narrators both make a choice according to the suggestions the
personified characters give them.
3.1.3 Form
3.1.3.1 Rhyme
Both The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening have neat
rhymes, which are inherent features of Frost’s poems. The rhyme scheme of the
former poem is ABAAB CDCCD EFEEF GHGGH, whereas that of the latter poem is
AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD. In essence, both of these two poems have a regular
rhyme scheme in the first three stanzas, and the former poem concludes with the same
rhyme scheme as the first three stanzas. In the latter poem, however, the last stanza
ends up with a rhyming pattern different from that of the first three stanzas.
3.2 Differences
3.2.1 Theme
3.2.1.1 Scene
The scenes delineated in the two poems share certain similarities (see Table 1 for
details).
Table 1
The differences between the scenes of The Road Not Taken and
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Who
Where
When
Setting
The Road Not Taken
narrator
a fork in
the woods
autumn
the trees turning colors, the leaves
falling
Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening
narrator
and his
horse
snowy
woods
winter
evening
a village, a farmhouse, a frozen
lake, the sweep of the wind and
the downy flake
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
3.2.2 Rhetoric
3.2.2.1 Contrast
In The Road Not Taken, there are no clear objects or ideas that contrast with each
other, while in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, as is illustrated in the
previous section, contrast is utilized throughout the poem, including contrasts between
appreciating and non-appreciating nature, as well as the narrator’s attitude toward his
obligation and desire.
3.2.2.2 Symbolism
In The Road Not Taken, it is the roads that symbolize the options in life, but in
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, there is no specific object that symbolizes
the options. The latter poem, on the other hand, involves the “death” symbol,
represented by “woods” or “sleep.” Put differently, the symbolism in the former poem
is an option in life, while that in the latter poem is death.
3.2.3 Form
3.2.3.1 Meter
Both of the two poems are written in iambic tetrameter. However, The Road Not
Taken is written in a looser iambic meter than Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
(Napierkowski & Ruby, 1998). The iambic meter in the former poem is not strict
because the lines in the poem mostly contain nine syllables while those in the latter
poem mostly comprise eight syllables. The difference between the loose and strict
iambic meters largely result from the numbers of the syllables in the lines in both
poems, as lines containing even-numbered syllables are more susceptible of strict
iambic meter.
IV. Conclusion
The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening have been
discussed and appreciated for decades yet seldom is there a comparison or analysis
between the two poems except in one by Draper (1992), who proposes that they both
portray a dilemma of making a choice. The contention demonstrates the importance of
further research, and hence motivates the current essay.
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A Comparison between The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Through the analyses and comparisons of The Road Not Taken and Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening, the similarities and differences between them are
meticulously revealed. The two poems are similar in terms of implication,
personification and rhyme, whereas they also reveal some differences in scene,
contrast, symbolism and meter.
Thus, by presenting the similarities and differences between The Road Not Taken
and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, this research offers a fresh perspective
which renders possible an original way of further appreciating these two masterpieces.
V. References
Bert, M. G. (1973). Robert Frost: a study in sensibility and good sense. New York:
Haskell House.
Draper, J. P. (1992). World literature criticism: 1500 to the present: a selection of
major authors from Gale’s literary criticism series. Detroit: Gale Research.
Fitzgerald, E. (1947). Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. New York: Random House.
Napierkowski, M. P., & Ruby, M. K. (1998). Poetry for students: presenting
analysis, context and criticism on commonly studied poetry. Detroit, MI:
Gale Research.
Poirier, R. (1990). Robert Frost: the work of knowing: with a new after word.
Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press.
Ryan, B. (1991). Major 20th-century writers: a selection of sketches from
contemporary authors. Detroit: Gale Research.
Vail, D. (1976). Robert Frost's imagery and the poetic consciousness. Lubbock:
Texas Tech University.
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