In this article, Dan Brown posits that the poem is lacking in metaphors or similes, but simultaneously asserts that the poem is itself a metaphor. Additionally, Brown highlights the prevalence of contradictions within Frost’s poem. The author also questions the significance of the speaker’s chosen road in determining their future. Consequently, this source serves as a supportive means to demonstrate that the entire poem functions as a metaphor for life.
Despite its usefulness, I find this source to be less than impressive as it doesn’t offer much evidence to support my paper’s claim. In my opinion, this article is merely an average source. However, its credibility is upheld by its origin from the Student Resource Center, as databases only contain reliable sources. The source in question is an academic journal written by Linda Sue Grimes titled “Robert Frost’s Tricky Poem: Analysis of ‘The Road Not Taken'”. It provides insights into Frost’s motivation for writing the poem and presents a stanza by stanza summary.
The text emphasizes that this source is highly valuable for analyzing Frost’s poetry. It praises the source for its simplicity and organization in presenting information. Additionally, it mentions that the source supports the claim that Frost doesn’t endorse conformity and instead portrays life as filled with choices. The source also examines particular word choices to bolster this claim. Despite being a “.com” source, it is considered credible due to the presence of an author biography. Swanhorst, Jeris. “Understanding the Poetry of Robert Frost: An Introductory Guide to Analyzing Frost’s Poems.” American Poetry. N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. Furthermore, the source identifies common elements in Frost’s poetry such as nature imagery, metaphors, and recurring themes. It is highly regarded for its accuracy and succinctly covers key points. The evidence provided by this source can be utilized to support how Frost employs nature to showcase the speaker’s uncertainty.
I can also use this source to support how this poem represents life and its choices. Despite being a “.com” source, it is still considered credible due to the link provided to a page about the author, which appears to be reputable. The source in question is “The Road Not Taken” from the book “Poetry for Students”, edited by Marie Rose Napierkowskie and published by Gale Research in 1998, with pages 194-203 in print format. This source not only offers a biography of Frost from his birth to death but also includes a line-by-line summary of the poem, highlighting its themes of individualism, choices, and consequences. Moreover, it identifies the rhyme scheme as abaab.
The source demonstrates the contradictory diction in the poem, as well as its historical context of World War I and urbanization. It proves helpful in illustrating how Frost’s life and the time period influenced the meaning of his poems. Additionally, the themes presented can be used to argue that Frost does not choose a side on individuality, but rather emphasizes that choices in life can have an impact. I particularly appreciate this source due to its thoroughness and abundance of evidence that aids in supporting my paper. Its credibility is further reinforced by the fact that the information is sourced from a book with numerous published volumes.
