1

Intro to Literature HU (ENGL-2200-107)

December 10, 2021

Poetry: And Then Some

Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken.” 892

1. In his poem, “The Road Not Taken,” Frost’s poem is ambiguous, allowing the reader to

reflect on life’s options, such as whether to follow the crowd or go it alone. If life is a

journey, this poem underlines the moments when you must decide. Frost’s poem

is ambiguous because it raises the subject of free will versus determinism, or if the speaker

chooses the off-the-beaten-path route knowingly or just because he does not like the one with

the bend. As a result, he is influenced by external forces.

2. In Frost’s poem, the road is a metaphor for life. In the poem, he depicts our life as a path on

which we are going toward an unknown goal. The poet then comes to a fork in the route. The

fork is a metaphor for a life-altering decision in which there is no room for compromise. The

traveler has no choice but to go one way or the other. All this means that Frost is not just

walking through the forest but on a journey to an unknown goal.

3. He probably recalls his story with a sigh since he remembers what a long, difficult path he

picked. Any older man reflecting on his life, with all its failures, mistakes, and regrets, is sure

to sigh as he tells his narrative.

4. When deciding which road to take, the speaker seeks one that appears less traveled. At the

end of the poem, the speaker states that taking the less traveled road “has made all the

difference,” implying that they have lived a life of nonconformity and are happier as a result.

T.S. Eliot, “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock.” 1139

 2

5. The repetition of time in T.S. Eliot represents his ear and insecurities stepping in and giving

him the excuse to put it off yet one more day. For Michelangelo, it alludes that women in the

poem are well-cultured.

6. The poem establishes a contrast between action and rest right from the start. “Let us go,” says

the first line, meaning that the poem will advance in time and space; in other words, it will go

somewhere. However, the momentum swiftly fades. These streets “follow like a tiresome

argument of insidious intent,” implying that the numerous pathways they provide are both

monotonous and dangerous; that there is no good one to pursue.

7. As he begins the poems, Prufrock adds images of his dissatisfaction, awkwardness,

reluctance, alienation, and debasement that can serve as objective correlatives for his

emotion, which he tries to hide or at least does not want to convey openly but through

particular tactics.

8. Prufrock, in my mind, is a middle-aged man who is quiet, lonely, and insecure. He looks to

be engrossed in his own thoughts, unable to speak freely with others and drifting aimlessly

from one topic to the next. The poem gives us a clear picture of his perplexed, searching, and

wandering thoughts.

9. Prufrock recognizes his insignificance after failing to ask his query. He is not Prince Hamlet,

the tragic hero of a tragic drama. Polonius is the haughty attendant who spews platitudes and

serves as a comic foil or idiot.

10. The image of Prufrock being awoken and then drowning conveys to the reader that once he

awakens from his dream and returns to reality, he is drowned by reality.

Adrienne Rich, “Diving Into the Wreck.” 894. This yummy number combines imagery,

emotion, and words in a very fine stew.

 3

11. The shipwreck depicts a woman plunging beneath the waves, searching for women in a

wreck. Rich dives into women’s history and the injustices and devastation they did to them in

the past, symbolically. The wreck is both the poem’s shipwreck and historical records. Both

of these histories feature both losses and gains.

12. It is rather odd to announce the purpose in the middle of the poem, but Rich has made it

easier to connect the purpose all through the poem. For instance, he does start the poem with

a clear definition of what the poem entails or talks about.

13. Rich uses diving metaphor to describe the fight for equal rights. Rich also uses the

exploration of a shipwreck to speak on the fight for women’s liberation.

14. The speaker is seeking the crash itself, and he keeps reiterating this fact to reinforce the idea

of self-validation. She is not interested in myths or stories that could be used to deflect and

undermine.

15. The poem begins with the speaker preparing for a deep-sea dive and exploring a shipwreck.

Rich was a prominent feminist poet, and many critics see the poem as a metaphor for the

struggle for women’s rights and emancipation.