Either stories or poem, that are constructed differently have their own stories to tell. Basically, the authors are trying to convey their messages and stories by using their own style of characterization, rhythm, and a fictional setting that will be used for their narrative. The beauty of stories and poems are usually generated through the imagination of the readers, which consequently allows them to build their own connection with the literary piece. Through imagination the readers are able to visualize what the author is trying to depict through symbolism, and other descriptive languages. The three literary pieces "The Road Not Taken”, “A Worn Path”, and “Used to Live Here Once” are different in terms of writing style, but all share same theme. The main theme suggests that despite the many life journeys we go through and decisions we make in our lifetime, we are still in complete control of how we want it to end.
Every piece was able to depict a specific kind of solitary journey. For instance, Robert Frost in his The Road Not Taken was able to provide some hints to his reader that the poem will revolve around someone’s journey. He also used the first person narrative, which personally led me to envision him in his struggles and journey. On the contrary, Welty’s “A Worn Path” utilized the third person perspective as the word “she” was consistently used. With that, I was prompted to envision a woman constantly walking without a specific decision, alone. True enough, this vision of mine was confirmed when there was a part in the story where the woman spoke to the animals “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, and beetles”. This mere gesture has strongly appealed to me as the solitude of the woman. There was also a mention of the woman walking an uphill path, which I can equate to her struggles with a hard life. Walking an uphill is tough enough, and considering that the woman in the story is already old, it provokes stronger sympathy from the reader, because it makes the journey tougher. “Used to Live Here Once” also used the third person narrative, which used “she”. The same kind of feel was depicted in this story, which is solitude. Some of the lines that suggested solitude in the story were “She was standing by the river”, and ““She came to the worn steps”. While the three pieces evolved on the same theme, it was still presented in distinct ways, especially through the choices that each of the character makes.
When plotting a story or poem, the setting is also one of the biggest considerations of an author because it can be a major influence in the kind of engagement that the reader will have with the piece. For example the “The Road Less Taken”, from the title alone, it already creates the notion that the poetry will deal with an internal conflict, or a resolution of a conflict. The poem started with the line “Two roads diverged in yellow wood” , at that point, it made me think about my own path choices too. And since the poem was writing in first person, it was relatively easy for me to put myself in the position of the author, and really visualize my own pathway based on his depictions and descriptions in the poem. Moreover, there was a part in the poem where Frost described a specific path as “where it bent in the undergrowth” and compared it to another path, which he referred to as “grassy and wanted wear”. Based on these descriptions, the reader gains an impression that although the two paths are physically different, they are still pointing at the same ending. The descriptions also served as the a symbolism for someone’s connection to something that he or she has grown with locally.
Poetry are definitely filled with symbolisms since it is one of its features. For example, the color yellow could mean a aging or something that is starting to lose its value. Another interpretation could also be a reference to the character of Dorothy of the “Wizard of Oz”, because the yellow brick road there signified the beginning
