Class 701 October 12, 2014 The Road Not Taken By: Robert Frost Robert Frost is one of literature’s greatest poets. He was born in San Francisco, California, on March 26, 1874. Robert Frost was an American poet, born to a journalist William Prescott Frost; Jr. Robert Frost is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American everyday speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century. Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry. First, there are many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Poetry is a type of literature that expresses ides, feelings, or tells a story in a specific form (usually using lines and stanzas). Poetry is created from the soul; it feeds your emotions and squeezes out every ounce of creativity from your delicate bones. It cannot be summed up or critiqued in a few short words. The only thing that matters is the connection that you, the writer, portray in your masterpiece. Poetry is the desire deep down in your heart. It latches on and unravels, planting its seeds into your veins. Throughout these veins, talent begins to flow. Poetry can be written in any shape or form. It has no mistakes, wrong answers or rules. A poetry artist filled with inspiration is ready to burst. Then, there are many literary terms in poetry. One literary term in poetry is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of initial beginning of sounds in a group of words. For example, “there was a wicked witch of the wicked west.” Another literary term used in poetry is a free verse. Free verse is poetry that has no definite meter or rhyme scheme. For instance, “It was dark in the night and I couldn’t see so I hid in the cave because I was scared.” A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming words in a poem. For example, “I was scared of my hat so I hid in the sack.” The last common literary term of poetry is onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is when the sound of a word suggests its meaning. Like, “The bell went “cling” and the door went “bang”.” Next, Robert Frost wrote an amazing poem called, “The Road Not Taken”. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about choosing paths, and taking directions. It is about making decisions in life and having to choose between two separate paths laid out for us, one easier than the other, the other more exciting and unknown. In this poem, it uses the obvious setting of a person hiking in the woods finding two different paths to take. One has been used more often, the other has not. In the phrase, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”, is talking about making choices in life, and the difference that choice makes in the long run. Even though, the person in the poem wishes to take the other road again, after a choice or decision is made, it is difficult to choose both without a mixed outcome. The idea of taking the path already taken is easier and calls for less excitement because you already know where it leads. The other path has rarely been taken, giving you freedom in choice and adventure. Instead of choosing the safe way, choosing the path never taken is