robert frost essay questions

Robert Frost: Poems

By robert frost, robert frost: poems essay questions.

What is the "sound of sense," and why does Robert Frost use it in his poetry?

The "sound of sense" is a literary theory in which specific syllables and sounds are used to express the subject of a poem in a visceral way. For example, in the poem "Mowing," Frost selects certain terms (such a "whispering") in order to convey an aural sense of the swishing motion of the scythe as it cuts the hay. Frost is very concerned with the clarity and expression of his poetry, particularly in terms of the topic that he is discussing. By using the "sound of sense," Frost is able to layer additional meaning onto each of his works. Instead of absorbing the meaning of the poem solely through visual means, a reader is able to feel and even hear the meaning of the poem on a deeper level.

Why does Frost choose to write about everyday life in a rural environment? What is the effect of this choice on his poetry?

Frost is a major advocate of "reality" in terms of his poetry as a means of discovering greater metaphysical truths. By writing about everyday life instead of imaginary worlds, he is able to layer the basic meaning of his poems over more metaphorical ideas. For example, a poem about taking a sleigh ride through the woods ("Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening") can also be about the threat of death in the changing seasons and the traditional expectations of duty. In this way, his poems may seem to be simplistic on a cursory level, but they are actually multi-faceted in terms of their meaning and appeal. As a result of this choice, Frost allows his readers to become individual explorers in each of his poems. Although the basic meaning of the poem may be spelled out in a clear manner, the reader is left with unending possibilities of analysis and ultimately possesses a greater connection to each poem.

How does Frost use poetic form in unusual ways?

Frost is atypical as a poet because he uses a wide variety of forms and rhyme schemes in his poetry. However, in each case, Frost does not seem to select a specific form simply for the sake of having a difficult form to work with. Instead, he carefully chooses the form that will most clearly express the idea and meaning of his poem. In that way, Frost uses form in the same way that he uses the "sound of sense"; nothing is his poems is coincidental and everything is meant to evoke a certain idea, whether it is the sound of a syllable or the motion of a rhyme scheme. For example, in "After Apple-Picking," Frost creates a specific amalgamation of traditional rhyme schemes and free verse that is meant to illustrate the narrator's constant shifting between dreaming and waking. This also allows the reader to feel the same shifting of consciousness as the narrator while they are reading. The fact that Frost is able to execute each form flawlessly, even while using it to express the meaning of his poems, reveals the extent of his literary talent.

How did Frost's personal life influence his poetry?

Because Frost's poems are based on everyday events, many of his works are largely autobiographical. Even two of his most famous poems, "Mending Wall" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," are based on specific events in his life. In many cases, Frost was able to draw inspiration from his own life for his poems and then incorporate more metaphysical themes to give each event a deeper meaning. In addition to using life events as inspiration, Frost also used many aspects of his emotional side in his poetry, such as his life-long depression, loneliness, and sadness at the deaths of so many of his family members. Because Frost places so much of himself in each of his poems, they have a personal touch that makes them particularly appealing to the reader.

How does the familiarity of Frost's poems affect an analysis of their meaning? Is it better or worse that they are well-known?

Some of Frost's poems are so famous that it can be difficult to create an individual analysis of their meaning. The poems "Mending Wall," "The Road Not Taken," and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" have been studied in so many high schools and colleges that, in some ways, it may seem as if further analysis is impossible. However, this level of familiarity can also be beneficial because it forces the reader to go beyond the basic analysis that has already been established. Since so many people have read these poems, new readers must force themselves to think deeply about Frost's intentions and challenge themselves to reveal yet another layer of meaning.

How does Frost discuss the importance of communication in his poems?

Communication is an issue that appears in several of Frost's poems as a dangerously destructive force. In "Home Burial," for example, Frost introduces two characters whose inability to communicate eventually destroys their marriage. Each character expresses their own view about the death of their child, but only the reader is able to understand each side of the argument; the husband and wife are unable to communicate directly with each other. In this way, the reader is left with the agonizing truth that the husband and wife are speaking different languages, and that the rift in their marriage can never be healed. If their child had not died, the couple might have been able to save their relationship, but the unfortunate tragedy required a level of communication that was not possible. In Frost's poems with an isolated central character, there is a similar emphasis on communication as a saving force that is denied. For example, the old man in "An Old Man's Winter Night" and the depressed narrator in "Acquainted with the Night" are both unable to communicate with those around them and save themselves from their loneliness: the old man cannot make verbal noises, while the depressed narrator is unwilling to make eye contact with the watchman. In each of these cases, communication plays a far more important role than anything else; communication with other human beings would be enough to save any of these characters if they would only allow it.

What are some of the American ideals that are explored in Frost's poems?

Considering his background in the rural communities of New England, it is not surprising that Frost incorporates numerous American ideals and traditions into his poems. One of these primary ideals is the importance of hard work above all else. For the farmers in "Mowing" and "After Apple-Picking," hard work is necessary for survival, but it also creates a unique satisfaction that cannot be felt from the trivialities of imagination. Hard work is tangible and directly linked to an individual's success and happiness in America. Frost highlights the proud idealism of this mentality, even while discussing the loss and tragedy that hard work can occasionally cause (such as the death of the young boy in "Out, Out--"). Another traditional American ideal that Frost emphasizes in his poems is the concept of duty. In "Stopping by Woods on the Snowy Evening," the narrator wishes that he could stay in the woods to watch the snow fall, but he remembers his responsibilities to those around him. Rather than indulging in his own desires, the narrator fulfills his duties to his family and to his community and makes the necessary sacrifices for their well-being.

What is the role played by God and religion in Frost's poetry?

The figure of God does not appear in the majority of Frost's poetry. Instead of traditional religion, Frost seems to have a more transcendental approach toward the issue of faith, specifically in terms of mankind's relationship to nature. There are times when Frost does suggest the presence of a higher power (such as in "Birches"), but even those references are largely metaphorical and hint at a personal relationship between the individual and the freedom of nature. In "Choose Something Like a Star," Frost takes a rather ironic position on the existence of God and quips about humanity's need to find comfort in a higher power. However, there is not an overwhelming sense that Frost has atheistic beliefs. Instead, he seems to promote a more everyday religion, one that highlights traditional American values such as hard work, duty, and communication.

Which of Frost's poems do you think is the most effective in terms of form and meaning? Why?

The answer to this essay question is highly individual, but there are certain poems in Frost's oeuvre that are particularly dramatic and powerful. One such poem is "Fire and Ice," which is far more compelling than one would imagine, given the length of the piece. The poem does not have a single extraneous syllable, yet Frost is still able to take the age-old question of the world's fate and instantly transform it into a metaphor about the emotional destruction of a relationship from either desire or hate. The equally concise poem "A Patch of Old Snow" follows a similar pattern, with Frost creating a comparison between snow and an old newspaper as a way to broach the larger topic of the loss of the past. Frost's ability to inspire a vast range of emotions and metaphors in only a few lines speaks to the potency of these poems.

Does Robert Frost deserve the praise that he has received for his poetry? Why or why not?

This question is challenging because Frost's poetry has become so ingrained in American culture that it is hard to imagine the effect that it had when it was first published. Poems such as "The Road Not Taken" and "Mending Wall" have been repeated ad nauseum by high school English teachers and graduation speakers, so much so that it is sometimes impossible to view the poems with fresh eyes. At the time of its publication, Frost's poetry - inspired by everyday life and using a variety of poetic techniques - was unique and completely American. He created a literary canon in which the struggles and triumphs of real people were elevated to the level of high art; even the most simplistic activity could contain a deeper metaphysical meaning. Ironically, Frost's successful creation of the rural American genre of poetry could be what makes him seem irrelevant in today's society: the sense of American "reality" that he revealed in his poetry has become such a fundamental part of the American sensibilty that Frost's poetry seems almost simplistic. Although people find flaws in Frost's style and choice of topic, he is still worthy of praise as America's unofficial poet laureate for having created a new approach to poetry in America.

Robert Frost: Poems Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Robert Frost: Poems is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Robert Frost as a poet Symbolisms

This is a really detailed question for this short answer space. Nature is Frost's main motif for symbolism. Frost is intetrested in the cycle of life and death shown through the seasons in a way that people can connect with. There is also the idea...

Relationship between man and woman?

In Frost's poems (particularly after 1914), he focuses on the trouble men and women have within their intimate relationships and examines the reason why many of these relationships have stagnated.

You might want to check out Gradesaver's theme...

Discuss the theme of the poem "The Road Not Taken" written by Robert Frost.

The central theme of "The Road Not Taken" revolves around the significance of human choice. Through its tone, language, and structure, the poem is able to offer multiple understandings of what it means to choose. The first interpretation of choice...

Study Guide for Robert Frost: Poems

Robert Frost: Poems study guide contains a biography of poet Robert Frost, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of his major poems.

• About Robert Frost: Poems
• Robert Frost: Poems Summary
• "Mending Wall" Video
• Character List

Essays for Robert Frost: Poems

Robert Frost: Poems essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Robert Frost's poems.

• Nature Imagery in the Works of Robert Frost
• Robert Frost in England - A Short Biography
• An Explication of Mending Wall By Robert Frost
• The Most of It
• "Eternal Freshness of the Flawless Poem:" Why Frost's Poetry Remains Vital

Lesson Plan for Robert Frost: Poems

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Robert Frost: Poems
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Robert Frost: Poems Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Robert Frost: Poems

• Introduction
• Awards and recognition
• Legacy and cultural influence

Robert Frost — A-Level Essay Questions

These essay questions are tailored towards A-Level style exams (CIE/Cambridge, AQA, OCR, CCEA, Edexcel, WJEC/Eduqas), but they’re suitable for students studying Robert Frost’s poetry at any level, from GCSE and IGCSE onwards.

They are a mixture of close reading (close analysis) and comparative or wider reading — as most are theme-based, feel free to adapt them to suit other poems of his as well!

Thanks for reading! If you find this page useful, take a look at our full English Literature and Academic Writing courses her e , including Robert Frost Poetry Course .

Robert Frost — Essay Questions:

Close reading/close analysis:.

Comment closely on ways in which the following poem explores individuality (The Road Not Taken)

Comment closely on ways in which this extract from ‘The Ax-Helve’ presents the encounter between the two men. ‘I’ve known ere now an interfering branch … As well tonight as any night.’

Comment closely on ways in which the following poem portrays fear. (Out Out)

Comment closely on ways in which this extract, the opening of ‘ The Black Cottage ’, presents the cottage. ‘We chanced in passing by that afternoon….A little cottage this has always seemed…’

Comment closely on ways in which the following poem portrays the interaction between humans and nature. (There are Roughly Zones )

Comment closely on ways in which the following poem portrays attitudes to death. ( Birches )

Comparative/Wider Reading:

Write a critical comparison of the following poems, considering in detail ways in which your responses are shaped by the writers’ language, form and style ‘Stopping by Woods’ and ‘The Road Not Taken’

With reference to two poems, discuss the ways in which Frost’s poetry explores spirituality and religion.

Compare ways in which Frost presents the natural world in two poems.

Compare the effects of two poems which Frost sets in wintertime.

Compare ways in which Frost presents the tension between tradition and progress in two poems.

Compare ways in which two poems explore feelings of grief.

Compare ways in which Frost presents rural life in two poems.

I have a lot of Robert Frost’s poems analysed, so take a look by clicking here .

Thanks for reading! If you find this page useful, take a look at our full English Literature and Academic Writing courses here .

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Robert Frost - Essay Questions (GCSE, AS + A Level)

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

3 April 2023

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This resource contains 13 essay and exam-style questions on Robert Frost’s poems. Suitable for both GCSE + A Level. There are two types of questions: Comparative and Discursive. See the preview for examples!

For our other Frost poetry bundle , click here!

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The Complete Robert Frost CCEA AS + A Level Revision Bundle

A detailed breakdown of Frost's poems, for teachers + students working with the CCEA AS + A Level literature syllabus. Note: For our other [Frost poetry bundle](http://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12507386), click here! Great for teaching, revision, resits, homeschooling, missed lessons, boosting analytical / research skills and developing students’ confidence in Frost’s poetry at a higher level. Enjoy! Poems Included: ‘Mowing’ ‘Road Not Taken’ ‘Acquainted with the Night’ ‘After Apple-Picking’ ‘Birches’ ‘Desert Places’ ‘For Once, Then, Something’ ‘Gathering Leaves’ ‘Going For Water’ ‘Mending Wall’ ‘Out, Out’ ‘The Road Not Taken’ Each digital + printable pdf poem resource includes: POEM (copyright permitting) VOCABULARY STORY/SUMMARY SPEAKER/VOICE LANGUAGE FORM/STRUCTURE ATTITUDES CONTEXT THEMES ESSAY QUESTIONS FREE BONUS MATERIAL: A* Grade Essay Example A Grade Model Essay Answer Essay Questions Please review our content! We always value feedback and are looking for ways to improve our resources, so all reviews are more than welcome. View our [shop](http://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/ntabani) for other literature and language resources.

Robert Frost Revision Bundle

Here is a detailed analysis of Robert Frost’s poems; suitable for students of all levels - KS3, GCSE + iGCSE, AS + A Level. Each poem includes analysis of the following: POEM (copyright permitting) VOCABULARY STORY/SUMMARY SPEAKER/VOICE LANGUAGE FORM/STRUCTURE ATTITUDES CONTEXT THEMES Great for revision, resits, home schooling missed lessons, boosting analytical / research skills and developing students’ confidence in Frost’s poetry at a higher level. Enjoy! Poems Included: 'A Soldier' 'An Encounter' 'Mowing' 'Road Not Taken' 'Acquainted with the Night' 'After Apple-Picking' 'An Unstamped Letter In Our Rural Letterbox' 'Birches' 'Desert Places' 'For Once, Then, Something' 'Gathering Leaves' 'Going For Water' 'Mending Wall' 'Out, Out' 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' 'The Black Cottage' 'The Road Not Taken' 'The Sound of Trees' There Are Roughly Zones' FREE BONUS MATERIAL: Essay Questions Frost A* Grade Essay Example Please review our content! We always value feedback and are looking for ways to improve our resources, so all reviews are more than welcome. View our [shop](http://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/ntabani) for other literature and language resources.

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58 The Road Not Taken Essay Topics & Examples

With good The Road Not Taken essay questions and topics, you won’t have problems with exploring the poem’s themes and symbolism. Our experts have provided some titles and paper examples for you to check.

🏆 Best The Road Not Taken Essay Topics & Examples

📌 most interesting the road not taken essay questions & topics, 👍 good research topics about the road not taken.

• Robert Frost’s Writing Style Essay The leading theme of the poem is the non-conformist ideas of the author, the problem of life choice, and the dilemma in making the right decision.
• The Road Not Taken In “The Road Not Taken”, the poet uses a reflective tone to address the significance of the choices one makes in life. The “road” referred to by the speaker is the most prominent symbol in […]
• Comparing Robert Frost’s Poems: The Road Not Taken and A Question Hence, the leading aspects and themes discussed in both poems are associated with the difficulties in decision-making, influence of life experience on the choices, and consequences of our actions.
• “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost The analysis helps to understand the message of the poem and realize the author’s vision of the world. The euphony facilitates the process of absorbing into the poem, and allows to experience with the narrator […]
• “The Road Not Taken” by Richard Frost Therefore, the speaker has to take one of the roads and live with the consequences of taking that road. Furthermore, the speaker has no control of what may happen to his life in the path […]
• Contradiction and Ambiguity in Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” The author expresses himself and justifies the choice using metaphors in the first two lines. In the last stanza, he posits that “I will be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages […]
• “The Road Not Taken” Poem by Robert Frost This is the individual we can identify as the poetic persona or the person who is doing the speaking in the poem.
• Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” Poem Explication The title captures the attention of the reader by arousing curiosity to find out about this road that is not taken, and ultimately, the poem addresses this issue by talking about the road and its […]
• The Poems “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost A girl’s shoe got stuck on the steps he had covered with glue and he went out looking for her. Cinderella fit into the shoe and got married to the prince.
• “The Road Not Taken” by Frost Robert Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken” at the beginning of the 1900s to underline the difficulty of choices that people have to make. Symbols make it possible to develop the reader’s imagination, and alliteration […]
• “The Road Not Taken” and “When Death Comes” Poems Comparison And if one was to consider the idea of the immortality of the human soul, the possibility of the afterlife and the certitude of our physical death, life becomes an affair of profound perplexity; and […]
• Robert Frost “The Road Not Taken” Literature Analysis There are a lot of different interpretations of Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” that it is easy to appear in the situation that one cannot understand what the poems are about.
• “The Road Not Taken” by Frost: A Poem Review The beginning of the 20th century is a time for the world to search for new ways of development, so the poem makes sense of choice.
• “The Raven” and “The Road Not Taken” by Poe and Frost The poem impugns the immortality of the soul, and this makes it revolutionary by the standards of that time.”The Road Not Taken” depicts the challenges faced by any individual who must make a choice.
• “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost: Advice for Life As Bellah points out, the title of the poem is “The Road Not Taken” rather than “The Road Less Taken”, which provides the first clue as to the author’s original intentions and a different reading […]
• Symbolism in Ozymandias by P.B. Shelley, The Sick Rose by W. Blake, The Road Not Taken by R. Frost Through the use of these symbols, Shelley intends to communicate to the audience the extent of the destruction of the statue.
• Choosing Between Two Paths in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Use of Nature in “The Road Not Taken”
• Symbolism, Imagery, and Theme of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Journey an Exploration of a Worn Path and “The Road Not Taken”
• The Role of Outside Sources in Understanding Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Uncertainty of Life in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• An Overview of the Concept of Good and Bad in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Significant Decisions: A Comparison of “The Road Not Taken” and “The Choice”
• The Realm of Uncertainty in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Picture of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Struggle With Choices in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Theme of Nature in “The Road Not Taken” and Symbolism in “Stopping by Woods” by Robert Frost
• Choosing the Right Path in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Notion of Choice in Literary Works “The Kite Runner,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “Regret”
• The Idea of Making Decisions in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Wrong Choice in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Use of Symbolism and Imagery to Portray the Theme of Choice in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Regretful Traveler in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Principles of the Choices as Portrayed in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Literary Analysis of the Poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Three Ages in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• Analyses and Opinions on the Poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Finding the Happiness in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Opportunities and Impact of the Journeys in “The China Coin,” “Through Australian Eyes,” and “The Road Not Taken”
• The Theme of Individuality in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Reflections of Nature in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Religious Purpose in “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
• The Huge Misunderstanding of “The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost
• “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• The Different Interpretations of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• How Does Punctuation Create Meaning in “The Road Not Taken”
• The Strong Sense of Regret for Choosing the Wrong Path in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Narration and Description in Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Importance of Physical Journey in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• Metaphors, Imagery, and Personification in “The Road Not Taken”
• The Importance of Decision to Achieve the Goals in Life in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Choices and Consequences in Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Literary Techniques Used by Robert Frost in “The Road Not Taken”
• The Importance of Making the Best Decisions in Everyday Situations Depicted in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Importance of Each Decision in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
• The Question of Choice Presented in the Poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• Comparison and Contrast Between “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Road Not Taken”
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Bibliography

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The Road Not Taken Summary & Analysis by Robert Frost

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

Written in 1915 in England, "The Road Not Taken" is one of Robert Frost's—and the world's—most well-known poems. Although commonly interpreted as a celebration of rugged individualism, the poem actually contains multiple different meanings. The speaker in the poem, faced with a choice between two roads, takes the road "less traveled," a decision which he or she supposes "made all the difference." However, Frost creates enough subtle ambiguity in the poem that it's unclear whether the speaker's judgment should be taken at face value, and therefore, whether the poem is about the speaker making a simple but impactful choice, or about how the speaker interprets a choice whose impact is unclear.

• Read the full text of “The Road Not Taken”

The Full Text of “The Road Not Taken”

1 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

2 And sorry I could not travel both

3 And be one traveler, long I stood

4 And looked down one as far as I could

5 To where it bent in the undergrowth;

6 Then took the other, as just as fair,

7 And having perhaps the better claim,

8 Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

9 Though as for that the passing there

10 Had worn them really about the same,

11 And both that morning equally lay

12 In leaves no step had trodden black.

13 Oh, I kept the first for another day!

14 Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

15 I doubted if I should ever come back.

16 I shall be telling this with a sigh

17 Somewhere ages and ages hence:

18 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

19 I took the one less traveled by,

20 And that has made all the difference.

“The Road Not Taken” Summary

“the road not taken” themes.

Choices and Uncertainty

• See where this theme is active in the poem.

Individualism and Nonconformity

Making Meaning

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “the road not taken”.

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;

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.

Lines 13-15

Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

Lines 16-17

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Lines 18-20

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

“The Road Not Taken” Symbols

Diverging Roads

• See where this symbol appears in the poem.

The Road Less Traveled

“the road not taken” poetic devices & figurative language, extended metaphor.

• See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“The Road Not Taken” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Yellow wood
• Undergrowth
• See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Road Not Taken”

Rhyme scheme, “the road not taken” speaker, “the road not taken” setting, literary and historical context of “the road not taken”, more “the road not taken” resources, external resources.

"The Most Misread Poem in America" — An insightful article in the Paris Review, which goes into depth about some of the different ways of reading (or misreading) "The Road Not Taken."

Robert Frost reads "The Road Not Taken" — Listen to Robert Frost read the poem.

Book Review: "The Road Not Taken," by David Orr — Those looking for an even more in-depth treatment of the poem might be interested in David Orr's book, "The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong."

LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Frost

Acquainted with the Night

After Apple-Picking

Desert Places

Dust of Snow

Fire and Ice

Home Burial

Mending Wall

My November Guest

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

The Death of the Hired Man

The Oven Bird

The Sound of the Trees

The Tuft of Flowers

The Wood-Pile

Everything you need for every book you read.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Writers — Robert Frost

Essays on Robert Frost

The importance of writing an essay on robert frost.

Robert Frost is one of the most renowned poets in American literature, known for his ability to capture the beauty and complexity of rural life. Writing an essay on Robert Frost is important because it allows readers to delve deeper into his works and gain a better understanding of his themes, writing style, and impact on literature.

When writing an essay on Robert Frost, it is important to consider the following tips:

1. Research and analyze Frost's poems

It is important to thoroughly research and analyze Frost's poems to gain a comprehensive understanding of his writing style, themes, and symbolism. Pay close attention to the imagery, language, and structure used in his poems to uncover their deeper meanings.

2. Consider Frost's life and influences

Understanding Frost's life and the influences that shaped his writing is essential when writing an essay on him. Consider how his experiences, relationships, and the natural environment of New England influenced his poetry.

3. Explore Frost's themes and motifs

Frost's poems often explore themes such as nature, isolation, and the human experience. When writing an essay on Frost, it is crucial to delve into these themes and identify the recurring motifs in his work.

4. Provide critical analysis

Offering critical analysis of Frost's poems is essential to writing a compelling essay. Consider different interpretations of his work and provide evidence to support your analysis.

5. Reflect on Frost's legacy

Lastly, reflect on Frost's impact on American literature and his lasting legacy. Consider how his poetry continues to resonate with readers and how it has influenced subsequent generations of writers.

By following these tips, you can write a comprehensive and insightful essay on Robert Frost that offers a deeper understanding of his poetry and its significance.

Robert Frost is often celebrated for his vivid and evocative descriptions of nature in his poetry. In this essay, we will explore how Frost uses nature as a metaphor for human emotions and experiences, and how his portrayal of the natural world reflects his own worldview.

Frost's poems often depict the rural landscape and the lives of people who live in such environments. In this essay, we will examine how Frost's portrayal of rural life reflects his own experiences and beliefs, and how his poems shed light on the complexities of rural existence.

Many of Frost's poems explore the theme of isolation and alienation, depicting characters who feel disconnected from their surroundings or society. In this essay, we will analyze how Frost's use of language and imagery conveys the sense of loneliness and detachment experienced by his characters.

Frost's New England roots strongly influenced his poetry, as he frequently drew inspiration from the landscape and people of the region. In this essay, we will delve into how Frost's upbringing in New England shaped his poetic voice and the themes he explored in his work.

Frost's poetry is often associated with the modernist movement, and in this essay, we will compare and contrast his work with that of other modernist poets such as T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. We will explore how Frost's approach to language, form, and theme differs from his contemporaries, and how his work has contributed to the modernist literary tradition.

Many of Frost's poems reflect on the passage of time and the inevitability of change, often evoking a sense of nostalgia for the past. In this essay, we will examine how Frost's use of memory and nostalgia adds depth to his poetry, and how it contributes to his exploration of human experience.

Frost's poetry is rich with symbolism, as he often uses objects and images to convey deeper meanings and emotions. In this essay, we will analyze how Frost's use of symbolism adds layers of complexity to his poetry, and how it invites readers to engage with his work on a deeper level.

Death is a recurring theme in Frost's poetry, and in this essay, we will explore how he grapples with the concept of mortality in his work. We will examine how Frost's treatment of death reflects his own philosophical outlook, and how it resonates with readers on a universal level.

Frost's personal experiences, including his struggles with loss and grief, deeply influenced his poetry. In this essay, we will investigate how Frost's personal life shaped the themes and emotional resonance of his work, and how his poetry served as a means of grappling with his own experiences.

In this essay, we will consider Frost's lasting influence on American literature, and how his poetry continues to resonate with readers and writers today. We will explore how Frost's work has shaped the trajectory of poetry in America, and how his legacy endures as a vital part of the literary canon.

Robert Frosts Impact of Writing

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The Armful by Robert Frost Analysis

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How Robert Frost’s Poems Reflected His Life: Research Paper

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How The Life of Robert Frost is Depicted in His Works

Robert frost's use of literary devices in fire and ice, theme of choices in the road not taken by robert frost, analysis of robert frost’s use of literary devices in mending wall, analysis of imagery used in robert frost’s "to earthward", analysis of robert frost’s poem the road not taken, the complex interpretation of the mending wall, decisions and their consequences: analyzing "the road not taken", analysis of how writers present loss in out out and disabled, analysis of the forms of loss portrayed in disabled and out, out, vitality and eternal relevance of frost’s poetry, discovering the theme of death in ‘out, out’, construction and representation of identity in dead poets society and frost’s poetry, the use of imagery, figurative language and sound in "birches" by robert frost, the most of it: ambiguity and remoteness of nature, the main message in robert frost’s the road not taken, "out out" and "disabled": comparison of the poems, how authors convey their identity: shakespeare and robert frost, the literary analysis of robert frost’s sonnet design, comparative analysis of robert frost's and wilfred owen's poems.

Robert Lee Frost(1874-03-26)March 26, 1874San Francisco, California, US

January 29, 1963(1963-01-29) (aged 88)Boston, Massachusetts, US

Poet, playwright

• A Boy's Will and North of Boston
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Congressional Gold Medal

March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963

Robert Frost was an American poet who was much admired for his depictions of the rural life of New England, his command of American colloquial speech, and his realistic verse portraying ordinary people in everyday situations.

Robert Frost’s most famous poems included “The Gift Outright,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “Birches,” “Mending Wall,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. He most commonly investigated human contacts with the natural world.

He successfully brought into light the concept of soothing nature and its role in man's life. He expressed his ideas in his poems. His poems are very much an inspiration to modern times to this day. Many modern poets attempt to imitate his style, considering him a role model for writing prose and poetry.

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” “We love the things we love for what they are.” “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”

Relevant topics

• William Shakespeare
• Langston Hughes
• Benjamin Banneker
• Maya Angelou
• The Tempest
• Amelia Earhart
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• Alice Walker

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Robert Frost and the pedagogical path less traveled

On his 150th birthday, remembering the poet who compared free verse to ‘playing tennis with the net down.’ turns out, he taught that way, too..

A reporter once asked Robert Frost what event most influenced his life. “Well, when I was 12 I worked in a little shoe shop, and all summer I carried nails in my mouth,” the famed New England poet told the interviewer in 1941. “I owe everything to the fact that I neither swallowed nor inhaled.”

I came across that gem while researching Frost’s take on teaching in higher ed. The four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning poet taught at several colleges and touted a technique he called “education by presence.” According to Frost, there were three approaches to teaching. These were “by formal contact in the classroom, by informal contact . . . and by virtually no contact at all,” he explained to a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor in 1925. “And I am putting the last first in importance — the teaching by no contact at all.”

I had reason to identify with Frost. He was a late bloomer with unresolved childhood issues who worked at a newspaper before he taught college. Having grown up reading and reciting his poetry, I wanted to explore his pedagogy as the 150th anniversary of his birth — March 26 — approached this year. It turns out the poet who famously compared free verse to “playing tennis with the net down” wasn’t such a stickler for structure in the classroom, preferring to serve lessons without a game plan.

Not only did he refuse to quiz students with “questions I myself can answer,” but if students in his poetry class at Harvard University didn’t pipe up, he was prepared to “keep silent, or even lie down on the desk.” One examination day at Amherst, he simply handed out blue books to students along with this sparse instruction: “Do something appropriate to this course which will please and interest me.” Then he left the room.

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“He is a firm believer in the ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ theory of education,” according to an interview published in The Boston Sunday Globe in 1924, which noted the nontraditional prof was sometimes “frowned upon in academic circles. What claim to teaching ability can be made by a man who frequently doesn’t show up for his classes, who allows his students in the classroom to write letters, play cards, or whisper while he’s reading poetry? And yet out of each class you’ll find a certain group who swear by Mr. Frost as they’ve never sworn by any teacher before.”

Although he had no undergraduate degree, Frost secured teaching positions at Amherst College, the University of Michigan, Middlebury College, Yale University, Columbia University, and Harvard and unapologetically departed from the custom of quizzing and lecturing that dominated higher ed, dismissing much of it as “busy work.”

So how did he teach?

“Well, I can’t say that you can call it teaching,” Frost said in 1923, as he was preparing to return to the faculty at Amherst. “I don’t teach. I don’t know how. I talk and I have the boys talk.”

Nor did he want students critically analyzing authors or their works. “Youth, I believe, should not analyze its enjoyments,” he said. “It should live.”

He did like to read his verses aloud in class. “Why bother with the other fellow’s?” he quipped. “I know my own so much better.”

Poring over old interviews, I learned Frost’s unconventional approach to education may have stretched back to his school days. Frost briefly attended Dartmouth College and Harvard. “While my marks were always good, I somehow felt that I was wasting time,” he explained to a reporter, “and so I left college.”

Maybe that’s why the poet — who would go on to be awarded dozens of honorary degrees — had his doubts about the significance of higher ed. “He once said to me not to let the Harvard in me get to be too important,” President John F. Kennedy remembered.

Frost called poetry “the first form of understanding” and wrote such well-known works as “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” ” The Road Not Taken,” and “ Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening ,” depicting the bucolic New England landscape, with its birch trees and snow-white stars . Noting how the planets revolve around the sun in a marvel of “attraction and repulsion,” he once suggested the same concept applies to poetry. “We have all sorts of ways to hold people,” he once told a reporter. “Hold them and hold them off.”

It’s not so surprising a sentiment from the poet who seemingly embraced a little distance, who taught us that “good fences make good neighbors.” Frost could hold off people seeking hidden meanings behind his verses, critics probing the poet’s descriptions of hemlock trees and dark woods and roads not taken.

And he could hold off the press.

Perhaps it was that same astronomical notion of attraction and repulsion he applied when crafting wry responses to questions about his teaching tactics. Perusing old interviews, I couldn’t help but feel for journalists trying to get a straight answer out of Frost.

“My greatest inspiration, when I was a student, was a man whose classes I never attended,” he told a reporter in 1925. “The book that influenced me most was ‘Piers Plowman,’ yet I never read it. When I realized how much the book had influenced me I felt I should read it. But after considering it I decided against reading it.”

Still, his clever yet cryptic replies made for engaging headlines, like this crackerjack in the 1941 New York World-Telegram: “Frost Owes Success to Not Swallowing Nails.”

In fairness, reporters did seem oddly preoccupied with crafting ornate descriptions of Frost’s appearance — shoulders “like a Notre Dame tackle,” “the hands of a man used to . . . guiding a plow,” and the “powerfully sculptured head” that looked “hewn from New England granite” — capped by tousled hair “as white as a wintry roof top in Vermont.” But he laughed off any resemblance to another Pulitzer Prize winner.

“The newspapers are always comparing my hair with Carl Sandburg’s,” Frost was quoted in The Washington Post in 1961. “That’s absurd. Carl has a hairdo, and I cut my own.”

It was his keen wit that made him a hit on the college poetry circuit, where he’d “bard around” campus, as he called it, reading verses to packed lecture halls. Frost liked “to have a big audience for my talks, to have a few turned away.” But lecturing week after week to the same group of students was different.

“Three days in the week, 35 weeks in the year is at least three times as much as I have it in me to lecture on any subject anyway,” he told The Christian Science Monitor. “No, I am an indifferent teacher as teachers go. . . . It must be that what I stand for does my work.”

Frost’s work highlighted the beauty and hardiness of rural New England. The land, he said, was in his bones, and he tried his hand at farming to make ends meet before publishing a successful book of poetry on the cusp of 40. Not sure whether to put “teacher” or “farmer” on his income tax returns, he once joked he’d planned to put “resigned — and then, in parentheses, ‘to everything.’” His father died when he was 11, he outlived a wife and four of his six children, and he purportedly contemplated suicide in the Great Dismal Swamp in the American South.

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader,” he once said, calling poetry “a momentary stay against the confusion of the world.”

“But of course, any psychiatrist will tell you that so is making a basket, or making a horseshoe, or giving anything form,” he explained.

Form couldn’t be forced, according to Frost, in or out of the classroom.

“Do you know the story about how the bear is born?” he once asked a reporter. “The bear is born shapeless, says the story, and the mother licks it into shape. That’s the way it is with some people’s writing. But no good piece is worried into shape.”

As for students in his free-form classes, Frost said he wasn’t so much interested in their writing as he was in their thinking.

“I heard a good one the other day,” he told The Denver Post, when he was embarking on a stint at the University of Colorado.

“The question which was asked was, ‘Are poets born or made?’” he recalled. “The answer is that, ‘Most people can’t bear poets.’”

Rebecca Taylor is a writer in New York. Follow her on X @ProfessorTaylor.