Stopping by Woods and The Road Not Taken

In the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost uses several literary

devices and methods to convey the meaning of his poem which will be discussed shortly. In

summary, this poem is a metaphor for life- the speaker is going on a journey in life and takes a

moment to break and appreciate the beauty around them. The poem is then concluded on what

can be both a happy or hopeless note, saying “there are miles to go before I sleep”. The “sleep”

in this line is a metaphor for death. In a more hopeful lens, this line can be interpreted as there

still being so much to do before dying. The miles to go are full of excitement and adventure.

However, if one were to look at this line with a more pessimistic point of view, they could

interpret the miles to go as long and boring. One could argue that the sweet release of “sleep” is

too far away and that there is still so much to do before we can rest. Both of these interpretations

are valid and add to an individuals personal interpretation of the poem.

In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost uses iambic tetrameter with an

AABA rhyme scheme. First, the meter of this poem is meant to mimic the sound of a galloping

horse (ta DA ta DA ta DA ta DA). This is mainly used to build the imagery throughout the poem.

The speaker references the horse that he is riding (“my little horse”), so the use of this rhythm

and meter helps the reader to get into this setting. This is clever of Frost because it allows him to

build imagery in a non-verbal way. He uses audio emphasis to set the scene, making it feel even

more real to the reader. The AABA rhyme scheme is another way that Frost utilizes the readers

subconscious to build the meaning of the poem. As discussed earlier, this poem is a metaphor for

life where the speaker takes a short break from his regular journey to sit and appreciate the

beauty of the snow around him. The AABA rhyme scheme symbolizes this short break that the

speaker is taking in this poem. The “A” lines would symbolize the regular journey, and the “B”
the small break they take in between. The use of this particular rhyme scheme further emphasizes

the meaning of this poem in a subtle yet impactful way. The use of both of these things together

create a beautiful poem that really emphasizes the meaning, even through the way it was written.

Another poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken, is another metaphor for life. While

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening discusses taking breaks along the paths one takes, The

Road Not Taken is about how one gets to those paths in the first place. The poem begins by

describing the two paths that the speaker is faced with, saying they have lots of undergrowth.

The speaker says that both of the paths look relatively similar, one not being harder or rougher

than the other. The following stanzas in the poem (3 and 4, with emphasis on 4) then describe the

speaker looking back on his choice of paths. Much like with Stopping by Woods on a Snowy

Evening, this poem can have both an optimistic and pessimistic interpretation. One could argue

that the speaker is doubting his choice of path. The last 2 lines of the poem describes their

regrets, saying that they wish they wouldve gone down the other path, even though earlier in the

poem the speaker had described them as the same. One could also argue that the speaker is

saying that one should not have doubts when looking back at life, and that they should celebrate

the path they they took. Overall, this poem discusses the concept of facing choices in life, then

looking back on those choices with or without doubts.

In The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost uses an ABAAB rhyme scheme. This could be to

symbolize the paths taken in life. Life can make frequent changes, and when these changes

come, one must make a choice of which path to take. Sometimes an individual will go down an

“A” path, and other times the “B” path. This poem also uses iambic tetramater with one of the

iambs replaced with an anapest (an anapest is a 3 syllable grouping with meter ta ta DA). The

random replacement of an iamb with an anapest could be symbolic of the random things that
happen in our paths of life. Sometimes we get into a rhythm that we feel comfortable with (this

would be the normal iambic rhythm). However, life being life, we will face things that are new to

us (this would be the anapest). These new rhythms come almost randomly, yet they do not mess

up the beauty of the poem. Overall, the use of these elements in the poem allows the meaning to

be further emphasized.

The Road Not Taken

- 9 syllables/line

- ABAAB

- iambic tetrameter with one iamb replaced with an anapest

- Looking down two roads

- Not familiar with the roads

- The two roads are about the same wear

- Once you go down one path, you cant really go back to where you were

- Regret

- Theyre the same but regrets the choice he made

- No matter what choice you make, there will be doubts

- Do it with no regerets
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

- AABA

- Taking a break on the journey

- Staring into the woods appreciating something beautiful

- iambic tetrameter

- Sounds like horse hooves

- 8 syllables/line

- Personification of the horse

- Imagery

- Not his first time, knows the area

- Assuming that no one will see him

- Woods are distraction

- Sleep is referring to death

- Analogy for life

- Sleep is repeated

- Woods are dark and deep- temptation

- Things to do before death, promises to keep

- Take a minute to notice something beautiful/take a rest from duties of life