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A Formalist Approach to Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken

There are many ways to analyze the poetry, one of the approach is using the formalist theory. As discussed in An Introduction to Literary Studies (1999), the formalist concerned about literary structure; using phonemic device not the phonetic content. Therefore, using the formalist theory will help to analyze the elements of the poem in order to look its effect in the meaning of the poem. The poem that will be analyze using formalism approach is “The road Not Taken” poem by Robert Frost. The first lets take a look from the speaker of the poem. As I see that the speaker “I” in the poem “The Road Not Taken”, is in the middle of journey somewhere in a wood and stands between two roads that he had to choose. The evident that show the speaker see the two roads in front of him, when he writes “two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” The speaker had to stand and choosing which is road he had to take, so this poem is kind of a Lyric Poem which express the thoughts, or feeling to the poet. Hence the tone of the poem can directly see that there is a confusion and hesitation in order to which road to choose. It is makes the reader nerve whether the speaker choose the right road for himself.

Besides, the other characteristics like imagery, symbol, overstatement, sound, and the stanzaic structure are given a meaning to the poem. The using of imagery in this poem is more concrete than abstract and mostly visual. The imagery in the poem can be seen in the first stanza and the second stanza. The evident is when the speaker writes “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” in line 1 and “Because it was grassy and wanted wear” in line 8. The word of “yellow wood” and “it was grassy” those are show the verbal imagery for the poem. It shows the concrete representation of the object that describe in the poem. After that, I found that “The Road Not Taken” is symbolized the choice in life. For the first stanza, the reader just know the choice that the speaker had to make is only about the road choice. However the reader will know that the choice is not only about the simple choice of the road in the last stanza. The speaker believes that his choice will be affect to his future. It will make a difference in his life somehow. Therefore the choice of the road symbolized any choice in life that affects the future. In this poem there is repetition and overstatement. The repetition can be seen in the fourth stanza line 18 “Two roads diverged in a wood” and overstatement can be seen in line 17 “Somewhere ages and ages hence.” It means the speaker wants to show how the choice can effects his life in the future.

Robert Frost also uses various of sound in this poem in order to emphasize some sections of the poem. He uses alliteration, assonance, rhyme, rhythm. The alliteration which is the repeated of consonant sounds

can be seen in the poem with the use of “r,” “t,” and “s” in all stanza. In the first and third stanza dominantly use alliteration “r” and “t,” in the second and fourth stanza use alliteration “r” and “s.” It makes the sound of the poem rough. There is a various assonance which is the repeatation of vowel sounds in the poem. The “Road Not Taken” poem use asonance such as “u,” and “o.” We can see assonance “u” in the words “two,” “wood,” “stood,” “looked,” “took,” it means that the speaker see the two roads in the wood and he stood to look which is the road that he should choose. Next is the “o” sound in the words “sorry,” “not,” “both,” “for,” “morning,” “no,” “trodden” it means that the speaker emphasize that he can not choose both roads and finally he choose one of the road that person rarely passing there.

In the poem there are two kinds of rhyme, feminine rhyme and masculine rhyme. The feminine rhyme can be seen if the final syllable of a rhymed word is unstressed. The masculine rhyme can be seen if the final syllable is stressed. However this poem uses the masculine rhyme, because the final syllable in the poem is stressed. The poem consists of four stanzas with five lines each and the rhyme scheme of this poem is ABAAB-CDCCD-EFEEF-GHGGH. For example, take a look at the first stanza:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, (A) And sorry I could not travel both (B) And be one traveler, long I stood (A) And looked down one as far as I could (A) To where it bent in the undergrowth; (B)

From the example above we can know this poem has 9 syllabel each line and the rhythm of the poem is basically iambic, which means that there is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The most common use of iambs in poetry is in pentameter, which means that there are five “feet,” or units of stressed and unstressed syllables, in the poem. But the poem of “The Road Not Taken” is in iambic tetrameter, which means that there are only four feet (tetra = four). Besides there is also the other kinds of rhythm that is anapestic, which means that there are two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. We see the example lines :

To where | it bent| in the un|dergrowth Each of the four feet in this line is iambic except for the third, because both “in” and “the” are unstressed syllables, making the rhythm an anapest. Besides Robert Frost uses monosyllable line in this poem, they

are useful and not waste the space in the poem. We see some of the words such as “sigh,” and “ages” convey hesitation about the choose of the road. There is one caesura used in fourth stanza line 3, which reads, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I─”. The caesura function is to emphasis on “I.” The speaker “I” show the feeling of hesitation, uncertainty about the choice, then it will related to the next line “Took the one less traveled by” it explain that finally the speaker make his decision.

The stanzaic structure in every poem is important, because it can help to reveal the feeling and the place of the poem. The lines of the poem assosiated the road in the wood. The poem’s lines also reveal the confusion feeling. After analyzing “The Road Not Taken” poem by Robert Frost with the formalist approach, we can see that the formalist approach can applies well to the poem. Some elements of the poem use in this poem such as imagery, symbol, tone, overstatement, sounds, and also stanzaic structure. They are important to get the meaning of the poem. The meaning of the poem related to our life which is sometimes in the life we face some choice that we had to choose. In this poem, the idea is using the nature (wood) to explain that there are two roads in the wood, one of the road is often pass by person and the others rarely pass by person. The speaker in the end choose the road that rarely pass by person. It is related in our life, sometimes we also choose the choise that other person rarely choose. However the choice that we choose can effect the future. In conclusion, the different ways can reveal the meaning of the poem, and the formalist approach is one of the possible choice.

Works cited Klarer, Mario. An Introduction to Literary Studies. London: Routledge. 1999.

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

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I─ Took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Inquiry 1- Close Reading of William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” Happiness has long been one of the chief pursuits of humanity. Everyone searches for happiness, yet how many actually find it? Some seek happiness in relationships, while others hope that accumulating material possessions will make them content. William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” presents a thoughtful, solitary engagement with the natural world as an alternative, more expedient path toward happiness. Wordsworth asserts that experiencing nature’s beauty can create feelings of pleasure that add an enduring value to one’s life. Unlike the temporary pleasures of society, reflecting on the beauty of nature can create happiness anew. The speaker is a “poet” (line 15) who can entertain himself by taking solitary walks in the countryside. The speaker gives the impression of being isolated from society. Notably, the poem suggests that the speaker enjoys isolation and actively seeks it out. In line 22, he refers to the “bliss of solitude,” which indicates that he finds it invigorating. In the first stanza, the speaker uses a simile to emphasize his isolation from society, stating “I wandered lonely as a cloud” (line 1). While clouds are separated from the world, they also float above the world, enjoying a different view than those on its surface. This seems to suggest that being removed from human society allows the speaker to view the world in ways that are unknown to others. However, this unique perspective is not attained merely because the narrator is alone, but because of what he does when he is alone: spending time experiencing nature. The speaker’s purpose in this poem is to convey the perspective that spending time in nature has revealed to him. Although he is writing for a general audience, the speaker is attempting to persuade those who previously had “little thought [of] what wealth” (lines 17-18) nature brings on an emotional level. In order to explain the happiness that can be found in nature, the speaker devotes much of the poem to sharing one of his most memorable experiences walking in the countryside. In the first stanza, the speaker is walking aimlessly through the countryside. Like a cloud, the speaker “floats on high o’er vales and hills” (line 2), which gives the impression of weightlessness, suggesting that he is in a state of tranquil removal from all earthly encumbrances. Suddenly, the speaker comes upon an immense growth of daffodils. The quantity of flowers is striking when juxtaposed against his singular state; he does not see a few scattered daffodils, but, instead, “a crowd, a host” (lines 3-4) of them. The speaker uses hyperbole to emphasize the seemingly infinite extent of the flowers. He describes the daffodils as “never-ending” (line 9) and “continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way” (lines 7-8). By emphasizing the number of flowers, the speaker conveys that taking walks in the country yields sights that are both uncommon and rewarding. While these descriptions convey the sheer magnitude of the flowers, the speaker uses personification to express how this incredible sight impacted him on an emotional level. Rather than being stationary objects, the daffodils “flutter[ed] and danc[ed] in the breeze” (line 6). The speaker associates the flowers’ lively movements with human emotions of happiness. The daffodils do not just move in the wind; they “toss their heads in sprightly dance” (line 12). The speaker then draws a parallel between the flowers’ supposed emotions and his own. He remarks that “a poet could not but be gay in such jocund company” (lines 15-16). Not only do the vast amount of daffodils provide him company, but they have the ability to make him happy. The speaker wants his audience to understand that happiness can be found by experiencing and appreciating the beautiful world around them. Toward the end of the poem, the speaker expands on the idea of happiness through immersion in nature. In the third stanza, he comments, “I gazed- and gazed- but little thought what wealth the show to me had brought” (lines 17-18). This suggests that the sight of the daffodils will add an enduring value to his quality of life. In the fourth stanza, the speaker makes a sudden shift from past to present tense and

explains the “wealth” he gained from seeing the flowers. He states that when he reflects in “vacant or in pensive mood” (line 20), he is able to recall the emotion that he originally experienced. Being alone allows the speaker to look inward and remember past experiences. When he remembers the sight of the flowers, his heart fills with happiness and “dances with the daffodils” (line 24). The speaker believes that truly meaningful experiences are not ephemeral; remembering them renews the happiness they originally created. “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” is a poem about the beauty of nature and its remarkable ability to provide an enduring source of happiness. The speaker conveys to his audience the idea of emotion recollected in solitude. When the speaker saw the beautiful sight of daffodils “dancing in the breeze” (line 6), he was enraptured and filled with pleasure. This experience was powerful enough that reflecting on it at a later date brought him happiness once again. The speaker has discovered that true, abiding happiness can be found by simply taking the time to savor the earth’s natural beauty.