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The main aim and purpose of this paper are to analyze Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ from the point of view of stylistic analysis. This analysis deals with the different aspects of stylistics such as the lexico-syntactic, patterns and choices, semantically, grammatically, graph logically, and phonological. This poem is about the selection of choice between right and wrong in the life which we deal with in this analysis. This poem applies to everyman life because of its natural tone and mood. The poem is simple and the theme of the poem is universal. This analysis helps to analyze the style and structure of Frost’s poetry. The poet uses different stylistic devices to convey his message, theme, views, and thoughts.
1. Introduction
Style is a basic aspect of any literary piece of writing. Every writer has a unique style of writing. The same idea is discussed by many writers, by using stylistic devices and different styles a writer presents the same idea different and unique in meaning, colour, and dimensions. Therefore style gives uniqueness to every writer. Stylistics deals with style and the word stylistics itself is derived from the word style. Stylistics refers to the use of appropriate words or language in a sentence or writing.
Adejare (1997) said that style is an ambiguous term while Lawal (1997) describes style as an aspect of language that deals with phrases, diction, sentences, and other linguistic materials that are consistent and harmonious with the subject matter. He also added that the style of the narrator, word choice, and character are also involved. Widdowson (1975) defines stylistics as ‘the study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation’. He also said that linked between linguistics and literary criticism is stylistics. Style has different meanings for different people. Haynes (1989) is of the view that the distinction between the texts is because of style, word choice, structure, and linguistic devices. Style is used to present the same idea differently. According to Carter (1989), that style depends on linguistics. Every writing is varying or different due to these levels of linguistics.
2. Levels of stylistic analysis
Following are the five levels of stylistics analysis.
Phonetic Level: phonetics deals with the sounds of language. We analyze the sounds in any piece of writing more than in poetry such as repetition of sounds.
Phonological Level: It deals with the sound pattern. At this level, we examine the pattern of sounds and how different sounds come together to make a meaningful word or pattern of sound.
Grammatical Level: The grammatical level discusses morphological and syntactic levels. The morphological level deals with the formation of the internal structure of the word and how a word forms. At this level, we form a new word or make the lexicon from a basic word lexeme by putting prefixes or suffixes to form a new word or make a word to put in a sentence. This level is used to find out foregrounding and the deviation, clauses, phrases, words, nouns, and verbs are to be distinguished.
Lexico-Syntax Level: it is the combination of two words lexico and syntax. The word lexis means vocabulary and syntax means sentence construction.
3. Title of the poem
The title is the key to understanding the main theme, purpose, and the true meaning of the poem. The Road Not Taken is the best title for this poem which the writer chose. The whole poem revolves around or circles the title. We can interpret the title in two ways. First, if the title is ‘I took the road not taken by others’, it means that the poet selected the less traveled road, and that has made all the difference. The poet refers to the road which was less traveled by the travelers and he rejects the choice of the majority and selects an adventurous road for the journey of his life. But if the title is ‘I took the one road, but what about the road not taken’. So the main theme of the poem becomes different. The poem’s interpretation changes by the interpretation of the poem title which is why the title of the poem is a very important and significant rule in the poem. This title means that the poet takes one road but what about the other? Here it shows the curiosity of the poet about the road not taken.
4. Biography of the poet
A brief biography of the poet Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He moved to after his father’s death. He suffered economically until he moved to at the age of 38. He returned to America in 1915, at the age of 41, and one year later wrote his masterpiece ‘The Road Not Taken’.
4. Theme of the poem
The poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ written by Robert Frost is one of the prettiest poems in English literature. The language of the poem is simple and conversational. The poem revolves around the theme of deciding life or choosing between more than one decision. The poet in the poem encounters two ways where he has to choose one. The poem is all about making a decision between two choices and having to choose one. He chooses the less traveled one and comes to realize that both are the same. He is confused at this point about choosing between two paths and which path has to adopt for travelling for the future of his life. When he takes one road, so he thinks to take the other the next time, but what if this road takes me to the other road, and unable to return and will never have the opportunity to experience the other one? After many years, he will be telling others about the two roads and the choices he made. So in the future either he will regret his decision or with relief that he made the right choice.
Some other sub-themes of the poem are as follows:
- (a) Decision indecision.
- (b) Individualism
- (c) Caution
- (d) Commitment
- (e) Accepting a challenge
- (f) Dreams, hopes, natural world
- (g) Exploration
- (h) Ambiguity
5. Narrative and lyrical poem
This poem consists of a plot, characters, conflict, and a setting which make it a narrative poem. The poem is narrated by the poet himself in first person point of view by using the word ‘I’ which makes it easy for the readers to follow the poet his actions deeds and thoughts. ‘The Road Not Taken’ is lyrical in which by the power of his strong imagination he expresses his emotions and thoughts.
6. Methodology
Stylistic analysis of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost:
Diction or choice of words: In poetry, the poet deviates from the rules of language. The language of poetry or poetic language is different from the ordinary language.
Diction means the choice of words and phrases to express thoughts and feelings.
In line 3, stanza 1, Frost writes ‘long I stood’, which expresses that the poet was making of decision for the right choice. In line 2, stanza 2, he writes, ‘And having perhaps the better claim’, he claims that he made a better choice, but the word ‘perhaps’ shows that he is not clear about his decision. In line 5, stanza 3, ‘I doubted if I should ever come back.’ The word ‘doubt’ suggests that he is not certain.
Syntax or Grammatical Structure: There are many grammatical devices in this poem. In stanza one ‘and’ is repeated many times to show uncertainty or the poet having many thoughts in his mind. The poet does not stay on one time but uses many tenses to go forward and backward in time. Most poets use (finite verbs) in the past tense, except for the verbs in the first and last line, ‘shall be telling’ and ‘has made’ of the present tenses.
The poet frequently used commas which reflect the sense of wandering as well as the pauses for thought and reflection. The semicolons are used to make the strictness of the decision being made. At the end of line 8 the poet again used the semi-colon to show certainty about the decision that he chose the less traveled road, but at the same time, he claims that both roads were the same.
Paradox: a paradox in this poem in the sense that the poet must have to choose between two roads as he cannot go on both at the same time being one traveler. However, the poet decided to travel on a less traveled road above the thing that he knew both are equal, as both are equal still he made a decision.
Irony: The poem deals with the selection of one in two roads. The poet claimed that he chooses the less traveled one, which makes all the difference, but before these lines, he also claimed that both roads are equal.
Ambiguity: ambiguity is also one of the important themes of the poem. In the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ ambiguity in the sense that the poem is ambiguous in nature of what is foregrounded and what is backgrounded. Another main consideration that gives rise to ambiguity in the poem is the priority of the word ‘road’ over ‘path’ that the path to be less traveled as compared to the road to be more traveled.
Rhyme scheme: The poem is made up of four stanzas. All stanzas consist of five lines. Each line has iambic tetrameter. The rhymes are perfect (wood, stood, and could). Each stanza of the poem has a pattern of rhyme scheme (ABAAB, CDCCD, EFEEF, and GHDDH pattern. This rhyme scheme pattern replicates in all four stanzas.
7. Stylistic devices
Multiple stylistic devices are used in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of the vowel sounds in the lines of poetry. It is used to make rhythm in the poetry.
The sound ‘O’ is repeated many times in the poem’s first lines as roads, yellow, wood, looked, could.
The sound ‘A’ and, traveler, was, grassy, wanted, passing, as, that, having, and had,
The sound ‘E’ where bent.
Consonance: In the whole poem ‘w’ ‘th’ and ‘f’ sounds are repeated many times or in many places in the poem. In stanza four there are ‘ll’ and ‘g’ consonances in this stanza such as shall, telling, and all.
Onomatopoeia: The word ‘sigh’ is used in the first line of the last stanza to emphasize the poet’s sadness depression happiness for the decision he made in the past.
Alliteration: ‘w’ is alliteration in the word ‘wanted wear’. ‘f’ is alliteration in the word ‘first for’.
Imagery: The poet uses imagery language to make images to describe the surroundings and atmosphere to clear the minds of the readers to understand the real situation and problem.
‘two roads diverged in a yellow wood’
So an image of road and wood is created in the minds of the readers. ‘and both equally lay’ and ‘In leaves, no step had trodden black’.
Personification: ‘Because it was grassy and wanted wear’
‘wanted’ and ‘wear’ is the quality of the human begins. We describe the personification that the human quality gives to non-humans. The road is not a human to desire and want.
Metaphor: The whole poem is a metaphor in the sense that the actual meaning of the poet from the road and choice is the choice of humans in real life. This is the human who always makes decisions when they have to take on over another. The poet simply portrays the message to the humans and also we can relate it to his own life, but the theme of the poem is universal. The poem expresses not a human but humans.
Symbolism:
Road: The road symbolizes the choices in life that need the decision to choose one among the two.
Woods: woods symbolize indecision or loss. In the poem and the
Frost’s other poem as well the Yellow refers to autumn which itself stands for (death). The yellow wood symbolizes loss and indecision in life.
Decision-making process: Decision-making is not an easy task. some time or in some situations it is very difficult to decide one over the other. In the last stanza of the poem the word ‘sigh’ symbolizes your decision in the present not only your present but also your future.
The word sigh itself symbolizes that the decision you make today is very effective in your future.
8. A short analysis
The poet uses irony and dramatic language to present his thoughts and ideas. He also uses images and metaphors to make it easy for the reader to understand the situation and scenario. The poet stands at a place in the yellow wood where two roads diverge and he has to decide as one traveler he cannot travel on both.
As we talked or discussed above the theme of the poem is universal. The problem is not limited to the poet but making decisions is the problem for every single human being. Everyone has to face the same problem in real life and is bound to take the decision. Everyone finds themselves in chaos, confusion, and hesitation to decide to choose one over the other, which some sometimes hard to make. Choosing real life is not an easy task and it needs a lot of concentration, knowledge, and fair attention. By taking all the possible concentration attention and measures the choice and selection don’t need to be right, while it may be wrong, as we do not know about the future. Which way lead use where nobody knows, but making a decision should be wised.
9. Conclusion
From the stylistic point of view, the analysis we find that the poem is well constructed and brings to readers’ mind the act of trying to balance not over given easily to being balanced. The poem is not so much about the decision but the art of indecision. The poet himself claimed about his decision that he was not sure about the decision he made. The poet cannot easily jump to the conclusion but thinking to make a decision. He also does not know that the road he took is less traveled because he does not know and has not experienced the one he left. He expects a positive result but he does not know the outcome of his decision.
Only the poet knows what he wrote and why. The poem for everyone sounds different when she interprets it. There will be hundreds of interpretations and possibly they all will be right. This analysis of the poem is from the perspective of stylistics.
Appendix
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel to 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 to wear it;
As for 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
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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