Running Head: COMPARE
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Compare and Contrast Analysis of “The
Oak” and “The Road Not Taken”
David Toepfer
ENG 125
PROFESSOR NAME REMOVED BY AUTHOR
Tuesday, November
27th, 2013
Running Head: COMPARE
AND CONTRAST-2
For this assignment I have chosen
to compare and contrast two poems, which include: Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s The Oak and Robert Frost’s The Road
Not Taken. These two poems both use themes of nature; to ambiguously convey
a message which seems ever so reminiscent of a human’s personal journey of
growth, and change. In each piece of literature the author’s seem to utilize
the natural-physical surroundings, and objects within the poem, in a
metaphorical fashion. This is done ambiguously, through literary devices such
as figurative language, and similes; to aid in conveying the underlying
meaning’s, and themes of the two pieces of literature. Though these two poems
have their own specific set of differences, they indeed have a very particular
set of similarities as well. We can see this within the broad conception, of both
literary pieces as a whole; within their underlying themes.
In
reference to The Road Not Taken (Frost, 1916), written here in a
student response; “I’ve
concluded that the poem emphasizes the ambiguity associated with life choices”
(Clugston, 2010, pg. 46). This
is a very observational and well rounded interpretation of what this particular
student had taken from the poem. Within the same student’s response, this
student also expands upon his insight, into the poem being that of a metaphor
to convey; “the nature of choice making” (Clugston, 2010, pg. 46). We can see
that ambiguity is a very prevalent element utilized within The Road Not Taken (Frost,
1916), It seems to convey the inherent logic that each piece of life;
seems to be a piece of the puzzle in the decision making process. As we can see
in this piece, the metaphorical nature of Frost’s poem sets a distinct tone in which knowledge is being obtained
through decision making, to ultimately aid in one’s life journey. One can
interoperate this poem in many ways, but the foundation laid down before us has
a true theme, and underlying meaning; that is pronounced in the symbolization
put forth through figurative speech, really emphasizing the life choices we
make (Clugston, 2010). This poem speaks
on an inspirational level to all people from all walks of life. I mean this, in
the respect that; it conveys to us that the road less traveled may be the road
necessary to take.
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In reference to The Oak (Tennyson, 1889), we
can clearly see that one of the main elements utilized within the poem was the
simile (Clugston, 2010). This element of literature was put forth with the
purpose of aiding in the structure of the underlying theme of the piece. In The Oak (Tennyson, 1889), nature
was used prevalently as a literary device; in order convey the underlying
message. Within this particular poem the literary device utilized created a
simile “Comparing human development to
the oak tree’s seasonal cycle” (Clugston, 2010, pg. 240).
Tennyson’s poem portrays the physical growth of a
literal oak tree; that seems to be used as a symbolic representation of the
changes in which the tree endures on a seasonal level. This symbolic
representation shows us how this directly correlates to human development and
lifecycle (Clugston, 2010). “Symbol is
something that has a literal identity but also stands for something
else—something that is widely understood and has been developed over a long
period of time or by common agreement. This second identity (or referent) is
always abstract in nature” (Clugston, 2010, pg. 126). This can be seen
in this poem abundantly, for every aspect of this particular piece of literature
is nothing but symbolization, in one form or another. It is abstract in nature
indeed, Tennyson’s poem does a terrific job at correlating natures
characteristics with mans; as we are all inevitably part of one big circle of
life.
As you can see from the brief
descriptions of Robert Frost’s and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s literary works in
question, they clearly have many similarities within the core structure, and
foundation on which their poems were created. Personification is a perfect
example of why these two poems are undoubtedly alike in the big picture. This
is evident, because personification is simply; “a literary technique in which
human attributes are assigned to animals, ideas, or inanimate objects”
(Clugston, 2010, pg. 72). Both poems display vivid characteristics, portraying
the utilization of personification, to assign attributes such as; the oak tree
in The Oak (Tennyson, 1889), which was used as a simile for human
development, or the human life cycle (Clugston,
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2010).We
can also clearly see personification utilized within The Road Not Taken (Frost,
1916), in reference to the rural country roads taking a metaphorical place in
the story representing the human decision making process (Clugston,
2010), which is never the less a human
attribute and/or quality.
As we discover in The Oak (Tennyson, 1889), detailed
imagery was abundantly used by the author; to represent ever so fluently different
attributes of the oak tree in a each of its seasons within its yearly cycle. “Using
imagery, or sensory details, can help bring a story or poem to life” (Vleet,
2013, pg. 69). Such attributes as these very distinguishingly symbolize the
direct relationship between the lifecycle of a human, and that of an oak tree;
this takes place in the form of a simile as discussed previously. This is
portrayed through the various seasonal weather patterns, and the changes in
which the oak tree endures throughout these seasons (Clugston, 2010). Of course
this is an ambiguous way in which the
author uses to compare these two totally different physical events by using; “statements
that have more than one meaning or can be interpreted in more than one way” (Clugston,
2010, pg. 24). Ambiguity is a very in the world of poetry, helping to aid in
the construction of metaphors and similes.
In
The Road Not Taken (Frost, 1916), many attributes and
different aspects of the physical surroundings in this rural setting are
applied equally, much like the physical surroundings and setting utilized within
The
Oak (Tennyson, 1889). The
attributes used within the The Road Not
Taken (Frost, 1916) were prominently attributes of the two rural roads,
attributes portraying the distinguished differences between these two rural roads,
and attributes underlying the possibility of one road leading to something
positive. We can clearly see how these attributes reflect in both pieces of
literature, in a similar fashion. I mean this in relation to
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-providing a
unique way of reflecting a message to the reader in an equally ambiguous manner,
in which the authors utilizes figurative language for example; two paths
symbolizing much more.
Both Alfred, Lord Tennyson and
Robert Frost’s element of choice for these poems seems to indeed be figurative
language. They utilize this because “consideration is given to figurative
expression, identifying various figures of speech commonly used to communicate
ideas imaginatively and amplify thematic thought” (Clugston, 2010, pg.
247). This is a terrific element of literature
that can be used to effectively allow a reader to ponder the true theme and/or
meaning of the piece. This also provides the reader the ability to interoperate
the different pieces of literature in their own unique way.
For example; “All his leaves fall’s
at length, Look, he stands Trunk and bough, Naked strength” (Tennyson, A. “The
Oak” in Clugston (2010 P. 240). Regarding this part of the poem, since we
already know that the oak tree is a symbolization used in such a fashion that
creates a simile between the characteristics of the oak tree, and the
characteristics of human development, or in other words the human life cycle
(Clugston, 2010). We can see that the leaves falling from the tree, symbolizing
winter and the seasonal changes of the oak tree, along with the detail provided
within the figurative language, are used to describe the tree as a living
thing; also correlating the oak tree with man by using the term “he” in
reference to the tree (Clugston, 2010). The final stanza of The Oak (Tennyson, 1889), seems
to portray the metaphorical theme of the ending of the human lifecycle as an
elderly person, leaves can be symbolization for hair loss, and the way in which
the tree is presented could be symbolization to represent the overall appearance
of an aged individual.
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Another example of figurative
language is provided here; “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, and
that has made all the difference” (Frost, R. “The Road Not Taken” in Clugston
(2010 P. 46). Here we can see that figurative language is utilized to describe
two physical roads in a rural setting. After reading the poem in its entirety,
this can be readily perceived as symbolization of two different life paths, and
the choice of which one to venture onto to. We also see that the individual in
the poem has traveled on the road that is “less traveled”, and we are told that
this has made an impact upon the individual in the last stanza of the poem
(Clugston, 2010). From what the poem has
told us leading up to the last stanza, even if in fact it has been through the
utilization of figurative language and symbolization, in this last stanza of The Road Not Taken (Frost, 1916), we can see that the
individual made a choice to partake on a path that is less traveled and it has
made a positive impact upon the individuals life (Clugston, 2010). The author
proclaims that the chosen path has made a tremendous difference and we can see
by the way in which the poem is most often perceived; that this difference is a
positive one indeed.
In both of these poems the abundance
of the metaphor was quite thick, as images were described; that in an abstract
fashion would provide a deeper insight to what each piece of literature was
trying to convey. “Metaphors are used to transfer, by comparison or
categorization (Glucksberg & Haught, 2006), the properties of one thing
(called the source) to another thing (called the target).They play a major
cognitive role in how people come to understand abstract concepts (Lakoff &
Johnson, 1980)” as cited in (Rank, 2010, P. 2, par. 1). The concepts themselves
are not so rather abstract, but the way in which Frost and Tennyson propose
said concepts through a very distinctive and descriptive style of figurative
language (Clugston, 2010).
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In
conclusion we can see that the underlying themes of these two poems are
different in technical terms, but more than relevant to one another in the
grand scheme of things. The underlying theme associated with The Oak (Tennyson, 1889) which was written in third person omniscient
point of view, was of course; that of the life cycle of living beings, particularly man.
This was symbolized using figurative language with such devices as the simile
and the metaphor being
used to compare the season life cycle of an oak tree to a man’s life cycle (Clugston,
2010).
The Road Not Taken (Frost, 1916) which was written in first
person point of view, seemed to coin many of the same building blocks as
Tennyson’s poem. This is common in the world of poetry, as many styles and
forms, are of the same structure; but still nothing alike and all quite unique.
Robert Frost utilized symbolism as well as figurative language to convey an
underlying meaning in which for his poem was of course; “the
nature of choice making” (Clugston, 2010, pg. 46). By using physical
surroundings to convey a metaphorical theme to the reader; Robert Frost was
able to put a picture story in your mind as you read through the lines. Frost
utilized the country roads in his poem as metaphor’s for a very important life
choice in which an individual must make. Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Robert Frost
were able equally contribute to their individual pieces in many of the same
ways, and with the same passion, and although these poems share differences; it
can be clearly seen that they share many more similarities.
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References
Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into Literature. Ashford University. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.10.2
Frost, R. (1916). “The road not taken” Mountain interval. New York: Holt.
Retrieved
Tennyson, A. (1889). “The oak” Demeter.
Retrieved from
Vleet, C. (2013). “The Power of Poetry”
Instructor, 122(5), 69. Retrieved from
Rank, O. (2010). “Conquering Cities and
“Conquering” Women: A Contribution to the
Understanding of Symbolism in Poetry.”
Political Psychology, 31(1), 6-19. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2009.00741_2.x
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Glucksberg, S., & Haught, C. (2006). “Can
Florida become like the next Florida? When
Metaphoric comparisons fail”. Psychological
Science, 17, 935–938. Retrieved From http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxyibrary.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6bf117a3-b1fb-434f-ab27-3c2bff476c15%40sessionmgr4002&vid=6&hid=4203
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980).
”Metaphors we live by” Chicago: University of
Chicago Press Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxyibrary.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6bf117a3-b1fb-434f-ab273c2bff476c15%40sessionmgr4002&vid=6&hid=4203
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