Comment 9 of 543, added on September 22nd, 2004 at 12:43 PM.
I disagree with the notion that one would probably regret a second chance.
Personally, I had a second-chance to study in academia and attain long
lasting dreams of high achievment in study.
Specifically, after graduating in my 20s at a top public university, I
earned only Bs and Cs. It was a difficult transtional time in my life.
Nonetheless, in spite of the vigors and obligations of life, I forced my
conditions to allow for pursuit of another undergraduate degree some years
later.
In this second opportunity to study and achieve, I earned all A's and
graduated with the most prestigious distinctions. It was a personal
achievment for which I had long dreamed. To be sure, there was no time
where I regretted my choice to study another 5 years. Indeed, I left my
career frozen with no increase in experience and therefore earnings, and I
worked at night for mizerly wages barely capable of supporting me despite a
college degree from a top school. And in the final analysis, it was worth
every minute of study and every lost dollar.
Therefore, it is clear not everyone would regret a second opportunity to
make a correct choice. In addtion, I suspect if everyone maintained the
willingness to "righ" a past "wrong," then no one would regret the
opportunity to make that "wong" "right."
Michael from
United States
Comment 7 of 543, added on September 19th, 2004 at 1:22 PM.
Forgive me if I am completely misplaced because it has been quite some time
since I last visited American Literature--and Robert Frost.
However, I sense that many commentators here have overlooked some revealing
and specific language Frost intentionally employed in this poem. As a
result of this oversight, these commentators have too strongly asserted
that Frost mocked romantic ideals of nastalgia and life.
Clearly, there exists a potential argument that Frost may have been
offering a caliber of criticism and satire. For example, the suggestion
that we could save the first road for another day: "Oh, I kept the first
for another day!" However, this is a flawed argument because it is possible
to revisit a life-altering decision. In fact, many have altered the course
of their lives in midstream by revisiting decisions. To offer contemporary
example, a mother in her mid-40s earing a college degree after dropping out
of highschool at the age of 17. Clearly, this typ of example was less
available in the 19th century, yet others examples of "second choices" did
exist--such as accumulating a fortune in ranching or mining. Still other
examples exist. Therefore, it is possible that Frost may have implicitly
offered this "Reality Americana" to reader--and not cynically dismiss the
idea that a revisiting of a life-altering decision was impossible.
Furthermore, to strongly assert that Frost is cynically criticizing those
romanic idealists who at times enjoy nastalgic recollections, or believe
they can travel 2 roads in life is misplaced. By offering this sentiment,
the argument sustains a very difficult position of explaining away Frost's
last sentence: "And that has made all the difference." Without doubt, it is
a vulnerable argument to convey that Frost communicated cynicism and
mockery of romantic ideals when at the crescendo of his poem he produces
the most romantic of all notions--to engage in probably the most personally
challenging of life-trajectories. According to Frost, this engagement
seemed to matter the most, and offer the greatest of sattisfaction.
To be sure, it is a difficult endeavour to explanin why Frost applied this
sentence to his peom without accepting that he was embracing a romantic and
old American ideal of hard work, perseverance, and sattisfaction in
challenging oneself. Unless the position is advanced that Frost simply and
universally misled readers with romanic works while fevershly mocking life
and choice, it must be accepted he was celebrating the moment of
life-altering choice, and the decision to pursue the more unique life path.
Without doubt, if the assumption that the more unique life-road is more
unique because it is more difficult, Frost is also celebrating hard work
and the decision to engage in this work
The position that Frost simply and universally misled readers with romanic
works while fevershly mocking life and choice is possible, but unlikely. In
fact, Frost specifically reveals that he will probably never return to this
divergence because life will not avail him the opportunity: "Yet Knowing
how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back." If Frost was
mocking life and our inability to exercise choice by offering romantic
words and notions, it is once again difficult to explain why he specfically
indicates he will not be capable of returning to this divergence. This
specific assertion seems to suggest that he is not hiding a message--that
he is forthright and transparent. Otherwise, it would seem Frost would have
concealed this inability to return to the divergence. The fact he clealry
asserts this inability weakens the notion that he is mocking life and the
availability of choice (and perhaps free will)--as if somehow implying we
have no choice.
Clearly, Frost states he is incapable of a return to the divergence because
of the vigors of life. For this reason, it seems readers should be slightly
more literal and less symbolic in analyzing Frost if the assumption is
accepted that he is employing some degree of consistency. Clearly this
assumption makes sense: a poet's message often reflects consistency.
Indeed, a poet would probably not write of God and then alter paths
midstream and write of the culture of ants. The poet would continue writing
of God. In short, and with the application of this logically parallel
example, Frost is offering his feelings freely and transparently--thus the
argument for hidden and symbolic mockery is not there.
There is little doubt, Frost forthrightly offers his perspective on the
choices of life in The Road Not Taken. Frost specifically asserts the
poem's narrator (perhaps Frost himself) is at a difficult position in life,
and a life-altering decision is necessary. He analyzes both options with
depth, and realizes he will not sustain a second opportunity to produce
this choice. After careful deliberation, the narrator chooses a trajectory
that is relatively less employed. This lesser relative employment perhaps
infers that it is a more difficult journey. Yet, in the end, Frost suggests
that this relatively unique trajectory (and perhaps more difficult
endeavour) offered him the greatest of sattisfaction probably due to not
only its uniqueness, but its challenges as well: "And it has made all of
the difference."
Michael from
United States
all of you have valid points. i can say no more
E. E. Cummings from United States