Rotation 5 Blog 1
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
This poem has an a,b,a,a,b which is a little unusual but it reads nicely. There are four stanzas in a cinquain form. This poem is very symbolic because it is about choices, and not actually about the choice between two literal roads. I think that Frost is saying how he could’ve taken a typical, ordinary path in life, but instead he took “the one less traveled by”. The two roads could be symbolizing many different choices in life such as a career or a certain life style. I think he is saying that the choice he made was not a practical choice but he is happy he took it because it “has made all the difference”. I think the connotation in this poem is good because Frost seems to be thankful of the path he chose in life. To me, this poem follows a general anapestic beat when I read it aloud.
“Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount, Keep Time with My Salt Tears” by Ben Johnson
This poem has one stanza with eleven lines. The rhyme scheme is a bit inconsistent but interesting, it starts off as a,b,a,b then goes into a, a, a, b, b (rhyming couplet), c, b. Johnson describes crying using a lot of imagery and metaphors. The first line, and title, is a metaphor; he is comparing the “fresh fount” to a persons eyes, with the salt tears because like water coming out of a fountain. The last line is also a metaphor, “Since nature’s pride is now a withered daffodil”, comparing natures pride (people?) to a withered daffodil. Johnson also displays personification with “woe weeps”, because obviously “woe” can not weep. He uses alliteration when saying, “slow, slow”, “fresh fount”, and “woe weeps”.
