Three Poems (The Road Not Taken, The Raven and Divorce)

Topic

Three Poems (The Road Not Taken, The Raven and Divorce)

Instructions

Paper Topic Information:
Analyze 1 – 3 poems closely, considering meaning in relation to: the effects of

1. sound elements,

2. word connotations,

3. the image,

4. rhythm through meter,

5. use of parallelism (different kinds of repetition),

6. cultural contexts for word connotations,

7. figurative language, and possibly,

8. where “meaning” “fails” – discussion of nonlinear and/ or nonrational meaning-making.
If you work with more than one poem, you will want to make useful connections between the poems to create a cohesive paper. Use a quasi-formal approach. That is, don’t use the “I” voice, but do aim for a
graceful voice rather than a stilted one. So, instead of writing “I found the alliteration nice” a richer sentence might be: The alliterative quality of the line creates a lyric cadence based on the lilt made by the repetition of l sounds, including. . .

Answer preview

Poems have a way of breathing life into people. They address everyday occurrences in few but powerful words. This essay aims to explore the issue of destiny and fate in the lives of human beings and how the same can be influenced by one’s decision. To this end the essay will explore the poems “The Road Not Taken” By Robert Frost, “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Divorce” by Billy Collins. Looking at the three very different poems, they canvas the issue of man’s destiny very differently. On one hand man has a chance to make a choice about their destiny, other hand fate is controlled by unforeseen forces.

Word count: 2071