Robert Frost's exploration of choices in poetry

Robert Frost on Choices

In his poems about choices, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," "Fire and Ice," and "The Road Not Taken," Robert Frost examines nature's voice, and he reveals his idea that man must meet the challenges before him. In this essay we will discuss the light that the author's selected works shed upon choices- why and how we make them, and what influences our decisions. Throughout his work, Robert Frost speculates on the nature of choices and what drives us in making them. He also uses desire as a major theme, for desire is what fuels our choices.

In "Fire and Ice," Frost muses upon the forces of destruction that are said to end the world. He represents these forces in a dichotomy of fire and ice. He attributes an emotion to each side of the coin, desire for fire, and hate for ice. Frost puts forward his choice of the two in this stanza: "From what I've tasted of desire / I hold with those who favor fire." In this way he clearly defines himself as a man with desires, and recognizes his potential to be consumed by them, as if by flames.

Frost continues in this poem to say: "But if I had to perish twice, / I think I know enough of hate / to say that for destruction ice / is also great / and would suffice." Here, he states clearly that both are forces of destruction or death, for one to be consumed by desire or hate is merely a choice that each individual makes. Frost recognizes the equal power of hate to bring ruin. Given the choice between the fire of desire and the ice of hate, the author chooses desire. As individuals, we all face a similar choice- in the grim context of this poem, we have a choice between two types of annihilation. In the end, the choice makes no difference. In either case, dead is dead- the end result is the same, whether you go by fire or by ice.

Frost addresses how the choices we make are perceived by those around us. In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," he tells of stopping on horseback to admire the snow-covered woods. His only interaction in the poem is with his horse. In the second stanza, the author speculates on the animal's puzzlement at stopping in an uninhabited section of the forest. "My little horse must think it queer / to stop without a farmhouse near." The horse symbolizes those people who will not understand our motives for the choices we make- in this case, the horse has no idea the rider is stopping for aesthetic value. Yet to not admire such a splendid view would be contrary to Frost's nature. In this way, he shows us that to follow our hearts is to invite questioning from those who do not understand. After all, who can truly know another's heart?

Frost himself is guilty of this. In the first stanza, the poet wrote: "Whose woods these are I think I know / His house is in the village, though." Here, Frost implies a question- why would the owner of the land choose to live in the village instead of enjoying these splendid woods? In this way, Frost provides us with a look from the other side of the fence, and subtly hints towards a warning of judging the choices that others make. While he cannot understand why the owner chooses to live in the village, the owner might not understand his desire to appreciate the natural scenery.

In the third stanza of the poem, the horse voices the unspoken question more bluntly. "He gives his harness bells a shake / to ask if there is some mistake." The horse's action portrays the tendency of people to question those choices they don't understand. This scene can be interpreted as the disapproving voice of society voicing its demands on those of a more sensitive bent.

In much the same vein as the previous stanza, Frost shows a depth of human understanding (and misunderstanding). Our motives are ours alone, and try as we might, we cannot truly understand another.

Frost concludes the poem by commenting on the nature of obligations and they role they play in our choices. "The woods are lovely, dark and deep / but I have promises to keep / and miles to go before I sleep..."

While the author expresses his desire to linger amongst the magnificent forest and rest awhile, he must push on due to his obligations. Contrary to his true wishes, he trudges on in the night. In the same way, we are all bound by responsibilities to do what is required of us instead of what we want.

In "The Road Not Taken," the author describes the pondering that ensues as he considers which path to take when the road before him forks. The entire essence of the poem is neatly distilled into the final stanza. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- / I took the one less traveled by, / and that has made all the difference." This is probably the most famous quotation of Frost's. Frost expresses how the choices we make contribute to our direction in life- who we are as people could be perceived as the sum of our choices. It is interesting to note that while the author says that his choice to travel the less-frequented path has "made all the difference', he neglects to say whether that difference was for the positive or the negative, only that it was significant.