Beauty and We

akness
How does one compare two poems of beauty and weakness? One poem containi
ng the beauty of the life of a man, and how everything goes its course and the o
ther poem containing the weakness of a man regretting his decision. The Road No
t Taken and The Seven Ages of Man demonstrate the enticing characteristics of
Imagery, Personification, Rhyme, Free verse, Alliteration, and Tone.
Why is comparing two well written and popular poems so difficult? Becaus
e these two poems are too different to compare the similarities of them.
Compared, the two poems of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost show many differ
ences and some similarities. The differences are a plenty, such as the imagery.
One describes the out doors and two roads, the other describes the growth of a m
an and the life that surrounds him, Using personification in these two poems, on
e can see that they are very two different personifications, The Road not Taken
submits the fact that the road wants wear, whereas a road cannot want somethin
g. The Seven Ages of Man personifies the cannons mouth, a cannon of a gun doe
snt have a mouth, the mouth is the cannon. Such in Rhyme both poems do have the
rhythm of Rhyme. 8-9 explains Because it was grassy and wanted wear; though as
for that the passing there. . Last scene of all, That ends this strange event
ful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sa
ns taste, sans everything.L25-29.One rhymes like usual type of rhyme, the next
does not in the same sense of using words that sound the same. But the sense tha
t they flow together as you read them.
First off, The Road not Taken by Robert Frost is a poem that focuses
much of its energy on its imagery. The imagery in the road not taken is very str
aight forward. It paints a picture in which one can easily view, of the forest t
hat has but two roads, one of which was not taken. Two roads L1 The grass by
the roads L8 The undergrowth L5, The woods. L18 When reading this poem, on
e would feel as if the trees, the grass, the undergrowth all surrounds you, you
feel absorbed into the poem. However, in a more abstract way, we can clearly see
that this poem represents a journey through life. Thus, though the imagery may
be simple, the meaning is more abstract.
On the other hand, the imagery to William Shakespeare s The Seven Ages
of Man often comes at you with a more abstract tone, in which youre not meant
to dwell in the descriptions, just focus on what they represent. sans teeth, sa
ns eyes, sans taste, sans everything. L28 this is a representation of decay, wh
ere as Mewling and puking in the nurses armsL6 is obviously quite the opposit
e, its the beginning of life, its life at its most innocent. However abstract
the imagery may be though, the meaning is shown quite clear, its mans journey t
hrough life. While The Road not Taken represents the decisions a man must make
in his life, The seven ages of Man more represents the destination a man has
already taken, and the affect his decisions have taken on his life.
Second, Personification within the Road Not Taken represents things o
f nature, and natural life with the line Because it was grassy and wanted wear
L8. This line is talking about the path which the narrator takes. The narrator
chooses his path because it wanted wear, however, what we find is that this pa
th which seemed to be the wiser was a path long untaken because it was the wrong
path to take. We know this because of L16 I shall be telling this with a sigh
, showing that he regretted taking the path that wanted wear, and it had made
all the differenceL17.
Whereas the personification in The Seven Ages of Man shows things man
made. In the L15 Even in the cannons mouth, this is a clear sign of personifi
cation that stresses the reader to find the significance of the personification.
We can guess that it represents a time when the man was at war, and by saying
the canons mouth we know that their meaning the barrel of a gun, or, the more o
bvious, an actual canon. Either way, this leads to the conclusion that its desc
ribing war time.
 Third, Aanother difference in these two unique poems about change and c
hoice is rhyme. On line 8-9 explains Because it was grassy and wanted wear; tho
ugh as for that the passing there.
The Seven ages of Man doesnt use rhyme mostly because its stating an opinion
of ones point of view on life. This topic doesnt call for rhyme. Last scene
of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere
oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. L25-29. This pas
sage is explaining the end of life and how it is thought to be in the end. The
Road not Taken uses rhyme because it is showing how a man decided not to take a
road and then regretted not taking that road. Thus he is showing the observatio
ns of the road and his regret through rhyme. His poem isnt all rhyme because it
makes us look for the rhythm and want more. I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.L19-20 Rhyme that was expressed but in tw
o very different ways.
Another thing that sets The Seven ages of Man away from most other p
oems, is the stylish form of free verse it contains, and thus shows the complexi
ty of the poem. The quote from the poem expresses an officer of the law ready t
o fight for a woman. Made to his mistress eyebrow. Then a soldier, full of str
ange oaths, and bearded like the pard, jealous in honor, sudden and quick in qua
rrel, seeking the bubble reputation (L11-14) . In many ways free verse makes it
easier to understand the poem, and its complexity, since its so complex.
Free verse for The Road Not Taken seems as if it makes it harder to comprehend
. L6-12 shows this statement true, Then took the other, as just as fair, and ha
ving perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear; though as
for there had warn them really about the same, and both that morning equally lay
in leaves no step had trodden black This quote obviously shows that the road t
hat he is going to take is worn and that the road has been taken many times befo
re. Shows the complexity of free verse.
Next comes alliteration, which is the repetition of typically initial co
nsonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. Alliteration mak
es these two poems more enjoyable to read, like in The Seven Ages of Man, on L
23 For his shrunk shank in this quote Shakespeare is saying that The sixth ag
e shifts Into the lean and slipper d pantaloon, With spectacles on nose, and pou
ch on side, His youthful hose well sav d, a world too wide, For his shrunk shank
, and his big manly voice, Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. L19-25. By this he means that he is growing old in t
he sixth age.
The Road Not taken alliteration infers that the road was worn and grassy
and wanted to be walked on and treaded on even more that it had been in the pas
t. Because it was grassy and Wanted WearL8. This is different to For his shru
nk shrank(L23). One speaking of the road wanting so much to be taken, and the
other for his shrunk shrank, but how do we even know what a shrunk is without re
ading the rest of the poem. This all being different in alliteration.
Finally, we come to the tone in which a poem is spoken. The tone to a p
oem is probably more important than the words themselves, as it presents the rea
der with the feeling the poem is meant to be read with. The Road Not Taken pre
sents the reader with a tone that is calm and soft, yet sad at the same time. By
doing this, the author shadows the thought that the narrator had made the corre
ct decision by picking the grassy road. By saying that he would be telling the
story with a sigh, (L16) we know that his decision on taking the wiser road wa
s a downfall.
In a completely different style, Shakespeare presents us with his poem
The Seven Ages of Man. While the other poem is told with bitter sadness, this o
ne comes at the reader with a more knowledgeable and wise approach. By listing e
ach age and explaining what occurs in each one, we can guess that the writer i
s someone of a broad knowledge. Though the reader may not be aware if the poem i
s spoken in a satirical or heart felt tone, we can still connect with the poem b
ecause its built in such a way that it can gravitate in either direction. From
the "Infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse s arms", L6 to the "Second childish
ness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."(L 2
7-28). With this, we can t tell if Shakespeare has turned life into a darkly wov
en comedy, or is simply showing us the stages as a scholar would, with a wise, s
erious tone.
In conclusion, The road not taken compared to the seven ages of manthe
two poems isare more different thant they are similar. On one hand, they do bot
h share a similar meaning, but their methods of getting that meaning across are
much different. The Road not taken comes across with a more abstract tune, while
, though abstract in its descriptions, the Seven Ages of Man is a bit more strai
ght forward with its point, giving part of its meaning in the title. The imagery
of the two poems are very different, one stating what you go through in life an
d the other, what decisions you need to make in life, and whether or not theyre
the right ones or not. Personification in the road not taken personifies natur
e whereas in the seven ages of man it personifies a man made object. The alliter
ation of these two poems are stating that one poem, the road not taken, wants to
be taken, and the seven ages of man, are the cycle of man is to become older, w
iser, and fatter. One tone is calm and soft, but sad. The tone of the seven ages
of man more informative, and is trying to instruct the ways of a mans life. Fr
ee verse in these two poems is different one saying the ways of a mans love, an
d the other the ways a man took. The Road not taken, and The Seven ages of Man h
ave six similar elements, but they are two completely different poems entirely.

Works Cited
1. Shakespeare, William. The seven ages of man. third. 3. Austin, Texas: Ho
lt, Rinehart, Winston, 2003. 2. Print.
2. Frost, Robert. The road not taken. third. 3. Austin, Texas: Holt, Rineha
rt, Winston, 2003. 1. Print.