Robert Frost A Road Not Taken Essay Example for Free

Robert Frost A Road Not Taken Essay Robert Frost ever timeless poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† has spanned all time because of its ability to appeal to the basic and inevitable necessities of adulthood –making tough decisions and living with the consequences of said choices in the quest for happiness. Robert Frost used the symbol of two roads to show a young man’s need to make a very difficult decision. In breaking the poem down in terms of reading and re-reading the poem in its entirety, one can’t help but be immediately placed in the shoes of the speaker in terms of one’s own life choices. The poem begins with th speaker standing in the middle of two roads. The imagery used in the poem â€Å"diverged in a yellow wood† (Frost, 1916), leads the reader to believe the poem takes place in the fall probably when the leaves are turning yellow. He then proceeds to say that he wishes that he could travel both roads, but of course that is physically impossible. He stands for a long time trying to decide which road to take. He looks down the path in attempt to see where it leads. This is so symbolic of one’s own â€Å"paths†. No one of course can see the outcome of the impending choices that we make or are about to make. In the next stanza, he chooses a path that he wishes to take. â€Å"Then I took the other, as just as fair, Because it was grassy and wanted wear,† (Frost, 1916). Breaking down the story, both the author and thereby the speaker would have the reader believe that the two roads, in terms of their appearance, are both equally pleasing to the eye. But in the line, â€Å"as just as fair† (Frost, 1916), he wants the reader to believe that the two roads and thereby the two choices are different, but could be equally just as good. The speaker is still unsure as to which path he really wants to take. He describes the path as being â€Å"perhaps† better. Nevertheless, it looks as though it hasn’t been used as often as the other. Frost used the alliteration, â€Å"wanted wear†. This actually meant that it lacked used. The speaker becomes incredibly indecisive. Just when the reader thinks that the speaker has made a decision, he says again how the roads are almost the same. The phrase â€Å"the passing there† (Frost, 1916) meaning traffic, could mean people who are walking like him. We then get a glimpse into the time of day in which this decision making is taking place in the line â€Å"And both that morning equally lay, In leaves no step had trodden black† (Frost ,1916), and also that in the area in which he stood, the leaves that have fallen, have not been stepped on and thereby had not changed color on the ground. The speaker seems to poke fun at his need to make this decision with the line â€Å"Oh! I kept the first for another day† (Frost ,1916) He says that he will go back to the road that he is seemingly choosing not to take, another day. Here is another example of how this poem has transcended time. One always thinks or hopes that the choices that we make can somehow be undone. The notion that once we get to a certain point, if we for some reason do not like the way that things are going, the road that we are taking if you will, that we can always turn around and go back if our initial decision has failed. Then he seems to say just that in the line† Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back†(Frost, 1916). He realizes that the idea of coming back to this initial spot, is ridiculous. One never knows how one decision can lead to another and another and yet another leading us so far away from the first decision, that we would not be able to s ee from whence we began and essentially not being able to go back. The speaker moves forward in time; many years from the primary decision. This allows the reader to infer that the choice that the speaker is making or has already made, is one of great import, one that could possibly impact him so much that he will be talking about it for years to come. When the speaker says â€Å" I shall be telling this with a sigh, Eleanor Sickels is quoted to say that â€Å"the poem is about the human tendency to wobble illogically in decision and later to assume that the decision was, after all, logical and enormously important, but forever to tell of it with a sigh as depriving the speaker of who-knows-what interesting experience. (www.wikipedia.org. October 2011) As we reach the conclusion of the poem, the speaker repeats the first line of the poem, and now we know which path he chose â€Å"and I—Took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.† (Frost, 1916). The speaker has made the decision to take the road that few others have taken, one that could either positively or negatively impact his life forever. The conclusion of the poem does not however tell us whether or not the speaker was a failure or a success. It could possibly depend on whether the reader is a pessimist or an optimist. The theme of this story is choices. Frost uses symbolism and imagery to paint a perfect picture of how one generally makes decisions. In the beginning of the poem we are placed in a glowing yellow wooded area in the early morning along with a young man, forced to make a decision that will change him forever. Wow! The power of the pen! The power to automatically be beamed into a situation that is so reminiscent of our own struggle, is one that has been mastered time and time again, yet this poem probably has more meaning today than it did in 1916 when it was written. So many in the U.S., due to lack of money, experience, or drive, have been forced to make decisions that have left many only one paycheck away from homelessness. Did Mr Frost know at the time how much of an impact this poem would have on the world? Did he know that after almost one-hundred (100) years that he would be written about in terms of great literature? One can only hope that, with all of his many works, Mr. Frost knew that his poems and short stories would solidify his place in English literature forever. References: â€Å"The Road Not Taken† Robert Frost 1916 Bridgepoint Education 2010 Journey Into Literature R. Wayne Clugston www.wikipedia.org

Comparing Foreshadowing in Train from Rhodesia and Dead Mens Path Essa

Foreshadowing and Alliteration in Train from Rhodesia and Dead Men's Path Authors often use literary devices to appeal to their audience without their awareness. By doing so, certain parts of a story or book will seem more important, in a very private way. They won't scream for attention, but they will stick, for they are catchy. Sometimes, authors are not aware that they are using a device to persuade their audience, it occurs naturally. Common literary devices and elements are metaphors, similes, alliteration, perhaps even couplet rhyming. Though foreshadowing is not necessary a literary device, it is often an element that many authors use in their work as well. Foreshadowing through adjectives and alliteration are two devices used in both "The Train from Rhodesia" by Nadine Gordimer and "Dead Men's Path" by Chinua Achebe. "The Train from Rhodesia" by Nadine Gordimer shows foreshadowing elements through it's adjectives and other important words. It alludes to the end mood of the story through adjectives used throughout. At the end of "The Train from Rhodesia", there is an overwhelming feeling of emptiness, perhaps even a persistent sadness. Throughout the story, many of the adjectives point to that. The words "pale" and "dead" in the sentence, "...on either side of a uniform railway vase with it's pale dead flower." (p. 909) and even the word "uniform" points to the emptiness which will prevail toward the end of the story. "Empty" may seem like a word to describe "the empty sand." (p. 910) but it also points to the emotion of the girl at the end. Words that show uncertainty, basted in melancholy occur all over the book, like "waiting", "wandered", "faint", "da... ...more vibrant than a fulfilled smile, and the way a school should be run contains power within the statement. There is no doubt that Achebe did not use alliteration gratuitously, but to show the reader which elements of his story he feels are the most powerful-to serve a purpose. "The Train from Rhodesia" by Nadine Gordimer and "Dead Men's Path" by Chinua Achebe both employed foreshadowing through adjectives and alliteration in their stories. The use of these devices was not to be charming, or cute, but to instill purpose and meaning to their stories. A story without purpose is simply meaningless drivel, and a story with a purpose that cannot be remembered because of a lack of devices is also equally as meaningless. The devices used in both stories illustrate the author's point as concisely as possible. Both stories have maintained their purpose.

American Slavery

Political Points of View: American Slavery In the autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, writes of the Incident when he defends himself against the cruel Mr. Covey. Harriet A. Jacobs also writes in her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, of the time she decides to escape from her owners. Spirituals were extremely emotional songs that were often sung by American slaves. Harriet Tubman, a famous â€Å"conductor† or guide that helped free slaves, was interviewed and her stories were published of what she s an abolitionist went through.One similarity they all have is after being pushed too far, they resist against their suppressors. Douglas's way of resisting injustice was defending himself against Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey was a cruel man that Douglass was loan out too. â€Å"l resolved to fight. † what was Douglass determined as he equally hurt Mr. Covey who had beat him previously day after day. I believe Frederick Douglass did the r ight thing even though extremely risky. Harriet A. Jacobs also resisted injustice by escaping her owner, Mr.Flint, and oing to hide at relatives or friends houses, but close enough to keep an eye on her children. â€Å"l groped my way tothe road.. † a quote Jacobs wrote in her autobiography of when she escaped. Even though though risky, Jacobs escaped to try and keep her children safe. knowing that If she took them with her they would give them away or they wouldn't be touched by Mr. Flint since he believed she would return for them. Both went to hardships but found ways and the strength to rise up. Harriet Tubman created the underground railroad. which allowed many salves to scape to the free states.Tubman ,herself a former slave, was the most wanted fugitive of the era and although knowing the dangers still continued leading the underground railroad. Tubman tried to get her brothers to Join her to freedom but they refused. However, she didnt let that stop her. â€Å"She wa lked off alone, following the guidance of the brooks which she observed to run North. † Many American slaves were also known to sing spirituals. Spirituals tended to have codes, or expressed on how Americans slaves really felt about slavery. Spirituals were â€Å"moving and intensely emotional songs. In a sense I feel spirituals created a sad, depressing atmosphere, since many songs were sung that way. However, many were Spirituals were extremely helpful to Tubman and others to become free. Many American slaves were too afraid to rise up, but a few did.

Sahara Desert

General facts: Largest Desert in the world 10 percent of the African continent, 5000 years ago had a significantly larger mammal population, due to it getting dryer and over hunting in the last 100 years, the mammals are near extinction in the sahara. Intro: Definition of desert: â€Å"a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all† Deserts cover about one fifth of our planet, and are caused by extremely low rainfall over an area. Arid deserts generally occur at low latitudes, and can be found in North-America, South-America, Africa, and Southern Asia. In deserts such as the Atacama, there has never been any rainfall recorded since record keeping has come into existence. While â€Å"coastal deserts† are mildy warm and get some rainfall and â€Å"cold† deserts are cold. Climate: Temp: The average temperature for this desert is 86 degrees Fahrenheit with the hottest ever recorded being 122 degrees. With freezing temperatures in the winter the climate of the Sahara is one the of the strangest on the planet. Temperature swings of 37.5 to 99.5 have been recorded. Rainfall: the average rainfall for the Sahara is just 2.5 cm and in the eastern parts it only gets .5 cm of rain a year. Seasonal Variations: There are not much variations in seasons in this desert. It is mostly hot with very little rain. The only exception is winter. During winter the temperature can drop below freezing and it is more likely to rain during these times. Human Interaction:  The current state of the biome is as usual with one exception: the water supply. The only human presence is around areas of permanent water supplies, such as oasis’ and water that is underground but close to the surface. Humans that live in these areas use the little water that is available for them selves and take that small amount away from the creatures that live there.

Essay Sample About Matthias Schleiden Write More About a Scientist

Essay Sample About Matthias Schleiden Write More About a Scientist Free example essay on Matthias Scheilden: Matthias Scheilden was born on April 5, 1804. He was born in Hamburg, Germany. He died on June 23, 1881. He made a significant impact in science. He came up with a cell theory, which had a large effect of scientific attention to living processes as they happened on the cellular level. His work initiated the field of embryology. Scheilden first studied law in Heidelberg. In 1826 he received a doctorate and became an attorney in Hamburg, his hometown. He was not as successful in this as he hoped, and he did not enjoy this field of work. In 1832 he changed his mind about law and decided to study medicine in Goettingen. One of his teachers there got him interesting in botany. He went to Berlin in 1835 and spent time with his uncle, J. Horkel, and another man, Richard Brown. They were both scientists who studied mainly plant anatomy, and based most of their work on questions about the cell formation. Many scientists during this time were interested in the cell formation also. He investigated plants on a microscopic scale. This was very different from most other scientists who were only interested in naming and classifying plants. In 1837 he stated that plant growth came through the production of new cells from the nuclei of old cells, and that all plant tissues were composed of cells or derivatives of cells. He published this theory in 1938, in his paper ‘Contributions to Phytogenesis’. This theory was not made public until a year later when his friend and colleague Theodore Schwann published his ‘Microscopic Researches into Accordance in the structure and Growth of Animals and Plants’. He was the first scientist to recognize the importance of the cell nucleus and to correctly state that nuclei played a part in cell formation. Scheilden thought the cell was the center of the vital force. He believed each cell had an individual existence and the life of an organism came from the way in which the cells work together. He was proved wrong in later discoveries about the mechanics of the process though. In 1839 Scheilden received his second doctorate for his botanist work. He taught at the University of Jena from 1839 to 1862, and at Dorpat from 1863 to 1864. He worked for Johannes Muller and was influenced by two other scientists, Schelling and Oken. He also proved that a nucleated cell is the only original constituent of the plant embryo, and that the development of all vegetable tissues must be referred to such cells. Matthias Scheilden was a very intelligent and well-known man who will always be a big part of science history.

30 Top Mnemonics for Commonly Misspelled Words

30 Top Mnemonics for Commonly Misspelled Words A mnemonic- or  mnemonic device- can help students remember important facts and principles. Psych Central notes that a mnemonic is a technique people can use to help them improve their ability to remember something, adding: It’s a memory technique to help your brain better encode and recall important information. It’s a simple shortcut that helps us associate the information we want to remember with an image, a sentence, or a word. Students learn to rely on these little memory prompts, such as  ROY G BIV (for the sequence of colors in a rainbow), HOMES (for the names of the five Great Lakes), FANBOYS (for the coordinating conjunctions in English grammar), and Every Good Boy Does Fine (for the notes on the lines of the treble clef). Mnemonics for Life Though they are certainly a great help to school students, mnemonics- pronounced ne-mon-icks- arent just for children. In an article titled Stalking the Wild Mnemos: Research Thats Easy to Remember, educational psychologist Joel R.  Levin concluded:   Sufficient research evidence now exists to suggest that even skilled learners can become more skilled through mnemonic strategy acquisition and implementation. So while you may not admit it, you may sometimes fall back on mnemonics to recall the spellings of tricky words or commonly misspelled words. 30 Top Mnemonics Research suggests that the most effective devices tend to be the ones you make up yourself (and the sillier they are, the better). But some classic mnemonics can be very helpful. Below are 30 of the most popular spelling mnemonics. This word can accommodate a  double c and a double m.I â€Å"c† that you want to acquire it.When you  ascertain  a fact, be  as certain  as you can be.Gumbo lost an e in an argument.Bees will be coming to the becoming flowers near you.Never believe a lie.Dara checked the calendar every day.The cat’s egg is gory in this category.Eileen found herself at es in the cemetery.Emma faced a dilemma.Ed is  either here or there.Its hard to embarrass really righteous and serious students.A new environment will iron me out.Goofy Greg loved to exaggerate.I met my ex in PE;  what do you expect?That liar looks familiar.Generally, a general is your best ally.Mom ate immediately.In telling the gent, he showed he was intelligent.It would irritate me if you forgot the second r  in irritable, and don’t forget the table at the end.An island is land surrounded by water.I alone felt Elis loneliness.Miss Pell never misspells.Its necessary to remember the cesspool in the middle.Have a piece of the pie.Please keep quiet about my diet. Its better to give than  to receive.Rhythm helps your two hips move.Theres a rat in separate.Its truly hot in July. More on Mnemonics There are other types of mnemonic devices, including: Visual systems (creating a visual representation of the information)The mnemonic link system (creating a story based on a list)The count system (associating numbers with a series of items)The major system (converting numbers into consonant sounds) Mnemonics work by associating easy-to-remember clues with complex or unfamiliar data. Though mnemonics often seem illogical and arbitrary, their  nonsensical wording is what can make  them memorable. Teachers should  introduce mnemonics to students when the task  requires the memorization of information rather than understanding a concept. For example, memorizing the state capitals is a task that could be accomplished through a mnemonic device. Whether youre a student trying to ace that grammar homework assignment or research paper or an out-of-school adult seeking to brush up on your language skills, a few memory aids  and language tips can prove to be very useful.

Incidents Which Led to the Enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Research Paper

Incidents Which Led to the Enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act - Research Paper Example This paper declares that corporation was involved in an elaborate scam and financial machinations, such as exaggerating the positive financial statements, performing transactions through the shady dealings, omissions and misrepresentations; and insider trading. In spite of the possible prevention of complete collapse, the Enron’s officers continued to hide the financial problems of the company. The Act is comprised of key provisions that describe the specific requirements, mandatory for preparing financial reports. This report makes a conclusion that the Enron’s scandal is considered to be a crucial moment in the history of the American economics and business, which has led to the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. Relying on the â€Å"advanced experience of financial frauds†, American government developed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act addressing to the main pitfalls discovered during the whole â€Å"pleiads† of financial frauds and bankruptcies. Even though the SOX is recognized to be a major improvement to corporate governance, it still has significant constraints. Experts tend to criticize this Act, concluding that new provisions are not flexible and hardly achievable in real situations. Obviously, just enacting regulations and legal restrictions are not enough to prevent and deter financial reporting frauds. Probably such acts do not provide expected results, because human nature still lacks ethical educational and strong moral principles.