Page 15 - DENG203_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_IV

Elective English—IV

Notes It cannot be denied that the form of language is related to the content. Let us now take the poem’s
content into consideration. Each line of all the stanzas is related to the poet’s thoughts. All these
lines show the Robert’s inner thought of choosing either one of the fork in the road. The changed
heavier and slower rhythm goes perfectly with the poet’s profound and careful considerations.
So in the poem, wherever concerning the poet’s mind, the rhythm changes.

Example: Sound Effects
Alliteration is the repetition of first letters. For instance Note the two ‘L’ sounds in this
quote:

‘lay in leaves’.
This sound helps to emphasise the amount of fallen leaves in the wood.
Note the two ‘w’ sounds in this quote:

‘wanted wear’.
This sound helps to emphasise the smoothness of the fallen leaves in the wood.
The syntax or grammatical structures

In terms of grammatical structures or syntax, numerous grammatical devices are used in this
poem to bring about the poetic effects. For example, in the first three lines, the word ‘and’ is
repeated and appears at the beginning of each line. This repetition highlights the idea that two
events are happening simultaneously. He captures the idea of a multitude of thoughts occurring
simultaneously, that means picking from the several alternatives available.
Additionally, all verbs marked for tense in this poem (finite verbs) are in the past tense. The
verbs in the first and last lines of the last stanza, that is ‘shall be telling’ and ‘has made’ are in
present tenses. This shows the poet’s self-reflection or personal reflection on what he did or
carefully chose in the past and its result. So, it contributes to the notion that choice is unavoidable
but he never knows what his choice indicates until he has lived it.

Considering grammatical structures when analysing poem, has shown that the linguistic features
of a poem have lots to do with the meaning of the poem itself. It appears that the Robert Frost
already knows that individuals look back in time wanting to say that they chose the correct
road. Frost also knows that very few individuals want to admit that they wrong.

!
Caution Internal Rhyme and Cross Rhyme are different from each other.

Internal Rhyme is a word or sound rhyming within a line. Note how the word ‘way’
occurs twice in this line:
‘how way leads on to way. Note the repetition of ‘ages’ in this line:’ Somewhere ages and
ages hence’.
Cross Rhyme on the other hand is a word or sound rhyming across two or more lines.
Note the sound ‘assy’ repeated in this quote:
‘Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

though as for that the passing there’.

10 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY