Then we have something like a volta for the last stanza except this turn doesn't resolve anything. They agonize over the decision, knowing that they can't take it back. Both are equally worn, both are equally covered with leaves, but one has more grass. Essentially, the idea that one is less traveled by is probably false. One path is "grassy and wanted wear" but "the passing there / had worn them really about the same" and "both that morning equally lay / in leaves no step had trodden black". The speaker of the poem at length suggests that the two paths are equivalent and unknowable. It requires interpreting the entire poem by the last few lines in isolation through an entirely modern lens. And I would say calling it an anthem to individuality is definitely one of the wrong answers. There doesn't have to be one right answer, but there are many wrong answers. I would submit that critical thinking is what makes me feel alive, and I would no sooner surrender this to some mass "societal meaning" than I would surrender my own life. However, understanding a poem, searching for meaning, and drawing conclusions are important individual endeavors that are at least as meaningful as a "societal meaning" or "projected meaning."īayard's book is exciting, because it suggests that, at least as far as books go, you can just Sparknotes or Wikipedia everything you need to know, with no need for critical thought or introspection. I agree, complaining about people calling the monster "Frankenstein" and using words like "irregardless" is pedantic. "Don't worry about what Robert Frost wrote, what matters is what people think he wrote" is an interesting sentiment, but it encourages groupthink and discourages actually examining the world around us and drawing our own conclusions. That puts the rest of your statements in context. I see! You're one of those people that uses the word "irregardless" unironically. Example: Hello.Įxplanation of our link flairs Join our /r/bookclub Don't forget /new! Filter by Flair AMA Weekly Thread Mod PostĪma Check out this week's Thread Calendar
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