Robert Frost,I. His Life and Honors II. His Major Works III. His Writing Style IV. A Brief Analysis of his Poems,I. His Life,1.Born in San Francisco in 1874 2. Eked out a minimal living by farming and teaching 3.Became a national bard and received honorary degrees from 44 colleges and universities 4. Won four Pulitzer Prizes 5. Read his poetry at the inauguration of President John F. KennedyAn unofficial national poet laureate,II. His Major Works,A Boys Will (1913) 少年的意志 North of Boston (1914) 波士顿以北 Mountain Interval (1916) 山间 (including The Road Not Taken) New Hampshire (1923)新罕布什尔 (including Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening) West Running Brook (1928) 西去的溪流,2.1. His Major Poems,After Apple-Picking “Mending Wall“ (“good fences make good neighbors“), Design “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening“ “The Road Not Taken.“ Fire and Ice.,III. His Writing Style,3.1 TechniqueThe old-fashioned way to be newFrost preferred traditional rhyme and meter in poetry ; his famous dismissal of free verse 2）His poems are full of imagery and have a profound message. 3） He is good at using the plain language to reveal abstract philosophy4） His poems often shift dramatically from humorous tones to tragic ones.5） He saw nature as a storehouse of analogy and symbol.,III. His Writing Style,3.2 Theme 1) familiar subjects, such as building fences, picking apples, mending the wall 2) the complexity of human life 3) the ambiguity of nature 4) the relationship between men and the natural world. 5）His poetry probes mysteries of darkness and irrationality in the bleak and chaotic landscape of an indifferent universe where men stand alone, unaided and perplexed.,IV. A Brief Analysis of “The Road Not Taken”,IV. A Brief Analysis of “The Road Not Taken,4.1 Chinese translation 4.2 Summary of each stanza 4.3 Symbolic Meaning 4.4 The Form and the Implication 4.5 Interpretation of “Sigh” and “ Difference”,4.1 The Road Not Taken(未选择的路）,Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; 黄色的树林里分出两条路 可惜我不能同时去涉足 我在那路口久久伫立 我向着一条路极目望去 直到它消失在丛林深处,4.1 The Road Not Taken(未选择的路）,Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, 但我却选择了另外一条路 它荒草萋萋，十分幽寂 显得更诱人，更美丽虽然在这条小路上 很少留下旅人的足迹,4.1 The Road Not Taken(未选择的路）,And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.那天清晨落叶满地 两条路都未经脚印污染呵，留下一条路等改日再见 但我知道路径延绵无尽头 恐怕我难以再回返,4.1 The Road Not Taken(未选择的路）,I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference 也许多少年后在某一个地方 我将轻声叹息把往事回顾 一片森林里分出两条路 而我却选择了人迹更少的一条 从此决定了我如今的不同,4.2 Summary of Each Stanza,Stanza 1: On the road of life, the speaker arrives at a point where he must decide which of two equally appealing (or equally intimidating) choices is the better one. He examines one choice as best he can, but the future prevents him from seeing where it leads,4.2 Summary of Each Stanza,Stanza 2 The speaker selects the road that appears at first glance to be less worn and therefore less traveled. This selection suggests that he has an independent spirit and does not wish to follow the crowd. After a moment, he concludes that both roads are about equally worn,4.2 Summary of Each Stanza,Stanza 3Leaves cover both roads equally. No one this morning has yet taken either road, for the leaves lie undisturbed. The speaker remains committed to his decision to take the road he had previously selected, saying that he will save the other road for another day. He observes, however, that he probably will never pass this way again and thus will never have an opportunity to take the other road.,4.2 Summary of Each Stanza,Stanza 4 In years to come, the speaker says, he will be telling others about the choice he made. While doing so, he will sigh either with relief that he made the right choice or with regret that he made the wrong choice. Whether right or wrong, the choice will have had a significant impact on his life.,4.3 Symbolic Meaning,1. Clearly the poem is endowed with abundant symbolic meanings in the speakers mind, the two roads not only refer to the real roads he has to take while walking in the yellow wood. More significantly, it means two different ways of life when one hesitates before lifes crossroad. Different choice will lead to different future.2. For the poet, it also shows his attitude toward poetry creation. That he prefers to take the less-travelled road suggests that He doesnt follow suit but employs the traditional pattern in spite of the influence of modernist innovation,4.4 The Form and the Implication,1. The Road Not Taken“ is a lyric poem consisting of four stanzas of iambic tetrameter with abaab2. The implication of this poem is that the author realized what life was from the nature. The roads in the forest symbolize life. It is a very proper metaphor. Making a choice in front of the branch roads is in fact the choice of life. In our life, there are a lot of branches and crossings. What we choose will usually determine our future. And sometimes the road full of thorns is a challenge to us. Such a road may cause difficulty or inconvenience, but after the struggle, it always leads to success.,