Comparative Analysis of Two Poems: Frost's and Blake's Works

This report offers a comparative analysis of two poems: Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and William Blake's "London." The analysis begins with an individual examination of each poem, focusing on its structure, including diction, stanzas, lines, rhyme, and rhythm, along with its theme, imagery, symbolism, narrative voice, and tone. "The Road Not Taken" is examined for its use of outdated techniques and its theme of life choices, while "London" is explored for its dark imagery and depiction of urban life, highlighting themes of oppression and misery. The report then compares and contrasts the two poems, exploring how their differing styles and contexts reveal distinct perspectives on life and society, using textual evidence to support the arguments. The report highlights the simple imageries and symbolism used by Frost, and Blake's repetition to convey the message of misery in London. The analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the literary techniques and thematic concerns of both poems.

Running head: COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF TWO POEMS
COMPARISON BETWEEN “THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” AND “LONDON”
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Author Note

1COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF THE TWO POEMS
1. Analyse of the poem “The Road not taken”:
A. STRUCTURE
The structure of “The Road Not Taken” syndicates the outdated techniques with
Frost’s contemporary drops. In addition to that, the structure makes the use of specific
endless stops and an “ABAAB” rhyme arrangement (Poetry Foundation, 2019). In this poem,
Frost has used semicolons, commands, dashes, along with the periods. In this poem the
diction has been clearly used by Robert Frost. The second half of line 3, stanza 1, Frost writes
“long I stood.” This suggests that his narrator is having an inflexible time construction in his
mind.
B. THEME
The major theme of "The Road Not Taken" is that human life depends on of choices which
may explain the destinies. To make the theme perfect, Frost has used soft narrative voices as
well as simple tones to simplify his poem. The narrator devotes a while pondering when he
reach to the junction of a road, which signifies a choice that he must create in his life. There
is also the usage of auditory (sound) imagery when Frost has sighted this poem. Finally, on
the other hand he has to make certain choices, but he want to spend the cessation of his own
life preoccupied by, or merely inquisitive about, what is the chance to be happened if he
chooses the other pathway of this road (Poetry Foundation, 2019). The choice that he has
made “has made all the difference" in his life. Frost has used the simple imageries, along
with symbolism to make the reader understand about the narrative technique of this poem.
2. Analyse the poem “LONDON” by William Blake:-
A. STRUCTURE
The poem "London" by William Blake comprises of four stanzas. Each stanza
containing of four lines. William Blake also uses the dark imagery along with the

2COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF THE TWO POEMS
conflicting diction in "London" to reveal the theme of oppression. The lines are written in
iambic tetrameter and rhymed ABAB. One of the major literary device is used in
the poem is the repetition (Hashim and Ahmed).
B. THEME
William Blake's "London" is a fragment collection of “Songs of Experience” and it
forms a realistic image or depiction of city life in the metropolitan city. The poem consists of
16 lines. The symbolism and imagery enclosed with the lines that give a proper sketch of the
city where Blake used to reside. During that time the place has gone through the critical era
with full of death, despair and diseases (Poetry Foundation, 2019). These are not external
powers that has affected the citizens, but are the consequence of peoples own restricted
nature.
In “London”, Blake constructs the sketch of London, which is a very
forbidding place. He defines it, as having diagrammed out of the roads, along with the
unfluctuating river Thames which is not smoothing along with its expected direction. The
entire place is unusual, and untrue. Everywhere Blake can grasp the misery (Poetry
Foundation, 2019). This is end of the energetic situation everywhere. For that reason Blake
has used such misery by the repetition of the word “every”-
“In every cry of every man / in every infant’s cry of fear, / in every voice, in every ban, /
the mind-forged manacles I hear.” --2nd paragraph.
On the other hand, Blake uses repetition to convey the message athwart the London.
Everywhere he sees the real desolation, isolation, unhappiness and so on. It gets the
message into every individuals mind. Apart from this “in every ban” is a communal
statement, stating that the whole thing about the place is prepared, therefore, the people
become unhappy.

3COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF THE TWO POEMS
In contradiction to Blakes poem, Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" talks
about the roads which are revealed as a metaphor for every individuals life. Furthermore,
unambiguously, the roads are the symbols for the decisions which everyone can make in their
life (Poetry Foundation, 2019). The corporal metamorphosis between the two roads are: one
is verdant as well as grassy and less travelled by the passer by, while the other road was is
more damaged by the travellers. It means that as people walk on a path, they have to come
across withy more other options, as well as they can make their own choice along with the
decision. Here the poet also suggest to step further walk ahead on the road.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh /somewhere ages and ages hence: / Two roads
diverged in a wood, and I/ I took the one less travelled by, / and that has made all the
difference.”

4COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF THE TWO POEMS
References
Poetry Foundation. (2019). London by William Blake. [online] Available at:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43673/london-56d222777e969 [Accessed 15 Apr.
2019].
Poetry Foundation. (2019). The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. [online] Available at:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken [Accessed 15 Apr. 2019].