Analyzing a Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analyzing a Poem - Essay Example Thus, the basic journey of the poem can be considered to be that of coming of age of the adolescent as they move from dependent childhood to independent adulthood. It can also be considered a poem of discovery as the person discovers their own voice. In either case, the speaker of the poem takes on an exterior role, speaking to the actor rather than taking part in the action itself yet still having a knowledge of the events that have occurred. Within the poem, it is suggested that the person must have tried to leave before but couldn’t. This is heard in the voices crying out and the trembling of the house, putting in mind the way that older people tend to live vicariously through their children. The poet also indicates that â€Å"it was already late / enough, and a wild night, / and the road full of fallen / branches and stones† (19-22). The traveler has taken the advice that was shouted out before, gaining them nothing but the ability to recognize bad advice when they hear it. The road is not sunny and promising because of the time wasted, they have missed some of their opportunities. However, this time they were able to break through the boundaries that kept them home before, prompting the speaker to recount what the traveler has overcome and providing a comforting, reassuring voice that the traveler has done the right thing for themselves. The poem is not divided along a simple rhyme scheme pattern or even along structured metrical rhythm. Instead, its first two divisions are indicated by the words â€Å"you knew what you had to do,† appearing in the first lines as well as line 13. In the first of these sections, the poet illustrates the clinging nature of the people of the house. They cling to the traveler through guilt and through pity. The second section talks about the desperate emotional struggle of the traveler in trying to take his leave. While the third section ends with the repetition of the key phrase