Symbolism of the Journey

Symbolism of the Journey

Introduction

Journey has distinct meanings in different concepts and each individual takes journey according to his own personal perceptive. Several people consider journey as the distance they travel daily for their work, school, and universities. There is the deepest meaning of journey which is not easily understood by the individuals. On reaching destinations, individuals ignore that, how they get on their desired destinations. Each individual have different beliefs and ideas in exploring the real world. Journey has the power to changes the concepts and ideas in the minds of individuals. Journey has been described by the author and the poet and, by their writings they, have tried to show their aspects of journey. I will discuss how these authors have explored the journey in their writings. They are Robert Frost's in “The Path Not Taken”, and Eudora Welty's “A Worn Path”.

Thesis Statement

Both the literary works depict the story of ordinary individuals in making choices to start the journey in different percepts.

Discussion

Each writer has shown different perspective of journey in their writings. In the poem “The journey not taken”, Robert Frost have given the ideas that, how people choose different lifestyles for present and future. The choice of today may become the outcomes of tomorrow (Tischler, 2007, 125-130). The Road Not Taken, a well known literary work depicting symbolic journey is written by Robert Frost. There is a person in the poem depicted in poem, who has reached to a crossroad in the life. There were two paths described in the book, one was used heavily, while other path remain unused. The person has never made a decision what path is appropriate for him. Regardless of his decision, the person was aware that during this stage of his life, whatever path he chooses does not matter much. However, the person opt for the path not travelled frequently, and the selection has been turned a best choice of his life.

Different scholars have analysed the poem, and come up with their ideas to explain the poem. Some claim that the poem is about suicide, others say its about changes in life. The intuitive nature of the poem helps reader to extract the meaning in accordance with their desire. Therefore, it can be said that the actual meaning of the poem is what reader perceive it is. There is a moment in everyone's life when decision need to be taken, that influence the life. In the first two lines of Robert Frost's poem he says:

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both” (Clugston, 2010).

Sybolism is depicted in the term yellow wood. This does not mean that trees are of yellow color, but depiction of the fall through words is the purpose behind the use of the term. The poem will explain why he wanted to travel both. The following line says:

“And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth”

This could ...