Jungle of Life

1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

 "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

This quote by Robert Frost in his poem, "The Road Not Taken," is a well-loved and remembered line. The lines tie together the entire poem into themes of staying true to yourself and going the extra mile, enhanced by our sense of uncertainty and the final release at the end of the poem.

In his poem, Frost describes two paths: one is well-worn and clean-cut, while the other is grassy and untrodden. It is easy to see down the first path a long ways, but the second path is hard to distinguish because of all the grass. With this image, and his diction choice, "grassy," Frost creates the image of the dense, dark, and dangerous jungle of the second path. In stark contrast, the first path is clean, clear, and painless.

Despite this, in the end, Frost doesn't take the first path. The paths represent paths in life, and life choices. There's always the easy, clear choice, and the harder, murkier choice. It can be easy to just follow the flow of life and go where everyone else goes. But if you choose to travel through the jungle of life, Frost says, if you stay true to your own path in life, it will make all the difference.

The closing stanza of the poem is effective for its use of drama and closure. Through the poem, you don't know where either path will lead, and until nearly the end, you don't even know which path Frost chooses. It's a scary thing to learn he's chosen the path less traveled by. Nobody knows where it will lead, or what dangers it holds. Choosing an undefined path is no easy task. Without others having gone before you, it is hard to know where to place your feet. 

Perseverance isn't always the easiest task, but Frost, with his final lines, convinces readers that going the extra mile is well worth it. "And that has made all the difference," Frost says. His choice of the word "all" not only enhances our understanding of the difference being made in life but also shows us exactly how big it is. It is a world of difference, separating the narrator from all those who took the easy path. Because Frost persevered, he ended where he wanted to go rather than where it was easiest to go. It is with a sense of release that we can realize that the end of a jungle path may be all the more victorious for the work that went into reaching it. And that, well, that makes all the difference.