Compare and Contrast Paper
Benjamin Hanson
Introduction to Literature -155
Colleen Winter
February 27th, 2013
Compare and Contrast Paper
When choosing what two pieces to compare for my final paper I didn’t know how to decide. Did I want two stories, a poem, a play, or a mixture of a couple? After reading over some that we have discussed and read so far this year I came up with two poems: The Fish, by Elizabeth Bishop, and The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. What I am going to do with these is compare how one describes the start of a journey unknown and how the other appears to possibly be the end of a journey for the fish. I am also going to look at how the authors both left the endings open to the readers interpretation.
The Road Not Taken gives the reader the opportunity to look at two paths that are presented before a traveler. Each one very different from the other. It symbolizes the choices that we have to make because there is always an easier way to take, but is it worth it? The author does a great job in making both seem appealing. Line two of the poem says, “And Sorry I could not travel both,” (Frost p. 555) meaning that the decision that is made is final, there is no turning back. The traveler is faced with a conflict where he must decided which path to take.
The Fish contrasts what Frost is trying to do here by telling what seems to be the end of the fishes journey. He has taken many different roads that have given him many different scars and medals as line 61 and 62 suggests, “Like medals with their ribbons/ frayed and wavering,” (Bishop p. 452) These poems are different in the way that they are comparing two very different moments in a journey. One at the start one at the end. Yet, they are the same because it shows the thoughts that are going through the mind of the characters as they make their decisions. The conflict that the fisherman has is what to do with the fish. It is a a trophy fish that he could be proud of and show off in his home. At the same time he knows
Introduction to Literature -155
Colleen Winter
February 27th, 2013
Compare and Contrast Paper
When choosing what two pieces to compare for my final paper I didn’t know how to decide. Did I want two stories, a poem, a play, or a mixture of a couple? After reading over some that we have discussed and read so far this year I came up with two poems: The Fish, by Elizabeth Bishop, and The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. What I am going to do with these is compare how one describes the start of a journey unknown and how the other appears to possibly be the end of a journey for the fish. I am also going to look at how the authors both left the endings open to the readers interpretation.
The Road Not Taken gives the reader the opportunity to look at two paths that are presented before a traveler. Each one very different from the other. It symbolizes the choices that we have to make because there is always an easier way to take, but is it worth it? The author does a great job in making both seem appealing. Line two of the poem says, “And Sorry I could not travel both,” (Frost p. 555) meaning that the decision that is made is final, there is no turning back. The traveler is faced with a conflict where he must decided which path to take.
The Fish contrasts what Frost is trying to do here by telling what seems to be the end of the fishes journey. He has taken many different roads that have given him many different scars and medals as line 61 and 62 suggests, “Like medals with their ribbons/ frayed and wavering,” (Bishop p. 452) These poems are different in the way that they are comparing two very different moments in a journey. One at the start one at the end. Yet, they are the same because it shows the thoughts that are going through the mind of the characters as they make their decisions. The conflict that the fisherman has is what to do with the fish. It is a a trophy fish that he could be proud of and show off in his home. At the same time he knows