Choices and how they affect humanity
Cheyenne Bright
Humanity has the freedom to make choices. These decisions can affect our lives, and ultimately determine our happiness. They define who we are, and without them everyone would be the same. It’s a matter of having the audacity and conviction to ultimately make the choice, and perseverance and support to see it through. Poets in literature are well known to have the ability to capture and convey the theme of decisions and how they affect life in greater detail. In the poem “The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost, the central choice overlaying the theme of poem is the decision to continue as others have done before or to take a step into the unknown. Robert William Service conveys his feeling of what superficial people choose in life compared to how he chooses to live, and The Hilltop Hoods expresses how making the harder choices in life leads to success. Throughout these poems, each poet facilitates the idea of choices through the use of poetic techniques.

One small choice can affect someone for the rest of their life. Robert Frost’s “The Road not Taken” is a narrative poem and follows the narrator’s dilemma. He comes to a fork in a road, a metaphor for when you’re faced with two choices in life; its crisis and choices and concludes that both are worn “...really about the same...” Frost tells himself that he will come back and take the other “choice”. However he then states that by making the choice to take the road less travelled by, it has made all the difference in his life. Frost’s use of ironic tone is inescapable “I shall be telling this with a sigh/somewhere ages and ages hence.” The poem is also infused with regret “The road not taken” even though he makes a choice; he is forced to because he doesn’t want to stand in the woods forever. Frost knows that he will second guess himself somewhere down the line or wonder what has been irretrievably lost; the unknowable other path. “The Road not Taken” follows a rhyme scheme of ABAAB; the rhymes are very strict and powerful, with the notable exception of the last line (when one pronounces difference, one does not stress the ence. In each line there are four stressed syllables, varying on an iambic tetrameter base. This helps create a regular pattern of sounds; which in turn sets the tone of uncertainty. The poets choice of words allows the reader to imagine the situation that the poet is facing “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” automatically tells us that the season is autumn while “diverged” gives the feeling of towering ancient trees. While “...sorry I could not travel both...” displays the poet’s remorse of not being able to choose both pathways. Frost’s use of sound and imagery devices is nearly nonexistent, though he does use repetition and personification to bring interest and further convey his message “...grassy and wanted wear...” “...ages and ages...” Frost concludes that the choice to take “The Road not Taken” has paid off as he doubted if he should ever come back. Frost outcome of his choice to take the road less travelled has impacted his life positively, resulting in satisfaction.

“The Choice” by Robert William Service is a lyrical poem that expresses the poet’s feelings about what humanity as a whole would like if they had the choice compared to what he would like, “...give me imagination, and the gift of weaving words...”
This lyrical poem follows a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD, which Service effectively uses to draw attention to the theme of choices “...body beauty...” “...sense of duty...” as well as adding certain fluency to the poem, which in return makes it a pleasure to read. The use of alliteration enforces and brings attention to the theme of choices “...worldly wealth...” “...charm or character...” “...chance of choosing...” “...body beauty...” “...weaving words...” while also bringing attention to these lines. Service entices the reader by asking them “which would you prefer?” This