Poetry Research Paper Lionel Trilling described Frost as a “terrifying poet” who depicted a “terrifying universe” (Johnson). Frost, although not a scary person, wrote poetry strong and deep enough to scare his critics. Frost was born in California and lived from March of 1874 to January of 1963. After being raised in San Francisco, Frost moved to New England. It was there that he occupied himself with a variety of working class jobs, all of which provided him with material for his poetry. ONe of Robert Frost’s most iconic poems is “The Road Not Taken”. Published in 1916, the lyric poem depicts how man’s decisions shape his quality of life. This depiction is shown through ambiguity, a view of daily life, and nature. Frost uses the literary devise of ambiguity in his poetry. In “The Road Not Taken”, a man takes the path of seeming non-conformity “and that has made all the difference” (l.20). This proves ambiguous because, as the critic Larry Finger states in his article Frost’s Readings of ‘The Road Not Taken’, “the last stanza does not say whether Frost’s decision to give his life to poetry turned out well or not” (Finger). Finger’s analysis is valid and meaningful because the phrase “made all the difference” is vague in nature. Without specific context, one cannot know whether that difference is for the better or worse.

In conclusion, Frost’s style is portrayed through his use of ambiguity, view of daily life, and nature. Critics Finger, Johnson, and Wakefield