The Road Not Taken

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost
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In his widely-read poem “The Road Not Taken,” poet Robert Frost develops the theme of individual choice as the basis of our life’s course. When the speaker arrives at a fork in a road, he must decide which road to take. One road was slightly less followed than the other, and that is the road the speaker chooses. He predicts that this event will have “made all the difference” when he looks “somewhere ages and ages hence.”

This poem addresses the everyday (and therefore universal) situation of having to make choices that could affect us in unexpected ways, making “all the difference.” When we are faced with one clearly bad option and one obviously good option, decision-making is simple. However, when we are confronted with situations such as the speaker’s where we are presented with two equally good options, it becomes much more difficult to choose. In choosing the road that is (slightly) less travelled by, the speaker seems to advocate a form of individualism as he makes a choice different than the majority. The fact that the speaker cannot return to travel the other road reflects the reality that we often must choose between two mutually exclusive options. “The Road Not Taken” meets the universality requirement for inclusion in my personal canon by addressing not specific issues, but rather the way we respond to them and the choices we make.

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

“The Road Not Taken” is also well-written as it clearly reflects the decision-making process of the speaker. As he approaches the two roads, he first longs that he could take both, but then begins the process of choosing one. He then appraises them, choosing one, and then recognizes that this is a choice that will make an important difference. In this organization the reader can essentially see him make his decision. While some might argue that “The Road Not Taken” is so used as to be a cliché, it does merit inclusion in this list. If the general popularity of a work is not sufficient for its automatic inclusion in personal canons, neither should it be sufficient for its automatic exclusion.

This poem fulfills the critical thinking element of the general education requirements. As SNU students, we should read this poem because we will make important decisions in these four years that will affect the course of our entire lives. As we make them, we should be careful to avoid choosing the road most traveled by solely because it is easiest. This poem’s example of reflection and careful consideration when making a decision is a good model for university students.

On a more personal note, this idea of a simple decision making an important difference in one’s life has already been very evident in my own life. When enrolling for classes as a freshman in high school, I had to decide whether to take debate or some other elective. Although I was uncertain about it, I decided on debate based on my mother’s suggestion. I became actively involved on the debate team, debating for four years and earning numerous awards. Debate became perhaps the most important activity of my high school career. When I made the decision to take it, I did not know that it would be so significant. I include “The Road Not Taken” in my personal literary canon because it reflects this reality.

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Photo from:
http://gryphonscry.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/yellow_wood.jpg

I Taught Myself to Live Simply

"I taught myself to live simply and wisely,
to look at the sky and pray to God,
and to wander long before evening
to tire my superfluous worries.
When the burdocks rustle in the ravine
and the yellow-red rowanberry cluster droops
I compose happy verses
about life's decay, decay and beauty.
I come back. The fluffy cat
licks my palm, purrs so sweetly
and the fire flares bright
on the saw-mill turret by the lake.
Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof
occasionally breaks the silence.
If you knock on my door
I may not even hear."

-Anna Akhmatova

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Anna Akhmatova's poem "I Taught Myself to Live Simply" beautifully portrays the theme of living simply and contentedly in nature. The poem contains many images of nature, from rustling burdocks to a “yellow-red rowanberry cluster.” If this poem only had good imagery, it would not necessarily qualify for inclusion in my lists of works of significant merit. However, this poem contains more than an appreciation for nature. The speaker’s contentment in nature is absolute, to the point of distraction, as evidenced by the possibility that the speaker might not hear someone knocking at his/her door. It is as if the self-reliance and connection to nature that is present in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden has been condensed into a poem without any loss of impact. Having read passages from Walden, I find “I Taught Myself to Live Simply” both more approachable and at least equally meaningful.

It is interesting to note the contrast between Anna Akhmatova’s troubled life and the peaceful serenity of this poem. Akhmatova was born Anna Gorenko in the Ukraine in 1899 (Gutman). She took on the name Akhmatova at the insistence of her parents who were afraid she would become a “decadent poetess (Academy of American Poets).” She and her first husband Nikolai Gumilyov were important figures in the Acmeism movement. She lived a difficult life in which two of her husbands died prematurely, one executed at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1921 and the other at a Siberian hard labor camp in 1953. Though they banned her writing for from 1925-1940, the Stalinist regime would not directly attack her because of her early popularity (Gutman). However, government officials did repeatedly refer to her as “half nun, half harlot (Academy of American Poets).” Later in her life, she received multiple awards, including an honorary doctorate from Oxford, before passing away in Leningrad in1966 (Gutman).

"If you knock on my door/ I may not even hear." -Anna Akhmatova

This poem addresses the critical thinking and Christian elements of the general education requirements. As this poem calls us to live simply and contentedly, as the readers must think critically about our lifestyle. In a very complex and unsatisfied culture, we must find a way to find simple contentment. This poem reflects Biblical values as it calls us to live humbly, lovingly, and faithfully. Every student at SNU should read this poem because it provides an important contrast with our busy lives, and would perhaps provide them with a motivation to find some kind of occasional restful solitude in nature.

I chose this piece because I appreciate some naturalistic writings, although not nearly to the extent of Walden. I found this poem to be an important reminder to be content in my circumstances, to appreciate nature, and to dispel “my superfluous worries.” Also, no list of works of superior merit would be complete without some work relating to mankind’s interactions with God’s natural creation.

Works Cited:

Academy of American Poets. "Anna Akhmatova." Poets.org. 14 December 2009 .

Gutman, Huck. "Anna Akhmatova." 1999. University of Vermont. 14 December 2009 .

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Photo of forest from:
http://wirednewyork.com/parks/central_park/ravine/ravine_december.jpg

Photo of Anna Akhmatova from:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/1

The Kite Runner

In his novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini develops the themes of guilt, redemption, and healing in the aftermath of betrayal. A young Afghan boy yearning for his father Baba’s undivided attention and love, Amir watches as his friend and servant Hassan gets raped by neighborhood bully Assef. Despite moving to the United States after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Amir is unable to escape his guilt about his betrayal of Hassan. He later returns to Kabul to rescue Hassan’s son Sohrab, his nephew, from Assef, a sadistic and pedophilic leader of the ruling Taliban. After legal difficulties and Sohrab's attempted suicide, Amir manages to bring Sohrab safely home to San Francisco where he and his wife Soraya would raise him as their own.

The universality of The Kite Runner is present in Rahim Khan’s statement that “There is a way to be good again (Hosseini).” The timelessness and universality of personal failings or sin makes this theme of redemption and healing an important topic for discussion. Hosseini does justice to the complexity of guilt, as he shows Amir living on past the event, though still living under the shadow of the alley. Once innocent, Amir was thrust into adulthood by the thrusting of Assef’s hips. Much like Amir’s jealousy of Hassan was a gradual process that led to a climactic event, Amir’s path to redemption was also gradual. Only when Assef is beating him, when “[his body was broken]” does Amir finally “[feel] healed (Hosseini)."

"There is a way to be good again." -Rahim Khan

The Kite Runner addresses the critical thinking, global perspectives, and Christian elements of the general education objectives. Its discussion of guilt, redemption, and healing are within a different cultural perspective than our own, that of Islam rather than a Christian view. When we think critically about this novel, we should ask ourselves about our own path to redemption, cleansing, wholeness. Does our path differ from Amir’s? Would our healing just involve repentance and faith, or would it also involve rescue and freedom, as Amir’s did? Amir’s redemption involved action, would ours? Despite the different culture in the book, it is possible to even read some Christian imagery into it. Through his self-sacrifice and the breaking of his body, Amir is able to earn redemption for Sohrab, how had been in the clutches of evil. If it is difficult to comprehend Amir’s sacrifice and selflessness, how much more so is Jesus’ death on the cross!

My personal connection to this novel is part of the reason why I chose it. While growing up in West Africa, I had several friends who were Muslim. As younger children, we did not really discuss religion much and were content to play together during recess. Growing older, I realize that I never really learned much about their religion or their community of faith. The Kite Runner allowed me to gain something of a deeper knowledge about both Islam as well as Afghani culture. After the events of September 11, 2009, it was easy to vilify Afghanistan as a whole. By reading The Kite Runner, I have a respect for that nation and do not have those same prejudices.

Works Cited:

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York City: Riverhead Books, 2003.

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Image from:
http://jacketsandcovers.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/kite-runner.jpg