Comparison of 'Bogland' by Seamus Heaney and 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost and how they write about the past.
Description
Read again 'Bogland' by Seamus Heaney and 'The Road Not
Taken' by Robert Frost. By close analysis of the poetic methods
used, and drawing upon relevant context, compare and
contrast how these poets write about the past.
Comparison of 'Bogland' by Seamus Heaney
and 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost and
how they write about the past.
Symbolic use
of nature
BL - "Bog that keeps crusting" - Bog is metaphor for Irish history, bog keeps
crusting = history is continuously happening. "Butter sunk under", showing
the preservative qualities of the bog -> common objects are still preserved.
Represents how common ways of life are sucked into history. Metaphor for
how history affects every part of life.
TRNT - "and looked down one as far as I could/ To where it bent in the
undergrowth" This is a metaphor for how he is not sure about the
outcome of his choice, he cannot foresee the consequences. Journey into
the unknown - end of the road is shrouded by greenery. Frost is talking
about his personal history.
Personal history
Irish history
Intro/context
BL - About Irish landscapes, written in Donegal when on
holiday with T.P Flanagan, his friend and landscape painter
that the poem is written for. There is a deeper meaning of
the symbol of the bog representing Irish history
TRNT - The speaker is trying to pick which road to travel
down but there is a deeper meaning of the roads being
symbol for decisions Frost has made in his life.
Speaker
TRNT - First person anecdote of Frost's physical and metaphorical journey. "And sorry I could
not travel both/ And be one traveler, long I stood.! Repetition of 'I' shows his isolation - Frost
struggled with depression - He is the only one who can make the decision of which road to
travel, which choice to make.
BL - Also First person but Heaney is trying to create a collective Irish identity. Begins with
collective pronoun, "we" to involve reader and make them feel pride towrards Ireland. He
uses collective pronouns such as, "our" throughout the poem.
Impersonal - collective, invitational
Personal - isolationsit
Tone appears positive on the surface
but is presenting a warning
TRNT - The alteration to the repetition of the first line. "and i- / I" suggests the lingering doubt about the
speaker's decision as a tone of regret is evident. He is warning about decision making as he tries to justify
to himself that he made the right decision, "and that has made all the difference". The tone of doubt
creeping in shows his uncertainty about his choices made in the past. He is trying to revise his own history.
BL - There is a tone of excitement and enthusiasm as Heaney says, "Butter sunk under". but it
then becomes ambiguous as Heaney describes the bog as "melting and opening underfoot".This
word is associated with butter and continues the metaphor of the ground in the bogs being as
soft as butter to walk on. This seems like a positive image, but it describes the bog as treacherous
and dangerous to walk on as you can fall in. This could be a metaphor for how the history of
Ireland is treacherous if you are drawn into it. Heaney finds history interesting, but you can get
trapped in it e.g. in the troubles, but there is much more to Irish history than that.
Contradictions
BL - "We have no prairies... Encroaching horizons" Nature is being encroached on by man.
Contrasted with America through use of American word, 'prairies'. There are no more
large fields as urbanisation/human impact is removing the areas of free land. Heaney
slightly contradicts himself when he continues to describe Ireland as, "Our unfenced
country". This could be a metaphor for how Ireland, despite urbanisation, is still very
green and there is a sense of freedom to wonder through nature.
TRNT - Frost contradicts himself repeatedly in this stanza, showing his confused mental state and the
uncertainty of the decision. The contradictions suggest that Frost is trying to revise his own history and
trying to justify to himself why he made those decisions. He is reassuring himself. "Just as fair" - this
suggests that the paths are almost identical in their appearance, but he then contradicts himself. "having
perhaps the better claim... and wanted wear".Describes on path as more appealing than the other. He
chooses the path less taken which could possibly be symbolism for his longing for isolation. The
alliteration highlights this. He contradicts himself again. "really about the same". the paths now appear
equal again as he has walked along the one less taken but now it is worn the same as the other path.
Form and structure
BL - There is a formal, controlled structure as there are regular quatrains. This
contrasts the freedom of the irregular line length, lack of rhyme scheme and
rhythm and the enjambment between lines and stanzas. "We have no prairies/
To slice a big sun at evening -". Each stanza is short, but the length of the poem
shows the depth of the poem – this could be a metaphor for how Ireland is small
but has a long history and there is depth to the country.
TRNT - Simple ABAAB rhyme scheme is deceptively simple unlike the choice the speaker of the poem must
make. The repetition of the first line “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” towards the end of the
poem employs a cyclical/ circular structure to the poem. The repeated line, however, is slightly different
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – “. The autumnal imagery of the colour yellow is now missing
which suggests the lingering doubt around the speaker’s decision.