In "The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," how does Frost emphasize the importance of weighing and making choices? How are...

One main similarity is that in each of these poems we see introspection on the part of the narrator. In "The Road Not Taken," the narrator carefully considers each path. His consideration of each path is much more thorough and careful than most people's might be. He sees two paths that are fairly similar and there is no correct choice. Many folks would simply choose one and go on, but the narrator stops and thinks at length about which one to take and feels regret at not being able to know what is down the other path. Then, in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the narrator purposefully stops to enjoy, consider, and appreciate the woods at night during snowfall. Again, this might be something another person would pass by without much thought, but this pause shows that the narrator is thinking about the setting and how it makes him feel, just like in "The Road Not Taken." Each of these narrators takes the time to stop and appreciate nature and think about his own reactions to nature.

Another strong similarity is that each poem presents nature as a metaphor for the mysteries of life. In "The Road Not Taken," the two paths represent choices we are constantly faced with in our lives. We must choose only one and we often question if it was the correct choice. In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the narrator stops to enjoy the sight of the woods, but is also aware that his horse may find him "queer," and he doesn't want the owner of the woods to know he is watching the woods for fear he will think him strange. Nature in each case represents something mysterious, unknown, and to some degree unattainable. The path the narrator does not take is the one he does not "have," and the woods do not belong to the second narrator.

A third similarity is that both poems are told by narrators who are traveling. This travel can also represent our life's journey rather than just the journey the narrator happens to be on in the poem.

One key difference between the poems is that the narrator in each poem arrives at his decisions differently. In "The Road Not Taken" there is no clear choice, so neither one would be incorrect; however, in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the narrator can stay in the dark, cold woods all night and or continue on his journey. Clearly, he continues his journey. This is an easy and fairly clear choice for the narrator.