'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is a poem about making hard decisions and choosing a metaphorical path in life, not knowing where it could lead you. Frost compares choices to a fork in the road, describing how he was faced with choosing a path, and how later in life he is looking back at that moment, wondering if he made the right decision, or if he should have taken the other path. The author wants the reader to know that he had  to chose between two paths, which represent choices, and now he is contemplating whether or not he chose the right one.

In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker says "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both." This quote explains that there are two decisions to be made, but only one can be chosen. Another piece of textual evidence is when the speaker says "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." This describes the moment when the speaker choses one path, without knowing which way it leads, because both paths resemble each other. A final quote is "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." This explains the last part of my claim where I said the speaker was contemplating whether he chose the right path. In this quote, the speaker is thinking back to the moment when he made the decision, and wondering if he chose the right
path. 

The author wants the reader to know that he had to chose between
two paths, which represent choices, and now he is thinking and 
questioning whether or not he chose the right one. This connects
to me personally because especially at this point in my life I
will have to make tough decisions, such as high schools and
eventually college.

READING RESPONSE: THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R TOLKIEN

I am on the last few chapters of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the book has been amazing. I left off where Bilbo and the dwarfs had narrowly escaped the rock creatures in a heated battle and had taken shelter in a damp cave, where they were once again captured by goblins. This chapter was a critical moment in the book, as it was when Bilbo first encountered Gollum, a strange creature obsessed with a magical yet evil ring that could turn the wearer invisible. Bilbo finds himself with the ring, and the journey continues. A lot has happened since this chapter; the crew has been lost in a forest, captured by elves, and almost killed multiple times. In the part I am currently reading, the dwarfs have discovered the secret passage in the mountain, leading to the treasure Smaug has been hiding. The dwarfs send Bilbo, their burglar, to scout out any immediate danger.

As I predicted, Bilbo's character has completely changed, before he started out on this great adventure, he was a simple hobbit. He wanted nothing to do with adventures, all he desired was to sit in his hobbit hole and eat four meals a day. When he was first given the opportunity of an adventure, he shied away, not wanting to risk his life for a bit of treasure. When he finally agreed to go with the dwarfs, he completely changed. I think after going through many near death situations such as trolls, goblins, and other nasty creatures, he started to see things as a thrill, rather than something to be terrified of.

The author of this book, J.R.R. Tolkien is an amazing writer. He is well known for his creativity and skill of writing fantasy books, such as the lord of the rings trilogy, but I believe his strongest piece of writing is The Hobbit. He lures the reader in with clear descriptions of magical and otherworldly places. He gives each character a distinct personality, so one could recognize every dwarf. This book is incredible, and I highly recommend it.

READING RESPONSE: THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN

I am still reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and I'm up to an interesting part in the story. Bilbo and the dwarfs only left The Shire about a week ago, and already they have encountered  many dangerous situations. As I discussed last post, the group slyly escaped three huge dwarfs (with a little help from Gandalf), and now they are climbing the treacherous Rocky Mountains, while two rock creatures are in the midst of a battle. As Bilbo informs the reader, the weather is horrible, and the rock creatures are causing an avalanche of boulders to rain down on them, barely missing Bilbo as he dangles precariously off the side of a cliff. Eventually, the storm comes to a standstill, and the group take shelter in a small cave in the side of a mountain. Little do they know, the cave is already inhabited by Goblins, and once again they find themselves captured.

I can already see how Bilbo's character is developing and changing. In the beginning of the story, Bilbo resembled his father, who was a respectable hobbit, and who seemed the least likely to go out on adventures. Later, Bilbo becomes more like his mother Belladonna Took, who came from a long ancestral line of adventurers. Risky adventures suddenly appeal to Bilbo, and he is desperate to prove himself to the dwarfs and show them that he is capable of dealing with adventures. Bilbo eventually does prove himself, by distracting the trolls and saving his companions.

I predict that Bilbo will keep continually changing, gaining the characteristics of a Took descendant.He will probably have to prove himself multiple more times until the dwarfs finally see him as a worthy companion in an adventure.

This book is amazing. It is a classic fantasy book, such as The Once and Future King. J.R.R. Tolkien brings the story to life, using many descriptive words and making Bilbo a very distinct and recognizable character.