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Choices
In life we are faced with situations, in which we have to make choices. Some that change us for the better, some that change us for the worse. From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep, we are faced with situations which we need to make decisions. Robert Frost wrote a poem called "The Road Not Taken". In this poem he talks about a choice that he needs to make between these two roads. After a brief period of thinking about it, he finally makes the decision to take the second road, because he described it as being equal to the first one. The only difference was that the second road was the one less traveled by. He decribed the second road because of the way it looked, describing it as "grassy and wanted wear". Almost as if the second road had a better outcome. In the third stanza, in the fith line, he expresses his doubt of coming back. Stating "I doubted if I should ever come back". It was almost as if he doubted himself, and the choice he made. Then coming to his conclusion in the fourth stanza, in the fourth & filth line stating "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference". By taking the road "less traveled by", it's made a difference in his life. Now as far as him being specific of his decision making a difference for the better or for he worse, it's not clear, but the in the end the message that did come across is that he was faced with a situation in which he had to make a choice. I think that's why the title of the peom is "The Road Not Taken". In a way it's more of a symbolic title. He speaks upon the road that he's taken, but at the same time he questioned himself about the choice he made. Which I think anyone can really relate to. Everyone makes choices that they sometimes question, but even if it's the wrong one, we all have to learn from it. Rudolfo Anaya wrote a short story called "Dead End". In this short story there is a young woman named Maria. She is the oldest of three, and her father became distant after his wife's/ Maria's mother's passing, which was the hardest thing for everyone. Maria had to juggle schoolwork, on top taking care of her little brother & sister. In the last minutes of her mother's life, Maria promised her mother that she would finish school, go to college, and become someone important. Maria was an intelligent senior, who was a part of a calculus club. After her mother's passing, she had to be the role model in her home, which took a toll on her when she would go to school, because of these popular girls named Sandra, Denise and Ana always made fun of her. These girls were the mean girls, that every other girl in school feared. They apart of a gang, and although Maira felt she needed to keep her promise to her mother and finish her education, she always wondered what it would be like to be like one of those girls. Even though Maria didn't like the gang the girls were in, there was only one person who she felt emotion towards. A guy named Frankie Galvan, who could almost relate to Maria. He had lost his girlfriend in a car accident, and was still grieving her loss. In a way Maria felt great that she could relate to the one guy she ever liked. They had both lost someone in their lives who they loved. Frankie would always greet Maria infront of her locker, and the popluar girls would tease her. Then one night, Maria had her chance to break out of her responsiblities at home, and feel like a teen that she was, when a car pulled up infront of her house. The girls who made fun of her in school were in that car, along with Frankie, who was alone in the backseat. Maria wanted to get in that car with them so bad, but her little sister started to cry, and Maria knew that her little sister didn't except the passing of their mother yet. Maria's little brother on the other hand, was only thirteen-years-old, and he was already a leader of his own gang. It was something that Maria didn't agree with, but she still had to be the adult figure in the house, because as described before, her father was distant, so she had no one else to rely on, but herself. The next night, the opportunity she always wanted came to her. Frankie, her high school crush, had drove to her house. This time he was alone, and he wanted to take Maria out for a "cruise". Maria put all her worries aside for that one moment, and got into that car with him. Her choice was based on her wanting to feel free for just a moment, and also based on the fact that her Frankie was actaully giving her the time of day. Frankie pulled the car over and Maria got what she always wanted, her first kiss and to be held. In a way it wasn't just the fact that she's been longing for this moment to come, but it was also the feeling of comfort. Since her mother's passing, Maria has only depended on herself for anything she ever did. As the night continued, Frankie began to show a different side of himself. He pulled out a joint, and after a pull of smoke, he offered Maria. Maria took the joint, and had to make a choice. Should she try it? Or refuse?
paradrake606@yahoo.com
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