Eng 125

Even though stories and poems are constructed differently, they both have unique stories of their own to tell.   Authors are able to convey messages and stories by using a personal style of characterization, rhythm, and fictional setting throughout the narrative.   Stories and poems are usually generated through the reader’s imagination which allows them to build his or her own connection with the literary pieces.   Through imagination, the readers are able to visualize what the author is trying to depict by the use of symbolism and other descriptive languages.   There were many literary pieces studied throughout this course but the most enjoyed ones were “I Used to Live Here Once” and "The Road Not Taken”.   These literary pieces are different in terms of the writing style; however, they share the same theme of a symbolism of the journey.   The main theme suggests that despite the many life journeys we may go through in and all of the decisions that we may make in our lifetime, we are still in complete control of our destiny, and how our story will end or at least how we can change our fate if going down the wrong path.
These literary pieces depict a specific kind of journey.   Robert Frost’s, “The Road Not Taken”, provided hints to the reader that the poem would revolve around someone’s journey.   He also used the first person narrative, which leads one to envision him in his struggles and journey.   The use of the word “I” was used often and eluded that he was alone.   On the contrary, Jean Rhys’s, “I Used to Live Here Once”, was written in the third person narrative, using the word “she” throughout.   The same kind of feel was depicted in this story, which is solitude.   Some of the lines that suggested solitude in the story were, “She was standing by the river” (Clugston, 2010, sec.   7.5), and “She came to the worn steps”. (Clugston, 2010, sec.   7.5)   While these literary pieces evolved along the same theme, they were presented in their own distinct ways;...