Literature- Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature- Poetry - Essay Example Easily understanding the conceptual metaphor that life is a journey, when applied to the poem, those who choose to look beyond the imagery determine that the poem is telling us that individuals should strive to follow their own path in life rather than attempting to follow the paths that have been mapped out for them by others. It isn’t bad advice, but it isn’t exactly what Frost had in mind. According to biographer Larry Finger (1978), Frost once told an audience, â€Å"You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem - very tricky† (478) when referring to â€Å"The Road Not Taken.† While the conceptual metaphor still applies, a close reading of the textual cues of the poem indicate that Frost is not recommending which road should be selected, only providing a warning that, once selected, it is impossible to know what might have been missed had one followed the other way. Generally speaking, a conceptual metaphor is defined as a metaphor â€Å"that is so basic in the way people think about something that they fail to perceive that it is a metaphor† (â€Å"Conceptual Metaphor†, 2007). It is an idea that is brought forward by Lakoff and Johnson that illustrates that this connection is made at such a deep level that it cannot be avoided. â€Å"Lakoff and Johnson revealed, through theoretical argument supported by empirical investigation, the centrality of metaphor to thought exemplified in the ubiquity of metaphorical forms in everyday, conventional language† (Bailey, 2003). In other words, it is the means by which we are able to discuss our ideas and beliefs with others, which requires a shared language and cultural base and serves as a means by which we define ourselves. â€Å"Accordingly, we talk about things the way we conceive of them, and this is fashioned through and grounded in experience and culture: our basic conceptual s ystem ‘is fundamentally