Comparing The Road Not Taken And Song Of The Open Road

Roads are often a metaphor for life’s journey. They begin and end, and they can be freeing or confining, but most of all, they are a constant among people. Walt Whitman’s “Song of the Open Road,” Carl Sandberg’s “The Road at The End,” and Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” are all interpretations of the journey of life, but they are written from different perspectives. “Song of the Open Road” is an entirely positive portrayal, “The Road at The End” is dark but could be read as hopeful, and “The Road Not Taken” is content with some regrets.
Despite having very different tones, “Song of the Open Road” and “The Road at The End” are the most similar poems of the three. First of all, they are both written in the middle of a journey instead of at the end. “The Road at The End” includes the lines “I shall foot it” and “The dust of the travelled road Shall touch my hands and face,” implying that the journey is still taking place, and “Song of the Open Road” says “I take to the open road” and “Still here I
In it, the author’s life seems to be going well enough having taken the road less traveled, but the name of the poem and the line “I shall be telling this with a sigh” relate a focus on the road that he was not able to explore. He wishes he had, but he also knew that he couldn't walk both. Overall, however, he says that his choice “made all the difference,” a positive thing. “The Road at The End” conveys more fear than regret, though they are both sad and conflicting poems. It describes a man’s journey in which he is only trying his best to get by. At “The End,” the author says, “The dust of the travelled road Shall touch my hands and face.” This part may be describing a fall at the end of the journey. He did not look forward to an end but it came inevitably. Both of the poems show that there are always dark aspects of life along with hopeful