+Aparna A My apologies! I'm an idiot, I read it wrong. You're right. However, as I think John and Hank discussed in one of their recent podcasts, though people can interpret different poems in different ways it is important to know what the author was intending to say as well. So, even if you disagree, I would recommend listening to the podcast if you haven't. And again, sorry. Somehow I managed to miss that word.
"The road less travelled" was the motto for my high school and it always bothered me. We looked at the poem so many times and never once did the teachers tell us this stuff. We were supposed to be proud that we went to this special high school, this road less travelled, and that we'd all be better because of it. I always looked at that line and went "Belle's dad in Beauty and the Beast took the road less travelled and he got attacked and then kidnapped." Do I regret the school I went to? No. But that doesn't change the fact that it made us sound like we thought we were better than everyone else because we took one path instead of another. There's no shame in taking a path many people have travelled, because they travel it for a reason, but there's also nothing wrong with making a new path, or trying the one less travelled. Your value as a person is not changed by which path you chose.
This whole situation with this poem I think highlights the confusion around poetry. It's primary goal is to sound good, not be understood, and as a result, it's not always understood. (Weird how that works) It's even baked into a lot of the culture where people are supposed to not explain their poems. And as a neurodivergent person with a shaky relationship with nouns (I guess it's a learning disability, but not usually enough to be a disability, could be related to my dysgraphia). Poetry is thoroughly relegated to art in my mind. And has few practical uses, mostly just as a writing and reading exercise to expand vocabulary and study how meaning can be conveyed. I don't turn to poetry for advice or inspiration, it doesn't stick in my head because it more often than not confuses me, I turn to people who are pragmatic, and if they can make some of what they say sound poetic (like john) then that's poetry enough for me.
"I'll tick the box for poetry. I'll be the only one. But if I don't, my guilt and I Will know the wrong I've done. It's just a little survey... It's just a little fun..." But here we are. You've done the thing, And something new's begun.
+vlogbrothers Thank you John! I didn't know this about Frost. If I never unwittingly kill a friend with my poetry, I'm kind of doing better than him. If you think about it.
Now I'm going to reread all my own poems to make sure I haven't inadvertently urged someone to die. Thanks for that uneasy feeling, John! But also, thank you for the creative lesson!
+Stephen OBrien If it makes you feel any better I've been told that there isn't much in the way of evidence that the poem was primarily responsible for poor Edward Thomas' unfortunate decision. It was probably tangentially related to his death but it was nothing close to the tipping point in that series of events. Of course if I'm wrong someone can feel free to correct me.
+Hircine Please, do tell how it is misread, considering the transphobia in it is clear and the guy who paid to have it in there even admitted as such, along with making a number of comments on the forum that showed he was quite a homophobic and transphobic person.
Me, too! This is one of my favorite poems, mostly because almost everyone reads it incorrectly. Knowing its true intent, that last stanza is just perfection
I fell in love with Robert Frost when I took a poetry writing class last winter term. I love the nuance, subtly, and hidden in plain sight messages he conveys. This poem is a definitely a fun one in that people so often interpret it to be the exact opposite of its meaning. The poem is an examination of how cognitive dissonance will often justify the choices we made after the fact, thus making it seem like the most obvious and best choice after all- despite the choice. It dwells on the futility of choices and our interpretations after the fact. If anything, it is a call to do what feels right by you without overthinking it, because in the end, you're probably going to justify it in your own mind anyway.
+Twosocks42 Honestly, I think there's an argument to be made that the speaker in the poem is not trying to justify his choice, but lamenting it. He says it's made all the difference, but with a sigh, never any positive language.
I have not yet read Directive, I will look into it. Eheq Correct, I forgot to mention that as well. It looks at both sides of it really. Our tendency to later justify what we did, but to also look back with that pang of regret and think that the mistakes we have encountered along the way could have all been undone by making the other choice. Frost's opinion was that it does not matter.
I love teaching this poem not (just) because Frost is so interesting to learn about or because it is a fairly accessible poem, but mostly so I can relate to the young minds that things are not always as they seem. Re-reading things with a new perspective is one of the best gifts of an educated mind. Thanks John!
I would love to hear you read The Road Less Traveled in full. in fact I would love an audio collection of John Green reading poems of his choosing. I agree with Hank that I enjoy poetry more when it's read aloud to me by John (and in general).
"i memorised the poem almost by accident" that's surely my favourite sentence that john uttered, for two reasons. the first is that john is exactly the person who would accidentally memorise a poem. and the concept of 'almost by accident.'
+Jebbtube We wouldn't be us if we had. We'd be someone else, looking back a different forks in the road, asking the same question. Never realizing that both version is the answer to the question. You ARE the different choices. The manifestation of infinite potential given form through the virtue of existing.
It's almost depressing how little we get to experience of the world. Not only the immense number of places we'll never go and never see, but also all the choices and all the roads you have been denied by the constrictions of time. All the billions and billions of doors you had to close just to take a single step forward. Even if by some all-powerful deity you were blessed with an infinite amount of time, so long as we're stuck moving forward, we'll never experience everything, or really even close to anything.
I love this poem, but I think, like most people, you have missed the actually theme of the poem, which is the examination of choices retroactively. When ever Frost describes the two roads he says they are 'about the same'. There is no indication that one is less travelled than the other. Saying that he took the road 'less travelled by' seems more like a mocking of the self-righteous point of view of the narrator, and how he can justify his actions to be better or harder than the other choice. Another hint at this is the title. It is not 'The road less travelled' it is 'the road not taken' it too makes no indication the the narrator speaks true about one roads quality outweighing the other.
Matt Lavery Exactly! Very interesting point. (I kind of made a similar comment before I read yours, but yours is way better, haha.) Do you think maybe it's interesting to read the poem both ways, as the popularized decision-making anthem AND as the rationalization satire? Because I'm not even sure if we really have to choose.
I think he acknowledges this in the video, since he says the poem mocks those who are so indecisive when it comes to small, insignificant decisions in life.
I think *almost everyone* misses the grand joke behind the poem: the speaker claims to have done something that is _literally impossible,_ and I'll explain why. If we take the speaker at his word that the two roads are equal -- "And both that morning equally lay / In leaves no step had trodden black" -- then neither road has had someone travel down it. Therefore, the road that the speaker chooses is the one that is _more_ travelled -- *since the speaker is the one who takes it.* Thus, the speaker's claim at the end of the poem is paradoxical and amusing: he claims to have taken the path "less traveled by" -- which would be the path he _didn't_ take!
@@nathanwall37 I think you are brushing to swiftly over the original comment. The commenter talks about retroactively thinking about the choice one makes. And also talks about how we often trick ourselves into giving specific meaning to our choices.
I love that these people exist. And I love hearing them talk about things they love. This is the happiest channel on RUclips. Thank you guys for being who you are so unapologetically. I love it.
Last year I was made to do a dreadful analysis of this poem and I, like the rest of my class wrote about the grand and wonderful road less taken. Except, by doing so and making our teacher very satisfied we were all not following the advice we had so carefully analyzed. But in that case, the road more taken got me an A, so I agree to disagree with classic ideal of this poem and choose to instead say "I'll take the road less taken when the other people choosing directions weren't very bright, otherwise, I'll just keep walking." If you know what I mean.
+Nicole Alexis Well that depends entirely upon how you place values on things. You took the road everyone else did and got an A for that one class. You could also have done an essay on a different view, contemplated the poem and gotten some insight into an area you didn't have before. Some will treasure an A, others the insight. And I'm not trying to be snide, where you place values depends much more on position then person. (Also school kills all reading. I know schools do it to "encourage" reading but they're doing more damage then good.)
+Harlequin Hoatzin they do! once I found a book in my grandmas bookshelf and I loved it. Then we read it in english Class, really slow..really boring and overexplained. it almost Killed the book for me. if I hadnt read it before I wouldve hated it im sure
everything needs to be balanced for me, sometimes you take a different kind of road if you need to but it's not wrong to take the same road as others. we're doing it for the sake of ourselves, not showing off to others.
I actually don't enjoy poetry much at all (don't you judge me!) but it does seem to have an advantage (is it an advantage?) over standard fiction. It seems to me that since poems are often shorter and use more abstract ideas that strict language, they are more open to multiple interpretations than, say, a good novel. While in a novel you can spark up good debate on character motivations and the meaning of the ending, poetry lends itself to line-by-line and idea-by-idea discussion and/or introspection. As usual, I don't know if that makes much sense, but that's how I feel.
+Middle Aged Nerd Totally agree, and that is where the magic of poetry lives. It is why the greatest writers of prose often have poetic qualities to their writing, no matter how subtle. Hemingway's simplicity achieves a certain poetic aesthetic as does Cormac McCarthy's 'stream of conscious' / 'blend of mundane and transcendental subjects' way of writing, which is what makes their stories more than just great tales, but great pieces of writing. This is one of many reasons (but a major reason) we so often hear someone say "The movie was good, but the book was WAYYY better" because words, and how you use/construct/compose/paint with those words matters! I don't believe you don't enjoy poetry, I just think you haven't found the poetry you yet enjoy, because you definitely seem to understand it!
I'm reminded of what Hank has said a few times in the podcast: that poetry usually doesn't mean much to him, but after a few episodes of John reading poems TO him with a meaningful rythm and appropriate line breaks, he has a greater understanding of them. But when he used to read them on his own they sort of fell flat.
+Bradley Burns I think a lot of people have that reaction, because reading poetry is something that you get better at with practice -- something that schooling in America doesn't give you much of anymore. ... And part of what you get practiced at is going back and re-reading the poem. You learn to put aside your novel-reading instincts that tell you to turn the page, turn the page, turn the page. It's OK to read the poem once or twice just for the sounds, or the weirdo syntax, before you absorb the meaning.
I really enjoyed this video! It got me thinking, so here are my thoughts in your pants!! I think poetry is very important because it helps people realize that their thoughts are complex. More importantly, it helps them accept complex thoughts. This leads to more acceptance of new ideas and concerns of other people who are different from themselves... As John always says, the truth resists simplicity. I've come to observe that people are afraid of complexity by the way they stick to old proverbs and adages, and by the way they live their lives. For some people, and for me at times, introspection can become daunting AND haunting. People who begin to analyze their thoughts, emotions and actions without expecting a certain degree of complexity become confused by and frightened of the lack of simplicity they find!! Instead of accepting the likely conflicting emotions they find, they are in denial and doubt themselves because of it. Whatever depression or uncertainty they were facing is even more imminent and even father from being handled. When people understand that their thoughts and feelings can be, should be, complex and conflicting, this understanding fuels acceptance. This understanding fuels tolerance. This understanding fuels patience. For an example that's close to home, think of the overly angry and feisty commenters on youtube! Sometimes their denunciations can be downright hateful and overly simplistic, not to say they are simple minded. They just refuse to acknowledge different points of view, they don't accept that there might be a complex relationship between their ideas and someone else's. In a rush of frustration, it flies under the radar. Poetry is important because it turns complexity into something beautiful, descriptive, and succinct. (Or bemusing, not every poem is beautiful per say. Maybe bemusing instead.) It's like a TV jingle that makes it's way into our head and into our hearts. (Better than an annoying yet unforgettable ad!) Again, like John said, "Like I've memorized it almost by accident." Lectures on philosophy are long, possibly boring and easily forgotten. Like a ranting blog post. But a poem is rhythmic, often short. Like a really good tweet. Poetry can build bridges between people, and between people and their own minds. A few lines paint a picture you can't forget, and one step closer to being a more accepting, patient, tolerant person with the right mindset for decreasing WorldSuck.
There once was a poet named "Frost", Who, with a friend, had gotten lost. A rough path to tread, His friend ended up dead. Perhaps a coin should have been tossed.
+Hannah Miller A friend of mine has this t-shirt: www.threadless.com/product/1891/Dandy_Lions If you want it and you can convince enough people to also want it they'll reprint it
John, this reminds me of one of my favorite things to preach, and you might recognize the phrase, "The book belongs to the reader" I've always taken very seriously the idea that our words, even those with less than the firmest roots in reality, can still mean something. I might even go so far as to say that those words have to mean something. There is something in and behind these words that caused them to be written, and not a small part of this has to do with us, as humans, being just too near sighted to think of a world that doesn't draw its whole self from the one we have experienced. But that's what I'm trying to get at. The world we each have experienced is different, and thus we come to stories like these, where, when each reader created their story as they read this poem, they, almost as a rule, experienced it differently than the writer did. Does that make any of these stories any less real? I don't see how they could be if we started with something that wasn't. As for taking which road and if it is always best to take a specific one I have a few beliefs. Primary among them being that: First, more than two roads 'diverge', and not a one of them continues singularly. Second, It matters less to me how many footprints line each of these roads, and more so how many of those tracks already belong to me. And, that no matter which road we take, it will, in its own way, have made all the difference.
It's so perfect that this video is about The Road Not Taken because in my Literary Analysis class yesterday we were just talking about this poem and how, despite it being so popular and well-known, few people tend to dig into it. We touched on everything from the traditional reading (take the road less people are taking) to the total opposite and dangerously more pessimistic view (the roads are the same and your choice doesn't matter). We touched on possibility, free will, choice, desperation, biographical context, and then some just to come to the same place those discussions always seem to come to; that everyone's opinion is right in some manner and what you take from it - and the fact that you take something different from your neighbor - is what makes it beautiful.
There is something VERY nice about having a spouse, a kid, and a van. I always thought being a famous novelist, or well-respected teacher would make me happy. But just writing stories and telling them to my husband and daughter makes me happy. What people outside my family think about me matters a lot less than I thought it would twenty years ago.
Interesting. When I first read this poem I always focused on the "all the difference" part. Most people seem to think the difference was a good one, but I always thought it could mean anything ... even that the outcome was bad. Like someone who needs money right away ... they can join a cartel, or wait to find a less illegal job... that choice makes a huge difference.
It's cool to be able to come back and recognise your inspiration for Turtles. It's like this video now not only gives me a snippet into your thoughts, but reveals the cogs of Aza's identity.
+niffler09 Dead Poets Society was my first thought as well. The way language is used in that story brings me to tears (happy tears), as does Robert Frost's poetry. I'm a sucker for a well worded story.
Fantastic, moving video, John! I was reminded of my decision to enter medical school (I started about three weeks ago), and I realize that this road will be a long and difficult one. I can see why not many choose to take this path. But, I hope that one day, it will all be worth it. Every day has been difficult so far, and it will not get any easier, but I'm trying to not let the doubts, fears, and stress overwhelm me. It's crazy to see how dreams and reality collide, but not always in the ways that you've imagined.
Another "Which Road Do I Take?" kind of poem. Or at least it kinda feels like one...... If I Was Ready. What I wish i could do is to follow my heart, And spend all my days with you, never apart. But my mind tells me no, that this cannot be... Not now, not yet... I still need to be free There are so many things that I still need to do, Even though I would rather spend more time with you. There are lessons to learn and people to meet, I am still very young, and life is so sweet! But no matter what comes, even to the end, I will cherish your name and call you my friend.. So I hope you'll remember this in all that you do, Because if I was ready, it would be with you - mama maus
Good morning John, just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to you and all the wonderful people over at Crash Course for making your World History series. I'm a freshman taking AP World History (the first time my school has ever offered the course) and I know your videos are going to save my life! Your humor, the ThoughtBubble graphics, and the brief nature of the videos all come together to make sense of World History for me and my classmates. Thank you so much and DFTBA!!
"Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same," Yeah, I can see Robert Frost impatiently tapping his feet, thinking, "it really makes no difference! Just PICK one!" The lenses through which the narrator sees his path is interesting; both nostalgically arguing that the choice made was the "right" one, and that the choice has "made all the difference," as in made him who he is today. I'm probably wildly wrong, but it's just how I can see it.
I realized the power of poetry just today when I read "We Wear The Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and when I read "Freedom's Plow" by Langston Hughes. Dunbar's poem poetically revolts against its subject matter in just 15 lines, and Hughes's deeply angry and yet reassuring poem perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of oppression, and yet still finds time to discuss how you need to work hard for freedom (although "Freedom's Plow" is a little longer). Both poems have extremely important things to say, both for now and for the time that they were written. These poems along with other works by Robert Frost (including the one your video is about) really showed me how poetry is no longer as recognized or read as often as they deserve to be, because each one has their own thing to say.P.S. John: I love your new addition of the Beer Sword to your set. Loved the movie! DFTBA!
+katelynbrenna ...Wait a second; think of all the poets that have died since frost was born? It's frost. It was frost the whole time. How can we have missed it??
I'm disappointed in myself for not realizing it sooner. I need to build a time machine so I can go back and kill Robert Frost; I'll let you know how it goes.
I've faced forks in the road and I've faced forks in the river, but by far, the most challenging choice I've faced - by a large margin, are the forks in my kitchen drawer. I mean; _which one will I choose_???
"those iambic feet will wander back in to my mind" that phrase just made me so happy for some reason; probably due to the fact my mum is an English teacher and so I have an inherited love of the language. I can tell you're an author John :)
I saw a play in London (back in 2012) about the relationship between Edward Thomas & Robert Frost. It was called "The Dark Earth & the Night Sky". This has made me revisit the essay I wrote after watching the play. SUCH a great video, John - I love it! Poetry is beautiful and complicated - you have begun a great conversation with this video
a few weeks back I went on a camping trip with a couple friends. We decided to use one of the hiking trails when we came upon a fork in the road. One of my friends goes "what's that quote again?" now be being the dork I am, I knew what she was talking about and went on to recite that quote. We spent the entire hike debating the intention of Robert Frost and whether or not it was a good or bad idea that we took the road less travelled. It turned out, (atleast in our case) that it was not a good idea at all. we came upon a stream that blocked our path where the only way around was to climb a tree and shimmy across a branch to "safely" jump to the ground on the other side. Not that it was horrible but after having walked 4 Km, climbing a tree was not at the top of my list. Thank you John, for the much needed clarity on Robert Frost :)
(Earthlings, before you go _"Yes, of course, he's right! I should totally throw myself into a big body of hydric acid!"_: I'm pretty sure that's *not* what Morgenstern wanted to express with this poem.)
Besides showcasing Frost's genius in words and poetry, The Road Not Taken also demonstrate his understanding of psychology and human behavior. This poem shows Frost's understanding of the following points about how we conduct ourselves in matters related to decision making: 1. Decision making is difficult for most people. We are often confused by the options available to us 2. But in reality the options are often the same even when appear different at the point of choosing This explains the way Frost started the poem: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not traveled both, And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could, To where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was glassy and wanted wear, Though the passing there, Would have worn them about the same. Both that morning equally lay, In leaves no step had trodden black, 3. We often second guess our choice once we have decided 4. Therefore we often resort to assuring/consoling ourselves by saying we would try the alternative choice somehow 5. We think in this manner knowing full well that there often is no second chance in life As such, Frost continued: Oh, I kept the first for another day, Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I shall ever come back. 6. Human beings are adaptable creatures 7. We'll eventually adapt to the resulting condition of the decisions we made in life and make the best of it 8. And finally in retrospect, often many years later, feel vindication and fulfillment in our decisions This explains the way Frost closed with the final stanza: I shall be saying 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. We can find evidence of Frost's wisdom in every aspect of life today. Take for example a 25-yo college graduate with an engineering degree. The individual may: 1. Join an electronic sector in design and manufacturing. After 20 years of diligent effort and substantial leadership quality, the person becomes the deputy CEO of a semiconductor factory living a comfortable life with his/her loved ones, or 2. Abandon his field of study, join a landscaping company. After 20 years of diligent effort and substantial leadership quality, the person becomes the owner of a reputable landscaping company living a comfortable life with his/her loved ones. In either case, in retrospect, the gist of Frost's Road Not Taken is applicable. This is my 2-cents. I look forward to feedback and comment. Thank you.
But... John... isn't the point of the poem really quite tongue-in-cheek? I mean, it says the speaker takes the one path "[b]ecause it was grassy and wanted wear / though as to that, the passing there / had worn them really about the same." It seems to me that the point isn't that you should take the road less traveled OR the road everyone travels, but rather that all the roads are interesting, but we have to choose, and while our choices are ultimately pretty much arbitrary, we'll find ways to justify them, both in the choosing and in the reflection on that decision.
I wrote my first poem at the age of six or seven, hard to recall but I'm not even sure I was aware what poetry was. Maybe I heard that Paul Revere poem but I have a separate school memory of that and in the memory seem to be older. Memories aren't trustworthy so I can never say for sure. But I do know that I have always defined myself as a poet because its just something...naturally inside me. I refused to take poetry classes in college, majoring instead on prose in order to become a better writer of literature and while I am confident of the quality and amazement of my poetry, I do not feel the same about the prose. I am unable to express one the way I express the other and for the life of me I cannot understand the why. Sadly, after only one attempt and its rejection at publication, I haven't tried a second time. I bring up the anecdote of my first poem to elucidate a kind of natural emotional empathy that I think exists in poetry (and music) but can be lacking in prose. And I think even further upon reading David Foster Wallace's thoughts on Wittigenstein and the conundrum of how language began and meaning and how poetry communicates meaning and why I am often able to so readily do one but not the other. I have no answers or insight, only questions and thoughts that I felt might be pondered aloud after watching this. all peace always amig@s
This is a good video about not giving bad advice. I've always worried about influencing people in negative ways. I NEVER want something that I do or say to make someone feel bad about themselves or go be negative to someone else.. because negativity is a ripple effect. But I've discovered that by not influencing and impacting other peoples lives, I have also not impacted my own. I think it's time that I start trying to make a difference.. in my life, and in turn in others lives... because the chance of someone else being affected negatively from something that I've done or said is pretty high.. people are not the same and can take offense to anything and everything. I've discovered that you have to live life for yourself (as long as it doesn't purposefully hurt others)
"Good, he did not have enough imagination to become a mathematician". -David Hilbert's response upon hearing that one of his students had dropped out to study poetry.
Not too sure how it's relevant to the video, but a great quote. I think it highlights how much non-mathematicians misunderstand what mathematics really is. To be a good mathematician, more than anything else you need to be creative.
I think this is one of your best videos in a while, John. Not that the others have been bad, or anything like that, but I really enjoy listening people talk about things they know a lot about and that interest them a ton, and you have that with poetry. Thank you for the insight and great video! :)
To be fair to Robert Frost, Edward Thomas was a seriously troubled man, and there was probably a high chance of him joining up before he read that poem. Also, you joke about crossing paths with a Lion, in England, but I once came face to face with a velociraptor while out walking, so...
Yeah I can vouch for this. I live in a tiny village (we have 2 shops and a hypnotherapist) in the English country side and it's overrun with Plateosaurs, blocking the roundabouts. Not to mention the Pterodactyls keep pooping on everything. Dinosaurs here are such an inconveniance...
I believe the poem's message is not so much to mock indecision, but an invitation to leave the comfort zone. As you said, every day in life we make decisions, some are bigger ones than others. Too often are we nervous about leaving the bubble we know, venturing into the unknown. I see the poem as exploring the infinite possibilities that the road less travelled offer. At school I was very timid but forced myself to go towards people and ended up making amazing friends. Reminding ourselves of the power of our choices, that safety is not necessarily the best path.
Warning: Novel-length comment ahead. This has, for a long time, been one of my favorite poems. I admit that the rhythm to it, and the seemingly subtle depth in its brevity is a large part of that. But I didn't take it to be advice, really. I have always thought of it as more an anecdotal sort of thing, or a pondering of the way each little decision we make affects our world and our existence in ways we cannot know or predict at the time of the decision. Perhaps taking that less-traveled road will be of little importance right away, but the precise timing of it, and experience of it will affect, even minutely, every following decision, and over time, all those little decisions snowball into one person's entire existence. The poem, to me, felt like a pause in one man's travels to reflect upon those decisions and the way they affect the world around us in ways we cannot always comprehend, or may not ever really know about. Of course, in light of this new information (which I will read up on after I finish this comment), I suppose it was just a way to chuckle at another man's pause, but nevertheless, the poem rings true- that pause to reflect and to deliberately make a choice did, indeed, make all the difference. There was never a guarantee that the difference was good, or that the decision to follow the less-traveled road was the right one; it was simply the decision that was made, that thusly affected all future decisions, and it did make all the difference, though what difference that was could never really be known without psychic abilities or a time-traveling device. For that very reason, there is a sort of bravery in making the decision to take any road at all, rather than standing there at the intersection, too afraid to move forward into a world unknown to you. If anything, I think this probably just renewed my interest and delight in the poem. And I will continue to take the road (or stream) less traveled when those words come to mind at an intersection, and I will be happy to know that I'm in good company, even if I end up in an un-navigable marsh. :)
Just gotta say, "...those iambic feet will wander back into my mind." is one of the greatest pieces of wordplay and imagery I've heard/seen in a while. Oh, and nice video as well :)
I love when youtubers (especially John Green) talk about Robert Frost because I live in Robert Frost's winter home that he owned in Miami Florida so i always feel very connected to him.
We watched a video hank made in class today and I was just sitting there fangirling I love taking roads people don't even when they are dangerous. It's a fun adventure
So I just wanted to say that on the first day of my English class, we went onto my teachers website as a class for her to show us and she had a link to one of your videos on Crash Course : 'Why we read' and she asked the class who had seen a video done by John Green before and more than half the kids raised their hands and I'm not sure what the point of sharing this was, but if you see this, I hope it makes you smile
John, this video is fascinating and really stuck in my memory. So, imagine my surprise when not even a whole day later, my mom shows me a column in Book Page about a soon-to-be-released book by David Orr titled 'The Road Not Taken' which is about this exact same misinterpretation of the poem, even citing Thomas's famous indecisive nature. This book is also published by Penguin, so we're wondering if perhaps you got ahold of an advanced reader copy of the work, or had seen the column in Book Page which inspired this video. Or maybe this was all just a coincidental twist of fate. Either way, thanks for such a stimulating video and keep up the excellent work.
I'm taking a poetry class right now at my university, and I am certain my professor will love this explanation! I'm definitely going to email this to her! Thanks John!
My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends- It gives a lovely light! - Edna St Vincent Millay Two great videos from you two this week. To be honest this weeks videos were refreshing in their subject matter. Thanks as always :)
Thanks man, I chose to speak about this poem from Robert Frost in a exam's oral and I needed a "reception document", in English litterature, your video is perfectly adapted. Thanks a lot.
after watching this one video i realized the base of all the decisions of my life since 2015 has been shaken and probably the bravery i was thinking while choosing the future decisions for me is a mere absurd thing now. so my favourite writer just made my life a question mark
Finally went to see Paper Towns today and the first thing I noticed in the background of this video was the beer can sword :D It's so cute John keeps little bits and Bob's from the movie sets!!
Yay! I'm so pleased other nerd fighters chose poetry as well. Hank/John could you do one on Dorothy Parker? (I love her dark sense of humour & the way she tackles complicated subjects in simple ways)!!
Thanks for such an informative and thoughtful video John! Now I have a great rebuttal for my dad, who always quotes this poem to me when encouraging me to take risks
Coincidentally, the other day I went kayaking on a river and while listening to several episodes Dear Hank and John. When I came to the first fork in the river I too chose the one less traveled while thinking of the poem, and quickly found, like you, that there was a good reason for it to be less traveled. So I turned around and followed the more traveled river the rest of the way and was quite satisfied, having learned a valuable lesson.
I think we need a 'top ten poetry misconceptions' video John.
+Jeremy Morris What do you mean by misconception? Everyone interprets poetry differently.
+Aparna A I think Jeremy was talking about misconceptions in general, not just in poetry.
Madelyn Mackintosh Maybe I misunderstood, the comment says "poetry misconceptions"
+Aparna A My apologies! I'm an idiot, I read it wrong. You're right. However, as I think John and Hank discussed in one of their recent podcasts, though people can interpret different poems in different ways it is important to know what the author was intending to say as well. So, even if you disagree, I would recommend listening to the podcast if you haven't. And again, sorry. Somehow I managed to miss that word.
Madelyn Mackintosh Ah I see! And yes, I wanna go listen to that podcast sometime! Thank you.
"The road less travelled" was the motto for my high school and it always bothered me. We looked at the poem so many times and never once did the teachers tell us this stuff. We were supposed to be proud that we went to this special high school, this road less travelled, and that we'd all be better because of it. I always looked at that line and went "Belle's dad in Beauty and the Beast took the road less travelled and he got attacked and then kidnapped." Do I regret the school I went to? No. But that doesn't change the fact that it made us sound like we thought we were better than everyone else because we took one path instead of another. There's no shame in taking a path many people have travelled, because they travel it for a reason, but there's also nothing wrong with making a new path, or trying the one less travelled. Your value as a person is not changed by which path you chose.
Latecomer here. This comment deserves many more likes.
This whole situation with this poem I think highlights the confusion around poetry. It's primary goal is to sound good, not be understood, and as a result, it's not always understood. (Weird how that works)
It's even baked into a lot of the culture where people are supposed to not explain their poems.
And as a neurodivergent person with a shaky relationship with nouns (I guess it's a learning disability, but not usually enough to be a disability, could be related to my dysgraphia). Poetry is thoroughly relegated to art in my mind. And has few practical uses, mostly just as a writing and reading exercise to expand vocabulary and study how meaning can be conveyed.
I don't turn to poetry for advice or inspiration, it doesn't stick in my head because it more often than not confuses me, I turn to people who are pragmatic, and if they can make some of what they say sound poetic (like john) then that's poetry enough for me.
"I'll tick the box for poetry.
I'll be the only one.
But if I don't, my guilt and I
Will know the wrong I've done.
It's just a little survey...
It's just a little fun..."
But here we are. You've done the thing,
And something new's begun.
Cute. (a fellow ticker)
+Thiefree A+++++; what you say on the nerdfighter census survey REALLY DOES MATTER. :) -John
+vlogbrothers Thank you John! I didn't know this about Frost. If I never unwittingly kill a friend with my poetry, I'm kind of doing better than him. If you think about it.
+vlogbrothers question tuesday can you do questions with Natt
THIS POEM
"A Co-CEO of a company that raises children, and mows lawns, and stuff" is probably the best name for parenthood i've ever heard.
Now I'm going to reread all my own poems to make sure I haven't inadvertently urged someone to die. Thanks for that uneasy feeling, John! But also, thank you for the creative lesson!
Mine is not to reason why, mine is but to read and die.
+Stephen OBrien
If it makes you feel any better I've been told that there isn't much in the way of evidence that the poem was primarily responsible for poor Edward Thomas' unfortunate decision. It was probably tangentially related to his death but it was nothing close to the tipping point in that series of events.
Of course if I'm wrong someone can feel free to correct me.
+Hircine Please, do tell how it is misread, considering the transphobia in it is clear and the guy who paid to have it in there even admitted as such, along with making a number of comments on the forum that showed he was quite a homophobic and transphobic person.
+Stephen OBrien I once wrote a poem inspired by Muv Luv Alternative. And now the site that hosted it is down.
Me, too! This is one of my favorite poems, mostly because almost everyone reads it incorrectly. Knowing its true intent, that last stanza is just perfection
I fell in love with Robert Frost when I took a poetry writing class last winter term. I love the nuance, subtly, and hidden in plain sight messages he conveys. This poem is a definitely a fun one in that people so often interpret it to be the exact opposite of its meaning. The poem is an examination of how cognitive dissonance will often justify the choices we made after the fact, thus making it seem like the most obvious and best choice after all- despite the choice. It dwells on the futility of choices and our interpretations after the fact.
If anything, it is a call to do what feels right by you without overthinking it, because in the end, you're probably going to justify it in your own mind anyway.
+Twosocks42 I love Frost as well. Have you read Directive? It's my absolute favorite.
+Twosocks42 Honestly, I think there's an argument to be made that the speaker in the poem is not trying to justify his choice, but lamenting it. He says it's made all the difference, but with a sigh, never any positive language.
I have not yet read Directive, I will look into it.
Eheq Correct, I forgot to mention that as well. It looks at both sides of it really. Our tendency to later justify what we did, but to also look back with that pang of regret and think that the mistakes we have encountered along the way could have all been undone by making the other choice. Frost's opinion was that it does not matter.
I love teaching this poem not (just) because Frost is so interesting to learn about or because it is a fairly accessible poem, but mostly so I can relate to the young minds that things are not always as they seem. Re-reading things with a new perspective is one of the best gifts of an educated mind. Thanks John!
Poetry gives me a headache sometimes but it's such an interesting medium; I love it, though it pains me.
It's a beautiful kind of pain...
+Lucky loaders How poetic.
I would love to hear you read The Road Less Traveled in full. in fact I would love an audio collection of John Green reading poems of his choosing. I agree with Hank that I enjoy poetry more when it's read aloud to me by John (and in general).
+esteelhammer Best idea ever!
"i memorised the poem almost by accident"
that's surely my favourite sentence that john uttered, for two reasons. the first is that john is exactly the person who would accidentally memorise a poem. and the concept of 'almost by accident.'
We all wonder where we'd be had we made different choices.
I know I have. Often.
+Jebbtube You should choose not to do that too often.
Na, no point in worrying about what could of been since you'll never know.
+Jebbtube We wouldn't be us if we had. We'd be someone else, looking back a different forks in the road, asking the same question. Never realizing that both version is the answer to the question. You ARE the different choices. The manifestation of infinite potential given form through the virtue of existing.
It's almost depressing how little we get to experience of the world. Not only the immense number of places we'll never go and never see, but also all the choices and all the roads you have been denied by the constrictions of time. All the billions and billions of doors you had to close just to take a single step forward. Even if by some all-powerful deity you were blessed with an infinite amount of time, so long as we're stuck moving forward, we'll never experience everything, or really even close to anything.
Alex Jones Yeeep!
"Two roads diverged in a wood
And I -- I used Google Maps
And that was that"
I used apple maps, and ended up taking the road less travelled.
I -- I was in a car with Michael Scott and we drove right into a lake.
*Use Bing next time for a true surprise*
I love this poem, but I think, like most people, you have missed the actually theme of the poem, which is the examination of choices retroactively. When ever Frost describes the two roads he says they are 'about the same'. There is no indication that one is less travelled than the other. Saying that he took the road 'less travelled by' seems more like a mocking of the self-righteous point of view of the narrator, and how he can justify his actions to be better or harder than the other choice. Another hint at this is the title. It is not 'The road less travelled' it is 'the road not taken' it too makes no indication the the narrator speaks true about one roads quality outweighing the other.
Matt Lavery Exactly! Very interesting point. (I kind of made a similar comment before I read yours, but yours is way better, haha.) Do you think maybe it's interesting to read the poem both ways, as the popularized decision-making anthem AND as the rationalization satire? Because I'm not even sure if we really have to choose.
I think he acknowledges this in the video, since he says the poem mocks those who are so indecisive when it comes to small, insignificant decisions in life.
I think *almost everyone* misses the grand joke behind the poem: the speaker claims to have done something that is _literally impossible,_ and I'll explain why.
If we take the speaker at his word that the two roads are equal -- "And both that morning equally lay / In leaves no step had trodden black" -- then neither road has had someone travel down it. Therefore, the road that the speaker chooses is the one that is _more_ travelled -- *since the speaker is the one who takes it.*
Thus, the speaker's claim at the end of the poem is paradoxical and amusing: he claims to have taken the path "less traveled by" -- which would be the path he _didn't_ take!
@@nathanwall37 I think you are brushing to swiftly over the original comment.
The commenter talks about retroactively thinking about the choice one makes.
And also talks about how we often trick ourselves into giving specific meaning to our choices.
I love that these people exist. And I love hearing them talk about things they love. This is the happiest channel on RUclips. Thank you guys for being who you are so unapologetically. I love it.
the beer can sword in the background makes me so happy!!
+Margot Reynolds Definitely. But what can john do about the giant blue wall? Where do you fall in the blank/non-blank camp??
Is it new this video? I have just watched the Paper Fowns film (in which it was used) so I thought that I just noticed because of that.
it was in his last video in this spot as well. I think the blank wall is fine when he's in front of it but I don't really care
Last year I was made to do a dreadful analysis of this poem and I, like the rest of my class wrote about the grand and wonderful road less taken. Except, by doing so and making our teacher very satisfied we were all not following the advice we had so carefully analyzed. But in that case, the road more taken got me an A, so I agree to disagree with classic ideal of this poem and choose to instead say "I'll take the road less taken when the other people choosing directions weren't very bright, otherwise, I'll just keep walking." If you know what I mean.
you just blew my mind
+Nicole Alexis Well that depends entirely upon how you place values on things. You took the road everyone else did and got an A for that one class. You could also have done an essay on a different view, contemplated the poem and gotten some insight into an area you didn't have before.
Some will treasure an A, others the insight. And I'm not trying to be snide, where you place values depends much more on position then person.
(Also school kills all reading. I know schools do it to "encourage" reading but they're doing more damage then good.)
+Harlequin Hoatzin they do! once I found a book in my grandmas bookshelf and I loved it. Then we read it in english Class, really slow..really boring and overexplained. it almost Killed the book for me. if I hadnt read it before I wouldve hated it im sure
everything needs to be balanced for me, sometimes you take a different kind of road if you need to but it's not wrong to take the same road as others. we're doing it for the sake of ourselves, not showing off to others.
I actually don't enjoy poetry much at all (don't you judge me!) but it does seem to have an advantage (is it an advantage?) over standard fiction. It seems to me that since poems are often shorter and use more abstract ideas that strict language, they are more open to multiple interpretations than, say, a good novel. While in a novel you can spark up good debate on character motivations and the meaning of the ending, poetry lends itself to line-by-line and idea-by-idea discussion and/or introspection.
As usual, I don't know if that makes much sense, but that's how I feel.
It makes sense to me! I completely agree.
feel u
+Middle Aged Nerd Totally agree, and that is where the magic of poetry lives. It is why the greatest writers of prose often have poetic qualities to their writing, no matter how subtle. Hemingway's simplicity achieves a certain poetic aesthetic as does Cormac McCarthy's 'stream of conscious' / 'blend of mundane and transcendental subjects' way of writing, which is what makes their stories more than just great tales, but great pieces of writing. This is one of many reasons (but a major reason) we so often hear someone say "The movie was good, but the book was WAYYY better" because words, and how you use/construct/compose/paint with those words matters!
I don't believe you don't enjoy poetry, I just think you haven't found the poetry you yet enjoy, because you definitely seem to understand it!
I'm reminded of what Hank has said a few times in the podcast: that poetry usually doesn't mean much to him, but after a few episodes of John reading poems TO him with a meaningful rythm and appropriate line breaks, he has a greater understanding of them. But when he used to read them on his own they sort of fell flat.
+Bradley Burns I think a lot of people have that reaction, because reading poetry is something that you get better at with practice -- something that schooling in America doesn't give you much of anymore. ... And part of what you get practiced at is going back and re-reading the poem. You learn to put aside your novel-reading instincts that tell you to turn the page, turn the page, turn the page. It's OK to read the poem once or twice just for the sounds, or the weirdo syntax, before you absorb the meaning.
I really enjoyed this video! It got me thinking, so here are my thoughts in your pants!! I think poetry is very important because it helps people realize that their thoughts are complex. More importantly, it helps them accept complex thoughts. This leads to more acceptance of new ideas and concerns of other people who are different from themselves...
As John always says, the truth resists simplicity. I've come to observe that people are afraid of complexity by the way they stick to old proverbs and adages, and by the way they live their lives. For some people, and for me at times, introspection can become daunting AND haunting. People who begin to analyze their thoughts, emotions and actions without expecting a certain degree of complexity become confused by and frightened of the lack of simplicity they find!! Instead of accepting the likely conflicting emotions they find, they are in denial and doubt themselves because of it. Whatever depression or uncertainty they were facing is even more imminent and even father from being handled. When people understand that their thoughts and feelings can be, should be, complex and conflicting, this understanding fuels acceptance. This understanding fuels tolerance. This understanding fuels patience. For an example that's close to home, think of the overly angry and feisty commenters on youtube! Sometimes their denunciations can be downright hateful and overly simplistic, not to say they are simple minded. They just refuse to acknowledge different points of view, they don't accept that there might be a complex relationship between their ideas and someone else's. In a rush of frustration, it flies under the radar.
Poetry is important because it turns complexity into something beautiful, descriptive, and succinct. (Or bemusing, not every poem is beautiful per say. Maybe bemusing instead.) It's like a TV jingle that makes it's way into our head and into our hearts. (Better than an annoying yet unforgettable ad!) Again, like John said, "Like I've memorized it almost by accident." Lectures on philosophy are long, possibly boring and easily forgotten. Like a ranting blog post. But a poem is rhythmic, often short. Like a really good tweet. Poetry can build bridges between people, and between people and their own minds. A few lines paint a picture you can't forget, and one step closer to being a more accepting, patient, tolerant person with the right mindset for decreasing WorldSuck.
There once was a poet named "Frost",
Who, with a friend, had gotten lost.
A rough path to tread,
His friend ended up dead.
Perhaps a coin should have been tossed.
Limerick 💜
dandy lions... good pun
High five! :3
He definitely mentioned being eaten by a lion just so he could make that pun
true
That's actually a reference to a question Tuesday where someone asked "dandelions or dandy lions?"
+Hannah Miller A friend of mine has this t-shirt: www.threadless.com/product/1891/Dandy_Lions
If you want it and you can convince enough people to also want it they'll reprint it
John, this reminds me of one of my favorite things to preach, and you might recognize the phrase, "The book belongs to the reader"
I've always taken very seriously the idea that our words, even those with less than the firmest roots in reality, can still mean something. I might even go so far as to say that those words have to mean something.
There is something in and behind these words that caused them to be written, and not a small part of this has to do with us, as humans, being just too near sighted to think of a world that doesn't draw its whole self from the one we have experienced.
But that's what I'm trying to get at. The world we each have experienced is different, and thus we come to stories like these, where, when each reader created their story as they read this poem, they, almost as a rule, experienced it differently than the writer did.
Does that make any of these stories any less real? I don't see how they could be if we started with something that wasn't.
As for taking which road and if it is always best to take a specific one I have a few beliefs. Primary among them being that: First, more than two roads 'diverge', and not a one of them continues singularly. Second, It matters less to me how many footprints line each of these roads, and more so how many of those tracks already belong to me. And, that no matter which road we take, it will, in its own way, have made all the difference.
It's so perfect that this video is about The Road Not Taken because in my Literary Analysis class yesterday we were just talking about this poem and how, despite it being so popular and well-known, few people tend to dig into it. We touched on everything from the traditional reading (take the road less people are taking) to the total opposite and dangerously more pessimistic view (the roads are the same and your choice doesn't matter). We touched on possibility, free will, choice, desperation, biographical context, and then some just to come to the same place those discussions always seem to come to; that everyone's opinion is right in some manner and what you take from it - and the fact that you take something different from your neighbor - is what makes it beautiful.
JOHN DONT REMIND ME THAT I HAVE TO CHOOSE WHERE TO GO TO COLLEGE VERY SOON
+Rachel Maria I have to decide what I want to do with my life after graduating from said college this winter -_- Could move to Hank's town to teach XD
you probably will die if you not choice right and ruin your life x ever :v (nah, just kidding)
How did it go?
@@willtheprodigy3819 couldn't have gone better, glad to me done lmao
There is something VERY nice about having a spouse, a kid, and a van. I always thought being a famous novelist, or well-respected teacher would make me happy. But just writing stories and telling them to my husband and daughter makes me happy. What people outside my family think about me matters a lot less than I thought it would twenty years ago.
Interesting. When I first read this poem I always focused on the "all the difference" part. Most people seem to think the difference was a good one, but I always thought it could mean anything ... even that the outcome was bad. Like someone who needs money right away ... they can join a cartel, or wait to find a less illegal job... that choice makes a huge difference.
The concept John is talking about is why Poetry Slams can be so moving and fascinating. We should have more of those.
219 views, 7 comments, 27 likes, uploaded 2 minutes ago...best score I've ever had on the Vlogbrothers level of RUclips!
I got 0 views four days ago. It will remain the proudest moment of my life for the foreseeable future.
It's cool to be able to come back and recognise your inspiration for Turtles. It's like this video now not only gives me a snippet into your thoughts, but reveals the cogs of Aza's identity.
Robert Frost is all well and good but I thought you were gonna say it reminds you of Pocahontas not gonna lie
my first association was Dead Poets Society
Def thought of Pocahontas.
+niffler09 Dead Poets Society was my first thought as well. The way language is used in that story brings me to tears (happy tears), as does Robert Frost's poetry. I'm a sucker for a well worded story.
+Sanam Jamshidi "should i take the smoothest course, steady as the beating drum, should I marry Kokuam... is all my dreaming at an end?"
+Sarah Finch I look once more, just beyond the river bend. Don't know what for....
Fantastic, moving video, John!
I was reminded of my decision to enter medical school (I started about three weeks ago), and I realize that this road will be a long and difficult one. I can see why not many choose to take this path. But, I hope that one day, it will all be worth it. Every day has been difficult so far, and it will not get any easier, but I'm trying to not let the doubts, fears, and stress overwhelm me. It's crazy to see how dreams and reality collide, but not always in the ways that you've imagined.
Another "Which Road Do I Take?" kind of poem. Or at least it kinda feels like one......
If I Was Ready.
What I wish i could do is to follow my heart,
And spend all my days with you, never apart.
But my mind tells me no, that this cannot be...
Not now, not yet... I still need to be free
There are so many things that I still need to do,
Even though I would rather spend more time with you.
There are lessons to learn and people to meet,
I am still very young, and life is so sweet!
But no matter what comes, even to the end,
I will cherish your name and call you my friend..
So I hope you'll remember this in all that you do,
Because if I was ready, it would be with you
- mama maus
Good morning John, just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to you and all the wonderful people over at Crash Course for making your World History series. I'm a freshman taking AP World History (the first time my school has ever offered the course) and I know your videos are going to save my life! Your humor, the ThoughtBubble graphics, and the brief nature of the videos all come together to make sense of World History for me and my classmates. Thank you so much and DFTBA!!
"Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,"
Yeah, I can see Robert Frost impatiently tapping his feet, thinking, "it really makes no difference! Just PICK one!"
The lenses through which the narrator sees his path is interesting; both nostalgically arguing that the choice made was the "right" one, and that the choice has "made all the difference," as in made him who he is today.
I'm probably wildly wrong, but it's just how I can see it.
I realized the power of poetry just today when I read "We Wear The Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and when I read "Freedom's Plow" by Langston Hughes. Dunbar's poem poetically revolts against its subject matter in just 15 lines, and Hughes's deeply angry and yet reassuring poem perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of oppression, and yet still finds time to discuss how you need to work hard for freedom (although "Freedom's Plow" is a little longer). Both poems have extremely important things to say, both for now and for the time that they were written. These poems along with other works by Robert Frost (including the one your video is about) really showed me how poetry is no longer as recognized or read as often as they deserve to be, because each one has their own thing to say.P.S. John: I love your new addition of the Beer Sword to your set. Loved the movie! DFTBA!
This episode of vlogbrothers is sponsored in part by Robert Frost: Robert Frost, inadvertently killing poets since 1917.
+katelynbrenna ...Wait a second; think of all the poets that have died since frost was born? It's frost. It was frost the whole time. How can we have missed it??
I'm disappointed in myself for not realizing it sooner. I need to build a time machine so
I can go back and kill Robert Frost; I'll let you know how it goes.
Robert who? I've never heard of a poet by that name.
My mission was a success.
+katelynbrenna ...Kill him? You mean kidnap him as a baby and put him in the evil baby orphanage?
One of my favourite Vlogbrothers videos of all time. Thank you, John!
I've faced forks in the road and I've faced forks in the river, but by far, the most challenging choice I've faced - by a large margin, are the forks in my kitchen drawer. I mean; _which one will I choose_???
"those iambic feet will wander back in to my mind" that phrase just made me so happy for some reason; probably due to the fact my mum is an English teacher and so I have an inherited love of the language. I can tell you're an author John :)
"Those iambic feet will wander back into my mind" - I see what you did there.
I saw a play in London (back in 2012) about the relationship between Edward Thomas & Robert Frost. It was called "The Dark Earth & the Night Sky". This has made me revisit the essay I wrote after watching the play.
SUCH a great video, John - I love it! Poetry is beautiful and complicated - you have begun a great conversation with this video
Iambic feet makes me think of a guy with a club foot or a wicked limp.... one step stressed the other unstressed.
a few weeks back I went on a camping trip with a couple friends. We decided to use one of the hiking trails when we came upon a fork in the road. One of my friends goes "what's that quote again?" now be being the dork I am, I knew what she was talking about and went on to recite that quote. We spent the entire hike debating the intention of Robert Frost and whether or not it was a good or bad idea that we took the road less travelled. It turned out, (atleast in our case) that it was not a good idea at all. we came upon a stream that blocked our path where the only way around was to climb a tree and shimmy across a branch to "safely" jump to the ground on the other side. Not that it was horrible but after having walked 4 Km, climbing a tree was not at the top of my list. Thank you John, for the much needed clarity on Robert Frost :)
I love to take the road less traveled by. . that is why I have a Jeep. . . . :P
I had to sing a song written around the poem for Chorus. The poem is beautiful and will always get stuck in my head.
My favourite earthling poem is "Fisches Nachtgesang" ("Fish's night song") by Christian Morgenstern:
-
⌣ ⌣
- - -
⌣ ⌣ ⌣ ⌣
- - -
⌣ ⌣ ⌣ ⌣
- - -
⌣ ⌣ ⌣ ⌣
- - -
⌣ ⌣ ⌣ ⌣
- - -
⌣ ⌣
-
(Earthlings, before you go _"Yes, of course, he's right! I should totally throw myself into a big body of hydric acid!"_: I'm pretty sure that's *not* what Morgenstern wanted to express with this poem.)
+Zogg from Betelgeuse What about your favorite intergalactic poem, Zogg? When are we going to see an Earthlings 101: Literature, huh? :)
+Zogg from Betelgeuse One of my favorites is Jabberwocky by Louis Carol.
Vlogbrothers videos are so so so amazing at the moment- thank you for enriching my life immeasurably. Fab work!
I can never keep up with you. Too smart for me lol
Im so happy with the last 2 videos. Its starting to feel like old vlogbrothers again 😊
A fork in the road, a spoon in the bed, & a knife in the back.
- food for thought.
I LOVE Frost's poetry. Thanks for another take on one of his wonderful word creations.
I wonder if the island mentioned is wallet island?
this is my favorite vlogbrothers video in a while. I would love more like this one!
Is that big blue wall intentionally blank because you know that sort of thing bothers Hank?
Besides showcasing Frost's genius in words and poetry, The Road Not Taken also demonstrate his understanding of psychology and human behavior. This poem shows Frost's understanding of the following points about how we conduct ourselves in matters related to decision making:
1. Decision making is difficult for most people. We are often confused by the options available to us
2. But in reality the options are often the same even when appear different at the point of choosing
This explains the way Frost started the poem:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not traveled both,
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could,
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was glassy and wanted wear,
Though the passing there,
Would have worn them about the same.
Both that morning equally lay,
In leaves no step had trodden black,
3. We often second guess our choice once we have decided
4. Therefore we often resort to assuring/consoling ourselves by saying we would try the alternative choice somehow
5. We think in this manner knowing full well that there often is no second chance in life
As such, Frost continued:
Oh, I kept the first for another day,
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I shall ever come back.
6. Human beings are adaptable creatures
7. We'll eventually adapt to the resulting condition of the decisions we made in life and make the best of it
8. And finally in retrospect, often many years later, feel vindication and fulfillment in our decisions
This explains the way Frost closed with the final stanza:
I shall be saying 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.
We can find evidence of Frost's wisdom in every aspect of life today. Take for example a 25-yo college graduate with an engineering degree. The individual may:
1. Join an electronic sector in design and manufacturing. After 20 years of diligent effort and substantial leadership quality, the person becomes the deputy CEO of a semiconductor factory living a comfortable life with his/her loved ones, or
2. Abandon his field of study, join a landscaping company. After 20 years of diligent effort and substantial leadership quality, the person becomes the owner of a reputable landscaping company living a comfortable life with his/her loved ones.
In either case, in retrospect, the gist of Frost's Road Not Taken is applicable.
This is my 2-cents. I look forward to feedback and comment. Thank you.
But... John... isn't the point of the poem really quite tongue-in-cheek? I mean, it says the speaker takes the one path "[b]ecause it was grassy and wanted wear / though as to that, the passing there / had worn them really about the same." It seems to me that the point isn't that you should take the road less traveled OR the road everyone travels, but rather that all the roads are interesting, but we have to choose, and while our choices are ultimately pretty much arbitrary, we'll find ways to justify them, both in the choosing and in the reflection on that decision.
I wrote my first poem at the age of six or seven, hard to recall but I'm not even sure I was aware what poetry was. Maybe I heard that Paul Revere poem but I have a separate school memory of that and in the memory seem to be older. Memories aren't trustworthy so I can never say for sure. But I do know that I have always defined myself as a poet because its just something...naturally inside me. I refused to take poetry classes in college, majoring instead on prose in order to become a better writer of literature and while I am confident of the quality and amazement of my poetry, I do not feel the same about the prose. I am unable to express one the way I express the other and for the life of me I cannot understand the why. Sadly, after only one attempt and its rejection at publication, I haven't tried a second time. I bring up the anecdote of my first poem to elucidate a kind of natural emotional empathy that I think exists in poetry (and music) but can be lacking in prose. And I think even further upon reading David Foster Wallace's thoughts on Wittigenstein and the conundrum of how language began and meaning and how poetry communicates meaning and why I am often able to so readily do one but not the other. I have no answers or insight, only questions and thoughts that I felt might be pondered aloud after watching this. all peace always amig@s
haha way to recycle the dandy lions, john.
+Daphne Liu So I know I've seen them somewhere before...but where?? Where are they being recycled from?
+Chris Gloom it's from a 2011 vlogbrothers video called "DANDY LIONS! it's question day"
This is a good video about not giving bad advice. I've always worried about influencing people in negative ways. I NEVER want something that I do or say to make someone feel bad about themselves or go be negative to someone else.. because negativity is a ripple effect. But I've discovered that by not influencing and impacting other peoples lives, I have also not impacted my own. I think it's time that I start trying to make a difference.. in my life, and in turn in others lives... because the chance of someone else being affected negatively from something that I've done or said is pretty high.. people are not the same and can take offense to anything and everything. I've discovered that you have to live life for yourself (as long as it doesn't purposefully hurt others)
whenever i see a fork in the road, i get hungry.
I would love more poem break-downs, John. This one is excellent and relevant to my current situation.
"Good, he did not have enough imagination to become a mathematician".
-David Hilbert's response upon hearing that one of his students had dropped out to study poetry.
Not too sure how it's relevant to the video, but a great quote. I think it highlights how much non-mathematicians misunderstand what mathematics really is. To be a good mathematician, more than anything else you need to be creative.
Julius Dictator Perpetuus
I don’t think that’s the idea of the quote
I think this is one of your best videos in a while, John. Not that the others have been bad, or anything like that, but I really enjoy listening people talk about things they know a lot about and that interest them a ton, and you have that with poetry. Thank you for the insight and great video! :)
death by poetry
By far one of my favorite vlogbrothers videos I've ever watched. :)
To be fair to Robert Frost, Edward Thomas was a seriously troubled man, and there was probably a high chance of him joining up before he read that poem.
Also, you joke about crossing paths with a Lion, in England, but I once came face to face with a velociraptor while out walking, so...
+somethinglikelydia You say that so casually?? Where was this raptor so I can never go there?
Chris Gloom
Oh in a random wood somewhere in the middle of the English countryside. There was also a Stegosaurus.
Yeah I can vouch for this. I live in a tiny village (we have 2 shops and a hypnotherapist) in the English country side and it's overrun with Plateosaurs, blocking the roundabouts. Not to mention the Pterodactyls keep pooping on everything.
Dinosaurs here are such an inconveniance...
Dude why am I apparently living in the only dino-bereft part of the world?? I want in on this!
I believe the poem's message is not so much to mock indecision, but an invitation to leave the comfort zone. As you said, every day in life we make decisions, some are bigger ones than others. Too often are we nervous about leaving the bubble we know, venturing into the unknown. I see the poem as exploring the infinite possibilities that the road less travelled offer. At school I was very timid but forced myself to go towards people and ended up making amazing friends. Reminding ourselves of the power of our choices, that safety is not necessarily the best path.
Man, that's defrosting!
Warning: Novel-length comment ahead.
This has, for a long time, been one of my favorite poems. I admit that the rhythm to it, and the seemingly subtle depth in its brevity is a large part of that. But I didn't take it to be advice, really. I have always thought of it as more an anecdotal sort of thing, or a pondering of the way each little decision we make affects our world and our existence in ways we cannot know or predict at the time of the decision. Perhaps taking that less-traveled road will be of little importance right away, but the precise timing of it, and experience of it will affect, even minutely, every following decision, and over time, all those little decisions snowball into one person's entire existence. The poem, to me, felt like a pause in one man's travels to reflect upon those decisions and the way they affect the world around us in ways we cannot always comprehend, or may not ever really know about.
Of course, in light of this new information (which I will read up on after I finish this comment), I suppose it was just a way to chuckle at another man's pause, but nevertheless, the poem rings true- that pause to reflect and to deliberately make a choice did, indeed, make all the difference. There was never a guarantee that the difference was good, or that the decision to follow the less-traveled road was the right one; it was simply the decision that was made, that thusly affected all future decisions, and it did make all the difference, though what difference that was could never really be known without psychic abilities or a time-traveling device. For that very reason, there is a sort of bravery in making the decision to take any road at all, rather than standing there at the intersection, too afraid to move forward into a world unknown to you.
If anything, I think this probably just renewed my interest and delight in the poem. And I will continue to take the road (or stream) less traveled when those words come to mind at an intersection, and I will be happy to know that I'm in good company, even if I end up in an un-navigable marsh. :)
Has the puff migrated south to your face John?
John you made me fall in love with poems.
Don't join the military. Please!!!
+Martin Benek No, he doesnt plan on it. He meant people were asking him if they should do it.
+William Man I was writing that to all the viewers, not John but thanks ;)
+Martin Benek why not?
+Michael Reyes ur stating that but that really only is true for the states and few of our friends
+Michael Reyes please, not everything the U.S. does is good but if you think all we do is war for oil your drinking too much cool-aid
Just gotta say, "...those iambic feet will wander back into my mind." is one of the greatest pieces of wordplay and imagery I've heard/seen in a while.
Oh, and nice video as well :)
I love when youtubers (especially John Green) talk about Robert Frost because I live in Robert Frost's winter home that he owned in Miami Florida so i always feel very connected to him.
We watched a video hank made in class today and I was just sitting there fangirling
I love taking roads people don't even when they are dangerous. It's a fun adventure
So I just wanted to say that on the first day of my English class, we went onto my teachers website as a class for her to show us and she had a link to one of your videos on Crash Course : 'Why we read' and she asked the class who had seen a video done by John Green before and more than half the kids raised their hands and I'm not sure what the point of sharing this was, but if you see this, I hope it makes you smile
My favorite poem. Gives me chills every time.
i truly admire what you're doing with your youtube channels
I love this poem. I knew everything you talked about already. Amazing video.
John, this video is fascinating and really stuck in my memory. So, imagine my surprise when not even a whole day later, my mom shows me a column in Book Page about a soon-to-be-released book by David Orr titled 'The Road Not Taken' which is about this exact same misinterpretation of the poem, even citing Thomas's famous indecisive nature. This book is also published by Penguin, so we're wondering if perhaps you got ahold of an advanced reader copy of the work, or had seen the column in Book Page which inspired this video. Or maybe this was all just a coincidental twist of fate. Either way, thanks for such a stimulating video and keep up the excellent work.
I'm taking a poetry class right now at my university, and I am certain my professor will love this explanation! I'm definitely going to email this to her! Thanks John!
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-
It gives a lovely light!
- Edna St Vincent Millay
Two great videos from you two this week. To be honest this weeks videos were refreshing in their subject matter. Thanks as always :)
After so many years, this is probably the finest post I've ever watched. (sorry Hank)
John, I was watching this in bed with my phone and dropped it on my face. John, you and poetry fell on my face and now I feel blessed
+Sarah Judd It must be a sign!
Great video!! A poetry analysis series would be so wonderful!!
Thanks man, I chose to speak about this poem from Robert Frost in a exam's oral and I needed a "reception document", in English litterature, your video is perfectly adapted. Thanks a lot.
after watching this one video i realized the base of all the decisions of my life since 2015 has been shaken and probably the bravery i was thinking while choosing the future decisions for me is a mere absurd thing now. so my favourite writer just made my life a question mark
I love poetry and it has played a huge roll in my life I couldn't even begin to explain it
"Those iambic feet will wander back into my mind." Beautiful, John. Beautiful :)
One of my favourite poems
"those iambic feet will wander back into my mind"
WOW THAT WAS SO NICE YOU SHOULD BE AN AUTHOR OR SOMETHING
seriously appreciating the paper towns beer can sword making a cameo in the back of an already awesome video! :')
Finally went to see Paper Towns today and the first thing I noticed in the background of this video was the beer can sword :D It's so cute John keeps little bits and Bob's from the movie sets!!
Thank God! This poem makes so much more sense now. Thank you
this feels like an old vlogbrothers video and i approve
prouda you john
Yay! I'm so pleased other nerd fighters chose poetry as well. Hank/John could you do one on Dorothy Parker? (I love her dark sense of humour & the way she tackles complicated subjects in simple ways)!!
I live near the Robert Frost farm in Derry NH. It's an awesome place to go visit. And then there are some great farm stands on the way.
I will never be able to see this poem the same way..... it was my favorite
Thanks for such an informative and thoughtful video John! Now I have a great rebuttal for my dad, who always quotes this poem to me when encouraging me to take risks
+Emily L Nothing like turning the powers of poetry against your loved ones haha.
Coincidentally, the other day I went kayaking on a river and while listening to several episodes Dear Hank and John. When I came to the first fork in the river I too chose the one less traveled while thinking of the poem, and quickly found, like you, that there was a good reason for it to be less traveled. So I turned around and followed the more traveled river the rest of the way and was quite satisfied, having learned a valuable lesson.
This was my favorite poem as a kid!