Poemranker [Replying] Sun Nov 24 07:35:02 PST 2024

Replying to a comment on:

Betwixt and In Between (Free verse) by dougsoderstrom

There was a time in my life, When I was betwixt and in between, So............ confused as I was, I decided to do nothing, And that has made all the difference. Doug Soderstrom, Ph. D. December 27, 2004

zodiac

3-Jan-05/11:15 PM

Both of you, please re-read the Frost poem. As you're bound to have been taught in Comp I (and since forgotten), Frost means the road not taken doesn't make any difference except to some guy who thinks it did because he's bum and people tend to think things make differences when they don't.

To reiterate: Frost says

I SHALL BE TELLING THIS WITH A SIGH
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the road less traveled by
And that has made all the difference. [Emphasis added]

In other words, the poem's about someone saying something, not about the truth or untruth of the something itself.

Doug only says "And that has made all the difference." That's not only a bad ripoff, it's the exact opposite, like when Puff Daddy sampled that Sting song and made it all sweet and totally different.

I've made pretty clear on this site before that I'm a big believer in the general coolness of higher education. This despite that the ranks of grad students and former grad students on poemranker include Doug PhD, crystal lane swift, a horde of other bumlings I've already forgotten, and myself. This is just offensive to me, not to mention a little frightening. An electroman1979 I can forgive, but you guys are supposed to know better.

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