The Road Not Taken and Citizen Kane

At the first reading of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, what came to my mind immediately is a relatively apparent theme of this poem: choices people make for their lives. Including me, we all make choices or decisions every single day. Yet, if we could go back to the past and change our choices, things would be totally different from how they have been now; more importantly, we might not become who we are today. In addition, regrets, happiness, sadness and other emotions or feelings might come to our mind when we think of our past; also, they are parts of our memories. Combing these ideas together inevitably reminds me of a film by Orson Welles titled Citizen Kane. In the following paragraphs, I am going to show how Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken along with Citizen Kane of Orson Welles connect to our daily lives, what their viewpoints to the destiny and choices are and how they are profoundly presented.
At the very beginning of the poem, The Road Not Taken, I would propose that we are exposed to one of the themes of the poem- choice. ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both,’ depicts that we all have to make decisions and choose a way for our own destiny while standing in a crossroad of choices. Additionally, at the end of the first stanza, we could see that people would try to catch a glimpse of their future before making choices. I would imply the reason why people would try to foresee their lives is due to the uncertainty or the expectation of better lives.

Desire and Innocence?

After reading John Milton’s Paradise Lost, we could easily perceive that it is an epic poem that aimed at portraying the story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Yet, I would like to talk about whether if the behaviours of Eva and Adam and the consequence they have are out of desire or just mere innocence.
First, we could find out that Satan is a skilful talker from his persuasion to other rebel angels and subsequently organising his followers. When it comes to the scene when Satan returns to Eden, enters into the body of a sleeping serpent and successfully tempts Eve by compliments and tricking her with his rhetorical skill. After being tempted, Eve eats the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and takes some fruit for Adam. As for Adam, seeing Eve has made mistake, deliberately commits the same sin. He says to Eve that as she was made from his ribbon, they are bound to one another so that if she dies, he must also die.
From that certain scene, I would imply that the reason why Eva will eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is out of curiosity and innocence. However, her curiosity could be seemed as desire that make people want to know discover more information. As for Adam, he is seemingly smarter and more rational than Eva. Yet, if he has no love and so-called responsibility for Eva, would he still eat the fruit that Eva has eaten, too? In my point of view, I would suggest that there is certain innocence in Adam as well as in Eva.

Days with Katerina Zourou

At the beginning, I would like to say that Katerina zourou is the most outgoing and energetic professor I have ever seen!
She is a friend of Dr. Meei-Ling Liaw and came to Taiwan for visit and delivering speeches.
For most of time, she stayed in Taichung. And I was the one who take her around to see this amazing city.
Here's the schedule foro her:
Schedule for Katerina’s visit

5/8 (Sat) Tour in Taichung
09:30 Have breakfast.
10:30 Head to bus station to 大甲.
12:00 大甲媽祖廟
18:00 Get back from 大甲.
20:00 Dinner at 希臘秘密旅行, Greek restaurant.
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5/11 (Tue) Talk at NTCU
15:30 National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
20:00 Dinner at restaurant in vicinity of the museum.
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5/12 (Wed) Tour in Taichung
17:30 勤美誠品綠園道&市民廣場
20:00 Dinner at 春水堂.
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5/13 (Thu) Talk at Providence at 10:00 A.M.
15:30 孔廟
17:00 一中街
20:00 Dinner at Micaela, Italian restaurant.
21:30 Go to a movie. (Perhaps!)
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5/16 (Sun) Return to Taichung
A. 科博館→豐原廟東
B. 民俗公園→ 洲際盃棒球場
*It all depends when you would return from Taipei. If you are back early, it would be plan A.
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5/17 (Mon) Tour in Taichung
09:30 Have breakfast.
10:30 Head to心之芳庭.
14:30 Lunch at restaurant in 心之芳庭.
18:00 Back to Taichung City.
*If Meei-Ling joins, we might go here by car. If not, I got my scooter.
Website: http://www.moncoeur.com.tw/

Still, we went to night market and other places that are interesting in Taichung. I have to admit that Taichung is such a amazing city!
I said to Katerina that she should come back this island again since we would have celebration on October 10th.