ressures that have caused his inattention in the past are soon to encroach again. Frost, in line 7, may be using the symbolism of the horse nudging the speaker as if "to ask if there is some mistake" to show the pressures that are placed on us through our daily lives: society, family, and fiscal solvency. In other words, we must resist the temptation to slow down so that we can be valuable members of society, provide for our family and have the material wealth to show others of our prowess. Frost seems to be advising that, although one must normally succumb to these pressures, one must make time to revel in the joy of life, lest the chance be taken away. Frost is showing in a very poignant way that life is too short not to celebrate in the awesome beauty of the world around us. The last three lines of this poem are symbolic of the realization that, between being born and dying, there are many things to do. Frost may be showing that, like so many of us, he realizes that the completion of responsibilities is the only way to enjoy the pleasures of life. The fact that Frost repeats the last line "and miles to go before I rest" gives a sense of weariness to the reader. It shows the terrible price that we all pay, the price of our lives committed to the service of someone else. What a wonderful society we have wrought that indentured servitude is accepted, and the beauty of life is something only sampled in between requirements of our taskmasters. We live our lives through a series of benchmarks. I must graduate high school. I must get a college degree. I must find a spouse. I must start a family. I must get that promotion. I must show my boss that I am worth that raise. Then, when our youth, usefulness, and worth to those we seemed to find so important is gone, we are allowed to relax. What irony that when most people reach retirement, that euphoric era when responsibilities are a thing of the past, they are unable to enjoy themselves. Again...
