In analyzing the poem 'The Road Not Taken'; by Robert Frost, it represents 'the classic choice of a moment and a lifetime.';(pg 129) He relies much on the reflections of nature to convey his theme. However, this poem seems to be in essence very simple but
opens the door for many interpretations.
In using a simple fork in a road, Frost writes much to symbolize life and choices in which one will make. Frost uses unique ability to see an ordinary, everyday activity to portray such a theme. By using such simple endeavors, Frost reaches his audience on
a more personal level. However, it is only one's past, present and the attitude with which he or she looks upon the future that determines the shade of light in which the poem will be seen. (pg 621)
There is never a straight path for one to follow on life's journey. By using two paths in which to choose from, Frost leaves one to realize that everyone must travel and will reach a point of decision. With stating 'And sorry I could not travel both,'; Frost
shows the point in which one will choose because there is only one path in which one may travel. It is most difficult to make a decision on each appealing path because everyone will always seem to question 'what could I or could I not miss out on?'; The
fact he is sorry he is sorry he cannot travel, or choose, both paves the way for regret. This will often be reflected upon by an individual in which saying ' what could have been';
leads one to dwelling over the choice of road in which they did not take. In knowing that each one may be influenced in many directions, Frost clearly implies 'And be one traveler, long I stood.'; No matter how each of us may be influenced by family or various sources, there is only 'one traveler'; that will be affected by any decision and there is quite a lengthy thought process involved. Regardless of any outside influence there is only one to be involved and truly affected, as does any choice in life.
In somewhat of an attempt to make a decision each person wants to carefully examine the unknown. In using sort of a checks and balances a person would weigh out the risk factor to be involved. Frost uses the line, 'And looked down one as far as I
could'; to portray an involved examination. The strain used in 'as far as I could'; symbolizes somewhat of a unknown content of where the path may lead. No matter what one knows...
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...o sharply limited.';(pg 496) One would have to agree with his point, because everyone has had to make difficult unalterable decisions of which the outcome could not be foreseen.
The narrator must choose between two 'fair'; roads, of which he cannot see the endpoints. Wandering between the two, he finally decides to take the road 'less traveled by.'; Yet, like most people, he later sighs with regret thinking of what he might have
missed on the unexplored road.
Above all, 'The Road Not Taken'; can truly be interpreted through much symbolism as a clear-sighted representation of two fair choices. The two roads in the poem, although, 'diverging,'; lead in different directions. At the beginning they appear to be somewhat similar, but is apparent that miles away they will grow farther and farther away from each other. Similar to many choices faced in life. It is impossible to foresee the consequences of most major decisions we make and it is often necessary to make these decisions based on a little more than examining which choice 'wanted wear.'; In
the end, we look back upon the choices we have made and like the narrator 'sigh,'; observing that they have made 'all the difference.'
After dissecting the one road, the speaker takes the other path without putting as much time investigating it. He makes so...
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” expresses the decisions one must make in life. In this case he isn’t very straightforward, yet he conveys the message to the reader quite clearly. Throughout this controversial verse he gets us to think about the vast importance of decision making, with the use of some literary devices.
The Road Not Taken is a poem about decisions in life and how each one
The choices made on an adventure make the journey more important than the destination. In “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, a traveler in the poem is faced with two paths which represent two different decisions. The traveler struggles with these two choices, wishing he could just pick both, and if he didn’t like one he could just go back and take the different path. However, when he finally comes to a decision, it makes a huge impact. The speaker realizes this, saying, ”I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” (Frost 20). When he made his choice and picked the one most people wouldn’t make, it changed his life, which makes the journey more important than the destination. The choice he made actually changed the destination ,which means it is more important because it affected the overall outcome.
Frost realizes that had he taken the other road he would not be where he is today. He was adventurous and choose the road that had been traveled the least recently and that one decision changed his life
In this poem, Frost illustrates that every person has his own opinion. He states “Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim” (line 6-7). What make it better was “it was grassy and wanted wear” (line 8). It was something that was obviously not for everyone because it seems that the other people take the more popular one. “And both that morning equally lay/ In leaves no step had trodden black” (line 11). No one had yet to pass by on this road since the leaves have fallen. “I kept the first for another day” (line 13). The desire to travel down both paths is expressed and is not unusual, but “knowing how way leads onto way” (line 14). The speaker of this poem realizes that the decision is not just a temporary one, and he “doubted if I should ever come back”
In his poem “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost discusses the theme of choice. The speaker of the poem finds himself standing in front of two roads diverging in a wood. He is in the process of decision-making for quite a while until he finally takes one of the roads. Now, he spends his time thinking over the choice he made and how he will relate to this choice in the future. To effectively convey the uncertainty of decision-making, Frost develops ambiguity and uses nature imagery in the poem.
According to Andrew Spacey (2) in his analysis of “The Road Not Taken”, the poem is a metaphor. The road is life and there are decisions to be made that will perhaps change his life forever. He’s at a turning point in his life and must make a decision. As humans, we tend to over think decisions. We weigh the pros and cons.
Frost details this through the idea with an analogy of a wander walking through the woods and reaching a fork in road. They are many metaphors pertaining to life and the decisions people make, such as the fork in the word symbolizing a person’s choices. In addition, how these decisions symbolize the true
“And sorry I could not travel both,”(line two), and that is because once you have made a decision and act upon it, you no longer can go back and change that decision. It becomes a decision you will have to live with every day of your life. You might think one day you can go back and travel the other road, but you know that will not happen. As he says, “Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how the way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” (Line 13-15) He couldn't have said it better, as human's we all have a tendency to look back and wonder what would have happened if I had made a different decision. If I had said no to that choice that sent me to jail, how would I be living right now? The outcome of that decision is the reason I am living the way I do today. Robert Frost understood how people always look back and say what if I made a different decision and walked the other road. Even if you're still happy with the outcome of the road you went through, you can't help but satisfy your curiosity of the other road and ask yourself, what was on the road that I didn't
The poem is set in a forest the narrator is hiking through; where at a point in his trip, he is forced to make an important decision. Which road should he take? He inspects both roads and finds that they “Had worn them really about the same”. The narrator knows that whichever road he embarks on will be final and he cannot turn back.
The two roads in the poem relate to various paths one might be faced with in life. One path “bent in the undergrowth” (5) which means it had taken many times. However, the other path “was grassy and wanted wear” (8). This is the path in one’s life, which seems “unpopular” at the time. Not many people choose the path that is not typically chosen by others. This is what Frost is doing in his poem as he uses these solid metaphors: challenging his readers to “go against the flow” as the man did.
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” provide us contrasting and sometimes similar glimpses of life. “The Road Not Taken” is about taking control and living life. “Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening” entails the desire for rest, perhaps due to the speaker’s feelings of weariness from facing life’s struggles. The poet also explains the tough choices people stand before when traveling the road of life. Sometimes people regret the possibilities of the road not chosen, sometimes people feel proud about the road they have chosen.
The main theme of the poem that Frost attempts to convey is how important the decisions that one makes can be, and how they affect one’s future. In lines 2-3, he expresses the emotions of doubt and confusion by saying, “And sorry I could not travel/ And be one traveler, long I stood”, which explains how the speaker contemplated their decision of which road to take. In the closing, line 20 of the poem further reestablishes the theme when it states, “that has made all the difference”, meaning that making the decision of which road to take for themselves is the important key for a successful future. Frost helps to express this theme by using symbolism to portray a road as one’s journey of life. Using symbolism, Frost suggests that the speaker of this poem is taking the harder of the two roads presented before them, because the road the speaker chooses, “leaves no step had trodden black” (12...
The overarching theme throughout the entire poem is that of choices. The concept of “two roads diverged,” or a split in the road, is a metaphor representing a choice which the narrator must make. Being “sorry [he] could not travel both… [being] one traveler” illustrates that, although he wishes he could see the results of both choices, as seen in saying he “looked as far as [he] could to where it bent,” he is but one pers...