The Use of Irony in Robert Frost´s Poem: The Road Not Taken

Poetry requires comprehension and timely analyzation. A poem may convey something completely different after it has been broken down, piece by piece, and read more clearly. In poetry, length is not equivalent to substance. Therefore, a poem can range any where from a few lines to a few pages. Author’s often use literary devices to further communicate their message to the reader. In order to fully comprehend Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” one must understand how the use of irony aids in communicating the main theme.

The length of a written piece does not correlate to the significance of meaning that piece of work may have. Frost’s poem only consists of four stanzas but the poem holds more than meet the eye. At first the reader might think that Frost is trying to convey a theme which reflects life’s decisions. “The Road Not Taken” does just the opposite. What Frost is ultimately trying to convey is that one should live out his or her days enjoyable. There is no use of living in a mindset of what if? As demonstrated in the poem. Only one road can be taken. Regardless, if one was to go back he or she would still have to make a decision. Choices are not always easy but no matter what they are inescapable. When considering the author’s path, was there really a right path? “The Road Not Taken” explores all these ideas in a matter of sentences. It is easy to misunderstand what Frost is trying to convey as the poem is focused on decisions that need to be made. The last stanza of the poem includes a line “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”. What really is the road less traveled? Either way, that path or the other path would have been the chosen. It was a choice that needed to be made regard...

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...ot Taken” as title is fitting to the irony in which the poem embodies.

It is easy to misinterept poetry, which is why it is important to reread the piece a few times as well as analyze it further. For example, the reader may miss all that Frost was trying to convey if the piece is hastily read through. Although “The Road Not Taken” is not a long piece of writing it has significant meaning and use of irony. Frost intended for the poem, ironically to be an example of how decisions were wrongly handled. It is more important to cherish the life one is currently living than to dwell on decisions that need to be made. Life is short and decisions are inevitable. Therefore Frost is ultimately encouraging to enjoy each moment and every decision. Consequently, Frost’s poem should be carefully dissected in order to bettter understand what he is trying to ultimately convey.