The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Standing Out

In Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken," the writer's tone and setting help to illustrate the struggle every person goes through to pick the correct path. I find this poem greatly related to my own life, since I have chosen a path taken by so few, a path of academia and self-sacrifice. The general subject of this poem is a person faced with two roads, two ideas, and two possibilities for action. "The Road Not Taken" addresses the choice between these two roads, and with the results of the choice which the poet makes. This paradox raises the evident question of whether it is better to choose a path in life on which many people travel, or to choose the path less traveled and explore it for oneself.

A number of years ago I made the conscious decision to redirect my life. The path that I chose was a path of schooling and following my long term dreams. As long as I can remember, I have wanted to work in medicine. As I started to work toward my goals I discovered that what lies ahead is unknown, scary, and not very different from any other choice. The effort that I put into my future will be exponentially multiplied when I finally reach my goal. I have found that this poem relates to my decision in many ways.

The setting in "The Road Not Taken" seems very important. In the first verse of the first stanza, Frost says, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," which is seemingly a very unimportant part of the poem. This line, however, is a metaphor in which Frost uses woods to represent life. Using this as an image helps to have a better understanding of the complexity of the problem that the speaker is facing. If someone were standing at the edge of some woods, you would not be able to clearly see what was ahead of you, because trees and branches would obstruct it. Just as I never know what lies ahead of me in my journey. Many things have happened that I never would have expected. Life is like those woods because no one can clearly see or predict what will happen in the future, only hope to choose a path that will lead you to good fortune and happiness.

I find it possible to read this poem as a statement of some self-pity on the poet's part, a feeling, perhaps, that he has been beguiled and misunderstood because he, like me, favored an isolated path.