One of Frost’s commonest subjects is the choice the poet is faced with
two roads, two ideas, two possibilities of action. “The Road Not Taken”
deals with the choice between two roads, and with the results of the choice
which the poet makes. It raises the evident question of whether it is better to
choose a road in which many travel, or to choose the road less traveled and
explore it yourself. In “The Road Not Taken,” the speakers’ tone and setting
help illustrate the struggle a person goes through in their lives to pick the right
road to travel.
It is possible to read this poem as a statement of some self-pity on the
poet’s part, a feeling, perhaps, that he has been cheated and misunderstood
because he took an unpopular path. To support this tone, one might point to
the last stanza: The speaker will some day, sighing, tell others that he took
the unknown road when faced with a choice. The reading, however, misses
much of the significance of the second and third stanzas. At the end of the
second, the speaker states that there was really not much difference in the two
roads; neither had really been worn by traffic, though one had been given
more wear than the other. It becomes obvious that the speaker’s tone begins
to change. It becomes a little more confident, not much, but definitely less
confused and scared than he was earlier. The first glimpse of this change in
tone is in the eighth verse where he says, “because is [the second road] was
grassy and wanted wear.” It also shows that the speaker may not want to be
like everybody else, a follower, but instead, chose a different road and be
himself, a leader. This verse also says that the road wanted wear, like he was
drawn to the path, not just out of his own desire to be different, but maybe out
of some pity. That pity being that the road is traveled less not because it is
not appealing, but that people are too afraid to be different. Verse 12 is
interesting when the speaker says that, “In leaves no step had trodden black,”
which the reader could interpret meaning that few people who did choose to
take the road less traveled did not come across any difficulties or obstacles.
He then goes on to say that, “Oh, I kept the first for another day,” as to say
For example, one line, “Soon our pilgrimage will cease; Soon our happy hearts will quiver, with the melody of peace,” which is saying that one day we will die, and you can’t stop that. “Lay we every burden down; Grace our spirits will deliver, and provide a robe and a crown,” also reveals that you should appreciate what we’ve had, and what was given to us. This song is telling you, in every line, that you can’t live forever, but appreciate what you have, while you
The poem's speaker mistreated,gloomy and being isolated. She is a person who loss and assimilation if not loose your self. “That this
The first stanza describes the depth of despair that the speaker is feeling, without further explanation on its causes. The short length of the lines add a sense of incompleteness and hesitance the speaker feels towards his/ her emotions. This is successful in sparking the interest of the readers, as it makes the readers wonder about the events that lead to these emotions. The second and third stanza describe the agony the speaker is in, and the long lines work to add a sense of longing and the outpouring emotion the speaker is struggling with. The last stanza, again structured with short lines, finally reveals the speaker 's innermost desire to "make love" to the person the speaker is in love
Purpose: The purpose of this poem is to show that people are not always who they appear to be. Moreover, the people that seem to have it all may still be emotionally unstable and act irrationally such as committing suicide.
Overall I think this poem was sad as it made me feel sorry for the
“The Road Not Taken” is often interpreted as a persona contemplating a decision of traveling one of two paths that lie in front of him, in which he chooses the path less traveled, or so it may seem. Although, the
I think that these two opening lines of the third verse have a lot of
At the start of verse 2 it furthers the ideas set in line 3 - 'The
The third stanza is a second and different refrain. This refrain occurs in every other stanza. It acts as a divider between the stanzas dealing with a specific character. In the fourth stanza, Father McKenzie is introduced to the reader. He is described as a materialistic man whose life has no meaning.
In studying the book of Proverbs there is a similar theme of choice and discernment, the teachings of decision-making and the repercussions of your actions. These books are made up of extremes and polar opposites. The dualisms are the rich and poor, the righteous and the wicked, and the wise and the foolish. There is advice given and it is up to the judgment of the person to which category they will fall into. There are two ways of living, and based on the person’s discernment and ultimate choice to which one they will get to live.
Robert Frosts “The Road Not Taken” shows how the choices that one makes now will ultimately effect one’s life later. In addition, one cannot go back and change the choices that one makes had made later in life. The symbolism the speaker uses signals that a choice is permanent and it effects one’s life and the people around one’s life.
The first three verses are about other people and the repition is to give it atmosphere.
The poem is set out like an appeal, a cry for help. The title itself,
In the last line of the second stanza, the subject enters dramatically, accompanied by an abrupt change in the rhythm of the poem: