"Don't ever take a fence down, until you know why it was put up"- a quote from Robert Lee Frost, a well-known American and English poet. Following the death of his father he faced many challenges, including failing to finish college and many unsuccessful jobs. Shadowing his father and mother, he began a career in poetry. With his literary career failing, he and his family moved to England and then back to America a few years later. His success in America began in 1915 when his collection of poems became a sensation. Writing over one-hundred poems and winning countless awards, Frost became a sensation, even speaking in inaugural speeches. He died at the age of eighty-eight. Frost’s most recurring theme was elusiveness. He wrote about the struggles of nature and overall life, using very vivid imagery, making the reader dig deeper into his poems to find the true meaning of each. One of “Frost’s most famous poems, “The Road Not Taken,” has been criticized many times, even one woman calling it "the best example in all of American poetry of a wolf in sheep's clothing.” Overall, Robert Frost was one of the most well-known poets in American history, and his main theme, elusiveness, caused for many varied interpretations and critiques, most of them extraordinary. Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California to William and Isabel Prescott. In the article “Robert (Lee) Frost,” it is said that William Prescott was a known newspaper reporter and editor, while Isabel Prescott was a school teacher, both contributing to Frost’s future career. Sadly, in 1884, Frost’s father died when Frost was just eleven years old (“Robert”). In the article “The Road Not Taken,” in the Encyclopedia of World Biography, i... ... middle of paper ... ...athem. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston of Canada, Limited, 1969. Print. Greiner, Donald J. “Robert Frost.” The Twenties, 1917-1929. Ed. Brucolli, Matthew J. and Richard Layman. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1989. Print. Kearns, Katherine. “On ‘The Road Not Taken’.” Modern American Poetry. University of Illinois. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Oglivie, John T. “From Woods to Stars: A Pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jean Stine. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale Research, 1983. Print. “Plot Summary: ‘The Road Not Taken’.” DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. “Robert (Lee) Frost.” DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. “The Road Not Taken.” Poetry for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Print.
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“The Road Not Taken” examines the struggles people run into when they come to a place in their life where a life altering decisions has to be made. The man who is described in this poem is traveling when he comes upon “two roads diverged” (1). He then has to choose which path he will take to continue on his journey. After standing at the diversion for a while, he knows he has to make a final decision. One path was worn down and “bent in the undergrowth” (5), so he took the other path, which was described as “perhaps the better claim/ Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (6-7). The man of the poem begins to ponder about a time when he will be telling his story of the path he took. Although we are not sure if the man regrets his decision or is relieved, he lets us know taking the road less traveled “has made all the difference” (20).
The poem entitled “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is perhaps one of the most well-known poems to date. Frost’s poem explores the different paths and choices individuals are presented with throughout their life, which can later influence their lives significantly more than originally anticipated. Specifically, Frost describes a fork in the road at which the narrator must choose between two very different paths with varying outcomes. “The Road Not Taken” emphasizes the importance of taking the less traveled road through Frost’s usage of a wide range of literary devices. “The Road Not Taken” suggests that individuals should fully experience the process of making a choice before reaching a decision as that one single choice may later have
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"The Road Not Taken: a Study Guide." Cummings Study Guides. Michael Cummings, n.d. Web. 3 Apr 2011. .