The Road Not Taken: The Paradox of Free Will
Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken", is a profound philosophical approach illustrating the paradox of free will. In the first line, Frost uses the metaphor "Two roads diverged" (1), to establish not only the dilemma of the traveler in the poem, but life itself. The decisions we make in life, like the traveler in "The Road Not Taken", are not to be taken lightly. There is a desire to be adventurous, yet we fear possible regret for 'what might have been'. Either way, we must live with the choices we make. "The Road Not Taken" is an ambiguous poem epitomizing the complex nature of individuality.
The literal situation of "The Road Not Taken" concerns a
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A structural link is created between stanzas two, "worn them really about the same" (10), and stanza three,
"both that morning equally lay" (11). This indecision symbolizes the central idea of the poems theme. central idea of the poems theme. For a brief and exciting moment, the traveler believes he will save the road not chosen "for another day!" (13). Frost uses an exclamation mark in line 13 to illustrate the travelers attempt to justify a decision. However, knowing that "way leads to way" (14), the traveler doubts ever returning and following another road. Once the decision has been made for one crossroads, the traveler knows that there will be many more crossroads ahead. It is this realization that conceives a completely different tone for the final stanza. The traveler envisions himself in the future, telling of his day in a "yellow wood" (1) when "two roads diverged" (1), that he had to make a choice. A choice that will have "made all the difference" (20). The traveler does not foresee regret for the decision, however believes that he will be telling the story "with a sigh" (16). Frost emphasizes the changing mood of the traveler by beginning line 16 with the poems only other sentence. The figurative significance of "The Road Not Taken" is far reaching.
Although this poem is about a traveler making a decision, the relevant message Frost is trying to convey symbolizes much more. "The Road Not
Taken" is
Regardless of the subject, this writing belongs to the genre of poetry. In The Road Not Taken offers the reader a chance to make life choices. In the poem it says, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not traveled them both,” meaning that you can’t choose more than once choice in life. It talks about two beaten paths in life, you must choose
The literal scene of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken, is described as a “yellowed wood” (Arp & Johnson, 2009). Use of this description could be that fall is upon the wood or the trees perhaps once white have yellowed with age. Before the traveler is a road split into two different directions, he has no idea where each road leads. In trying to imagine, where each one might lead he tries to “look down each path” (Arp & Johnson, 2009), but to no avail as he can only see as far as the
In “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost leaves a major theme of making choices. The poem is about a man traveling and he comes across a fork-in-the-road. He must make a decision on which way he will keep traveling. One way seems familiar to him. It is by far the safer and easier route to go down. But that does come with a price. The road has been used a lot and may be more difficult to travel down even though it seems easier. He ends up choosing the road less traveled. It did not seem as convenient at the time but he states that it helped him in the long run. Not only does “The Road Not Taken,” have a theme about choices, but it also holds a theme about choosing the road less taken. Taking chances and choosing the road less traveled can have many benefits in the long run.
The analysis of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost has been up for debate since the poem release in 1916. It is known to be one of the most frequently misinterpreted poems of all time, and even Robert Frost himself has said the poem is “tricky” to comprehend (The). When analyzing this poem many readers tend to focus only on the last lines of the poem and get caught in a trap of selective-interpretation. Quite a few people after reading Robert Frost’s poem firmly conclude that this poem is about non-conformity and individualism, however, that is not the case. Robert Frost’s poem is meant to be analyzed line by line for a complete interpretation. Readers can conclude that the poem represents making choices in life, but that is not the
In the Robert Frost poem ‘’The Road Not Taken’’ there is a pervasive and in many ways intrinsic sense of journey throughout. In such, the poem explores an aspect associated with human decision, or indecision, relative to the oxymoron, that choices with the least the difference should bear the most indifference, but realistically, carry the most difficulty. This is conveyed through the use of several pivotal techniques. Where the first such instance is the use of an extended metaphor, where the poem as a whole becomes a literary embodiment of something more, the journey of life. The second technique used is the writing style of first person. Where in using this, the reader can depict a clear train of thought from the walker and understand
“The Road Not Taken” is a poem about how it is important to make a choice in life. In the beginning of the poem, the man is hating that he had to be stuck with the road he chose instead of being able to take both paths. The man tried to look farther down the paths that he could’ve chosen to go down, but the man was only able to see to the point that the road curved and was no longer visible. Stanza # 2, the man indicated that he took the road he felt looked better and could’ve been better because
How can an author effectively convey a universal message to the broadest audience possible? Simple. The author must simply create a completely impartial narrator, devoid of sex, status, or age. The Road Not Taken is a poem told by an impartial narrator who has come to a crossroads in his/her life. The crossroads is represented by a forked path that leads through a forest. The setting is also impartial; the forest is anytime and anywhere the reader desires it to be. The narrator is forced to make a life-decision, thus changing the course of his/her life forever. Symbolism and imagery are used effectively to reinforce the main theme of the poem.
Robert Frost's poem “The Road Not Taken” describes a traveler faced with a choice of which one of two roads to travel. He knows not where either road might lead. In order to continue on his journey, he can pick only one road. He scrutinizes both roads for the possibilities of where they may take him in his travels. Frost's traveler realizes that regret is inevitable. Regardless of his choice, he knows that he will miss the experiences he might have encountered on the road not taken.
?The Road Not Taken? (1916) tells of someone faced with two of life?s decisions however only one can be chosen. Whichever road is taken will be final and will determine the direction that their life takes. Frost drives this poem by a calm and collective narrative, spoken by the traveler of the diverged roads. Who is speaking with himself trying to convince himself of which road is the better choice. Frost wrote this poem using standard, modern language.
Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" tells of someone faced with one of life's major decisions whereas only one direction can be chosen. Whichever road is taken will be final and will determine the direction that their life takes.
The Road Not Taken Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”, dramatizes the conflict between people and the choices they encounters throughout their life. During the poem’s introduction, the speaker stands at a fork in the road contemplating which path to choose. He ultimately travels “the better claim”(Frost 7) stating he will return to travel the other another day, though realistically doubting he will ever have to opportunity to do so. Yet if the traveler returns, he will do so with a twist: he will claim to have taken the road less traveled. The speaker understands both roads are equally worn.
The reader can just picture Robert Frost walking in a wooded area of the New Hampshire forest when suddenly he comes upon a trail that divides and he wrote he Road Not Taken? A poem that has been used in countless high school graduation speeches and as a metaphor for any situation in which a person must make an important decision. The simple themes have always appealed to Frost’s readers and seems to speak to people more than a Shakespeare
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” both portray weighing of choices in life. The former is about youth and experiencing life and the latter is about old age, or more probably, an old spirit wearied by life. In both poems the speaker is in a critical situation where he has to choose between two paths in life. In “The Road Not taken” the speaker chooses the unconventional approach to the decision making process, thus showing his uniqueness and challenging mentality while in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” the speaker seeks a life without any pain and struggle but at the end, he has to comply with social obligation, which reflects his responsibility towards the society.
The Road Not Taken is a twenty-line poem written in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ABAAB. This poem starts with the author walking through the woods. He comes to a fork in the path and is torn by which path to take...does he take the
“The Road Not Taken” is a poem that involves a common dilemma faced in every single life. Robert Frost wrote the poem trying to explain to his friend Edward Thomas that he took the best decision in his life taking the road least travel. His friend misunderstood Frost intentions and after read the poem, he took the other road in his life and it made all the difference. Instead of travel to America and be a great professor, Thomas felt the sensation of be an unsuccessful writer and a non-patriotic citizen which help him to take the decision of enlist during the war. After taking the other road in his life, he finishes with his life during the war. The poem creates a connection with the reader because the situation presented emphasizes the life of any person. Every person is forced to decide a path and the decision made it, will always make a difference. The result of a person's character or life is related in the decisions made it during his or her life. In “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost uses different types of conflicts, character versus self, character versus nature, character versus society, to show how the path taken in life makes all the difference.