Life's Decisions Explored in The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost

People are given choices and must choose a path, which will lead them further in life, without having sight of what is in their future. Similarly, Frost says that he looks down without being able to see where the path leads by saying, "And looked down one as far as I could/To where it bent in the undergrowth" (Frost 5). Furthermore, Frost is stating how the two split roads are the symbol of having the opportunity to choose things throughout life, and that whichever path is left untraveled is really "The road not taken" which is the title of the poem. In addition to symbolism, Frost uses the ideas of ambiguity and irony.

In the story, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, there is a tale about a traveler, that has walked upon a set of two roads (ln. 1). Although this is what the story literally says, there is hidden meaning behind its words. There is a difference between reading a poem, and understanding what a poem is trying to tell you.

The traveller finds himself on a fork in the road and wishes that he could travel both. This being physically and figuratively a non-possibility, is recognised by the traveller and the idea is immediately rejected. The slight contradiction can be noted in the second stanza when one road is described as “grassy and wanted wear” and soon after the traveller conveys that the two roads are worn in almost the same manner. In the second stanza, Robert Frost utilises personification giving the road human characteristics. The "wanted wear" is a distinctively human characteristic and consequently personifies the path, giving it desires. This is purposefully done as the path itself embodies the act of making a choice which is also uniquely human. Frost builds on the/enhances the imagery created in this poem in the third stanza and the traveller distinguishes that the leaves on both roads fell recently and had not been marched upon and suggests that he should return and take the first road another time. The traveller is not sure whether he would be able to accomplish this desire as he comes to a realisation that life is quite short and as the decision he made would lead to other choices and

Both roads he has to choose from appear to be similar, as far as he can see; however, the speaker evidently knows that, though similar, these roads would not lead him down the same journey, metaphorically speaking. Once the decision was made, there would be no turning back.

Imagery and personification are used to describe contradiction in the process of making a decision between the two paths. Since he cannot take both roads, the speaker looks down the road but cannot see beyond the undergrowth, which expresses the fact that no one knows what the future will bring. Much of the imagery in the poem is visual to describe the path to show the speaker's indecisiveness of choosing a certain path. He wants to choose the path that is less traveled so he chooses the path that is " having perhaps the better claim" (7), which is the path that is "grassy and wanted wear"(8), a personification to describe that road is not stepped by other people. However, he realizes that there is no appreciable difference between the two paths because "both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black."(11,12) The contradiction with the serious tone shows perplexity that the

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

“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

Frost uses the debating between the two roads to show the reader the two choices that are presented to him and how those two choices offer countless amount of possibilities. There are multiple different ways to decipher the poem, but Frost connects with the reader in the sense that no matter what road is taken, another road will later replace the past road. Frost begins to notice one of the two roads looks more worn down than the other, “Though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same” this is representing real-life traumas and can show the decision making process when choosing between two options. Looking down one of the roads of life before actually following the trail shows a different perspective and point of view from the basic stand point of only seeing a problem one way and never seeing the problem or decision from another point of view. Frost decides in the end to take one of the paths and says he will take the second path another day although he may never go back to the starting point of his journey. It is more than just human instinct to not want to take the more unnatural or harmful pathway; it is easier to take the cleaner path so that the problem will be over with faster and Frost depicts this problem perfectly in the form of a short 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.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both." (Frost 1) - in life, there are many "paths" or choices; ways one can go in life. He explains that many people go one way, perhaps because others went that same way. "Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear" (Frost 1) In this, Frost is explaining that many people went one way while he wanted to travel the less worn one, because it might hold beautiful views – good experiences that no one else had gotten the chance to learn from. Life, he explains through this metaphor of travel, is full of choices. And going down one path may change ones life. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I- I took the one less traveled by; and it has made all the difference." (Frost 1) Robert Frost continues to teach an important life lesson to readers around the world through this extended metaphor

In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, the speaker is burdened because of a decision he has to make; which path is best to travel down. He has to choose which passage is best to take but it proves to be more difficult than he imagined. After looking as far down one can, the speaker decides on the latter because it appears “...grassy and wanted wear…”, even though the poem later describes both as equally worn (R.Frost). In this poem Robert Frost displays several literary elements throughout its entirety. Conflict/tone, symbolism/character(s), and imagery/settling are the three main devices used.

The speaker calls the road he chose “less traveled” and it does initially strike him as slightly grassier, slightly less trafficked. As soon as he made his choice, he doubles back, erasing the distinction even as he makes it “through as for that the passing there, had worn them really about the same.” Frost then reiterates that the two roads are comparable, observing that this time the roads are equally untraveled covered in newly fallen yellow leaves.

He is confused about which path he should take because he is curious about what lies down each path. His curiosity got the best of him. He “looked down one as far as [he] could To where it bent in the undergrowth” and “Then took the other, as just as fair” (lines 4-5 and 6). He decides that the second one is “perhaps the better claim, Because it [is] grassy and [wants] wear” but that they are also both “worn [...] about the same” (lines 7-9). He has discovered what lies down each path.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, is about someone choosing between two paths in life that have been laid out for them. One is easier than the other, while the other more compelling and mysterious. In this poem, it uses the setting of someone traveling in the woods, finding two different paths to take. One of the paths has been traveled on more, while the other has not. The poem altogether talks about the effect of what making different choices in life has in the long run.

By choosing the harder path, the speaker declares his rebellion against the popular opinion as represented by the other road. He decides not to conform to society and takes up a less popular choice. When considering his choices the speaker shows the typical human reaction. He considers taking both paths at first. He says, “Oh I kept the first for another day”, but later confesses he “doubted if [he] should ever come back” (13-15). Thus the poem’s significance lies in the speakers making a decision by choosing a road and moving on with his life. The act of choosing the road represents his uniqueness and the fact that he is always moving forward, even without stopping.