Robert Frost’s Poem, The Road Not Taken Essay

In “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, we are given a piece of art that simply will leave you clueless unless, you understand the pain and frustration the man is going through; when choosing what route he feels will give him the most joy. In the poem a man is walking through the woods and he comes upon a fork. He who wants to take both roads chooses the route that he feels is traveled less on. Little does he know that both road have been equally traveled on. He who travels on the route that has fresher leaves lies to himself, by convincing himself that he will come back and take the other route. Though it was a very stressful and a hard decision for the man to make, many people are put into very similar situations like in John Updike’s A and P and as well as in James Joyce’s Eveline. Both Sammy and Eveline find it troubling to make a decision that will change their life completely.

Robert Frosts “The Road Not Taken” is more symbolic of a choice one must make in their life in attempt to foresee the outcome before reaching the end, than it is about choosing the right path in the woods.

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

His choice will make changes in his life that he will not be able to take back and he will never again be at that same starting point. The last use of symbolism in the poem is "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference."  These lines say to me that the writer has led a satisfying life.  That he did chose wisely and although it wasn't necessarily an easy life, it was fulfilling for him and he is proud of the choices he made.

Frost presents the traveler's choice of paths as a metaphor for the difficult decisions a person must make in life. The divergent paths are the choices to be made at various points along the way. Regardless of how he tries, the traveler cannot see beyond where the path is "bent in the undergrowth" (5). Likewise, nobody can predict what effect one choice will have on his life. The traveler sees the two paths as very similar or "just as fair" (6). As much as the traveler would like to return to the diverging roads, he realizes that he will not get another chance to travel the other path. With maturity comes a resignation that a choice has affected a person's life and there is no going back. He also tries to make the best of his decision by saying that it has "made all the difference." (20).

In Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, Frost shows the everyday human struggle to make a choice that could change the course of one’s life. In his poem, a person has the choice to take one road or the other. One road is worn out from many people taking it, and the other is barely touched, for fewer have taken that road. Throughout the poem, the speaker learns that just because so many other people have done one thing, or walked one way, does not mean everyone has to. Sometimes you just have to go your own way.

?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.

Thesis: In the poem “A Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost shares how sometimes in life one has to make decisions rather they’re good or bad. However there are consequences following one’s decisions and choices. One can use their second chance by looking forward and choosing to take the right paths in life.

Throughout the poem of “A Road Not Taken,” the poet makes a clear point that within everyone’s life, they will be forced to make decisions. You won’t always know the different types of effects that may come with the decisions you make and sometimes you may need to let nature take its course. In order to demonstrate this, the poet has created a pathway in his poem which eventually splits apart to form two paths instead of one. He forms a conflict within himself over which pathway would be the best to take. In his writing, the poet establishes a regretful and sorrowful tone.

In reading, the poem “The road not taken”, written by Robert Frost, appears to be speaking about life choices, which is how many readers have interpreted this poem. I see Frost writing about a person doing one thing over the other but not sure what to do. The person chooses one, but as the person gets older, he revisits that time in life when he had to choose. In the last stanzas, it says, “I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence; Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). I see this as a person thinking regardless of my choice, I am satisfied with the choice that I have made.

In the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, there is a pervasive and fundamental sense of journey throughout.   In such, the poem explores an aspect associated with human decision, or indecision, with the use of symbolism. As Frost discusses, for every road we take, there is a road we don't take.

Could he be referring to his own death and a decesion that he may have made that makes him feel more confident about his salvation? Another thing the author is saying is that he wanted to take both roads, but he knew he couldn't. So what he really wanted was the best of both worlds, meaning he wanted to take both roads. There is a common saying about not being able to have the best of both worlds, and it applies very well in this situation; "you can't have your cake and eat it too." He eventually ends up making up his mind; he chooses the road that was "...grassy and wanted wear" (5). Many people before him had taken the road he did not select, and it is possible that we can look at that road as being the easy way out. We can tell that not may people have taken the road in which he has selected, because it still has a lot of grass growing there; this road could symbolize the long-term success of doing what is right and not what is easy. It would have been easiest for him to take the same road as everybody, but instead he wanted to be different from the people around him. In the poem the author says, "I doubted if I should ever come back" (5 ); could this be because he likes the road he choose? We have all made choices in our lives that made us so happy that we did not want to go back to our old ways; is that what the author feels? I believe the main point the author is trying to get across in this poem is

“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.