preview

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

Better Essays

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both.” This is the first line of the opening stanza of Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” The traveler in this story has been walking down a path and come to two diverging roads. Thus, creating a situation in which the traveler must make a decision. This poem is often misinterpreted by readers and critics. The poem is entertaining, but it is not as deep and profound as many people believe. I interpret the poem as a reflection of the uncertainties of life, but in a humorous way.
Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26, 1874. He was named after the famous Confederate general, Robert E. Lee. Robert Lee Frost lived in San Francisco until he was eleven. At the age of eleven, his father died of tuberculosis, and Frost moved in with his paternal grandparents. Shortly after his father’s death, his family relocated to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Frost attended school at Lawrence High School and graduated in 1892. He graduated as class poet and shared co-valedictorian honors with his current girlfriend and future wife, Elinor White. After high school, he attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. It was there that he got a job as a newspaper reporter.
Frost was recognized for his literary talent in 1894 when he published his first poem, “My Butterfly” which earned him $15. After this poem was published in New York Independent, he made a copy to show his fiancée Elinor. Her reaction

Get Access