The Road Not Taken Research Paper

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.

As I read and analyzed this poem I became aware that it is indeed a great poem and that the reader must dig deep in order to find the true message of the poem. Careful readers shall not be tricked.

The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost describes the dilemma in decision making, generally in life each individual has countless decisions to make and those decisions lead to new challenges, dilemmas and opportunities. In Frost’s poem, the careful traveler observes the differences of each path, one is bent and covered in undergrowth (Frost 5) and the other is grassy and unworn (Frost 8). In the end he knows he can only choose one of the paths, after much mental debate he picks the road less traveled and is well aware that he will likely never return to experience the other. By examining Frost 's "The Road Not Taken," we get a deeper understanding of

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.

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.

Frost writes the experience of someone who has a decision to make between two paths. In lines 9 and 10 it states how both paths travelers equally used. This comes to make me think how the decision that the narrator is making is a big life decision since there is really no helpful influence to draw him closer towards one of the paths. In lines 1-4, Frost

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.

In the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, there is a profound message to share with all age groups while aiming directly at the nature of decision making moments. The title itself gives a foresight of what is to be expected from this specific poem. Decision making is a continuous process which never ends, it’s something that is embraced by civilization. Robert Frost begins talking about two roads that diverge in a yellow wood but he obviously cannot pick both, “And sorry I could not travel both” (Frost 2). It is hard upon anyone when it is time to make a decision.

Decision making is a common component in everyday life. When a person makes a decision, they consider their options, reach a resolution, then commit to them. But as time passes, there are those who regret their choice and wish to go back to change their decision, while some people are satisfied with their chosen path. In Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”, the author describes a decision making process between traveling down one road or the other. Throughout the poem, Frost uses several poetic devices, including metaphor and enjambment, to help bring his theme across: it’s important to make the best possible decision because it can only be made once, in a way that encourages readers to think before they act.

The two roads represent an extended metaphor. When Frost writes “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both(lines 1&2),” he is not talking about a literal road. When the road splits, this represents the choices we have in life and the important decisions we have to make. You have to decide which road to travel, similarly to when you have to make a decision on which choice you are going to make. In addition, In Line 6, the speaker in the poem “took the other , as just as fair.” This is a metaphor for thinking about all options before making a decision, and not just going with the flow. The speaker doesn’t choose the more often lay used road even though it seems like everyone else did. People must think about the consequences for each decision and really lay out all possible options before finally coming to a decision. Transition, Autumn and the woods are used as a metaphor. At the beginning of the poem, the woods are yellow. This represents the beginning of fall.(line 1) Fall represents growing older. As a person ages, they are faced with making many decisions. These choices symbolize coming of age, and are a metaphor for the decisions of

Many people live their lives oblivious to the consequences of their actions and choices. Some people compare their actions with others before making decisions. Some people reminisce about their decisions and how their choices made them who they are today. In his poems, “Fire and Ice” and “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost describes the outcomes and consequences of choices and decisions. These two poems illustrate the same concepts, yet they are vastly different from each other. In the poem, “Fire and Ice,” Frost describes two paths to the end of the world. In “The Road Not Taken,” Frost addresses the choices a certain individual needs to make.

In Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” the narrator of the poem analyzes his situation thoroughly prior to choosing his path. His process can be seen in several lines of the poem. For example, his decision begins, “And be one traveler, long I stood.” Similar to making any life altering decision, the narrator takes time rather than rushing in to his path. He weighs the options of each path (decision) as he “looked down one as far as [he] could…Then took the other, as just as fair.”

In my ninth grade, I came across Robert Frost’s work of the Road not Taken. Although I have been an avid reader of several other literary works such as Shakespeare, Ernest Hemmingway, George Orwell, Joseph Conrad, Frost’s work has been of great influence in my life so far. In the book, the author combines creative and technical writing styles to bring forth the understanding of how difficult situations could be challenging in making significant decisions (Frost and Untermeyer 62). Additionally, the book is influencing in educating individuals on the need for proper choices when making crucial decisions in life. From the onset, the author pits humans against two different paths where they need to make difficult choices that are characteristic of presenting dilemma. The character in the book chose to travel the road less used. However, Frost is keen not to reveal to the audience whether the character made the right choice or not although the he acknowledges that, the choice had a significant impact on the man’s life.

There comes a time in everyone’s life that we are forced to make lifelong decisions. What is chosen may more and or less be based off mood, values and priorities. Our behaviors and actions are what help us shape our future, therefore being very careful is a key quality in life when your deciding the next step, sometimes its known that bad decisions can lead to having regrets. “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost relates to this because in the poem he describes being in the same situation of deciding which “road” will lead him to being and living a successful life or possibly living in regret. The use of metaphors, archetypes, and imagery were used throughout the poem to give a meaning of making your own decisions and really think about long term goals.

Robert Frost is a poet who is known for writing simple stories that contains deeper meanings about life. In “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” both depict measuring life's decisions as a piece of the account. These poems signify a journey, where one must choose between two paths in life. In both poems, the speakers reach a point of uncertainty in their journeys. Although both stories have similar aspects in life decisions, there are some differences. These differences are based on impulses. We can deduce this based on how each speaker reacted to their decisions in the path they take in life. The following shows how decisions can affect a person’s viewpoint.