The Road not taken is a poem by Robert Frost was first written in 1916 and it is one of the most famous pieces of American literature. “It was published in 1978 it has also sold more than seven million copies in the United States and Canada.” (Orr). ““The Road Not Taken,” plays a unique role not simply in American literature, but in American culture —and in world culture as well. Its signature phrases have become so ubiquitous, so much a part of everything from coffee mugs to refrigerator magnets to graduation speeches, that it’s almost possible to forget the poem is actually a poem” (Orr).
Literary devices are devices that authors use to add texture, energy, and excitement to their works. It is no different in poetry, in “The Road Not
…show more content…
One of the paths is clear and has been worn down due to traffic. In the end, he takes the one that was less traveled on and that made all the difference. The two paths represent one of the most used main themes in literary history. Choices have been the main theme in some of the world’s greatest works. Jesus uses this theme in Matthew 7:13 in the Narrow and Wide Gates Parable.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13 Frost uses this theme to demonstrate choices in life and everything you do. One choice can be to go down the highly traveled road or the less traveled road. The highly traveled road would be the easiest path to take whereas the less traveled road would be harder to take. At the end of the poem, you find that he took the road less traveled. “During the poem, he is not pleased about having to make this choice and states that he would like to take both roads.” (The Road Not Taken) The poem implies but does not state directly, that the most important factor to consider when making a choice is that the course of action chosen should fit in with the decisions that you have made in the past.” (The Road Not Taken) “The narrator is stressed about being faced with two paths that lead in different directions because the wrong choice will lead to a lack of integrity.”
Robert Frost was a famous poet and educator born in San Francisco in 1874 who made an impact on the literature known today. After high school, he attended college where he studied literature and poetry. During college, Frost began writing his own poems and in 1894, he had successfully published his first poem. Despite his many accomplishments, Frost faced a major downfall that could not be fulfilled by his success. One might expect that publishing his first poem might be a time of pride and joy, however, Frost was fighting his own battles of depression and mental illness.
Robert Frost major theme incorporated in his work making life choices. For example, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" the persona walking along and coming to a point where he must decide on which two paths to take: "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/ And sorry I could not travel both/ And be one traveler, long I stood" (Frost 1-3). This evidence proves the persona is not sure which path to take, but he knows he will soon have to make a decision. Also, which path he take may determine ways that will change his life forever: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--/ I took the one less travelled by,/ And that has made all the difference. (Frost 18-20). The persona has chosen the one path to travel, he knows years from now his one
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
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.
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.
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.
"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
?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.
In the ending of the poem, regret is displayed after realizing the wrong choices were made.
In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost uses an extended metaphor of two roads to develop the theme of the hard decisions in life. One example of this is, “And be one traveler, long I stood” in (Frost 3). That means that the author is a traveler with a hard decision to make, also meaning he stood for a long period of time thinking about his decision. Another example is “Through as far that passing there, had worry them really about the same.” (Frost 9). One last example is, “Two roads diverged into in a wood and I took the road less traveled by.” (Frost 18.) Meaning, instead of taking the road that everyone else traveled he took the one less traveled. You’re going to have hard decisions in life, but sometimes dare
This is a perfect metaphor for the many crossroads that people face in day to day life and how, depending on character, we choose our way. Also, just because one is walking the same path as someone else doesn’t mean there footsteps will land in the same places. Figuratively speaking, the trail is always wider than our bodies so there is always room for one to put their own spin on anything. Even if the trail you are walking has been trampled on, you can still make it your own “road less travelled” and that will make “all the difference”.
Robert Frost ‘s “The Road Not Taken” the author describes an internal conflict with the protagonist in the poem being in the woods, when two different paths emerge for him to take. The paths are described as looking the same “Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same “() himself there and then hastily chooses a path. The path could be taken quite literally because he describes how the paths look physically. Upon further reading the poem takes on a quite metaphorical approach with the author having two decisions in front of him and the one he chooses will set up a chain of events in his life. The driving force in the poem is laced in a sense of regret for the future because he wonders what would have happened if he took the other road.
Frost shows the readers that it is hard to choose something without knowing what will be the result, thus he wants to try both of the options to decide on something, when he says “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,/ And sorry I could not travel both”. Whole poem is constructed of this metaphor, and every line refers to something in life. In the last part where Frost says, “I took the one less traveled by” he implies the idea that people wish to be different from others, thus they are prone to choose the option which had not been chosen by many other people. Instead of saying that he was having hard time deciding on a thing to do, Frost chose to use the metaphor of a road, which forced the readers to use their imagination to understand the real meaning behind what he