Symbols, Symbolism, Imagery, and Theme in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken

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Symbolism, Imagery, and Theme in The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken is told by one person - there is no designation as to sex, station in life or age. This person has come to a crossroads in their life and has two options to choose from. The place in this poem is a fork in a path in a forest, and time is not specified though it could happen today, so it would be considered a contemporary piece. The premise of the poem is that the subject faces and then makes a life decision. Symbolism and imagery are used effectively to reinforce the theme throughout the poem.

One instance of symbolism in the first stanza is "And looked down one as far as I could / To where it bent in the und...

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...; It is an ideal held by most people that the successful and satisfied people of the world are not afraid to take a more difficult road and march to a different drummer. This is exactly what the character in this poem did by not choosing the common path through life, and in the later years of his life, he or she had the satisfaction of knowing that the choices made where the correct ones.

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