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Critical appreciation of the road not taken
Analysis about the road not taken
Critical appreciation of the road not taken
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In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost provides a look at the choices one has in life, how one comes to decide which choices are better, and what are the consequences of these choices. The speaker in the poem, in a casual yet serious tone, tells of a journey in the woods that brings him to a fork in the road. The traveler is forced to make a decision between the two paths, as he must decide which path to take. Thematically, the poem argues that no matter how small a decision is, that decision will affect a person’s life forever. The diverging roads are symbolic of the choices society is faced with every day of life. Choosing one course will lead the traveler in one direction, while the other will likely move away, toward a completely …show more content…
different journey. This poem is a journey of self-discovery and a gathering of wider meanings and interpretations. In the poem, the two roads that “diverged in a yellow wood” (1) appear to lead in different directions because the choice to take one or the other seems to make a rational difference. Frost uses this metaphor of the two roads diverging to establish the dilemma of the traveler having to make a choice in the poem and making choices in life itself. Frost creates the feeling of two roads diverging and leading in different directions and making a rational difference by his last line, “And that has made all the difference” (20). On the particular morning, however, when the decision of what path to take is to be made, the roads appear to the traveler to be “really about the same/both that morning equally lay” (10-11). The two roads, equally laid, makes it difficult to understand why choosing a particular road will make all the difference. The traveler finds it hard to decide whether to follow the more chosen path or the less traveled path. In fact, he does not want to choose at all. Therefore, he is “sorry” he “could not travel both/And be one traveler” (2-3). Life is never a straight path. Decisions always have to be made between what path to travel. A decision is made, and the road is followed, knowing choosing that road over the other and there is no turning back will alter one’s life. The traveler in Frost’s poem chooses a path to follow for the future, trying not to look back on the path he left behind, not to live in the past: “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back” (14-15). The traveler wants to choose his own path and make his own decisions in life, not ones that have already been made for him. He chooses “the one less traveled by” (19), knowing that he will probably not be able to return. But also knowing, if he did return, he would not be the same person by the time he came back because time will take him further into the future thus altering his path in life. Therefore, the future paths may not present the same choice as they do right now. Also, he will not have the same choices as at this moment. He chooses “the one less traveled by” (19), so that he does not have to return to where the roads diverge, and he will be able to make his own decisions but traveling his own path. The traveler is able to make his own decisions and his own mistakes, learn from them, and move forward accordingly. He does not want to travel down a road already laid out for him, knowing what is in store for him. Self-reliance in “The Road Not Taken” is alluringly embodied in the outcome of the poem from which the entire course of life is anonymously and irreversibly chosen. Some decisions are major, life-altering choices. The decisions we make in life, like the traveler in “The Road Not Taken”, are not to be taken lightly. There is a desire to be adventurous, yet we fear possible regret for ‘what might have been’. Either way, we must live with the choices we make. The literal situation of “The Road Not Taken” concerns a traveler who is faced with a very simple decision. The traveler comes to a crossroads in “a yellow wood” (1). Two paths lay ahead of him, both “just as fair” (6). The traveler desires to take both roads but knows that he “could not take both” (2), and is disturbed by that realization. He regrets not being able to experience both paths at the same time. However, the traveler has to make a decision about life: the decision of whether to follow everyone else and take the path more traveled by or to be a leader and choose his own direction. The poem is a learning experience: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (18-20). This chosen act of self and the entire course of life illustrated in Frost’s poem reminds the reader that life is not always a straight road. Everyone is a traveler on different roads and there is never just one road to take. Nevertheless, when “Two roads diverged in a wood” (18) the choice of which road the traveler will take will make “all the difference” (20). It will make the difference between living a life of freedom and untouched, or a life of following in someone else’s footsteps, doing what is expected. The road in the poem’s title “The Road Not Taken” is contrasted between the road that is “the one less traveled by” (19). The traveler asserts that the road he takes is “less traveled”. …the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. (9-12). However, these lines make it clear the roads are equally traveled and the road not taken is the one the traveler chooses not to take, not the road less traveled by others.
The road less traveled by “was grassy and wanted wear” (8), but at the same time, worn “really about the same” (10). This implies the less traveled road makes travelers turn back because the road was worn the same as the other, yet still wanted more wear. Since the roads were worn “really about the same” (10) the road not taken by others was traveled in some way. The road may not have been traveled fully to the end, however, the travelers begin to travel down it, for as long as one could see, then find it difficult to continue and turned back. The road less traveled by is less completed, not less attempted. The title “The Road Not Taken” has a double meaning. The title refers to the choosing of a road less traveled but also to the regret for the road of lost possibility, eliminations, and changes. The title reminds us that the choices in action and knowledge, that one makes, may exclude those choices of …show more content…
others. The drama in the poem is found in the traveler making a choice between the two roads.
As human beings, we should have the knowledge and strength to be able to make rational, intelligent decisions involving our own lives. On the other hand, this poem suggests our choices are not always made for the right reasons or lead us in the right direction. Frost says we are not able to easily choose our paths. As humans, we want the paths to be given to us without any crossroads. With this poem Frost tries to give the traveler a conscious that needs a place to go, so that the traveler had to choose between either path, and a conscious that may conceal deep regrets, by having second thoughts about the road he is not traveling. He does this by making the traveler think genuinely about what road to take and the consequences each road brings with it. He uses the title “The Road Not Taken” to allow the reader to think which of the two roads Frost truly means is not taken, instead of telling the reader exactly what road the poem is truly about. The title “The Road Not Taken” is broader then using “the road not traveled” or “the road traveled”. The traveler is also telling this poem in the past. The traveler “shall be telling” (16) this story, but only after “ages and ages” (17). We know this because Frost used the word “took” in the last stanza. The change in tense of the verb is signifying that only after the survival of many different experiences can he now tell others about the road he
did not take and the difference it made in his life. “The Road Not Taken” is a poem with an outer meaning as well as a deeper meaning. A traveler is walking in the woods and comes across a fork in the road. The two paths represent the options man has to choose from. Faced with these decisions, man has to weigh his options carefully to make an optimal choice. At the split in the road, the traveler looks far down both the two paths to see what each of the paths will bring. The traveler’s sight is limited; his eyes can only see the path until it bends into “the undergrowth.” (5). Frost shows man’s attempts to tell which path is better by trying to see what the paths have in store down the road. Both roads diverge into a “yellow wood” (1) and appear to be “about the same” (10) in their purpose. The first of the two paths is the more common route than the other, less traveled, which was “wanted wear.” (8). Frost presents a classic conflict: the decision between the common, easy path and the exceptional, challenging path. By choosing the already known, easy path in life, many people frequently endure reassurance that the outcome will be predictable. However, people can also go their own way, live their own lives, do their own thing, and take the road less traveled by.
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost shows the reader how the choices they make will be hard decisions and will follow them. The setting of this poem takes place in the woods, in the fall. The woods will typically be a quiet and serene place making the setting an ideal place for decision making. The setting also helps to show the symbolism that Frost shows by describing the two paths. Frost uses pathos when appealing to the reader’s feelings because any reader has had to make a decision in their life. Creating this symbol helps to relate to the reader. The Imagery that is created helps to make the reader feel as if they are standing in the snowy woods, looking down two paths, and trying to make the decision of which one to take. Frost used
My father introduced me to "The Road Not Taken" when I was a young teenager because he figured that I was beginning a period of my life where I would be forced to make many important decisions, and he saw this poem as a source of guidance through those decisions. This poem carries truth and edification in its words. It forms a beautiful analogy of life and all its complications. After my father finished reciting the poem, I never gave a second thought that day to Robert Frost or his poetry. It was weeks, possibly months, before I resumed thought on "The Road Not Taken." It was not until one year ago that I actually read it. Nevertheless, I did remember that poem, and no matter how many times I put it aside to contemplate other things, it was always waiting for my return. Through all of my high school years, it tagged along beside me, reminding me that change is good, reminding me that risk is what life is all about.
“The Road Not Taken,” is undoubtedly the most misinterpreted poem by Robert Frost. Some scholars believe the poem is about humans taking the high road--about individualism and nonconformity. However, to understand the underlying meaning the poem conveys, the poem 's diction and tone must be read closely. As a first read through, the poem may boil down to a simple message, but avid Frost readers know that there is more than what meets the eye. Contrary to popular belief, the “The Road Not Taken,” is not about choosing the best path, but instead about the regret and the indecisiveness, which are synonymous with human nature. The tone and diction employed by Frost, strongly suggest that “The Road Not Taken” is not about individualism and nonconformity, but instead a carefully crafted poem about the human desire to avoid regret and find significance.
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” clearly depicts a situation where a person had to decide upon a choice between two paths. At first both paths were thought as equal by narrator, but the author develops a way of thinking that the narrator went thorough to make the final decision. By using imagery; symbolism; point of view; structure; rhythm, and meter; and diction, and tone the author constructs a sense of a journey through the person’s mind and how the perplexity of making a decision can affect the outcome. All in all, though all of the twist and turns of the poem, a major lesson can be learned; and that is to always make the right decision and you are the ultimate decider of your own
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a poem about choices. At the core, the poem is about different choices changing one’s life. A closer look, however, the reader begins to see the metaphors and question the deeper meaning of Frost’s work (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012).
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” show the readers similar struggles of life. “The Road Not Taken” is about taking control of one’s life and living it aside from how others live theirs. While “Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening” shows the desire for rest. Sometimes people regret the possibilities of the road not chosen, sometimes people feel proud about the road that they
Robert Frost’s poem, "The Road Not Taken", is an insightful idealistic attempt to illustrate the paradox of free will. In the first line, Frost uses the metaphor "Two roads diverged" (1), to establish not only the hard decision the traveler must make in the poem, but life itself. The decisions we make in life, like the traveler in this poem, are not to be taken carelessly. Many have a desire to be adventurous, yet fear possibilities of failing if we are different from others. In this poem, the road that he decides to take “wanted wear.” This road is not a well-traveled path and no one has taken it before. The central idea of Frost’s poem is individualism. Frost shows that being his own person makes life so much less difficult because he is able to act the way he would like to without worrying about everyone else. Frost shows us that we should all express our feelings and be our own person, even if no one else will follow. He took the path that no one else did “and that has made all the difference.”
The narrator must choose between two 'fair'; roads, of which he cannot see the endpoints. Wandering between the two, he finally decides to take the road 'less traveled by.'; Yet, like most people, he later sighs with regret thinking of what he might have
Throughout life, we are forced to make decisions that can and will greatly impact our life and change it significantly. Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken is about how one choice can make a world of difference. The speaker of this poem knows that there is a very important decision to be made and knows that there is no possible way for him to know if his decision will benefit him or not until the future. Frost uses symbols such as the roads and nature to show the reader how in life we must all make decisions that are tough but need to be made.
624). The title of the poem clearly emphasizes the road that was not used, rather than focusing on the road that was selected less. Which is an important distinction given that one statement accentuates the choice the traveler did not make versus the other emphasizing the selection of a less travelled path. Hence, the contradiction of the title and the end of the poem convolutes the primary point of the poem and allows readers to draw different conclusions regarding the overarching thought Frost was attempting to
In reading Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” for the first time, I felt that it had a good message with meaning behind it. However the more I read it, the more meaning I found behind his words. The speaker in this poem comes to a point on his travels where he must choose which path to take when reaches a fork in the road. While trying to make a decision he wishes that he could take both paths, but in the end chooses the one that appears to be less worn to him. The speaker thinks that in the time to come he will talk about how choosing which path to take was final and life changing. Even though this is the overall meaning to the poem, there is much more to pick out of it by closely looking at the many figures of speech throughout it.
"The Road Not Taken Theme of Exploration." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. Shmoop University, Inc. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. .
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” provide us contrasting and sometimes similar glimpses of life. “The Road Not Taken” is about taking control and living life. “Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening” entails the desire for rest, perhaps due to the speaker’s feelings of weariness from facing life’s struggles. The poet also explains the tough choices people stand before when traveling the road of life. Sometimes people regret the possibilities of the road not chosen, sometimes people feel proud about the road they have chosen.
The main theme of the poem that Frost attempts to convey is how important the decisions that one makes can be, and how they affect one’s future. In lines 2-3, he expresses the emotions of doubt and confusion by saying, “And sorry I could not travel/ And be one traveler, long I stood”, which explains how the speaker contemplated their decision of which road to take. In the closing, line 20 of the poem further reestablishes the theme when it states, “that has made all the difference”, meaning that making the decision of which road to take for themselves is the important key for a successful future. Frost helps to express this theme by using symbolism to portray a road as one’s journey of life. Using symbolism, Frost suggests that the speaker of this poem is taking the harder of the two roads presented before them, because the road the speaker chooses, “leaves no step had trodden black” (12...