The Road Not Taken Essay

Road Not Taken
Poetry Essay
ENGL 102: Literature and Composition
MLA
Thesis Statement: Every adult faces the challenge of a life–altering decision. In "The Road Not
Taken" by Robert Frost there are many metrical devices used to portray the poet's major theme of
decision making.
Outline for "The Road Not Taken"
I. Introduction A. Influence of decision making B. Problem faced by the character
II. Body A. Theme of decision making B. Setting (1) Why is this symbolic? C. Title (1) What is the
significance? D. Metrical devices used (1) Onomatopoeia (2) Imagery (3) Symbolism (4)
Personification (5) Rhyming (6) Alliteration (7) Allegory
III. Conclusion A. How do all of the elements support the...show more content...
The poem is named after the path that was ultimately not chosen, leaving the reader to believe to
think it was written with regret. In stanza 4 the regret is brought to light with a metrical device.
"Sigh" is an onomatopoeia that emphasizes the characters regret or relief. That one word makes
the reader want to go back and reread the poem to make sure the theme is understood. The traveler
is either regretting his decision that he made or he is relieved that he made the best choice for
himself. It is left up to the reader's interpretation to discover what the poet was trying to say. Some
other metrical devices used are imagery, symbolism, personification, rhyming, alliteration, and
allegory. The reader is presented with imagery in "two roads diverged in a yellow wood" and
again in "And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black". This gives the
reader something to visualize. Personification is used in "because it was grassy and wanted wear."
A road cannot produce a feeling to want wear. Therhyme scheme of ABAAB in this poem produces
interest and makes for an entertaining read. Alliteration is used when the poet writes "wanted wear".
Allegory presents itself when the poet writes about the two paths when his ulterior message is about
choices.
All of the devices used in the poem support the poets overall theme. Out of all of the "roads" faced
in life the roads not chosen to take have just as much impact as the roads that are chosen.
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The Road Not Taken
The Road Not Taken theme essay
Luiza De Vasconcelos
It takes a lot to find the real meaning in a book or piece of text; or does it? Sometimes finding the
thesis of a piece of text is as easy as just reading the text once or maybe twice. For example, The
Road Not Taken by Robert Frost has a lot more meaning than the literal meaning. An important topic
in this piece of poetry is choosing your path. The author is taking himself on a journey, and this
poem shows his struggles as he tries to find out what he wants to do and where he wants to go. It
shows how choosing your life is not easy because you see a clear path of what other people are
doing, but you know that is not who you are. The strongest piece of evidence to support this theory is

The Road Not Taken
The poem "The Road Not Taken" was written by Robert Frost and includes a very interesting
hidden meaning. Such a meaning is a lie told by the narrator that he says to himself to make
himself feel proud. In this poem there is also an interesting narrator. He makes it feel as if this poem
was written about you, the reader. In addition, Robert Frost uses symbolism to mark the different life
choices by making them into two roads.
The narrator in this poem creates a feeling of confusion about the travelers choices. He uses
actions to move the plot along as well as imagery to create a picture in the reader's mind. Due to the
fact that there are two roads there has to be a decision made between them. By being confused and
not knowing which to choose,

The Road Not Taken
In life, we are often faced with tough challenges and decisions to make. In the poem, "The Road
Not Taken", by Robert Frost, He demonstrates how the way one handles major difficult decisions,
affects the outcome of life. The poem consists of 4 stanzas which each have a slightly different
purpose to the poem; however, the first and second stanzas both have the same effect.
Firstly, in the first stanza, Frost describes standing at an open road that splits into two separate
paths: "two roads diverged in a yellow wood". He goes on to say how he wishes we could try
going down both paths to see where each ones leads. The two paths represent two different ways
he could go about living his life. When he says: "And I looked down one as far as I could" he's
referring to how he tried his best to find all the pros and cons of one of the two possible options.
In the second stanza, Frost decides now to look on at the other path, or to consider the second
option he has: "Then took the other, as just as fair". The words "perhaps having the better claim,
because it was grassy and wanted wear could mean a choice that wasn't exactly normal, or made
much sense but he wanted to pursue it anyways. These stanzas present the readers with the situation
and bring out the idea of having a tough decision to make, which links to the first half of the theme.
...show more content...
He realizes that either paths, or decisions, have an equal amount of pros and cons, therefore are
about the same: "And both that morning equally lay". He then reveals that he wants to come back
and take the other path someday: "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" But shortly thereafter
realizes that it probably won't be possible to come back. Because usually one path leads to another
and eventually, it ends up being too far in the past to go back to where everything

The Road Not Taken
The Road Not Taken By: Robert Frost Imagine that your making a decision and you are stuck to
choose between two things that could change and impact your life greatly. What would you do?
What pathway would you take? Robert Frost wrote 'The Road Not Taken' in 1916 at the age of
42 in New England, Massachusetts. 'The Road Not Taken' is one of his most popular works due
to the ideology of choices that people would have to face in their life. In the early 20th century,
Robert Frost based the majority of his poems from rural life in New England, where he grew up.
Robert Frost was highly regarded for his deep, realistic understanding of rural life and using
elaborate social and philosophical themes in his works. This poem explores a...show more content...
For the second stanza, the traveller is describing that both pathways are equally the same through
the used of extended metaphors, personification and metaphors. On third stanza, the poet is
providing additional information on the season by "And both that morning equally lay, in leaves
no step had trodden black". This imagery of the season autumn symbolises the perfect layers of
yellow leaves on the path as for a long period of time no one has walked on it yet. On third line,
onomatopoeia was used which is "oh" that illustrates an emphatic tone for the decision that he
made. The traveller is now regretting the decision that he made. On the last two lines, an
extended metaphor was used, "Yet knowing how way leads on to way", "I doubted if I should
ever come back". These last two lines of the third stanza, heightens the attention of readers that he
hopes that he could try the other path as the traveller knows 'how one road can lead to another'.
Also, the traveller is having doubts as it is impossible to retrace steps as other choices or
decisions can lead to other options in life. The third stanza raises the awareness to readers as he
decided to stick with the decision that he made but still with a bit of regrets. The last stanza, Robert
Frost uses a number of poetic techniques, in order to demonstrate the fear and regrets as he already
made which path to go and now, there's no turning back. In the first line onomatopoeia was used and

The Road Not Taken
The most common interpretation of "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is that the speaker is
trying to decide which road to take. Does he want to take the road that everyone else takes
because it is easier and all the clearing has been done for him, or does he want to take a chance
and take the road less traveled and he has to clear his own path? The poet is trying to convey a
much deeper meaning. The poem is an excellent example of the use of symbolism .The poet uses
the two roads to symbolize choices made in life. The yellow road indicates that the poem is taking
place in autumn, which denotes that the speaker is in the later years of his life. The use of these
simple images emphasizes that no matter how simple or unimportant a choice may...show more
content...
Nature in this poem sets the scene and can hold a metaphorical meaning as well. "TWO roads
diverged in a yellow wood," (line 1) sets the scene, the speaker tells the reader the woods are
yellow, so we can conclude that the poem is taking place in autumn. This could be a metaphor for
the time in the speaker's life that he is making this decision. The fall of his life when he is
beginning to get old." To where it bent in the undergrowth;" (line 5), the reader finds out the woods
must be pretty thick, because the road can disappear in the undergrowth, could represent an aspect of
the speaker's future that he is unsure of." And having perhaps the better claim,/Because it was grassy
and wanted wear"(lines 7–8) the speaker is bias in favor of nature, he thinks one path may be better
than the other because fewer people have worn it down. These lines are a metaphor for a decision
that is less commonly made." And both that morning equally lay/in leaves no step had trodden black,
(lines 11–12) here the reader sees autumn images continue. It appears that it is morning time. There
is a contradiction to an earlier claim that one path is less traveled. The lines tell the reader the
leaves have just fallen masking that the path was more or less traveled. Metaphorically this points
out there is ultimately no way to tell which choice is

The Road Not Taken
Choices of Life
All people are travelers, all choosing their paths on a map of their life. "The great thing about
man for Frost is that he has the power of standing still where he is." There is never a straight road
there are always curves and turns in which one must encounter and act upon. Readers can interpret
the poem "The Road Not Taken" in many ways. It is a persons past, present and the way one see
things, which determines their choices and paths they follow. This poem shows how Frost believes
that it is the road that you choose that makes you the person you are.
Decisions are always hard to make. It is impossible not to wonder what would have happened
before you made your decision and what could have happened after you made your...show more
content...
When the traveler is about to make his decision he "looks down one as far as I could". The road
leads to the unknown, as do choices in life. When he looks at the paths he does not know where
they lead, nor does he have any knowledge of what he will encounter. He must choose which path
he will take and which one he will leave behind, the same way you decide what to choose in any
choice of life. "Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim," There is a
reason that the path he chooses had the better claim "it was grassy and wanted wear;" It was not a
path for everyone because the other path was more worn and most people had traveled that one.
He calls the path he chose "the road less traveled by". The traveler's choice reflects his personality.
It shows that he is an individual and does not follow the crowd. He wants to do what is different.
"And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black." The leaves had covered
the ground and since the time they had fallen no one has passed on the road. Frost does this
because each time a person comes to the point where they have to make a choice, it is new to
them, somewhere they have never been, and they feel like no one else has either. "I kept the first
for another day!" The desire to travel both paths is not unusual, but "knowing how way leads on to
way", the speaker of this poem realizes that the decision is not a temporary one and he "doubted if he

The Road Not Taken Essay
In analyzing the poem 'The Road Not Taken'; by Robert Frost, it represents 'the classic choice of a
moment and a lifetime.';(pg 129) He relies much on the reflections of nature to convey his theme.
However, this poem seems to be in essence very simple but opens the door for many interpretations.
In using a simple fork in a road, Frost writes much to symbolize life and choices in which one will
make. Frost uses unique ability to see an ordinary, everyday activity to portray such a theme. By
using such simple endeavors, Frost reaches his audience on a more personal level. However, it is
only one's past, present and the attitude with which he or she looks upon the future that determines
the shade of light in which the poem will be...show more content...
It is the way that he chooses here that sets him off on his journey and where the road will take him.
Then as we close out the first stanza, we establish that yet 'one'; road has been 'looked down'; as far
as possible. However, the use of the semicolon after 'undergrowth'; initiates a turn of the head to lead
into the examination of the other road. (pg133)
'Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim.'; What seems to have made
it such a better claim is that 'it was grassy and wanted wear.'; It was a road obviously not for
everyone because it seemed that the majority of people took the other often traveled path.
Therefore, Frost calls this 'the road less traveled by.'; The simple fact that the traveler chooses to
take this path over the frequently chosen path,indicates the type of personality in the traveler. It
shows that the individual is one to not particularly follow the crowd but sets him apart from the rest
by doing something new and unique. It is often called 'the path of least resistance.'; In being
somewhat of an easier way with less obstacles to overcome.
'And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.'; The leaves had somewhat
covered the ground and since the time they had fallen no one had yet to travel on this road. Perhaps
Frost does this to show that each time a person comes to a point where they have to make a choice, it
is new to them. It envisions that it is somewhere the traveler has never been.

The Road Not Taken
Clara Kirkpatrick Mr. Woods English 102 CHA 8 November 2010 The Road Not Taken 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
...show more content...
The poetic techniques were symbolism, imagery, and tone. Symbolism is the most powerfully used
technique due to the fact a good number of lines located in this poem is used to signify a certain
object or idea related to our life or today's world. Imagery in the sense that you can visualize the
path, the yellow wood, the undergrowth, the divergence; it is all made very vivid. Frost did this
throughout; you know trying to stimulate the reader's mood using one's senses. In this poem,
imagery permits the reader to imagine the scene that this poem takes place in resulting in an
enhanced understanding of the theme. The tone Frost's work presents is an insecure attitude which
allows the theme to be brought out due to the fact the theme relates to a dilemma in one's life. These
techniques strongly aid in the revealing of this specific theme. The poem relates the problem of
decision–making that affects lives of individuals. The poet does not seem to regret the choice that he
has made. But, certainly he feels lonely. When there are several opportunities available, it often
becomes difficult to make the right choice. But, once a choice has been made one has to move ahead
without turning back. Determination and hope lead a person through difficult times. The future is
unpredictable. With relentless pursuit and faith in oneself, anything can be achieved. Work cited.
Frost, Robert "The Road Not Taken"

The Road Not Taken
The poem my group and I chose to annotate was Robert Frosts "The Road Not Taken". We chose
this poem because it is one of the most widely recognized poems of all time. The assignment was
a bit complex in my opinion, especially when it came to part two the write up part. Part 1 was a
good experience being that it was a group assignment. I had a fantastic team, and we each shared a
part in annotating the poem. We each had a role in the annotation of the poem, we took two parts
of speech each to identify in the poem and we rotated roles as well. The difficult part was trying
to identify main verbs from adverbs, and adverbs from adjective. In our poem, we managed to
find all the parts of speech listed that we have been working with over the last few weeks of class.
The poem yet simple as it seems, it is a bit more complex than it appears to be. It poem uses
symbolism and metaphors, the ability to say one thing and mean another. The poem has four stanzas,
twenty lines, three sentences and it uses simple words but has a complex structure. The poem uses
the metaphor of a path that can be compared to life, and a similar path that represents choice. Both
paths appear to be tempting to the speaker in the second line...show more content...
I especially had a difficult time figuring out the complex sentences. The first sentence in the poem
is a bit long, it is about twelve lines and I did not know one sentence could be that long and still be
considered a sentence. It took me a while to dissect and really get the understanding of the poem
itself. Stanzas 1 and 2 were the most difficult structures to mark. The hardest part of speech to
identify was the adverbs when doing this activity/ assignment. Adverbs and adjective identification
can sometimes be difficult, but in this particular poem, it was the main verb and adverbs. In the first
line of stanza one, "diverged" was a word I was not sure if I it was a main verb or an

The Road Not Taken
Although most haven't read it in its entirety, Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," is one of
the most popular American poems of the twentieth century. The story is often misremembered as the
tale of an adventurer who chooses the path where fewer have been. Frost begins his poem with
juxtaposing two roads diverging in a wood. He cannot see very far ahead on either path. The narrator
is a quintessential nonconformist when he, theoretically, "choose[s] the one less traveled by." (19)
Frost presents a classic conflict: the decision between the common, easy path and the exceptional,
challenging path. The road less traveled is more challenging to travel because the reader assumes
there is a reason he road more traveled is more traveled for...show more content...
The speaker says that both roads are equally beautiful, and also equally worn. He says he will leave
the first path for another day, then admits to himself: "Yet knowing how way leads on to way, / I
doubted if I should ever come back." (14–15) The speaker never fully rules out taking the road less
traveled, and never officially denies that he will come back. Yet, he admits to himself that one
choice leads to another and most likely he will never journey back to the fork and be faced with
the same decision. The speaker anticipates the regret he will feel when "telling this with a sigh"
(16) based on his decision no matter which path he takes. But in the last stanza the speaker argues
he should not feel any regret because it does not matter either way. The narrator says how he will
someday look back and claim "with a sigh" that choosing the "one less traveled ... made all the
difference." He knows that he will comfort himself by saying that the choices he has made have
lead to the place he is in his life, when, in reality, his position is a combination of his choices and
chance. He knows that his choice was really arbitrary, and his destiny will likely not be impacted his
outcome either way. In this last stanza, the speaker acknowledges the stereotype of the

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost's style of writing is obscure. Depending on the reader, his stories can be seen as
complex or completely straightforward. In one of his poems, "The Road Not Taken," he leaves it
up to the audience to interpret it in whichever way they would like. They could see it as a journey
in which the character had to make a major life decision or as a trip where the character is simply
deciding where to go. Furthermore, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is one of Frost's
clear and straightforward piece of work. In this poem, he uses a frank concept to grasp the reader's
attention in order for him/her to appreciate the idea of it. Frost's utilization of rhyme and melodic
tone captures the mind of the audience. Because of his way of writing,

The Road Not Taken Essay

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