![]() ![]() The path is given human attributes when it is said that it “wanted wear” The two roads signify the choices in life Dictionįrost makes use of simple, descriptive and informal words such as difference, sigh, leads, for giving the reader an impression of the mental confusion, urgency, and isolation, one is bound to experience, when one stands at the crossroads of his life. The poet mentions the presence of “a yellow wood,” thereby giving the idea that it is autumn.Īt first, he selects a particular path “Because it was grassy and wanted wear.” However, immediately later, he states “Though as for that the passing there/Had worn them really about the same,” thus suggesting his indecision or the fact that making choices is pretty tough. The “undergrowth” possibly suggests the unperceived obstacles one might have to encounter as he moves along. The fork in the road stands for the choices man faces while traversing in life. However, as he muses about a future time when he would heave a sigh for making that certain choice, the mood becomes nostalgic. The mood of the poem, on the other hand, appears to be light – hearted at the beginning as the poet indulges on selecting a particular path, based on how it appears to be (grassy and untrodden). It is rather a way of looking at life, which the poet hints may prove wrong too (his sighing suggesting his regret perhaps). Neither does it attempt to offer a sermon on what is right and wrong. The poem, dwelling upon the grave issue of making choices, has a reflective tone and does not entertain any hopeful outlook. ![]() There are four stanzas in the poem, containing five lines each and the rhyme scheme is ABAB. This ambiguity renders the poem to have a double meaning, and the ultimate message sums up to be the poet’s insistence on looking at life as an exploration. The conclusion presents the poet’s thoughts of a phase in future when he would tell “this with a sigh” how, having taken the road, “less traveled by” has caused “all the difference.” Now the reader does not have any means to know what the “difference” is, or whether he “sighs” out of pleasure or repentance. Points at certain somber certainties in life the fact that we may never receive an opportunity to explore the path, once discarded in life. However, these future ruminations are also clouded by his practical and philosophical realization that perhaps he’d never have a chance to do so. The untrodden appearance of the path he has not taken, lures him to surmise that maybe he’d try it out someday. Thus, even though the poet selects the road that is grassy, he seems doubtful of his selection immediately afterward, thereby pointing towards the fact that life can be utterly unpredictable at times. The entire task of making choices is, however, extremely difficult and requires much speculation. In the first stanza, the poet by presenting before the reader a unique situation involving himself confronted by “Two roads,” highlights how twists and turns are an unavoidable reality of life and that choices are absolutely necessary. Stanza by Stanza Analysis and Interpretation The poem thus upholds the universal truth that life is, after all, an exploration. Some may prove beneficial and some may not, but one cannot have two ways of life. The poem seems to underline the importance of making choices in our life and the way they affect us in future. ![]() In fact, the subject matter of the poem is a recreation of a persistent habit of Edward Thomas, who frequently talked about taking an alternative trail. The poem owes its composition to the musings of Frost’s friend, Edward Thomas, with whom the former took long walks while staying in Great Britain from 1912 to 1915. What we have in a nutshell, is a masterpiece, an alluring feature of which, is its inherent ambiguity. However, it’s not so simple, and readers over the ages have formed multiple interpretations. Infusing New England idioms into traditional blank verse, the poem attempts to highlight a singular observation – the significance of making choices along life’s journey. Published in 1916 in Frost’s collection, “Mountain Interval,” The Road Not Taken is unquestionably one of Frost’s most popular poems that invariably find a place in high school literature. ![]()
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