The poem The Road Not Taken written by Robert Frost is a first person narrative of an important moment of decision-making in the narrator’s life. Although this poem is simple to read, it presents many ideas for the reader to learn. This poem represents the dilemma of making a decision, and the difficulty of deciding between the common, more traveled path and the challenging, less traveled path. The main idea Frost wants to show through this poem is that people who choose “the road not taken” are different from average people. They are the people who do not want to follow the crowd and who do not want to make their decisions based on the popular choices. Rather, they are the people who choose to be themselves and to do more of what has never been done, what is new and different.
At the beginning of the poem, the narrator faces the dilemma of choosing between two paths that “diverged into a yellow wood” (1004). The fork in the road represents the narrator’s encounter of having to choose between two paths. The wood symbolizes human life, and the two diverged paths symbolize the many choices in life. Here, Frost tries to tell the reader that decisions will always have to be made in one’s life, and how to make decisions will
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Here, the reader can see that the narrator is a person of courage. Thus, the ‘road less traveled by’ represents the narrator’s endeavor to be different or unique. Therefore, Frost tries to imply to the reader that not everybody can make a unique, challenging decision. This life may be hard, but it may lead the people to a greater experience of life compared to the easier life most people take. “I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence” (1005), which shows that he does not regret the decision he has made and the path he has taken. This shows that once a decision is made, there won’t be a second chance to return and start all over again. Here, Frost conveys that it is human nature to try to foresee the future because of human desire of having a more reliable and predictable life. Knowing that there is no return, the narrator still dares to take the challenge of choosing a different, unknowing way of life. Since there is no way to know which path is the right one to take, it is the type of person that determines the choices he will choose. One can choose the easy common route, which is more reliable, and have a common life. People who choose this kind of path may never have a chance to experience anything new and different because they are the ones who want to live life on the safe side. By daring to choose an exceptional challenging path, the narrator has made all the difference to his life and has made a greater life than most common people. They are more daring, adventurous and proud, and they do not need to follow the crowd. However, ‘knowing how way leads to the way’ (1005), he acknowledges that what he chooses now will affect the rest of his life.
Approximate Word count =
1165
Approximate Pages =
5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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