Robert Frosts poem, “The Road Not Taken”, Is all about choices and the possible implications of the choices made throughout a lifetime. Frost brings the reader into nature using imagery in this poem. He focuses ‘OFF metaphorical meaning. The title itself compels the reader to wonder if there is some regret in the choice the speaker made in the road/path he decided to travel, or in Just having had to choose at all. II) BODY A. The theme of this poem is choices.
1 . Throughout one’s life choices must be made. The reader watches with wonder as the traveler makes his choice and Justifies his decision. . He wants to go down both roads at the same time metaphorically, but he realizes the impossibility. He also knows that by choosing only one path he must forego the experience of the other. He expresses regret that he must choose. In his “The Road Not Taken”, Frost makes this quite clear to the reader: “And sorry I could not travel both/And be one traveler, long I stood” (2-3). This is where the reader begins to see the metamorphic meaning in this poem. In stanza three the author tells the reader it is morning on this day. This could also indicate a new beginning.
It’s as if the traveler is making a decision about his true, perhaps a career change: “And looked down one as far as I could/To where it bent in the undergrowth” (Frost, Road, 4-5). This is an example of his use of imagery and metaphor. Obviously one cannot see into the future. He must make a choice. 3. Frost leaves the reader to wonder if there is regret in the choice the traveler made that morning: meet knowing how way leads on to way,/l doubted if I should ever come back. /l shall be telling this with a sigh” (Road, 14-16).
The traveler knows that he will not be able to relive the moment of making this choice, nor will he have time to go jack and walk the other road. The reason may be that it is possibly late in life for him; metaphorically, fall could be interpreted as late in life. It is also possible that he does not regret the decision he made, but in having to make the decision itself. 4. So we have a traveler presented with a choice of two roads, or two paths in life. He makes his decision and shows a small amount of regret; quite possibly not in the choice he made, but in having to choose between the two.
He wanted both. Choices must be made in life, one cannot have it all. B. Imagery. Frost uses imagery in each Tanta of this poem to help set the scene as well as push the reader to look deeper into the metaphorical meaning. 1. Stanza one. “The Road Not Taken” was written in a time where roads were not paved or concrete surfaces running through a metropolitan city. They were more like footpaths across a field or as in this poem through the woods. Frost tells the reader the time of the year when he says: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Road, 1). Yellow indicates autumn or fall. 2.
Stanza two. Inline three of this stanza Frost claims the road/path was grassy. This gives the deader the idea that it has not had as much use as the other road. Possibly very few people have made the choice the traveler makes by choosing to walk this road. 3. Stanza three. Here Frost tells the reader that it is morning. Metaphorically this could mean that it is early in life. It could also mean that a new beginning has presented its self; perhaps a career change is in his future. 4. Stanza four. Frost repeats the first line leaving out that the woods are yellow. Metaphorically time has gone by.
Frost has the traveler imagining what the future holds.
Ill) CONCLUSION
A. Choices. They must be made. Given a choice of two roads, or paths in life, a traveler must choose between them. The poem does not emphatically state, but it does imply, that he has regret. But is his regret from the choice he has made or of the ability to do so. Choices are presented every day; which clothes to wear, what to eat, everyday little decisions. It’s the big decisions that cause conflicting emotion; where to go to college, when to start a family. These are the forks in the road choices.
Whether the choice be one made willingly or one made through force, a choice must be made. Man cannot turn from one choice without accepting the other. If the right choice is made, there are no regrets. Introduction Robert Frost has presented a literal and metaphoric fork in the road to a traveler in his poem “The Road Not Taken”. The traveler must choose between the two roads all the while knowing that by choosing one path he must forgo the other. “The Road Not Taken” is all about choices. The road the traveler is walking on has, as Frost puts it “diverged”, it has split.
He must now decide which direction to take. This road is not just a path in the woods, but a metaphoric path in his life. He is being forced to make a choice. This traveler realizes that he must choose and struggles with his decision the first road. His sigh in the first like of the fourth stanza indicates possible remorse of his choice in the present and possibly even the future. Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”, is all about choices and the possible implications of the choices made throughout a lifetime. Frost brings the reader into nature using imagery in this poem.
He focuses on a fork in the road in the woods in autumn. Nature in this poem could hold a metaphorical meaning. The title itself compels the reader to wonder if there is some regret in the choice the speaker made in the road/path he decided to travel, or in Just having had to choose at all. Body The theme of this poem is choices. Throughout one’s life choices must be made. It is man’s right to choose. God has given him the ability to do so. The reader watches with wonder as the traveler makes his choice and Justifies his decision.
He wants to go down both roads at the same time, metaphorically, but he realizes the impossibility. He also knows that by choosing only one path he must forego the Not Taken”, Frost makes this quite clear to the reader: “And sorry I could not travel both I And be one traveler, long I stood” (2-3). This portion of the poem also indicates the traveler is alone and he must make his decision on his own. This is where the reader begins to see the metaphoric meaning in this poem. In stanza three the author tells the reader it is morning on this day.
This could also indicate a new beginning. It’s as if the traveler is making a decision about his future; perhaps a career change: “And looked down one as far as I could TIT where it bent in the undergrowth: (Frost, Road, 4-5). This is an example of his use of imagery and metaphor. Obviously one cannot see into the future, but the traveler is attempting to peer as far as he can. He must make a choice. It appears that the traveler made a hasty decision in the next line of the poem. After peering down one road for some time, he “Then took the other, as Just as fair” (Frost, Road, 6).
It’s as though he did not spend as much time contemplating the other road. He Just suddenly decided, why not… I’ll do it. Frost leaves the reader to wonder if there is regret in the choice the reveler made that morning: meet knowing how way leads on to way,l I doubted if I should ever come back. II shall be telling this with a sigh” (Road, 14-16). The traveler knows that he will not be able to return to the beginning of this fork in the road and re-choose. He will not be able to relive the moment of making this choice, now will he have time to go back and walk the other road.
The reason may be that it is possibly late in life for him, metaphorically. Frost indicates that it is autumn in the first line of “The Road Not Taken”: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” (1). Yellow being the lee, it represents the color of the leaves in the woods. Autumn, or fall, is late in the season and could also mean, metaphorically, late in life. It is possible too that the traveler does not regret the decision he made, but having had to choose at all. So the reader witnesses a traveler presented with a choice of two roads, or two paths in life.
He makes a decision and shows a small amount of regret; quite possibly not in the must be made in life, one cannot have it all. Frost’s use of imagery in each stanza of this poem helps set the scene in nature, as well as push the reader to look deeper for advertorial meaning. “The Road Not Taken” was written in a time where roads were not paved or concrete surfaces running through a metropolitan city. They were more like footpaths across a field, or as in this poem through the woods. Frost tells the reader the time of the year when he says: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Road, 1).
Yellow represents the color of the leaves in the woods, therefore a fall or autumn time frame. It could also metaphorically represent an age late in life. In line 3 the reader learns the traveler is alone: “And be one traveler, long I stood” (Frost, Road, 3). In the second stanza Frost tells the reader that the road appears less worn: “Because it was grassy and wanted wear;” (Road, 8). The road was grassy, less worn looking. Perhaps because it appears less traveled it is more enticing to the traveler. He does after all choose to walk this road.
It is in stanza three that Frost tells the time of day: “And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. ” (Road, 11-12). He explicitly states that it is morning. The traveler notices that both roads lay equally, look the same in wear, because no footprints were visible atop the fallen leaves. It is early in the day, and quite possibly, the reader is aware that the traveler knows he can’t come back, or relive this time: “Oh, I kept the first for another day! I Yet knowing how way leads on to way,l I doubted if I should ever come back. (Road, 13-15). He wants to come back another time for the road he had to leave, but knows that it will never happen. Time will pass on and leave it behind.
Here the traveler gives some indication of regret that he had to choose between the two. Frost ends his poem, “The Road Not Taken”, with the traveler reflecting on what the future holds and how he will look back upon this day of hoicks: I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and l- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. 16-20). Notice the sigh. The traveler expresses regret here. He is telling the reader that one day he will look back and tell this story to someone else. He lets the reader know he believes he has chosen to do something few others have by choosing the less traveled road. Notice also that Frost repeats the first line leaving out the word yellow in line 18. Perhaps this indicates the season, autumn, is over. Time has moved on, or ill at least continue, no matter what choice was made. Conclusion Choices; they must be made.
Given a choice of two roads, or paths in life, a simply having had to make a choice? Frost leaves the reader wondering what the future holds for this traveler. No one knows if he was happy with his choice. It is man’s right to choose; God has given him the ability to do so. Choices are presented every day: what clothes to wear, what to eat, how to wear your hair, everyday little decisions that are made each day. It’s the big decisions that cause conflicting emotions: where to go to college, what career to work towards, how much none to save for the future, to have children or not.
