The poet's point of view in this poem is his belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes him the man who he is. From the tone of this poem, he has an inspiring and thoughtful mood. "I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by," in this passage, Robert Frost shows an inspiring mood. Taking a road that was not much traveled by, he gives the readers a sense of inspiration as to make your own choices and do what you think is right You don't really have to choose a regular way out of life, but follow your heart and dreams. The poem also has a gloomy tone to it as the traveler weeps for the possibilities that the need of making a choice leaves one unsatisfied, as we can see from the words used in the poem such as "sorry" and "sigh."
In the first stanza, the first line of the poem itself develops the theme of the entire poem. Road, here represents the road of life. The two roads in this poem symbolize the poet's choice between two different metaphorical paths he must take. He used the form of writing using the above metaphors which fits the poem perfectly as the reader can picture himself as being the traveler on a road.
Robert Frost mentions the two roads diverged in a wood twice in his poem. This repetition depicts the main theme in the poem; which is the choices in life. The poem also consists of a rhyme scheme. The first, third, and fourth lines rhyme. Also, the last word of the second and fifth lines of the poem rhyme. The word wood and travel are also repeated in the first and the last stanzas as well. The repetition gives the poem a smooth flow as well, since it keeps relating back to its main idea of life's decisions and makes the poem come together as a whole.
The theme of "The Road Not Taken" suggests that it is always better to be a leader than a follower. Basically, Frost is telling the reader to follow his or her desire and do what one feels is right. Not let anyone keep you from doing what you want to do. It appeals to everyone to a great extent as we all have dreams and desires, which Robert Frost displays in his poem and gives his outlook, as to how the decisions we make drastically change our life.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” remains one of my personal favorites in spite of many years of literary study. The advice of this poem has helped me to understand that when I choose atypical paths it creates a ripple effect that produces differences so profound I can hardly imagine my life without that nonstandard choice. However, I had to realize on my own that every choice has the capacity to become such a divergence. With this realization comes a certain weight to daily choices, and anything beyond that calls for careful thought and planning. The world is full of uncertainties, but assiduous preparation can produce wise choices that lead to the fulfillment of long term goals.…
- 157 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
In the previous verses Frost explains in narrative one road to be the road that the traveler like stated earlier can be assumed to be Frost himself, to be road he will choose. However, that is not the case in that we find that the lyric has changed. Bringing confrontation with the other road to be explained as “having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear; though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same”. Frost emotions have changed when he gazed upon the second road. This is what brought the irony of the poem and also shows good use of nominally poetry. Meaning the sectioning a poem to where it was written, putting the poem “The Road Not Taken” into that category. I believe the second verse of the poem grabs the attention of the reader, Frost changing the tone of the poem showing dilemma the traveler faces. This also brings the curiosity of the reader and brings them to make decision themselves of which path they would choose and would the traveler choose the same…
- 1001 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
This essay discusses the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. This poem describes a man who is walking in the woods. As he is walking, he finds that the path he is on splits into two roads. He is forced to decide which road to take in order to continue his journey. Throughout the rest of the poem, he describes the experience of his journey. Frost uses many poetic devices throughout this poem. He uses metaphor to describe the road as a part of life. He also uses rhyme scheme to show the important phrases and words to help the reader understand and comprehend the message behind the poem. Finally, Frost makes use of alliteration and similes to draw the reader closer to the text and compare his experience to other occurrences…
- 583 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Frost uses the images presented in the poem in a very involved and general way. The paths and the fork no longer refer to their definitions, but instead as keywords in a description of life. Through the poem, Frost is defining life as a series of decisions. Some of these decisions may, at the time, be thought of as insignificant, while others could be thought of as very significant. Frost argues that a decision's significance at the time is not really important, for any choice will change one's life. Every day, people, including the narrator of the poem, are presented with "Two roads" that diverge "in a yellow wood." These roads are not concrete or physical, but rather represent choices. The fact that one road is "grassy and wanted wear" while the other was commonly traversed shows the reader that some choices require one to choose something that is not commonly sought or to do something…
- 1092 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The theme of “The Road Not Taken” is to get out of one’s comfort zone and try new things. Theme is the message or meaning that the author is trying to convey to the reader. “I took the one less traveled by / and that has made all the difference” (19,20) is basically saying that if the traveler would have stayed inside his comfort zone he would have missed out on some major life experiences. He made this decision when he said, “Then I took the other” (6). This basically sums up the entire poem. The traveler is used to taking the same path on his way. One day after careful consideration he decides to shake things up and take a new rout. The theme of this poem is vital to its literary merit. This is the same as every poem. Without a theme the poem really does not have any sort of value to society.…
- 710 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is a first person narrative tale of a monumental moment in the author’s life. He is faced between the choice of a moment and a lifetime manifested in his poem. Walking down a rural road the narrator encounters a point on his travel that diverges into two separate similar paths. In Robert Frost’s poem "The Road Not Taken", Frost presents the idea of man facing the difficult unalterable choice of a lifetime. This idea in Frost’s poem is embodied in the fork in the road, the decision between the two paths, and the speaker’s decision to select the road not taken.…
- 1457 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In the first stanza, the walk through the woods is set up, and the choice he faces is presented. In the first line, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", he words "yellow wood" indicates a "scared world". When having to make a big decision in life, having to choose which way to go, many are scared. Line two shows that the option of taking both paths and shying away from making the decision is not an option, which is unfortunate. The last three lines of the stanza really indicate he is by himself and he thought long and hard about the decision. Lines 4-5 show that he tried to "look down one", meaning he tried to see his future if he followed the path. He looked down "to where it bent in the undergrowth", meaning he could only see as far as to where it was time to, in a sense, grow up. Frosts use of narration is quite helpful in this because it makes relating to the poem easy for the reader, as he is in an almost "all mighty" narrator, speaking for himself and everyone else.…
- 825 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
As pointed out, the theme of the poem is related to making a choice in one’s life or simply decision making. The speaker is not ready to choose the well-worn path because he is aware of his power to choose his own way and not to follow others. Frost states that “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” (610). In short, the courage to take risk in one’s life/ the decision to explore new horizons…
- 883 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Frost finally chooses a road which was the one least worn, and he then he says “I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence.”(Line 16). Normally people do not talk about the path they chose for a walk as a grand story so this hints at the reader that the poem should be taken more as an extended metaphor rather than to be taken literally. This journey clearly had affected Frost because he acts like this decision affected him greatly in his life. This road might symbolize the journey of life and the choice between the roads can symbolize a major point in Frost’s life that made him choose to do something that other people did or to do something he wanted to do. Robert Frost learned that he didn’t have to do what other people did so that he could feel happy and this helped him along his journey of…
- 698 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Frost also uses imagery to contribute to the overall theme of the poem. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” sets the setting of the poem. The woods symbolize the idea of being lost and wanting to find the right way to get out. The two paths symbolize the options that are presented to a person who is lost. The person ultimately wants to take the road that gets them out of the woods, but does not know which is the right road for the task. The second and third stanza present imagery that describes the roads and possible…
- 525 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Likewise within “The Road Not Taken”, the speaker comes to a stop, but in this poem it is to make a choice. To choose one of the paths before them, that will inevitably shape the rest of their life. They weigh out both roads and recount their surroundings and the beauty of both trails, but ultimately will look back on their choice with a “what if” outlook. The speaker’s life was considerably changed by the decision made and they will always look back to wonder how their lives could have been different if the other path was…
- 1029 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
'The Road Not Taken' by Frost portrays the fact that physically journeys result in change and a sense of understanding of yourself. The poem is a metaphor for life in the fact that we have to make decisions where the consequences of our actions seem to be unknown this is shown when the speaker shows his regret about the decision that has confronted him through "And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler" this shows the responder that the persona knows that both roads will lead to the unknown results that will force the persona to come to a realization about himself. The poems rhyming scheme suggests a sense of regularity and direction in the physical journey of the persons yet as the persona is confronted with change this rhyming scheme changes providing the responder with a sense of uncertainty towards this new direction in life. With Frost using future tense in the final stanza of the poem there is an impression of reassurance and confidence in the personas final decision to take the road less traveled. The last line of the poem "And that has made all the difference" implies that the actual physical journey does not matter but what you experience and learn that is important.…
- 933 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost addresses the idea of decision-making and choosing what direction life will take you. The poem is about the speaker arriving at a fork in the road, where both paths are carpeted with leaves. The persona, who is believed to be Frost himself, chooses to take the road less traveled by. He tells himself that he will take the other road another day, although he knows it is unlikely that he will have the opportunity to do so. The poem concludes with the speaker satisfied by his choice in taking the road less traveled by.…
- 1061 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
In the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, the content is developed differently due to it being a poem rather than a short story. A short story has a plot while a poem does not. Frost describes two roads that diverged in a yellow wood, and a choice must be made to continue on the journey. The poem is told from the first-person point of view which allows the reader to feel as if the poem relates to them. Frost uses the phrase “In leaves no step had trodden black” (cited in Clugston, 2010) symbolizing a path in life that no one else has followed. Frost symbolizes the difficulty of making a choice in the phrase “I shall be telling this with a sigh” (cited in Clugston, 2010). Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken” jokingly about his friendship with Edward Thomas who he met in London. The history behind the poem is quite complex. Frost and Edward had a close friendship and planned to live side by side together in America. Thomas was also a writer; and a man plagued by indecision. In late November of 1914, Frost and Thomas took a stroll in the woods behind Frost’s cottage. A local gamekeeper challenged their presence in the woods and told…
- 2600 Words
- 11 Pages
Best Essays -
The Road Not Taken TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. – --Robert Frost…
- 1416 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays