Which Path Should You Take?

“Which Path Should You Take?” Paul Arden once said, “If you always make the right decision, the safe decision, the one most people make, you will be the same as everyone else.” The truth of this quote not only applies to everyday life, but also compliments the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. In this particular poem, the speaker of the poem must make a decision when he/she is faced with one road that diverges into two separate paths. They can either choose the path that has been heavily worn down by numerous travelers, or they can choose to take the road less traveled. This poem demonstrates that one’s actions can define them as being in the norm or can make them stand out and be their own individual. Frost uses symbolism, irony, form, and personification to relate to the readers. In “The Road Not Taken”, Frost uses symbolism as a way for the reader to apply the general message of the poem to their lives. When making decisions in life, it is not always best to take the path that most people choose. Instead, choosing the pathway that has been taken less can actually benefit one in the long run. The speaker of the poem states that the decision that he/she is faced with now will have emotional impact on him/her in the future. “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.” (Frost 16-20). It seems as though the speaker of the poem is reflecting on his/her past decisions and how it has made a major impact on his/her life overall. Just as with symbolism, the irony in “The Road Not Taken” is that the speaker of the poem must decide between the two paths. Ultimately, he/she does not choose the most popular path, like one would assume, but instead, chooses to take the road that is less traveled by. It is also ironic that the speaker of the poem states that the decision he/she made had an impact on his/her