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"The Road Not Taken" Poetry Explanation

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The Road Not Taken Poetry Explanation The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is one of the most famous poems ever written. It is also one of the most misunderstood poems. Many people have been faced with “a fork in the road”. This may include a choice between two decisions, a choice between jobs or careers, or a choice between other things. Because you can only choose one, there is the “road” you did not take. In the future, you may look back on these decisions and may have regrets. The Road Not Taken is about these decisions. The first stanza of the poem states: “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. (Lines 1-5)

This, if taken literally, talks about a traveler that cannot choose between two paths in the woods. He has to take one but cannot choose. He is “sorry” that he cannot travel both which implies regret on his decision. He “takes the other, as just as fair” which states that he took the other path. This is a play on words because it could mean that he could view the other path as equal or it could be a fair choice. It states that both roads are equal which implies a good future for both. The poem continues by stating “and perhaps having the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear.” The speaker is still unsure because the other one is “perhaps” better. The other path is just as appealing because it wanted (or lacked) wear because not many people have walked on it. The speaker still cannot make up his mind when he states “though as for that passing there/ Had worn them about the same”. The speaker states that both have leaves and no marks which imply that both haven’t been traveled recently. The speaker then implies he already has regrets for not taking the other path because he wants to take it another day. The speaker than realizes that he cannot come back because “way leads onto way”. The poem strongly suggests here that the poem is about life decisions we can not always come back and “try the other path”. We have to make up our mind on the spot and deal with the outcome. “I shall be telling this with a sigh/ Somewhere ages and ages hence” The speaker is telling us in the future that he has regrets on this decision. This also suggests that it was a major life decision because people generally reflect only on major choices and not the minor ones. “I took the one less traveled by/ and that has made all the difference”. This tells the reader that the speaker eventually chose the road less traveled by and is happy with this decision. The word difference is told in a positive tone which suggests the speaker had a successful/ happy outcome. The “road” in this poem is not an actual road because cars were not invented. It is more of a path. Through out the poem, more and more evidence is given to us that suggest the path is actually a life decision. The use of a road as a life decision is a metaphor. The speaker in this poem is a person who is having a hard time choosing between two major life choices. At one point, he thinks one is better, and at another point, the other is better. The speaker is having regrets from this choice like anyone else would that would be confronted with a decision like this. It is common for people to reflect on life decisions and wonder what would have happened if you went with another choice. It could be implied that the reader is telling others in old age about this decision and is happy with his choice. In conclusion, The Road Not Taken is a poem full of symbolism. It is about a decision between two major life choices and which one you should take. You should go with your gut and hopefully turn out like the speaker because he “chose the road not taken/ and that had made all the difference.”

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