Poem analysis. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost - Essay Example

“The Road Not Taken Robert Frost’s Poem on Choice. “The Road Not Taken” is generally accepted to be Robert Frost’s best loved poem. It is a short poem, consisting of four stanzas of five lines each. The rhyme scheme, ABAAB, is particularly appealing to the ear. Combined with simple vocabulary, it makes the poem very easy reading. On the surface, the poem appears to be quite straightforward, and the reader appears to immediately grasp its meaning. A traveler, who is on a journey through a wood, reaches a fork in a road. He pauses to consider his choice of route and describes the two paths before him. After weighing the comparative merits of the two roads, he makes his choice and proceeds on his journey. The poem is written in the past tense and takes the form of a reminiscence by the same traveler in later years. He looks back on that momentous choice of direction and ponders on its implications. Once the reader delves further into the poem, hidden depths are revealed. It becomes clear that the poem lends itself to several interpretations. The poem is not about taking a less travelled path, but may be a jest or an ironic comment on making a choice and living with the consequences. The poem is not about taking a less travelled path. Although the poet declares, “I took the one less traveled by” (Frost, 19), it is obvious that his assertion lacks credibility. In direct contrast to his assertion, Frost repeatedly tells the reader that both the roads are similar. He describes the road which he chooses “as just as fair” (Frost, 6) as the road he rejects. The poet also equates the two roads in terms of the volume of traffic they have witnessed, saying that “the passing there / Had worn them really about the same” (Frost, 9/10). These lines categorically refute his assertion that the road he chooses is new, untraveled ground. Again, the poet reiterates that “And both that morning equally lay / In leaves no step had trodden black” (Frost, 11/12). This makes it clear that no feet have trampled on the fresh leaves covering the surface of both roads. The traveler is the first to pass that way. The reader is now aware of a note of ambiguity in the poem. At first, the poet says that the road he chooses has “perhaps the better claim / Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (7/8). He implies that the other road is more worn. Then, he goes on to say that the road he chooses is equally worn and is as untrodden as the other. In effect, the poet contradicts himself. This ambiguity, which appears to be deliberate, suggests that the poet is teasing the reader. The poem may be read as Frost poking fun at the reader. In 1914, when Frost was on an extended stay in England, he struck up a close friendship with Edward Thomas. Frost accompanied Thomas on long walks through the English countryside. Thomas was always eager to take his American friend on routes which would feature the best views or the rarest botanical specimens. After these rambles, Thomas would often “regret the choice he had made and would sigh over what he might have shown Frost if they had taken a “better” direction” (Montiero). Frost would tease his friend about these regrets and his sighs over what might have been. Frost himself was not one to indulge in such sentimentality. Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken,” on his return to America and sent the poem to Thomas. Later, when Frost became aware of readers misinterpreting his theme, he “insisted that his poem had been intended as a sly jest at the expense of his friend and fellow poet” (Montiero). In this context, the line, “I shall be telling this with a sigh” (Frost, 16) refers to Thomas’ sighs of regret over his choice of routes in the English countryside and is Frost’s “gentle jest at Thomas’ expense” (Montiero). This ironic tone of the poem also extends to the theme of choice which is the strongest feature of the poem. The poem is essentially about making choices in life. Choice is reputedly one of Frost’s recurring themes and “repeatedly his poems consist both of a pondering or ruminating process that brings some order, form, or clarity to experience and also consist of a particular decision or judgment made within the poem” (Bieganowski, 259). The fork in the woods is a metaphor for the choices confronted in life. The traveler is obviously on the threshold of making an important decision in life. He ponders on the two choices available to him and takes a call. It is clear that the choice he makes has repercussions on his future and “What he shall become is fixed by the conduct of this moment” (Bieganowski, 259). The traveler is aware that his choice is irrevocable. He cannot retrace his steps. As he looks back on this decision, the traveler’s words “And that has made all the difference” (Frost, 20) makes it evident that the choice has a significant effect on his future identity and circumstances. The traveler “muses on his first step with its consequences possibly greater than he imagined or intended” (Bieganowski, 260). The traveler chooses to go in one direction, rather than another, and looks back on his decision-making process. He is aware that he would be a different man if he had made a different choice. Contrary to popular perception, “The Road Not Taken” is not about the difference an unconventional choice can make to an individual. It is not an exhortation to take the less traveled road or an inspiration for a highly individualistic, non-conformist lifestyle. The ambiguity in the poem suggests that it pokes fun at those who regret their choices and sigh over lost possibilities. Frost himself termed it a private jest directed at his friend. However, whatever may have been Frost’s intentions, “The Road Not Taken” continues to be an inspiration to generations of readers. It is about the nature of choice. It symbolizes the path of life, with its unknown future and convoluted routes. It emphasizes that each choice made plays an integral part in determining personal identity and character. “The Road Not Taken” asserts man’s role in determining his own future. Works Cited. Bieganowski, Ronald. “Robert Frost's Sense of Choice in “Mountain Interval.”” JSTOR. College Literature , Vol. 11, No. 3 (Fall, 1984), pp. 258-268. Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” American Literature Since the Civil War. Create edition. McGraw-Hill, 2011. Page range of the poem. e-Book. Montiero, George “On “The Road Not Taken.”” Modern American Poetry. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 1997. Web. 4 Nov 2013 http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/road.htm Read More