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The Road Not Taken by Robert FrostThesis StatementLife is made up of choices. Life is what you make it to be. Each day of our lives we are faced with dilemmas about life. Life is about making decisions according to the narrator of this poem Robert Frost. Each choice has a consequence which can either be positive or negative. Because of limited resources like time and money we are unable to satisfy our human nature.AnalysisAccording to Robert Frost in the poem the road not taken, there is a complete dilemma about which road to take.
The speaker decides to choose a road that is strange and that is less travelled. However in the end, the speaker regrets that he wishes he should have travelled the other road. Robert is teaching us the lesson about choice. Robert hints at his life. He tells us that he chose a wrong path that is less travelled. However, he wishes that he goes back and chose the other road but he is unable because he does not have time. This indicates that Robert has already grown old and he cannot reverse time.
This is an important teaching in life that reminds us that we only have one life that we must live fully by making the correct decisions. Moreover, time is a resource that does not wait for any man and must be utilized in a write way. Forks in the road and paths in the wood are ancient but common things we encounter in our lives. The paths have been used to identify the dilemmas in life and the forks as the challenges and consequences we get from the decisions we make. Robert uses these two examples figuratively to show the audience the hidden meaning of his poem.
Robert informs us that we are free to choose but we do not have the power to predict what will happen in future so we must choose wisely. Robert Frost has also been keen not to advise or give any direction. The speaker has used only 4 stanzas to express the theme of dilemma and the challenges that are eminent in life. This is why Frost does not say, when you come to a fork in the road, check out the footprints clearly and take the less travelled road. It is also for this reason, that the author does not mention any identity that confirms that the path he chose was less travelled.
The author also warns us about the idea of travelling in both paths he says, “and sorry i could not travel both” (Finger). This is a teaching in life that we must have goals and focus on them. Without focus in life it is difficult to attain our dreams. ConclusionIn conclusion, the poet has managed to bring out the theme of dilemma in life. The speaker reveals to us that life is made up of choices and our choices have consequences. The speaker also warns us that time is a resource which is not reversible.
Works CitedFinger, Larry L. ""Frost's "The Road Not Taken": A 1925 Letter Come to Light"." American Literature (1978): 50 (3): 478–479.
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