The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Critique - Essay Example

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is one of the greatest poems that written and was published in 1916 (Gale, 1). The poem referred to the tendency of an individual to regret each past decision that they make even the ones that were inconsequential. The poem describes individuals always worried that they would have taken the other route other than the one they currently hold. In the poem, travelers found two roads that diverged into the woods and started reasoning which road could be the best for them. They wished that they could travel through both roads, but now that it was not possible, they had to take a decision (Carr, 11). They spent a long time deliberating and finally took the other road because it was nice just like the other. The road taken seemed preferable because it was not well-trodden like and the grass was less worn compared to the other road. There was no sign that someone had passed through the road before them because there were many leaves on both roads (Sterbenz). Later the individuals decided to return and take the other path that they had not taken. But in the real sense, they knew that one road was likely going to lead to another. Therefore, they doubted if there was a time that they would ever return to the same sport and make other choices. However, they conclude that in the future they will tell people that there were two roads heading to into the woods and they decided to take the one less traveled (Gale, 5). The choice is the one that made all the difference. This discussion argues that in the poem “The Road Not Taken”, Frost advances the argument that individuals cannot rewrite their history after they have made a lifetime decision.

The speaker uses various symbols in the poem. Symbolism makes the reader relate the poem to its actual meaning (Spacey). The poet uses the symbol of nature by describing woods and how they look like during autumn. He uses falling leaves probably as a symbol showing the fall of his life. At this moment, he is starting to grow old and thus making various decisions. In like five the poet describes thick woods in that the roads are disappearing in the undergrowth. Metaphorically, the undergrowth may be used to represent the phase of the poet’s unclear future. In line seven and eight, the speaker in the poem thinks that one path is better because fewer people have passed through there (Spacey). In this sentence, the speaker is refereeing to the decisions that are not commonly made but in its place used nature as a symbol. In line eleven to twelve, there is imagery because, in this morning, one of the roads has fleshly fallen leaves than the other path. It is difficult to distinguish which line is less traveled. Thus, metaphorically, this line brings to attention that sometimes it is difficult to tell the best decision to take in life.

The poet uses roads as symbols to mean the decision that people take in life. As such, for every road that one chooses to take, there is an alternative one that is not taken (Spacey). The decisions made in life, whether wrong or right, have consequences. The poet also uses various metaphor regarding roads to pass a specific message to the reader. For instance, in line one he speaks about splitting roads in the woods which constitute a metaphor regarding a choice made (Gale, 4). In line four and five, the description for the road is a metaphor regarding the future. In line six, the author had spent a lot of time thinking about the roads but decided to take one road. This abrupt decision is a metaphor for suddenly made decision. According to Kirszner (47, in line 13 and 15, the poet realizes that they will never be able to return and take the other roads. This was a metaphor indicating that decision that an individual makes changes everything and there is no going back. According to Gale (8) in line 18 to 20, the first line is repeated which represent an extended metaphor for a concluded decision.

The speaker uses specific rhyming scheme thus making the poem acquire unique musical experience. The narrative poem has four stanzas each with four lines that have nine syllables each, making a quintains poem. Considering the first verse, the rhyme scheme is ABAAB (Carr, 13). Rhyming is a significant element because it makes this poem emotional and also accords it a musical experience that makes it beautiful and stylish. Correspondingly, the rhyming makes the reader feel that they are walking together in the woods with the narrator of the poem. The syllables are arranged in a way that one is unstressed while the other is stressed (da DUM). In some parts however, two unstressed syllables come before one stressed syllable (da DUM). For instance, the first line reads as follows; two roads diverged in a yellow wood (Carr, 13). The parts that are in italics constitute the stressed syllables.

The poem has been written in a meditative tone. The speaker realizes humans and their thinking processes are not perfect, but always trying to make things work out (Andrew Spacey). Thus, things are not black and white in that one can just take the specific decision at once and make the right choice. Individuals have to stand, reason, look at the various options available, weigh their outcomes and then make a decision. The situation calls for serious approaches, and there is always room for errors (Spacey). As such, the best way is to mediate different options hopping that the chosen option is the best choice.

The speaker also uses other poetic devices in the poem including alliteration, imagery, and hyperbole. For instance, the speaker uses alliteration by using the phrase ‘wanted to wear.’ The ‘w’ sound is repeated at the beginning of the two words. This feature is useful because it enhances the musical quality of the poem. The speaker also uses imagery in the poem. For instance, the speaker says “equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.” The speaker use the imagery in this statement to mean that it was difficult for him to identify or single out the best road or the best decision to make in life because all the possible option were similar and fundamentally untainted. Imagery is used to decorate and allow development of mental picture to enable the reader to appreciate the message. Hyperbole is used on the line “somewhere ages and ages hence.” In this line, the traveler insists that he does not have ages and ages left for him in life. He wishes that he had more time to make a choice, but he does not have time whatsoever.

This poem is centered on several themes. One of the themes is the journey of life. The speaker uses two roads that diverge in the woods to symbolize an individual’s life (Spacey). The two roads represent the different decisions that one can make in life and the way such decisions affect the future. Life is a journey and thus the speaker compares life with traveling. The speaker captures the uncertainty that surrounds decision-making as well as our natural desire to establish what may happen after an individual makes a given decision. The speaker eventually decides to take the other road out of the fact that he has no way of establishing the outcome of taking the specific road (Orr). The chosen road seemed preferable because it was not well-trodden like the other road and the grass was less worn. Here, the speaker encourages the reader to overcome fear because there is always opportunity in trying something new. Thus, there is no clear path in the journey of life that one can confidently take with certainty (Kirszner, 48). There is always a doubt, but one has to persevere, develop courage and make a bold resolution. Through necessary determination, there is hope that the journey of life will be a success.

The theme of choice is also clearly demonstrated in the poem. The poem is centered on the construct of choice (Carr 10). The road that the speaker has encountered in the woods is splitting in two main directions. The speaker has to decide the best way to take. It has already been established that these roads represent life decisions. Something in the life of the speaker is changing thus compelling him to make a lasting and informed choice (Spacey). Just as it is in life, it is difficult to make specific choices primarily the one that touches on the person’s life. The speaker uses the theme of choice to illustrate the fact that in life, there must be instances where choices are to be made and that one must take one and leave the other. At the same time, the speaker demonstrates that choices which are difficult to make have rewarding consequences at the end, if chosen wisely (Orr). The choices by the speaker changed his life and he made a difference at the end.

The poem also underlines the theme of dreams, plans, and hopes. The choice taken by the speaker is connected to the future (Gale, 7). The speaker has many aspirations, dreams, and the hope to succeed in life and that is why he takes time to reason and establish the right path. That signifies that he aspires and hopes to have good future because he does not leave his fundamental decisions to the wind. Besides, he takes the risk and decides not to allow other people to influence his choices. Accordingly, he takes the road that was less traveled as a bold move to realize his dreams. The speaker’s choice of path did change his life. However, the speaker ponders on the lost opportunities (Spacey). He can still recall that there were other opportunities that he left behind. Fundamentally, the speaker doubts if there will be a time to ever return to the same sport and make other choices. However, he concludes that though some of the dreams and aspirations were not accomplished, he will tell others in the future that he encountered different choices in his life and decided to take the unique one (Orr). Thus, though not all of his dreams were realized, he succeeded in realizing some that were linked to the choices he made