Road Not Taken the Poem

¶ … Road Not Taken

The poem literally is a depiction of an individual walking in the woods and at a point comes at a point where the roads are divergent into two leading different ways. One had been trodden many a times and seems to be the one that is usually followed by people. The other was grassy and leafy and didn't seem to be used by many travelers.

The persona in the poem then chooses to take the road that has not been taken and was grassy. He later rejoices that he chose to take the road that had not been taken by many, 'I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference' and got equally satisfying results.

The setting of the poem in the woods early in the morning when there are still leaves that have dropped allover the road remained undisturbed. The season is during the fall when the trees have yellow leaves and the trees are shading their leaves that covered the personas path. The poem is centered at a place in the woods where the road diverts into two and the persona has to make a choice on which path to take.

At the analytical and symbolic level, the poet was set to communicate on the concept of personal decisions and taking decisions that not conventional and most popular among others and an assertion of individualism and self-determination. He wanted to drive home the concept of individualism and self-determination in the direction of life (represented by the figurative road) and choices rather than sticking to the popular options.

In a bid to capture the symbolic message of individualism and self-determination, the poet has employed the use of various poetic elements. Extended metaphor is one such element where the use of the 'Road' is seen throughout the poem. This represents the choices that one has to make in life at one point or the other. The other significant metaphor in the time of the walk through the woods which is when the woods are yellow, it is autumn in the region.

This can represent the persona making his choices at the fall of his life when there are metaphoric undergrowths representing the uncertain future that is ahead of the speaker as well.

The other element that is outstanding in the poem is the tone that has been used throughout the poem. The poem adopts a mild tone though full of reminiscence, the poem still keeps the mild tone so as to be able to pass the serious message of rational thinking and decision making. The persona is neither happy nor sad, though we can see some little element of regret in the last two lines.

The poet has also employed symbolism to portray the message of decision making and the due consideration. In stanza one the lines "And looked down one as far as I could / to where it bent in the undergrowth." This looking that the poet is talking about is the due consideration and the diligence that one gives to the choices that one is yet to make. The lines symbolize the keen thought and consideration that the persona gave to life in the future, a future that he peered to as far as he could till where the future was "…bent in the undergrowth."