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¶ … Road Not Taken
The Poem "The Road Not Taken" is a first person narrative about an important decision in the life of the protagonists. The central theme that is explored throughout the poem is the question of individualism and the choices that an individual makes in life. The poem attempts to deal with an important issue - namely, do we have the courage to make our own decisions in life or should we simply agree with the decisions and opinions of others.
It is important to see this poem and its theme as forming part of a wider literary tradition. The themes of the individual and society, and the concept of individual freedom and nonconformity were important issues during the Modernist period of literature. These have their foundation in the Romantic revolution against conformity and the search for alternative meaning of the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Romantic poets were the first to openly rebel against the reduction of humanity to rules and prescribed social formulas. The poem under discussion is aligned with...
The road is a symbol of life's journey and the poem begins with the realization that there are many different paths or options on this journey.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
The first stanza lays out the basic idea of the poem. The very first line of the poem emphasizes the important decision that has to be made and the word "diverged" indicates the point of separation in the road of life. It is important to note how in the above stanza the narrator lingers over his decision, indicating its importance to his personal life.
However, the choice is not clear-cut or easy to make as the narrator is not sure of what lies ahead on the path that he has chosen.
The poet chooses his words with great care and the significance of the word "undergrowth" is important in that it acts as a symbol or metaphor for mystery and uncertainty. The poet also uses simple rhyme in lines three and four to emphasize the intent and time that the narrator takes to make his decision. This serves to highlight the words "stood" and "could"
In the second stanza the narrator makes his choice and takes one of the roads. The choice that he makes is never certain, as is any choice made in life. The entire second stanza indicates that there is a great amount…
" It was then that the voice decided to take the 'road not taken': no explanation was offered for this decision; simply that, the person wanted to pass through the road where no one had tried before. From the onset, natural realism has taken its hold in the poem. Not offering any explanation for the voice's decision to take the 'road not taken,' natural realism is manifested in Frost's decision to
Road Not Taken, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Out-compare/Contrast The Uncertainty of Life Robert Frost was an American poet who often explored the impact that nature and the environment had on the individual. Frost found that nature allowed the individual to take an introspective look into how present choices may impact future outcomes while keeping in mind that some things are out of an individual's control. In the poems "The
Road Not Taken by Robert Frost There is a copious amount of symbolism found within the poem by Robert Frost entitled "The Road Not Taken." An analysis of the imagery and the symbolism within this poem indicates that the subject of this poem is not really about a walk in the woods. Instead, a thorough analysis of the aforementioned literary conventions as well as the author's diction reveals that this poem
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
Road Not Taken Robert Frost, an American poet, frequently referenced rural life and nature in his poetry, attempting to define the relationship between himself, or his unnamed narrators, and the world around them. In "The Road Not Taken," Frost explores the options he encounters and ponders the repercussions of the choices that he makes. Furthermore, "The Road Not Taken" explores the individual's relationship not only with nature, but also with
However, he finds nothing that makes making the decision any easier and he hesitates for a moment. This hesitation represents how we can be afraid to act sometimes. The poet is forced to make his choice merely by how each path looks. The trees down each path are of "yellow wood" (1) and, unfortunately, they are "really about the same" (10). This situation symbolizes how some of the choices