Summary and Analysis of the Poem The Road Not Taken
The poem describes someone standing at a fork, or turning point, in a road in the woods, trying to decide which path he's going to take. He looks down one road as far as he can see, and after thinking for another minute, decides to take the other one because it looks like nobody's been that way yet, and he's curious about where it leads. He thinks maybe he might come back another day and try out the other path but he has a feeling that the road he's chosen will lead him to new places and discoveries, and he probably won't be back. He thinks wistfully about that road, the road not taken, and where he might have wound up if he'd gone that way instead. Part of him regrets his decision, but he also realizes that the things he's seen and the places he's gone because of the direction he chose has made him who he is.
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| The Road Not Taken Summary & Analysis |
Introduction: The Road Not Taken
This article presents a brief summary of ‘The Road Not Taken, a poem written by Robert Frost and published in the year 1916. The Road Not Taken is a poem that describes the dilemma of a person standing on a road with diversion. This diversion symbolizes real-life situations. Sometimes, in life too there come times when we have to make tough decisions. We could not decide what is right or wrong for us. Driven by our hopes and ambitions, we make a decision taken by fewer people. We think that if we fail to seek accomplishments we could get a chance to change and start again. However, we travel too far and have to regret it in the end. Also, it is possible that we could become extraordinary people because of that one decision. Thus, the road not taken summary focuses on making wise decisions in life.
Main Summary
In summary, The Road Not Taken is a poem that signifies a situation where the poet was walking down a road that had a diversion and got into a dilemma to choose the right road for him. He had to choose between the two paths. Since he was a single person, he could choose only one of the two paths. The wood was yellow which represents a world full of people who have been residing for many years. The poet kept standing at that fork and looked at the paths very carefully. He looked as far as he could. Before moving forward on one path, he wants to understand how it was. Was it suitable for him to walk on it or not? He was able to see the path from where it got curved. However, afterwards, it was covered with trees and thus was hidden. He wanted to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the paths. The same happens in life too. We have to make decisions thinking about its good and bad consequences in the future.
The poet looked at one path for a long time to decide whether it was good or not for him. Then he takes the alternative path as he feels that both paths are equally good. He feels that the path he chose was better for him. The path was grassy which depicted that it was walked over by fewer people and also, it was ‘wanted wear”. It depicted that the path was unused. However, as he walks on the path for some distance, he realizes that both the paths were similarly worn out. Even in our life, every decision has its own good and bad consequences. We might think we are in a better position than the others but it is not the reality. The poet says that the two paths looked similar that morning. Both were having leaves on them. No one stepped on that and thus they were green.
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He decided to move forward on one path and keep the other for another day. Although he knew that he would not be able to return back as one path would lead to another. This happens in life too. We make a decision and move forward in that direction. We think that we would get a chance to start over again if we fail. But that does not happen. The poet says that sometime in the future, he will take a deep breath and tell that once in a lifetime he had to take a tough decision. He was standing at a diversion of two roads. Both looked to him equally well. Thus, he decides to move forward on the road which fewer people took. As a result, it has made him what he is today. That one decision shaped his future.
Similarly, in the future, when we grow up, we have to say that once upon a time when you were in your youth, you had to make tough decisions. The choice made by you has made you what you are today. Thus, the article of the poem, the road not taken, gives a very strong message to the people. The poem The Road not Taken tells us to be careful in making decisions in life. One should be very wise and careful while making choices as our choices shape our future. Also, once we make a decision, it is very difficult to change and start again. One bad decision could make us regret it throughout life. All this depends on the choices we make today.
The Main Theme of the Poem The Road not Taken
'The Road Not Taken' is more than a poem about someone trying to decide which road he's going to take on a stroll through the woods. It's actually a poem about the journey of life. The two roads diverged in yellow wood symbolize a person's life. The narrator's choice about which road to take represents the different decisions we sometimes have to make and how those decisions will affect the future. Think of the expression, 'down the road', that we often use to describe something that might happen months or even years from now, and you'll see how Frost is making the connection between life and travelling.
The Road Not Taken Literary Devices
1. Rhyme Scheme: ABAAB
2. Symbolism: two roads that represent two or more choices in our life
3. Anaphora: ‘and’ repeated at the beginning of lines 2, 3 and 4
4. Alliteration: Wanted Wear ‘w’ sound is repeating
a. ‘first for’ – ‘f’ sound is repeating
b. ‘though, that’- ‘th’ sound is repeating
5. Repetition: ‘Ages’ is repeated. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood’- this sentence is repeated in stanzas 1 and 4.
Conclusion of The Road Not Taken
In the poem, The road not taken the poet says that once, he was walking down the road and reached a fork. He could walk over one of the paths only. He took the time to choose the right path. He inspected them to decide which was a better option and then chose the one which seemed less walked over. He kept the other one for some other day although he knew that he would never get the chance to walk over it. He would go further on the chosen path and not get a chance to go back on it. As he walked on the chosen path, he realized that both paths were similar. He felt that his future depended on the choice that he made.
