The Road Not Taken

The method of taking more than one available option and choosing a desired course of action describes the process of decision making. (Lunenburg, 2010). Therefore, Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” is about the gift of free will to everyone, and how that free will is exercised when faced with decisions in life. Or is it? The first line of the poem states: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012, p. 624), this is not meant to be two literal roads, nor a forest in the fall season. Rather, his choice of words has a much deeper meaning. In fact, “Two roads”, is a representation of two choices, “yellow” represents caution and “wood” represents human nature. Therefore, when presented with options, one should cautiously consider each one and make decisions without haste. However, when presented with two options, as the subject of the poem, there are really three options to choose from. Take the path of least resistance, take the path fraught with obstacles, or make no decision at all.
However, to do this he or she must overcome human nature which is the desire to take the path of least resistance. Therefore, caution is the word of the day, because too often when faced with choices, decisions are made in haste. Consequently, this is done at one’s detriment leaving them often with much heartache and regrets. For this reason, Frost emphasizes the importance of caution when making decisions by conveying to the reader in the first stanza of the poem that the subject stood for a long time. He also emphasizes this point in line three of the third stanza when he wrote: “Oh, I kept the first for another day” (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012, p. 624). Incidentally, this is the only line in the poem where an exclamation point is used. Frost is letting the reader know it is better to take a day and sleep on it that to rush into something