The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Kia Wells
Eng 102
20 September 2013
“The Road Not Taken” By Robert Frost
The poem “The Road Not taken by Robert Frost was published back in the year of 1916.The poem was printed in Italics and consists of 4 stanzas. This poem is also considered and known to be one of Robert Frost’s most popular poems. In this essay I will explore The Road Not Taken. I try to fully understand if Frost felt disappointment in his life due to certain decisions that are made. Stanza four of the poem is where the tone of the poem is made clear just from a “sigh” the poet makes which will be further explored during the essay. The setting of the poem is during the fall season. That is understood from the first stanza and the first line of the poem which states, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”. The wood being yellow is an indication of fall season. Also in stanza one of the poem, the poet clearly describes a fork in the road. A fork in the road is a decision that pertains to life and the choices we make. There are times in life we get to a stopping point and don’t know whether to go left, right, forward or backwards. When this poem was published back in 1916, cars were new to people and the word “taking roads” was not a familiar term. Roads can best be described as a path of life or maybe a direction in life. Further into the poem the poet continues to make reference to traveling. He stated that “he was sorry he could not travel both”. The poet desires to walk both roads but of course that is not possible and he has to make a choice. The poet stating he is “sorry” indicates disappointment of some sort. Line five of stanza one is where the metaphorical meaning is shown. The poet talks about the fork in the road. The fork in the road is about his life and not a road itself.
Stanza two basically breaks down the road the poet chooses to take. What is interesting is that the poet describes the road as fair. The poet will have the reader confused on the “just as fair” statement
Eng 102
20 September 2013
“The Road Not Taken” By Robert Frost
The poem “The Road Not taken by Robert Frost was published back in the year of 1916.The poem was printed in Italics and consists of 4 stanzas. This poem is also considered and known to be one of Robert Frost’s most popular poems. In this essay I will explore The Road Not Taken. I try to fully understand if Frost felt disappointment in his life due to certain decisions that are made. Stanza four of the poem is where the tone of the poem is made clear just from a “sigh” the poet makes which will be further explored during the essay. The setting of the poem is during the fall season. That is understood from the first stanza and the first line of the poem which states, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”. The wood being yellow is an indication of fall season. Also in stanza one of the poem, the poet clearly describes a fork in the road. A fork in the road is a decision that pertains to life and the choices we make. There are times in life we get to a stopping point and don’t know whether to go left, right, forward or backwards. When this poem was published back in 1916, cars were new to people and the word “taking roads” was not a familiar term. Roads can best be described as a path of life or maybe a direction in life. Further into the poem the poet continues to make reference to traveling. He stated that “he was sorry he could not travel both”. The poet desires to walk both roads but of course that is not possible and he has to make a choice. The poet stating he is “sorry” indicates disappointment of some sort. Line five of stanza one is where the metaphorical meaning is shown. The poet talks about the fork in the road. The fork in the road is about his life and not a road itself.
Stanza two basically breaks down the road the poet chooses to take. What is interesting is that the poet describes the road as fair. The poet will have the reader confused on the “just as fair” statement