This is a poem that emphasizes on the importance of making good decision before taking weighty choices. Set in a wood that is going through autumn, the poem tells a story of life, changing seasons and the effects of living with the consequences. 'The Road Not Taken' is a poem on choices and consequences and why popular decisions may or may not benefit one's life. It is a simple story that raises more questions than answers but which causes a great deal of reflection. It also creates a cautionary approach to handling quick decision making.
The poem's central theme is on choices. Frost emphasizes this by pointing out that there are two roads on the path of his journey. At this point, he must decide on whether to pick one route or turn around and go back where he had come from. Here he makes the first decision. He decides to pick one road as continues on his journey. Frost brings out that theme of exploration. Before embarking on a new decision, Frost, decides to study each path keenly to avoid any mistakes. This exploration causes indecision as the initial glance tells him that the two roads are the same. A closer look finally reveals that one road has been frequented while the other has seen fewer travelers.
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The central theme of choices is made more weighty by Frost's fear of the unknown. This fork in the forest interrupts his plans but makes him aware of the hopes and dreams he has placed on this journey. The last theme that is present is that of risk-taking. The author chooses to travel down a road that has not been tried much before. This road could lead to prosperity or death. He draws out courage from within and takes this bold move anyway.
The setting in this poem is situation because it does not a describe a specific time and place that exists in the world. Though Frost describes his location as a yellow forest, he does not give exact locations or time during the day or night. The first line in the poem supports a situational instead of a real setting. 'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,.' Another line in the poem also supports the vagueness of the setting. 'Two roads diverged in the wood,.' The author includes details about the nature of the woods. We can tell, that the wood is not a place to live. People mainly use it to as a venue for transit. This is because he describes undergrowth that is visible for a distance and leaves that lay on the ground of the wood.
The yellow wood is a symbolic representation of the world we live in. The man on a journey represents the deliberate effort to make something out of one's life. This could be the pursuit of the career, relationships or even wealth. The two roads represent major life decisions that have life-changing consequences. The process the traveler goes through before settling on a road is similar to that of weighing the pros and cons of a significant issue.
The mood of the poem is reflective, pensive or nostalgic. The author is looking back on events that occurred back in time. They are significant to him because of the outcome that was as a result of his choice. It is however not clear whether the choice of the road not taken led to good things or bad. The author is non-committal on either, only concluding that it made all the difference. The elements that contribute to the mood of the poem include its form, rhyme scheme, and meter. It is both a descriptive poem and also one which has lyrical poetry. The words in the poem express profound words and feelings while still showing more through the use of adjectives and elaborate imagery. The poem also employs the use of end rhyme. This method uses the rhyme scheme known as ab ab. This scheme alternates the sounds in every other line.
The title, 'The road not taken 'is significant to the poems meaning. It gives clarity to the effect of the traveler's decision. It implies regrets because of opportunities missed or lost. But it can also be seen as an optimistic point of view that highlights better outcomes. It creates almost as much confusion as the poem itself. Literary devices used in the poem are metaphors, repetition, consonance, and assonance. The consonance is found in this line. 'Yet knowing how way leads on to way,.' These devices, as well as sound fo, does not contribute to the theme of the poem but they support its mood.
The author makes use of sound in the rhyme. He also describes autumn in the yellow wood, and this is symbolism. It represents a late season, probably to explain a traveler who began his journey too late. This could mean a person who waited too long before making a move that would change his or her life. It is clear that the poem's narrator is the traveler but, not an observer. This is clear from the description of the internal dialogue that the traveler is experiencing. It is also suggested that the traveler was accompanied by another traveler who chose a different path. The author seems to know the outcome of traveling both roads and thus the nostalgic feeling towards the past.
References
Frost, R. (1975). The road not taken. Stemmer House Publishers.
