Response to Robert Frost

A detailed Summary of Response to Robert Frost

When I was in English 251, my professor told us that Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" was frequently misunderstood. The only foreknowledge of the poem that I had was that one of my companions on my mission loved it, and he would recite it quite often. Then in class we had the opportunity to memorize a Frost poem. So, I chose "The Road Not Taken." I found it very interesting to hear the mistake that Olivia made in class when she said that it was called "the Road Less Traveled." It was then pointed out that that was a common mistake. I did not believe that until I heard two others call it, "The Road Less Traveled." So I began to dig deeper into the title itself. The poem is not about the road that is less traveled but about the one that the narrator did not take. I always considered this poem to be a happy poem, based on the reaction that my companion had to the poem and the interpretation that he gave me. It inspired him to make decisions that weren't "with the crowd." So, it was very interesting to actually sit down, memorize the poem and think about the meaning. The poem is about the road "not" taken. This makes me think of all the decisions that I have made in life where I wondered afterwards, "What

would it be like if I had made a different choice?" The word "regret" even comes to mind and that is strange because it has the opposite feeling of what my companion shared with me. It seems to me that Robert Frost knew very well what he was writing, but he hid it well in a weave of surface illusions which could give you an easily seem message, but the truth lies deeper. I suppose that is why we study him and his poems with a Professor of English and why we have books and interpretations of his work. But I digress. That is the issue that I have with poetry. There are so many different interpretations and I always feel that either mine is obvious to everyone else or that is it completely off the mark. So, with "The Road Not Taken" I am wary about my ideas. I guess I should be comfortable with my ideas, even if they seem a little "off." Returning to Frost's poem, I find that it is ultimately about a lonely traveler who has a decision to make. He makes the choice, despite the appeal of the other "road," and knows that he will not come back to see how the other would have been. Again, Frost's tone is regretful and he says, "I shall be telling this with a sigh." I see the poem as a "post-decision depression reflection on what has just taken place. We all make decisions in our lives. Some are life-changing decisions and they are, at times, tough to make. Here the narrator sees life as a journey or a simple walk in the woods. There comes a fork in the road and a decision must be made. Upon examination as far as the eye can see, no exact outcomes can be predicted. Both paths or decisi

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Approximate Word count = 1081
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English