Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" shows the uncertainty as to which road of life a person should choose. It raises the question of whether it is better to choose a road on which many have traveled, or to choose the road less traveled and explore it for yourself. In Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" his theme is about how the choices one makes affects his or her life. In this poem the tone, diction, and the setting help to illustrate the struggle one goes through in their lifetime on choosing the right path.
In the first line of the first stanza, Frost says, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," which is seemingly a very important part of the poem. This line is a metaphor in which Frost uses the woods to represent life. Using this as an image helps the reader to have a better understanding for the complex problem the speaker is facing. If you were standing at the edge of a forest you would not be able to clearly see what was ahead of you, because it would be obstructed by trees and branches. Life is like those woods because no one can clearly see or predict what will happen in the future. The only hope that one has is to choose a path that will lead to good fortune and happiness. Another interesting part of this line is how
In the third stanza the speaker says that, "And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black," which I take to mean that the few people who did choose to take the road less traveled did not come across any difficulties or obstacles greater than that of the more traveled road. He then goes on to say that, "Oh, I kept the first for another day," as to say that it took him a long time to make his decision. Actually it may have been months or even years before the speaker chose a road. I think that there are two reasons why it was very hard for the speaker to make that choice. First reason is that he would not be able to know right away if he had made the right decision. He knew that the decision he made would determine the outcome of his life, and that he would have to be devoted to the road he chose. Once he made his decision he would probably never be able to turn back. Another reason might be that the roads didn't look that much different. In the last two lines of second stanza he tells us that the passing "had worn them two really about the same". I believe that he meant by this that the two roads didn't look much different because he wasn't able to see in the future and tell the outcome of any particular road.
In the last two lines the speaker tells us "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference ". By this I believe he meant that since he decided to be different his path lead him on the road to a good life. A life that was full of confidence, happiness, and independence. After you read this poem you realize that the poe
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