Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,.

            

            

             And looked down one as far as I could.

            

             Then took the other, as just as fair,.

             And having perhaps the better claim,.

             Because it was grassy and wanted wear;.

             Though as for that the passing there.

             Had worn them really about the same.

             And both that morning equally lay.

             In leaves no step had trodden black.

             Oh, I kept the first for another day!.

             Yet knowing how way leads on to way,.

             I doubted if I should ever come back.

             I shall be telling this with a sigh.

             Somewhere ages and ages hence:.

             Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--.

             I took the one less traveled by,.

             And that has made all the difference.

             Robert Frost .

             The Road I Should Have Taken .

             Robert Frost"s "The Road Not Taken" has long been hailed as a testimony to individuality and an inspiration to take chances. Instead of conforming to society"s rituals, the speaker chose to be different-to take the road "less traveled by." .

             However, many readers and critics alike have neglected to consider the perils of choosing a path that is seldom tread upon. The consequences of selecting a road that is noticeable more unkempt and perhaps even hazardous could be devastating; it is a miracle in its self that the speaker is still alive or even sane enough to recall his precarious adventure through the uncharted territory. Does no one remember the legend of Little Red Riding Hood, who against her mothers warnings, wandered off the trail only to fall victim to the wolf?" As the story goes, Little Red Riding Hood was sent forth with a basket of goodies to visit her ailing grandmother. (Take notice that the traveler has no mention of a grandma or a basket which can lead to only one conclusion. The speaker selfishly neglected poor old Granny and, being a little less innocent than Little Red Riding Hood, was actually seeking trouble to satisfy his bad-boy complex and fulfill some empty void in his life.