The Road Not Taken

By: Robert Frost

Ask yourself:
What would you say is the most important decision you have made thus far in your life? How did you make this decision? Looking back, was it a good decision or do you have regrets?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler,

long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

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.

Synopsis
The poem is about the poet who while walking in the woods, came to a point where the road branched into two. He stood there for sometime to decide on which road to take. He chose to take the road that few travellers had walked upon. He hoped to return to take the other road another day. However, the road he took led him to different paths. Therefore, he did not have the opportunity to try the other road. The choice he made had a strong effect on his life.

Literary Devices
Metaphor
The poem revolves around the metaphor comparing the decisions we make on the journey of life to a fork in the road. Just as we must decide which road to take when traveling in order to arrive at a location, we must make decisions in life that will greatly impact our destination. The speaker is a traveler on the road of life who wishes that he could go both directions and avoid making a decision.

Literary Devices
Symbolism
1. Yellow - The yellow coloring of the woods is representative of the light, hope, and promise that the speaker is standing before. His future is bright and stretches before him. Though both paths are equally lit, he must choose only one. Woods - The poem is set in the woods because we get an image of a quiet, deserted place where the speaker is left alone to decide. There are no road signs or people to stop and ask for directions. Similarly, there are no signs in life designed to help people choose their path.

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Symbolism
3. Roads - The roads are symbolic of the paths we take in life. Every road leads to a specific place and the nature of ones destination depends entirely on the decisions that are made. We dont just arrive at a location; we make a series of choices that lead us there. Morning - The morning represents a new beginning and the endless possibilities the day ahead has to offer. Frost sets the poem in the morning to reveal that the speaker is in the early years of his life and his future is spread out before him.

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Themes
Dilemma of making choices. Regrets and happiness as one makes choices. Challenges and obstacles along the way.

Moral Values
A right choice will lead to a happy life. We must think carefully before making any choices in life. Life can offer many opportunities but we must dare to take the challenges and risks. We must accept the consequences of our choice.