Analysis Of The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

The poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ written by Robert Frost describes a persona’s choice of journey. The persona is described as walking through a wood one morning, reaching a fork and contemplates which path to take out of the two diverged roads. The persona chooses the road “less travelled” and sets off on a holistic, life-changing journey. The poem is an extended metaphor about life. The character in the poem literally journeys through the “yellow woods” down one of the “two roads” but this journey is merely the basis for the more important symbolic journey. The poem is allegorical as it consists of a symbolic meaning rather than a literal meaning. The title of the poem significantly focuses on the road not taken, indicating the inevitable process …show more content…
Imagery is very important in this poem as the narrator is describing the setting for most of the poem. The eloquent adjectives describing the setting throughout the poem enables the reader to create a vivid image of the “Two roads diverged…” Frost incorporates the image of the diverged road which is symbolic of the endless possibilities and opportunities available to each individual throughout life – however it depends on the persona to choose it or not. The paths diverged is symbolic of the choices and decisions part of the discovery journey which correlates to the idea of the allegorical structure of the poem. It emphasises not only the literal meaning of the messages hidden in this poem but also the symbolic messages depicted throughout the imagery. The roads stretched vastly implicate life for any journey and displays the various possibilities life will offer. The image of the road describes the road as a leading way to the journey of life that interconnects, forming mazes of choices and future prospects, which increase the uncertainty about making decisions. The persona is shown doubting “…doubting if I should ever come back” whether to come back to the diverged roads increasing his ambiguity about his choices. Frost also uses the line “In leaves no step and trodden…” which creates a …show more content…
This allows the reader to understand the character’s thoughts and actions to the full extent. The first person nature of the poem is reinforced by the use of repetition. It is the process of discovery that can enrich lives of individuals as it develops a large portion of character. The use of first person speech has enabled readers to connect to the poem and link it back to their own situations and decisions of life. The use first person in the poem symbolically represents the inner thoughts or imaginative creation of both the reader and character. It links back to the allegorical style of the poem. The poem is deeply intimate as the thoughts and feelings of the persona are expressed thoroughly throughout the journey. The persona is seen choosing the road that is “…less travelled by” that signifies the new, challenging, rewarding and independent experiences of an individual in their life journey. The personal nature of the poem is fortified by the abstruse mood of the poem. Frost has deliberately used simple language and rhyme scheme in order to establish the reflective mood of the persona and their journey. This technique makes the mood of the poem very reflective and contemplative about the decisions and choices throughout this symbolic life expedition. The persona releases an ambiguous “…sigh” which represents the double and unclear meaning