The poet laureate of Vermont, Robert Lee Frost, is a Universal figure known for his sense of rural setting and using them to touch the social side of mankind. The Road Not Taken published in the year 1916 is one of his finest accomplishments as a poet. It is no embellishment if anyone claims that this particular poem is amongst the world’s most read and taught one. The four stanza poem has inspired and stirred many minds in the world. The young minds immediately connect to The Road Not Taken as it represents them while taking unknown decisions. The poem is narrated by a speaker who is thinking of the past and the decision he has to take while travelling through woods one day.
Stanza I – …show more content…
The reader gets to know from the following stanzas that the season is autumn as there are leaves all over the road. The dilemma of the speaker in the poem is simple and is revealed early. The deep insight into the understanding of the road resembles the quandary of people in situations where they cannot “travel both” and stick to one path. This results in trying to judge the situation as far as possible similar to the speaker who looks at one road as far as the eye permits. The word “undergrowth” is a representation of the unknown meaning that what lies beyond the known knowledge is uncertain.
Stanza II – The Road Not Taken – Summary & Analysis
The speaker takes the other road that seems fair and better. He feels that it is full of grass and less trodden. However, he observes that the other road is similarly less trodden and full of grass. Both paths seem to have same wear by travellers making it hard for anyone to pick a safe road.
Second stanza can confuse the reader as it did for decades. Many wrong interpretations show that the speaker has taken the road that is not taken by many. However, it is clearly stated by Robert Frost that both the roads are “about the same”. Although, the misinterpretations have only lead to good, where the readers are encouraged to choose a path that is unique. But, a misinterpretation is a misinterpretation and institutes who teach thus should …show more content…
He judges that in that morning the leaves are not stepped on continuously; hence are not turned to black. He ruminates about the decision taken and says that he took the second road leaving the first one to another time of journey. But, the speaker knows that it is highly impossible as once the decision is taken – one path would lead to many. During the journey, the speaker expresses doubt if he can ever return to the first road.
Once again, there is clear indication that the two roads are similar with leaves that are not stepped on by travellers. Robert Frost depicts the choice one makes with the help of the roads. There is no coming back from making a decision as one decision would open up a labyrinth of choices that an individual has to cope with. The realization sets in after experiences all the choices and the individual would realize that coming back is not something possible. The underlining intention of the stanza is keeping faith in one’s decisions. If a decision is taken with clarity, then there is nothing to worry about. If a decision is taken without proper understanding or in the heat of things, it could lead to worrying and the individual might express doubts about that