

They are leaving the vitality of youth behind and are entering middle age. Setting the poem at this pivotal point in the seasons could be a metaphor for the age of the speaker. If the wood is “yellow”, then the leaves are beginning to turn from their vibrant green of summer to their autumnal colours. Therefore, Frost locates the story in the “wood” because it conveys the confusion and isolation we often feel in our lives. It could also represent an exciting or even sinister mystery because it is a place waiting to be explored. For example, its dark meandering lines is an effective signifier for our subconscious minds. A woodland is an unmapped wilderness writers can use to symbolise a range of ideas. That optimism is immediately deflated when he “doubted” he would “ever come back” to the junction and have the option to take the other road.Īnother example of this regret is the sorrowful “sigh” in the last stanza which suggests he may never forget “The Road Not Taken”. Perhaps the speaker is experiencing a moment of regret over his impetuous decision.Īfter the long and ponderous sentence, the short and melodramatic exclamative “Oh, I kept the first for another day” sounds a little ridiculous. In other words, the roads were “equally lay” and had “the same” qualities. However, when he walks along this route, he begins to realise the “leaves” had not been “trodden black” by his “passing there” and it was “worn… really about the same”. The first twelve lines of “The Road Not Taken” consists of just one sentence focusing on the speaker’s careful consideration of his two options, looking at “one” road for a “long” time and then impulsively taking the “other” because it seems “grassy” and “less traveled”.

In the second line, the speaker mentions he is “sorry” he could not “travel both” roads and this sense of disappointment is reinforced several times in the poem. Although the speaker in “The Road Not Taken” seems to be confronted by a trivial dilemma, Frost uses the situation to explore how our identity can be determined by the more important choices in life. Our lives are shaped and defined by the choices we make every day so we deliberate over competing arguments, worry about picking the wrong option and try to anticipate the impact of our decisions. He decides to take this “less traveled” road and navigate his own way through the woods. Turning his attention to the “other” road, he initially believes it is “just as fair” and might even have the “better claim” because it was “grassy and wanted wear”. This is an obvious symbol for our uncertain future.

Unfortunately, he can only see “down” the first road until it “bent in the undergrowth”, making it impossible to anticipate where it would end. Travelling through the “yellow wood”, the speaker is forced to choose between “two roads” which continue in different directions. The Road Not TakenĪnd that has made all the difference.
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However, Frost’s poem reminds the reader that we are just “one traveler” and our lives will inevitably be full of missed opportunities. Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is a beautiful allegory depicting the moment when the speaker must choose between “two roads” but is unable to determine which direction has the “better claim”. The important decisions we make in life will have unalterable consequences that are incredibly difficult to predict.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.
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COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.From tech to household and wellness products. Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.

