Driven by our hopes and ambitions, we make a decision taken by fewer people. We could not decide what is right or wrong for us.
Sometimes, in life too there come times when we have to make tough decisions. This diversion symbolizes real-life situations. The Road Not Taken is a poem that describes the dilemma of a person standing on a road with diversion. H.This article presents a brief summary of ‘ The Road Not Taken, a poem written by Robert Frost and published in the year 1916. You May Also Like Summary and Critical appreciation of Island Poem by Nissim Ezekiel and its Questions and Answers Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes Summary, Analysis and Solved Questions London by William Blake – Summary and Questions Money Madness by D. The verses are composed usually of brief forms such as the quatrain (4-line stanza). His poems are usually short, seldom running over from one page to another. Robert Frost is known as a poet of “simplicity”. In this poem, we can easily realize the situation in which a traveller is faced with the dilemma about selecting either of the two roads lying before him in a yellow wood. One of Frost’s favourite modes is the dramatic mode in which a situation is depicted. He allows the situation to speak for itself and allows the deeper meaning to emerge naturally. But Frost has not dealt with the problem philosophically. The central metaphor clearly suggests the external human problem of choices. The metaphor of two roads represents the two possibilities of where only one could be entertained at a time. Added to that, the poet has also made a clever use of natural imagery. The most significant poetic technique applied here is that of symbolism. It is not restricted to the personal level.
The personal experience of the poet acquires universal proportions. The title of the poem is suggestive and symbolic. and successfully brings forth the theme of making a choice. There are four stanzas each of five lines. The poem is written in very simple language. READ ALSO: Appreciation Of The Poem ‘Death The Leveller’ Here, the poet suggests that timely and proper decisions have far-reaching and life long consequences in human life. It was the choice the poet made which determined his destiny. Then he was eminently successful as a poet. With his reputation established, he returned to America. His first volume of poems was published there and received high praise. For this purpose, he went to England with his family. He decided to make poetry his vocation in life. So he chose the path that was less travelled and this choice had “made all the difference.” It was in 1912, that Frost took an important decision in his life. He could not travel both roads at the same time. Once, travelling alone in the woods, the poet stood at a point where two roads diverged. The poet’s experience becomes symbolic of human experience in all ages. This short, simple, poem conveys a very important message to the readers. It is a personal lyric which records the personal experience of the poet. It was published in 1916 in the volume of poems “Mountain Interval”. The Road Not Taken is a poem which has been much praised by readers and the critics. READ ALSO: Dover Beach By Matthew Arnold: Summary, Critical Analysis, Questions and Theme The other road was trodden by many people. He found that one road was grassy that means less used by the people. He observed both the roads very carefully. He was confused because he had to select one road only. He came to a point where the road was bifurcated into two. The poet was travelling alone in the yellow wood. Frost sought to romanticize this notion of ruminating over what might have been and on his return to America in 1915, he incorporated this notion into the composition of a poem for his new volume of poetry. Such a thing happened regularly and Frost took it as an occasion to jest at the expense of his friend’s ‘wasted regrets’. However, before the end of that walk, he would regret the choice he had made and wished that they had chosen the other available routes. The latter was seriously interested in acquainting his American friend with the rarities and specialities of the area and as such always took a route that could serve his purpose. During his stay, he used to go for long walks into the countryside accompanied by Thomas. The inspiration for writing the poem came to Frost in 1914 when he was with his friend Edward Thomas in Gloucestershire, England. “ The Road Not Taken” is the opening poem in Robert Frost’s third collection of poems titled Mountain Interval, published in 1916. Answers to check your progress The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.