An Analysis of Robert Frosts the Road Not Taken

This poem was written in 1916 and talked about a choice between two roads, two ideas,
and two possibilities of action that narrator faced. It deals with the choice between two roads
and with the results of the choice which the narrator made. It is four stanza poem
compromised of twenty lines.
The title of the poem is the key to its interpretation. It is imperative to understand that
the title is does not mean, as often mistaken, the road less travelled, it is the road not
taken. If the title meant the road less traveled the poem would have a stranger focus in non-
conformity, which is taking the path that others dont take. However, as it is the road not
taken, the poem focuses on lost opportunities, which is, perceptibly, the road that the
speaker did not take. As the speaker talks about lost opportunities, metaphorically he is
reflecting on his life choices, and how they are going or have affected his life.
The road not taken talks about roads, it is interpreting them as decisions we make
throughout life and how these decisions take us to different situations and circumstances.
Another theme is dreams, hopes, and plans we have in life. It talks about the decision we take
and when we take a decision we consider our dreams and hopes. This poem is also link to the
future; it tells us about how this decision would impact our future, when we have no clue on
how this decision will change our life.
This essay analyzes on Robert Frosts poem The Road Not Taken by applying New
Criticism using several key-terms involved; form, content, imageries, ambiguity and intrinsic
element of the poem.

Robert Frosts the Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both.
And be the one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in 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 another 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.

The Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken

1. Form
The Road Not Taken consists of four stanzas with five lines in each in which all
lines are capitalized, flush left, and of approximately the same length. These are called
quintains. Each quintain, the rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAAB, meaning that the
last word of the first line rhymes with the last word of the third and forth. The last word
of the second line rhymes with the last word of the last line in the stanza.
The pattern is repeated in all of the four stanzas. For example, the words that rhyme
in the first stanza, line one, three and four rhyme is wood, stood and could while in line
two and five the words both and undergrowth rhyme. This is illustrated as:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, (A)
And sorry I could not travel both (B)
And be one traveler, long I stood (A)
And looked down one as far as I could (A)
To where it bent in the undergrowth; (B) [1st stanza in 1-5 line]

Meanwhile, in the second stanza lines two and five rhyme, claim and same, and in
line three and four the words wear and there rhyme. In stanza three, lines one, three and
four rhyme, the words are lay, day and way, Lines two and five rhyme, black and back.
In stanza four lines three and four rhyme I and by, while lines two and five rhyme hence
and difference. Rhythm in this poem makes the poem a more pleasured reading and adds
interest.
There are four beats per line, mostly iambic with interesting use of anapests. It is
basically iambic, which means that there is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable, because the rhythm is da-DUM da- DUM. Each unit is called a foot (plural
feet), and in this case, the foot is an iamb. There are many variations in this poem,
 most of which are anapestic, which means that there are two unstressed syllables
followed by a stressed syllable (da-da-DUM).
The most common use of iambs in poetry is in pentrameter, means that there are five
feet or unit of stressed and unstressed syllables, in the poem. But, this poem is in iambic
tetrameter, which means that there are only four feet (tetra = four) da- DUM. For
example at the first line with stressed syllables are in bold and italic.
Two roads | diverged | in a yell|ow wood
So, this poem has rhythm and rhyme scheme, but they depart a little from the norm.
The strict form makes it clear that the author is very concerned with form, with
regularity. This formal style is totally Frost, who once said that writing free verse was
like playing tennis without a net.

2. Content
The content of The Road Not Taken also seems formal, moralistic, and American.
The first stanza tells us about a traveler who cannot make up his mind easily because
there are two roads in front of him. It is, of course, impossible for him to choose both
roads. He must choose one road and forget another. He must, therefore, consider and
think deeply which road he must take. It seems that he does not want to make a wrong
choice, although he cannot take the road in an easy way.
Before making a decision, he makes an observation first. He stands for a while and
thinks deeply. If the word road is interpreted as a way of life, it means the narrator tells
us that there are two ways of life he must choose. This stanza advices us to think a lot
before decide our own ways of life.
Then the second stanza gives us a description about the first road. He is not familiar
with the road. He just can see some physical evidences of the road. It makes him to think
hardly and consider the road again. If this way of life is good enough to be chosen, but he
cannot see many people choose it as their own way of life. Below is the second stanza:
Actually, it tells us about the condition of the road. It is claimed better than any road.
The road is grassy and seems good to be walked through and it is used by many people.
Since I said the word road is interpreted as a way of life, it means that this road is the
best choice for people. Many people suggest this way of life because it is good for
everybody and the narrator also offers this way. Then the traveler does not want to
decide his choice in hurry. He still has another road which must be observed beside this
road. It means that he does not straightly choose it, but he wants to observe the other
road first in order to get the best road for him.
Next in the third stanza, the narrator still observes the roads. He pays attention
deeply to the second road. From the physical evidences, it signifies that no one ever
choose the road. It means that no one takes the road and there is no footstep on the road.
It means that the second choice of the way of life is never taken by the people. Because
of this, he again thinks deeply and considers this way of life, whether it is good for him
or not at all. He has an option, he regards that he can go back to the first one but actually
he cannot do that. He has decided to choose the second road to pass. It means he chooses
the second way of life although no one takes this choice. Beside he cannot go back to the
first choice, he regards his choice is better for him and he sure with his decision very
much. Because he has decided it, he must leave the first one and thinks that he will not
go back anytime.
The fourth stanza represents the narrators conclusion that tells us the incident took
place long time ago. At the time he chose the road that only few people had chosen the
road, but his choice has made everything different. In this stanza, he tells his experience
and wants to share it with the others. He wants everyone knows what he has felt in his
life. He says that he has chosen the second road which is there in the wood. He is sure to
take it as his own way of life although he is offered to choose between two ways of life.
Actually it makes his life be different and more valuable.
Actually he is faced into a hard situation where he must choose one of two roads
which are laid in the world. There are two ways of life in front of him, so he must choose
one of them as his own way of life. Both of them are not familiar with him, but finally he
sure to choose different choice than another. In fact, there are some words in the poem
that we must explain in order to make it clearly understandable. The first one is wood.
This word is appropriately interpreted as human life in general. The second one is
road which may be interpreted as a way of life, while the third one is difference
which may be interpreted as of great value.
Based on the explanation above, we may conclude that this poem tells about
narrators experience in his life. There are two ways of life he has to choose for his
profession. After thinking deeply he finally decided to choose the profession as his way
of life that is not popular because only few people who have chosen it. This is described
in the last lines when the narrator says:
 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. [1st stanza in 1-3 line]

These three lines wrap the poem up and are its most famous lines. Independence,
iconoclasm, self-reliance, these seem the great American virtues. But just as Frosts life
was not the pure agrarian philosopher.
The dilemma presented in the poem is inevitably recognized, it very closely relates
to something we have all gone through and suffered in some point of our lives,
innumerable times we have encountered such problem of having to choose between two
equally important things.
Within the meaning of the poem, lay the ideas of forks in the road and paths in
woods which are metaphors for a lifeline. Forks in the road: identical forks symbolize the
connection between free will and fate, it is clear that we are free to choose, but we do not
actually know beforehand what we will be choosing between. Therefore, the forks in the
road not only represent all the different option.
Being such an ironic poem, within its meaning it also represents contrition the
regret of choosing wrongly. The author is forced to make a choice if he doesnt want to
stand alone in the woods forever. But as he makes the choice he knows he will doubt his
second guess, the option he never took, and wonder how he could ever know if that
wouldve been a better option or not. The author questions his future of what is
irrevocably lost; the impossible, going back and taking the unknown path.
But, ironically, on the other side, he is tranquil knowing that there is actually no
right choice, due to the fact the both paths are equally important. The author also
explains that the feeling of remorse doesnt pass so much through having taken the
wrong decision but rather the tense moments of decision themselves. Those moments
that when put in comparison to others, mark the passing of life.
So The Road Not Taken is also more than a panegyric for rebelling in the
American grain. Although the narrator has chosen the profession that is not popular, he
has been successful in his life. His voice is of great value.

3. Imagery
According to (Tyson, 2006), imagery is visual, consisting of descriptions of objects,
characters, or settings as they are seen by the eye. (Perrine and Arp, 1983) also said that
Imagery may be define as the representation through language of sense experience.
Imagery is very important in The Road Not Taken because the narrator is describing the
setting for most of the poem. Much of the imagery is visual as the persona tells about the
scenery.
The central image is of the poet standing at a fork in a wood in autumn trying to
make up his mind about which direction to take. There are images of the season, of
nature and of travel. "The Road Not Taken" shows Frost's strong connection with nature
and natural beauty. He takes time to explain that the forest is "yellow," meaning that it is
fall. Two images show the season of autumn:
(1) a yellow wood (2)lay in leaves
The path "bends in the undergrowth," showing how the forest (life) hides the future.
The narrator also mentions that his chosen path is "grassy and wants wear," meaning that
the paths are not paved roads but dirt, meant for foot travel. Both paths are covered in
leaves, reinforcing the Fall theme from before and the lack of travelers. Most of the
imagery in the poem is visual in nature; the narrator doesn't mention bird, insect, or
wildlife sounds, but the reader can imagine that the path crunches underfoot, seeing as
how it is covered in leaves. There are five images of nature:
(1) a yellow wood (4) the undergrowth
(2) it was grassy (5) in a wood
(3) lay in leaves
Other sounds can be assumed from the fall setting, but none are actually mentioned.
Similarly, there are no smells, tastes, or touch sensations mentioned; the poem is more
about trying to decide the future based on what is known at the moment. There are ten
images of the poet or other people
(1) Walking on a journey:
(2) two roads diverged
(3) And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler
(4) Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could
(5) Then took the other, as just as fair
(6) It was grassy and wanted wear
(7) The passing there had worn them really about the same
(8) Both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black
(9) Knowing how way leads on to way
(10) Two roads diverged in a wood,
(11) I took the one less travelled by
The last important visual image mentioned is "the morning," meaning that the
narrator is just starting out on his journey. This represents a still- young person, with
many choices ahead, making one of his first major decisions in life. As the day (life)
 continues, he will look back on the "morning" and think about his decision, wondering if
it was the correct one.
There is also a little bit of auditory (sound) imagery when he sighs. The paths that
divide in the forest are portrayed as grassy, fair, and about equally worn. The imagery
contributes a lot to the meaning of the poem because, without the description of the
forest and the paths, it wouldn't make sense that the narrator was indecisive about
choosing a certain path. Because both of the paths were said to be not trodden, the reader
can also understand that in the end, the narrator will lie to people by telling them that he
"took the one less traveled by".
As the whole, the poem aroused my sense of sight the most. Words like two roads
diverged, yellow wood, grassy, and the other words in bold really helped create a
vivid image in my mind. I was able to imagine a road-fork covered with autumn-yellow
leaves, surrounded by a lush forest atmosphere, set in the early morning. I could also
imagine the traveler with a quizzed face, deep in thought, deciding which road to take.
4. Ambiguity
In scientific or everyday language, ambiguity is usually considered a flaw because
its equated with a lack of clarity and precision. In literary language, however, ambiguity
is considered a source of richness, depth, and complexity that adds to the texts value.
Ambiguity occurs when a word, image, or event generates two or more different
meanings (Tyson, 2006).
Robert Frost's use of ambiguity in the poems "The Road Not Taken," gives his
poetry a different perspective. Beginning with the time of birth until the time of death,
people have to make choices everyday on how to achieve the goals in their lives. One
can imagine life as a long winding road with millions of other roads branching off in
many directions. The only problem is that life is too short to explore every single road.
In addition, it is impossible for anyone to go back to a road that was passed. Robert
Frost wrote in fourth stanza line four and five of "The Road Not Taken":
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference [4th stanza in 4-5 line]
In Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," a man is standing in front of two different
paths through the woods. He is trying to decide which path would bring him the greatest
rewards. Frost finally comes to his decision by looking down each path and choosing the
one that
 Because it was grassy and wanted wear; [2nd stanza in 3 line]
In other words, he does not want to follow in anyone else's footsteps. He wants to be
independent. The traveler knows that the only way to accomplish this is to break away
from what society has already set and take the path that had not been traversed. This
decision, once started, cannot be reversed. However, in choosing the less traveled road,
the man says,
Oh, I kept the first for another day [3rd stanza in 3 line]
Although his intention may be to return someday and explore the other path of life,
he realizes:
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 [5th stanza in 1-5 line]
Is this a sigh of regret or is it of wonder? The title of this poem suggests that Frost's
use of the sigh is referring to regret for not taking the other. Perhaps he is afraid that he
will regret his decision to not take the path usually taken. On the other hand, he ends the
poem in saying,
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference [5th stanza in 4-5 line]
This statement suggests that he sees his decision is a positive one; however, it could
be interpreted in a negative way. Frost leaves this to the reader to decide. We are enticed
every day of our lives by evils of today's society.
In the last stanza "the woods are lovely, dark and deep" meaning death is a restful
place. It is a place to be at peace. The line "but I have miles to go before I sleep" can be
interpreted that he cannot lay down in the snow because he has obligations to take care
of. The Road Not Taken poem constructs to form a subcategory of ambiguity.
In brief, this poem is having a sense of pursuing something in life. In "The Road Not
Taken" a man is pursuing a goal. There is a choice in the path of life. One is sure and
simple; the other is unsure and full of possibilities.

5. Intrinsic Elements
Intrinsic element of poetry is an element contained in a poem, which is used to study
and understand the meaning of the poem. There are intrinsic elements in poetry, they are:
imagery; style of language which is involved simile, metaphor, paradox, irony,
hyperbole, antithesis, and symbol, rhyme, rhythm, meter and allusion. Since the rhyme,
rhythm, imagery and meter have been discussed earlier, in this discussion, for there are
no similes, paradoxes, irony hyperbole, antithesis, in the poem, it focuses only on the
discovered element that is style of language involves metaphor and symbol.
5.1. Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike
things that actually have something important in common. Metaphor and simile are
both used as a means of comparing things that are essentially unlike. The only
distinction between them is that in simile the comparison is expressed by the used of
some word or phrase, such as like, as, then, similar to, resembles or seems; in
metaphor the comparison is implied that is, the figurative term is substituted for or
identified with the literal term (Perrine and Arp, 1983:571).
In his poem The Road Not Taken Robert Frost uses metaphor to illustrate the
process of decision making and the acceptance of the outcome of that decision. The
metaphor of the road is used persistently in the poem, and is therefore an extended
metaphor. The crossroad functions as an evocative metaphor for a vital decision. The
word the roads, it is the roads we walk and drive on, and the roads we take through
life. As the speaker of this poem discusses, for every road that is taken, there is a
road that is not taken. The roads a person takes can make a significant change in a
persons life. It is human nature to wonder about the road that was not taken. Frost
recognizes the difficulty of making life decisions. He describes how:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both [1st stanza in 1-2 line]

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. The speaker tells us the woods are
yellow, so we can infer that it is autumn. The metaphorical significance is that the
woods represent the speakers life. In addition, the fork in the road is a metaphor for
a choice. The speaker has come to a point in his life, where he can go no farther
without making a decision that takes him down one path and does not allow him to
take the other. This is an extended metaphor since the entirety of the poem deals
with these choices.
The description of the road is a metaphor for the future. When the speaker looks
down the road but cannot see beyond the undergrowth, the poet is expressing that no
one knows what the future will bring.
 When he chooses one of the roads, the metaphor extends to the quick decision
not really based on anything concrete. The two roads are basically the same. When
the speaker begins to regret that he cannot take both of the roads, he knows that it is
unlikely that he will return this way. This is a metaphor for a decision that changes
everything once the person has made it he can never go back. The two roads
represent a tough decision in life that must be made. The narrator recognizes the
significance the decision will have on his future.
In addition, Frost explores the strategies people use to differentiate between
options. The narrator
And looked down one as far as I [he] could
To where it bent in the undergrowth [1st stanza in 4-5 line]
People often try to imagine the outcomes of two or more choices. However, one
cannot really predict the future so in the end the strategy is not always productive.
Furthermore, once a decision is made one must accept the path without looking
back. The narrator states how choosing the road less traveled has impacted his life
and made the difference. Whether or not this difference is positive or negative, the
decision has been made and is final. The metaphor of the road shows the reader how
one cannot, in essence, turn back or change the past.
The last verse begins with a repetition of the first line which brings the reader
full circle and back to the extended metaphor. One of the key words here is sigh.
The word sigh in stanza 4 emphasizes the traveler depression or sadness for the
outcome of the decision he made. This is the indication that the speakers choice was
not as successful as it might have been. And then the famous line "and that has made
all the difference," solidifies the figurative level of this poem by saying that taking
the road that the speaker took, making the choice that he made, has changed his life.
Thus, by the final line of the poem the narrator has gone through the decision
making process using the metaphor of the road to clearly describe that choice.
5.2. Symbol
A symbol is an image that has both literal and figurative meaning, a concrete
universal (Tyson, 2006:142). The road not taken is a pretty poem about nature, but
with much deeper symbolic meaning. The road symbolizes the traveler has to make
in life in order to progress and continue on.
 The symbol of a road has been predominantly used to indicate the journey of
Life. However, it signifies not only journey but also the destination. The road in
question is situated in a forest. Briefly, the symbols in the read not taken are:

5.2.1. The Roads

The road that is caught in the undergrowth indicates entanglement with
obstacles. This is the first road, therefore people took the second one as it was
easier to traverse. "The second path is grassy and wanted wear": The poet
implies that it needed to be pruned. The ones who passed by that route had
worn it out further. What Robert Frost implies here is that the practice of
teaching had been made crude by teachers themselves; they did not attend to
the profession out of love for the vocation and sincerity in gratifying their
duties. The path was taken just for the sake of it. The end was the means, in
such a stance. According to the poet, sometimes the journey itself is the
destination.
5.2.2. The Woods
The image of woods signifies indecision as the poet is lost searching for
answer. The image of 'woods' has represented indecision in Frost's other
poems too. A few instances are "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening",
"Birches" and "Mowing." The image of 'woods' can also symbolize instinct as
opposed to social norms. The poet may be trying to determine what his instinct
is telling him in order to arrive at a final decision. The yellow color of the
woods points to the season of autumn. Autumn is symbolic of incipient decay
and stagnation. The poet also experiences a sense of stagnation as he cannot
progress forward to make a decision.
5.2.3. The Decision Making Process
The phrase "Somewhere ages and ages hence" signifies that many years
from now the whole experience will come across as a fairytale experience, as it
will be complex to digest. This phrase also points it out to be a future story to
recite to generations to come as an example. The relevance of the situation, in
spite of time and space separating the two experiences, points to its
universality. "And looked down one as far as I could:" implies that his looking
at the road was not merely superficial. There is a lot of insight and
contemplation involved in his decision, as echoed by the word 'far. The words
 "Way leads on to way symbolizes the poet's bewilderment, how he is caught
in a maze with regards to decisionmaking.
And finally, the image of a forked road also evocatively signifies the
image of one keeping his fingers crossed; that is, the poet hopes for a positive
outcome. The poem thus reveals a major turning point in the life of Robert
Frost. It ends on a note of satisfaction, with a sigh. Frost maintains that his
decision based on Self-reliance has made all the difference (in his life).The
traveler in the poem is, therefore, Frost himself. The journey is the journey of
life.

Conclusion

The Road Not Taken consists of four stanzas with five lines in each with the rhyme
scheme of the poem is ABAAB. This poem is in iambic tetrameter meaning that there are
only four feet or unit. The content of The Road Not Taken talks about roads, it is
interpreting them as decisions we make throughout life and how these decisions take us to
different situations and circumstances. This poem is also link to the future; it tells us about
how this decision would impact our future, when we have no clue on how this decision will
change our life.
The central image is of the poet standing at a fork in a wood in autumn. There are
images of the season, of nature and of travel. There is also a little bit of auditory (sound)
imagery when he sighs. Robert Frost uses ambiguity whether a sense of a man is pursuing a
goal or there is a choice in the path of life that is one is sure and simple; the other is unsure
and full of possibilities.
The intrinsic element exposed in this poem involves metaphor and symbol. The
metaphor of the road is used persistently in the poem, and is therefore an extended metaphor.
Meanwhile the symbols are the road indicates entanglement with obstacles; woods signifies
indecision and the phrase "Somewhere ages and ages hence" signifies that many years from
now the whole experience will come across as a fairytale experience.

Reference

Perrine, Laurence, & Arp, Thomas R. 1983. Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense. USA:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Tyson, Lois. 2006. Critical Theory Today. New York: Routledge.