Claire Graham

Dr. Sterling

ENGL 1302

June 11,2017

An Evaluation of The Road Not Taken

Robert Frosts Poem The Road Not Taken is considered to be written as both a

narrative poem and a lyrical poem. According to Family Friend Poems the definition of a

narrative poem is a poem that, tells the story of an event in the form of a poem. Poetry

Foundation defines a lyrical poem as, a short poem in which the poet, the poets persona, or

another speaker expresses personal feelings. Besides being a written in a narrative style and in a

lyrical style, Frosts poem is written with a rhyme scheme, and is well received by the public.

This essay will determine whether Frosts poem is a good representation of both a narrative

poem and a lyrical poem, or if The Road Not Taken is just considered to be a good poem.

For a poem to be considered a narrative poem, a story needs to be conveyed through the

work (Family Friend Poems). Frosts poem The Road Not Taken begins with the narrator

saying, Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both, (Frost). The

remaining stanzas in the poem focus on the two paths and the narrators internal conflict about

which path to choose. The narrator concludes the poem by saying, I took the one less traveled

by, / And that has made all the difference, (Frost). The Road Not Taken tells the audience a

story; it begins by introducing the audience to the scenario of the narrator coming across two

paths and concludes with the narrator ultimately selecting which of the two to continue along.
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Since a full story was conveyed throughout The Road Not Taken, it is a good representation of

a poem written in narrative style.

For a poem to be considered a lyrical poem, feelings or emotions need to be expressed

through the work (Poetry Foundation). One of the themes expressed through The Road Not

Taken is the regret experienced by the narrator and crying over what might have been, (Orr).

Each word that Frost uses in his poem The Road Not Taken expresses emotion and works to

convey the theme. For example, the sigh in the first line of the last stanza captures the emotion

and theme of The Road Not Taken.. Although Frost himself claimed to use the sigh as a, a

private jest at the expense of those who might think I would yet live to be sorry for the way I had

taken in life, the audience can interpret the sigh to highlight the narrators remorse or curiosity

about the road he opted not to take (Finger). With the help of the sigh and other devices, such as

imagery throughout the entirety of the poem and the repetition, The Road Not Taken both

implicitly and explicitly expresses emotions. Since the narrator in Frosts poem expresses

feelings and emotions, it is a good representation of a poem written in a lyrical style.

Despite neither a poem written in narrative style or a poem written in lyrical style

needing a rhyme scheme, The Road Not Taken has a consistent rhyme scheme throughout its

entirety. All four stanzas have the same rhyme scheme of ABAAB, or rather that the first, third,

and fourth lines rhyme, while the second and fifth lines rhyme. Additionally, Frosts poem is

written in iambic tetrameter, where each line contains four stressed and four unstressed syllables,

which gives it a, regular metric pattern, (Abramson). Although the rhyme scheme and the

meter is not necessary for the poem to be classified as a narrative poem or a lyrical poem, the

rhyme scheme adds to the artistry of the poem.

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Many sources, including Lynch and Orr consider The Road Not Taken to be a poem

both recognized and beloved by everyone. Lynch mentions that Frosts poem is quoted in, Pop

songs, newspaper [columns], and valedictorian speeches. In addition to being technically good,

by following the conditions for being both a narrative poem and a lyrical poem, and having a

rhyme scheme, Frosts poem features, simple words and unempathetic rhythms, (Orr). Being

both applicable and accessible to the audience can be just as important as the narrative or lyrical

style in the making of a well-liked poem. One reason for Frost poem being well received is that

audiences everywhere can relate to the content of the poem. At some point, a choice has needed

to be made, where both options look equally appealing. Frost encompasses the feeling of

anxiousness associated with making a decision, especially when both choices appear to be

equally appealing, and the feeling of remorse while pondering if the other choice would have

been more favorable. The poem, works so well in part because of his brilliant use of ambiguity

to describe the difficult but necessary process of making choices in life, (Abramson). In

addition to the content within The Road Not Taken, the way it is written makes it easy for the

audience to understand. The poem features little figurative language, and aside from the

overarching symbolism, very little is needed to infer Frosts intent with writing The Road Not

Taken. The meter it is written in keeps the audience reading at a steady pace.

In addition to being highly acclaimed by critics and beloved by civilians, Robert Frosts

poem The Road Not Taken is a good representation of both a narrative style poem and a lyrical

style poem. From the event documented by this poem, to the emotions that are expressed through

The Road Not Taken fits into the categories of both a narrative poem and a lyrical poem. While

the story is conveyed, Frosts poem also highlights human nature. In addition to its narrative and
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lyrical nature, The Road Not Taken also carries a strong rhyme scheme and is received well by

the public.
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Works Cited

Abramson, Edward A. "The Road Not Taken." Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Twentieth

Century, edited by Eric L. Haralson, Routledge, 1st edition, 2001. Credo Reference,

http://lscsproxy.lonestar.edu/login?

url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routampoetry/the_road_not_taken/0?

institutionId=5037. Accessed 14 Jun 2017.

Finger, Larry L. Frost's The Road Not Taken: A 1925 Letter Come to Light. American Literature,

vol. 50, no. 3, 1978, pp. 478479. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2925142.

Frost, Robert. The Road Not Taken. Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation,

www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/core-poems/detail/44272. Accessed 14 June 2017.

Lynch, Stephen. The Famous Robert Frost Poem WeVe Read Wrong Forever. New York Post, New

York Post, 19 Aug. 2015, nypost.com/2015/08/16/the-famous-robert-frost-poem-weve-read-

wrong-forever/. Accessed 14 June 2017.

Narrative Poems. Family Friend Poems, www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/article-narrative-

poems. Accessed 14 June 2017.

Orr, David. Lament: From A Poet's Glossary. Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 24 June 2016,

www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/road-not-taken-poem-everyone-loves-and-everyone-gets-wrong.

Accessed 14 June 2017.