?The Road Not Taken? Essay, Research Paper
Rejoice or Regret?
Robert Frost, a poet from the early Twentieth Century, is well known not only for his style, but also for his use of symbolism throughout his works. In ?The Road Not Taken?, he depicted his theme and meaning through a four stanza poem which consisted of a set rhyme scheme (A, B, A, A, B). This poem has left its readers with many different interpretations. In naming this poem ?The Road Not Taken?, Frost left a lot of room for speculation. Does it mean for people to take the road not taken by others or does it mean that no matter which road you choose you will wonder about the road not taken?
In the first stanza, the narrator says, ?And sorry I could not travel both…?(line 2). This quote is plainly explaining how difficult is it to make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the opportunity cost; what the decision maker will miss out on. There is a strong sense of regret before the choice is even made and it lies in the knowledge that in one lifetime, it is impossible to change your mind and undo the results of the road you have chosen. In an attempt to make a decision, the traveler ?looks down one as far as I could.?(line 4). The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. As much as he may strain his eyes to see as far as the road stretches, eventually it surpasses his vision and he can never see where it is going to lead. It is the way that he chooses here that sets him off on his journey and decides where he is going.
In the second stanza the traveler tries defend the decision he made on which road to take. ?Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim?(line 6-7). What made it have the better claim was that, ?it was grassy and wanted wear?(line 8). It was something that was obviously not for everyone because it seemed that the majority of people took the other path and therefore he calls it ?the road less traveled by.?(line 19). The fact that the traveler took this path over the more popular, secure one indicates the type of personality he has; one that does not want to necessarily follow the crowd but do more of what has never been done and is different.
In the third stanza, the narrator says ?And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.?(line 11-12). The leaves had covered the ground and since the time they had fallen no one had yet to pass by on this road. Perhaps the narrator writes this because each time a person comes to a point where they have to make a choice, it is new to them, somewhere they have never been and they tend to feel as though no one else had ever been there either. ?I kept the first for another day!?(line13). The desire to travel down both paths is expressed and is not unusual, but ?knowing how way leads on to way?(line 14), the speaker realizes that the decision is not just a temporary one and he ?doubted if I should ever come back.?(line 15). This is his common sense of speaking and acknowledgment that what he chooses now will affect every other choice he makes afterward. Once you have performed an act or spoken a word that shows who you are, there is no turning back; it can not be undone.
In the fourth stanza, regret seems to hang over the traveler. He realizes that at the end of his life, ?somewhere ages and ages hence?(line 17), he will have regrets about having never gone back and traveling down the roads he did not take. Yet he remains proud of his decision and he recognizes that it was this path that he chose that made him turn out the way he did. ?I took the road less traveled by and that made all the difference.?(line 19-20). To this man, what was most important and what really made the difference was that he did what he wished; even if it meant taking the road less traveled. If he hadn?t, he wouldn?t be the same man he had become. This could be Frost saying that not doing what everyone else did made all the difference in him being a great poet and not just your average person. I?m sure it is hard trying to get started being a poet and not everyone would be willing to take that risk, but Frost did and that made all the difference.
There are many equally valid meanings to this poem that Robert Frost may or may not have intended. All in all, it seems that he tried to portray the message that decision making may be hard but the right thing to do is go with what you feel no matter what everyone else is doing. Frost is trying to promote individuality by encouraging the reader to follow their heart and not someone else?s. In any case, however, this poem clearly demonstrates Frost?s belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes a person the way they are, and no matter what the outcome, they often wonder about the road not taken.
Bibliography
Work Cited
Frost, Robert. ?The Road Not Taken?. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 3rd edition. Ed. Laurie Kizner and Stephan Mandel. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1997. 934- 935.
32f
Другие работы по теме:
Robert Frost The Road Not Taken Essay
, Research Paper Lisa Asadoorian 11-24-98 Intro To Lit. Roads of Life The Road Not Taken is perhaps one of Robert Frost’s most famous poems. This poem deals with the choices you have to make in life. Whether it’s what to wear in the morning or what to do with your life, everyone makes choices. When you look at this poem carefully, you realize Robert Frost is choosing much more than what road to walk down.
Robert Frost
’s “The Road Not Taken” Essay, Research Paper ?Robert Frost was one of the United States’ best-loved poets. Frost was greatly influenced by his move from San Francisco to New England at
Chrysanthemums Essay Research Paper ChrysanthemumsWhen Elisa sees
?Chrysanthemums? Essay, Research Paper ?Chrysanthemums? When Elisa sees the chrysanthemum sprouts on the road, she feels betrayed, a victim of her own romantic reverie. She has invited a stranger into her world and has seen into his world what she imagines as a brighter, freer existence than her own.
Gloss
: “The Road Not Taken” Essay, Research Paper Brought to a standstill at the presence of a crossroad, the speaker of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is left to contemplate which path to travel. After careful inspection of both routes, the speaker comes to the conclusion that neither path presents a more appealing endeavor ahead.
Catch22 And My Antonia
… Character Comparison Essay, Research Paper Perhaps the most directly conflicting characters in Catch-22 and in My Antonia are Colonel Cathcart and Antonia. Both of these characters are ambitious and each sees a road that runs ahead toward something called success or wealth , but the roads that they see are constructed differently.
Certainty Essay Research Paper The mind which
Certainty Essay, Research Paper The mind, which has grasped a right theory of knowledge, and has experienced it, that mind is on the road to certainty–the only kind of certainty that is open to the consciousness soul because it has begun to cross the threshold between the objective and sujbective worlds.
Analysis Of Frost
’s “A Road Not Taken” Essay, Research Paper Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” is, at first look, Frost’s wistful memory of coming to two roads while walking in the woods and having to choose one of
Getting In Essay Research Paper The most
Getting In Essay, Research Paper The most significant experience of my life is yet to come. The most meaningful experience of my life must be the transaction from high school to college. My high school years
Lakh Essay Research Paper We have all
Lakh Essay, Research Paper We have all been down a very long road. There have been so many twists and turns along the way, but finally we have found our precious “E” again. It won’t be an easy road, it never is, but we will make it. Love heals all wounds, even ones that rip people to shreds, or so we hope. Ann Elizabeth let us into her heart for the very first time, and that took the greatest amount of courage of all.
Richard Corey Essay Research Paper Money can
Richard Corey Essay, Research Paper Money can t buy happiness and “You can’t judge a book by its cover” are two old adages that echo through time; however, they seem to echo so softly that they are quite often disregarded. For men, in their search for contentment and fulfillment, only see money as the main vehicle.
The Silk Road Essay Research Paper The
The Silk Road Essay, Research Paper The Silk Road is the most well-known trading route of ancient Chinese civilization. Trade in silk grew under the Han Dynasty in the first and second centuries. Originally, the Chinese trade silk internally, within the empire. Caravans from the empire’s interior would carry silk to the western edges of the region.
Lea Valley 2
Lea Valley – Where Is The Area Under Study Essay, Research Paper The Lea Valley Regional Park is in Picketts Lock, it is along the A1055. In this area there is recreational land use (golf course
The Road Essay Research Paper Oh how
The Road Essay, Research Paper Oh how many times i have driven this road with butterflies in my stomach, a gleam in my eye. Just knowing i was going to see you.
The Age For A Driver
’s License Essay, Research Paper Raising the minimum age for a driving license: Necessary or useless? The question about raising the minimum age for a driving license has been
Poem Flowers Essay Research Paper Lynn had
Poem: Flowers Essay, Research Paper Lynn had never been serene like a glowing bright sky. Always to occupied, like a busy fly. Lynn met a powerful woman, who had some advice,
Frost 2 Essay Research Paper Explication of
Frost 2 Essay, Research Paper Explication of The Road Not Taken Robert Frost, a poet from the early Twentieth Century, is well known not only for his elegant style, but for his use of great symbolism throughout his works. In The Road Not Taken , he depicted his theme and meaning through a four stanza poem which consisted of a set rhyme scheme (A, B, A, A, B).
Explication The Road Not Taken Essay Research
Paper Explication: The Road Not Taken “The Road Not Taken” is a poem written by Robert Frost. In his poem Frost describes a traveler’s choice between two roads and how this choice effects his life later.
Influential Essay Essay Research Paper A lot
Influential Essay Essay, Research Paper A lot of people take their driver’s license for granted, and believe me I use to take it for granted too. But ever since I lost my license, I will never take it for granted again.
The Easy Road To The Final Four
Essay, Research Paper The Easy Road To the Final Four… So, you’re from Indianapolis but all the tickets to the Final Four games are sold out. You still want in. You go to the game looking for scalpers but they charge over $200 a ticket. You pay him. FOOL!!!! Don’t pay him! Here’s what ya do,
Jack Kerouac Essay Research Paper The novel
Jack Kerouac Essay, Research Paper The novel On The Road written by Jack Kerouac is a book that can be read as a quest taken by Sal Paradise who sets out to test the American Dream by trying to pin down its promise of unlimited freedom by following the example of Dean Morairty. In the book ? the road? becomes a symbol of freedom or escape for Sal and his friends.
Assuming No Pollution Explain Why A Road
Is Only An Example Of Market Failure When It Is Congested. Essay, Research Paper Assuming no pollution, explain why a road is only an example of market failure when it is congested.
Crying Again Essay Research Paper The Sky
Crying Again Essay, Research Paper The Sky is crying again And i am crying again. When did it start? When will it end? How’d i wind up with out a friend? Tears from my heart cling to my soul.
Mxpx
–Andrea Essay, Research Paper Andrea Meeting you was just so unexpected I guess I was scared of being rejected Since you were so nice I wouldn’t think twice
The Other Road Essay Research Paper The
The Other Road Essay, Research Paper The Other Road Rachel Carson- Silent Spring Perhaps if we as a whole, the human race, had taken the road less traveled by, our environment would not be in the trouble it is in today. Our only way to ensure survival of species is to take the other road, to try to reverse the damage we have already done.
Example Paper Essay Research Paper Have you
Example Paper Essay, Research Paper Have you ever been driving and see the person in front of you is all over the road? No they?re not drunk, it?s probably some one trying to juggle a cell phone, a coffee, and put on make-up. That is my mom. She could care less for the cars behind her or the people around her, she just won?t do those things at home.
Robert Frost Essay Research Paper In Robert
Robert Frost Essay, Research Paper In Robert Frosts’ poem “The Road Not Taken,” Frost talks of choosing between two roads to travel. Frost has come to a split in the road and has to choose which road to pick. In Randy Travis’ song “I Told You So,” a man learns that his girlfriend is choosing between himself and another man.
Robert Frost Poem Choices Are Taken
Essay, Research Paper Choices made in “The Road Not Taken” In ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost, the speaker has to make a difficult decision about choosing one of two equally promising roads to travel on. This poem is easy for people to identify with because people all have to make difficult decisions in their lives.
The Road Not Taken 2
The Road Not Taken Essay, Research Paper The Road Not Taken 1998 “The Road Not Taken” Rather Than “The Road Taken?” A Title, A Choice The title of a poem often reflects the author’s theme. In his poem “The Road Not Taken” Frost’s theme is about choices. He had two roads to chose from and wonders what would have happened had he taken the other road.
The Road Not Taken
– R. Frost Essay, Research Paper Who Needs Directions? In his poem “The Road Not Taken” Frost’s theme is about how the choices one makes affect life. When we come to a fork in the road, a decision needs to be made. Both paths are different and choosing the right one if there is a right one will depend on where we have been.
On The Road Essay Research Paper On
On The Road Essay, Research Paper On The Road The novel On The Road is based on one mans true stories about his craziest adventures through the United States and Mexico. This is one of the greatest novels of all time and nothing I have read so far seems so realistic. Jack Kerovac, who is the author of the book, places himself as the narrator.
Road Not Taken Essay Research Paper Robert
Road Not Taken Essay, Research Paper Robert Frost The Road Not Taken The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about the choices that one makes in life. It tells about a man who comes to a fork in the road he traveling upon, he feel
Robert Frost Critique Essay Research Paper Choices
Robert Frost Critique Essay, Research Paper Choices are never easy- men face multitudes of them in their lifetime. Some decisions to these choices are clear while others are sometimes more difficult to effectuate. The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a first person narrative tale of a monumental moment in the speaker s life- Frost can be considered the speaker.
Making Decisons In The Road Not Taken
Essay, Research Paper Making Decisions in The Road Not Taken In The Road Not Taken Frost emphasizes that every person is a traveler choosing the roads to follow on the map of their continuous journey-life. There is never a straight path that leads a person one sole direction in which to head. Regardless of the original message that Robert Frost had intended to convey, The Road Not Taken has left me with many different interpretations.