Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
To the eye, Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is an exciting summary of the challenging journey of life. The expressions “Two roads diverged” and “And be one traveler, long I stood” allows to reader to picture a man standing in a fork in the road. I read the poem several times, finding metaphors, exploring ideas, underlining key phrases, and discovering deeper meanings that are not visible to the eye. Annotating this poem gave me the ability to see the real purpose of Frost’s writing: the freedom of choice and how a decision can change your entire life.
First, I thought of someone who rebelled against the norm and had a desire to do something no one ever did before. The words, “Not taken” made me think of something new and different that has yet to be seized. The phrase, “Then took the other” seemed like he was indecisive but decided to go with the “Road less traveled”. From this, I sensed a tone of adventurous and courageous. Likewise, the second to last line, “I took the one less traveled by” shows he had the bravery to explore the unknown. The author also gives an explanation of why the traveler chooses the second path, “Because it was grassy and wanted wear”. Since the path is grassy and wanted wear, perhaps it is freshly grown out and waiting for someone bold enough to adventure through it. However, as I continued to re and re read the poem I came across a variety of tones that were not as easily shown to the eye of the reader.
Another tone that I recognized from my extended annotations is a tone of nostalgia and uncertainty. In the first stanza, “And looked down one as far as I could” I noted, that the author is examining the bigger picture. He is doing his best to see which direction would be the foremost course to take. Although, “Where it bent in the undergrowth” the author allows to reader to see that it nothing is certain. The bend in the road is blocking the rest of the view; therefore he may never know where it ends. The phrase, “Having perhaps the better claim” seems the author is questioning his choice. There is a possibility that he does not feel affirmation from the direction he took. Moreover, “I doubted if I should ever come back” describes the author’s feelings towards revisiting the first path. He had a sudden thought that he would come “another day” and travel again but realizes one decision or path leads to another and that nothing will ever go back to the original option. I realized the author is in the future because he “Shall be telling this with a sigh”, shows the decision did not happen yet. Considering that he is breathing heavily while telling his story, he may feel nostalgic about where he ended up in life and the path he took.
Along with the mood of the poem, the author uses visual and sound imagery to express similar ideas. In stanza one, “Long I stood” brings to mind a single individual on foot standing alone. The author includes “a yellow wood” which allows the reader to picture leaves changing such as fall. This is a season of perfect opportunity to do something new and bold. The phase, “Bent in the undergrowth” intentionally shows that there is a bend where the wild starts. The phrase, “In leaves no step had trodden black” illustrates a path that no one has been on before. The leaves are still colorful and not crushed nor full of dirt. Lastly, my annotations lead me to realize, “With a sigh” could be a softness of regret, relief or even satisfaction.
Furthermore, Frost displays that it is human nature to not feel hundred percent confident in a life changing situation because no one knows what the future holds. It is only possible to predict so much, then everything else is unexpected. However, the only way to see what is “Beyond the horizon” is to keep walking and not give up. In life, we are challenged to decide what to do next, what is best or what kind of person to be, still at the end of the day each individual has the freedom to decide what they are going to offer to this world. Another idea that Frost points out is having the courage to explore the unknown. He illustrates it is not easy to take, “The one less traveled by” however, it is much more fulfilling. He goes on to say, “And that has made all the difference”, providing evidence that this road he chose may have not been the best choice but it made him into a particular man with his own outlook and personal experience of life. This experience made his journey of life worthwhile even with the ups and downs. Finally, the poem demonstrates that once you make a decision, everything changes and you can never go back to the start. Generally, you can go back to a situation and fix it, but you cannot hit reset, the result is always there.
As a matter of fact, after re-reading the poem all the way to the end numerous times, I look at the title with a different perspective. The deeper I look at the poem, I sense the author’s phrase, “The Road Not Taken” refers to the path he did not step foot on. He is looking back at his decision and thinking of the possible outcome he could have if he took “The road not taken”. Another perspective that was tricky to pick up was that he might have not made this settlement yet. It seems the author is peacefully determining what is best for him.
In brief, what Frost is really dedicating to the public is the idea of the freedom we have to live our own lives. His work unfolds the truth in life, that each individual has the independence to take “The one less traveled by” although it may be uncertain and doubtful, it is possible and the aftereffect will be much more satisfying. As I go through my annotation I realize additional information and ideas that Frost explores, however, are not shown to the eye of the reader. Instead it allows the reader to look deeper into the work to unfold the main motive. I admired this poem and really enjoyed unfolding the meaning behind Frost’s thoughts.