"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
“The Road Not Taken” is a poem about a person standing in the woods at a fork in the road contemplating which path they should take. Both roads are equally worn and overlaid with untrodden leaves. The person ultimately chooses one way, and promises themselves that they will take the other another day. Although they know that this is very unlikely to happen. Later on, the person admits that someday in the future he will “recreate” this scene and claim that he took the path less traveled.
Paths in the woods and forks in roads are ancient and deep-seated metaphors for life, its crises and decisions. Identical forks symbolize the connection of free will and fate. We are free to choose, but we do not really know what we are choosing between.
A misconception about the poem is that it advises you on the paths you should take in life. How you should carefully examine each way and take the one less traveled. A metaphor for following one's aspirations, and straying away from the pack, making your own mark in the world. However, that is not the case. First, there is no less traveled path, both roads are identical in every way. The poem is more concerned with how the present situation will be portrayed in the future.
Ironic as it is, this is also a poem infused with the anticipation of remorse. Its title is not “The Road Less Traveled” but “The Road Not Taken.” Even as the person makes a choice (a selection he is forced to make that has no guide for decision making), the person knows that they will second-guess themselves sometime later on, or at least will wonder about what they lost: the impossible, now unknowable Other Path. But the truth of this decision is that there is no “Right Path.” Simply, a chosen path and the other path. What is “sighed for ages and ages hence” as mentioned in the poem are not about the wrong decisions one makes, but the moments when they are made. As one passes through life, they are forced to make choices. Each decision may influence another in the future. One atop the other these moments, mark the passing of a life. This is the thread of remorse.
“The Road Not Taken” is probably one of the most well known poems of all time, mostly for its positive impact on readers. However, upon further inspection, perhaps it is not all sunshine and rainbows. Perhaps it has a more realistic viewpoint on the world, and of the decisions people make.
Noor
This is a super interesting analysis! I've heard about "The Road Not Taken" on multiple occasions, but I have never read the full poem. I like how in-depth you went- the idea that the poem doesn't urge the reader to take one certain path over another; it just makes the reader aware of the existence of both paths, one path being inevitably chosen and the other path not.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Noor! I liked how you wrote a poem, that seems to be a pretty rare thing in these blogs. I liked how you mentioned different parts to this poem and explained them all. I especially enjoyed when you mentioned what the title is and what it's not, surprisingly, that is what intruded me the most.
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to your posts Noor, due to the uniqueness of them and this one is not an exception! I love how you wrote about this poem. It's one that's pretty famous and I think many people have heard of, but often don't look into the deeper meaning of it. I adored how you talked about the common misconceptions with this poem and you do a great job digging into the deeper meaning. I personally LOVE analyses so I loved your post. Great job!!
ReplyDelete