Poem Analysis #3

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in  a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the 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 the first 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.

My analysis:

I like Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken because of the rhyme and other techniques such as personification and imagery. The rhyme scheme is similar to that of a limerick: the first, third and fourth lines rhyme, and the second and fifth lines rhyme. Example (commas for line breaks): 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 had made all the difference. Frost also uses some strong imagery, bringing to mind a forking path in an isolated wood. Example: In leaves no step had trodden black. This reminds me of fall, when some of the leaves are black and decomposing from footprints, and others are as vibrant as ever. Another technique he uses is personification. Example (commas for line breaks): And having perhaps the better claim,   Because it was grassy and wanted wear. Robert Frost depicts the paths as lonely and clamoring for visitors. This is but one of the combination of his powerful literary techniques.

Another reason that I like The Road Not Taken is the fact that it is fully applicable to nearly everything and everyone. There are many choices in life, and we often have to choose which is the right path. This creates a deeper level on which the poem can be understood. It also reminds me of exploring hidden paths along the water at Magnuson Park. You have to choose which path to take, where to stop, where to sit on the beach. Life is all about choices, which Robert Frost expresses elegantly and fully in this poem. The combination of strong poetic devices and deeper meaning is touching and effective.

Image credits: http://blogs.forrester.com/category/enablement