The Road Not Taken, Article Review Example

The speaker of the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost finds himself at the road fork in a yellow wood and faces the problem of choice, which way to go. Epithet “yellow” points that the speaker is in his “autumn” years, usually connected with fading, but with experience and wisdom, as well.

The image of the road is symbolic.  It is not just an ordinary path. This metaphor conveys multiple options and decisions a man takes during lifetime. The choice is not easy to make; it is impossible to foresee the consequences, because it “bents in the undergrowth (5). Hesitation of the traveler is emphasized by inversion: “Long I stood/And looked down (3- 4). Though two ways attract the hero, he “kept the first for another day” (13).

Both roads seem almost the same. Nevertheless, the way he took “was grassy and wanted wear” (8). The speaker supposes it a significant choice to prefer something less frequented, “less traveled by” (19).

The enjambments are logical and maintain the fluidity of speech, making it close to natural flow of thinking. The author addresses no one, as if the reader is overhearing his thoughts. The flow of ideas is also clear due to the strict structure (five five-stanza lines) and predominantly strong masculine rhyme (scheme ABAAB, CDCCB).

The above mentioned proves its appeal to an ordinary reader. According to Rajendra Nath Mishra (1992), Robert Frost is always “conscious of common readers while he chooses his poetic diction” (109). Conversational style enables communication with readers, not just to express his talent. “The Road Not Taken” is a vivid illustration of this characteristic, which is relevant to most of Frost’s poems.

“The Road Not Taken” dwells on the problem of choice we all face. The theme, light conversational tone, author’s openness and sincerity make the poem comprehensible for many readers.

Works Cited

Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”. Poems.  New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002. 219.

Rajendra Nath Mishra Search for Belief in the Poetry of Robert Frost.  New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1992