Road Not Taken Robert Frost, an American Essay

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Road Not Taken

Robert Frost, an American poet, frequently referenced rural life and nature in his poetry, attempting to define the relationship between himself, or his unnamed narrators, and the world around them. In "The Road Not Taken," Frost explores the options he encounters and ponders the repercussions of the choices that he makes. Furthermore, "The Road Not Taken" explores the individual's relationship not only with nature, but also with himself or herself.

"The Road Not Taken" is one of Frost's more well-known poems and has helped to influence other works of literary art throughout the years. The poem presents the narrator's dilemma in narrative form and is comprised of four stanzas that are written utilizing iambic pentameter. "The Road Not Taken" first appeared in Frost's poetic collection Mountain Interval that was first published in 1916 and republished in 1920.

In the poem, the unnamed narrator is traveling to an unknown destination when he comes upon "two roads diverged in a yellow wood" (line 1). In order to continue on his journey, the narrator must choose which road he is going to take. Assuming that the destination of each road is the same, the narrator has the option of taking either road as they will both lead him to where he is supposed to go. However, the narrator's inquisitive and explorative nature lead him to feel saddened by the fact that he does not have time nor the opportunity to take both roads. The narrator states, that he was "sorry [he] could not travel both" (line 2). Because the narrator only has the opportunity to travel down one road, he must choose which road he will travel wisely.

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In order to determine which road he will take, he must carefully study both roads; the narrator begins to study the roads, and because he is only one person, he "looked down one as far as [he] could/To where it bent in the undergrowth" (lines 4-5). The narrator also visually examines the other road so that he can make a fair assessment and compare the roads on an equal plane. The narrator notes that the other road was "just as fair/And having perhaps the better claim/Because it was grassy and wanted wear" (line 8). The narrator also states that though the second road was grassier and "wanted wear," both roads were equally defined and that passersby "had worn them really about the same/And both that morning equally lay/In leaves no step had trodden black" (lines 10-12). The narrator notices that though both paths have been taken, there is no evidence that any person has ever come back on the same road that they initially chose to travel. Taking this observation into consideration, the narrator knows that the choice he makes will be the only road that he will have to opportunity to travel and states that he "doubted if [he] should ever come back" (line 15). The narrator also acknowledges that the decision that he makes now will affect….....

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