Poem: The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had born 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 travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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Explanation and Central Idea of the Poem
The poem 'THE ROAD NOT TAKEN' is about the choices we make in our lives. The poem is written by the American poet, Robert Frost. The poet highlights that the choices we make decide our future and have a huge impact on our lives.
The poet says that he came to a forest. It was the autumn season and the leaves had turned yellow. The phrase 'a yellow wood' in the poem suggests that it was the autumn season. It also indicates a period of transition. It signifies a critical time in our lives when we have to take a decision to shape our future.
The poet reached a point in the forest where two roads diverged in two different directions. The two roads symbolise the choices one has to make in life. The poet was a bit disappointed that he could not travel on both roads at the same time. He had to make a choice and choose one road to travel on. The poet stood there for a long time and tried to look at the roads as far as he could to choose the most suitable road to travel on. The poet couldn't notice anything as both roads were covered with trees and bushes. The word 'undergrowth' in the poem symbolises an unknown world which is yet to be explored.
The first stanza of the poem conveys a message that we should not take decisions hastily in our lives. We should take our time and take decision only after analysing the situation and considering its pros and cons.
The poet decided to travel on the other road and it was as good as the first road. As he started walking on the road, this road seemed better to him as it was covered with grass and had not been much walked over. After walking some distance, the poet realised that both roads were almost the same. He realised that both roads had been walked over equally.
The second stanza conveys a message that the pros and cons are always associated with any decision we take in our lives. We should always be ready to tackle the challenges associated with our decisions or choices.
The poet says that both roads were similar that morning. Both roads were equally covered with leaves. The leaves were still green. They had not been crushed by anyone as no one had stepped on them. The poet decided to walk on the second road that day. He thought that he would take the first road on another day. Nonetheless, he knew that one way leads to another way. He was aware of the fact that he would hardly be able to come back to walk on the first road.
The third stanza of the poem gives us a message that once we take a decision in our lives, we have to stick to the decision and move ahead with it as we never get an opportunity to go back and change the decision.
The poet says that at some point of time in the future, with a deep breath, he will tell about the choice he made. He will tell that he had reached a point where two roads diverged in two different directions in a forest and he decided to travel on the less travelled road. It means he took a decision which people often don't take. That decision has made a huge impact on his life and changed his life entirely.
The fourth stanza conveys a message that we should always act judiciously while taking a decision as that decision can have an immense impact on our lives.
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Words and their Meanings
- Diverged - separated and moved in different directions
- Yellow wood - a forest during the autumn season
- Undergrowth - dense growth of plants and bushes
- Wanted wear - had not been much walked over
- Equally lay - equally covered
- Trodden black - turned something black or wore it down by trampling/crushing underfoot
- Sigh - a long deep breath
- ages and ages hence - in the distant future
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Literary Devices/Poetic Devices/Figures of Speech used in the Poem
- Rhyme Scheme - abaab
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