Topic > Literary Analysis of The Road not Taken by Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken is one of Frost's most popular and familiar poems. It is composed of four stanzas of five lines each, and each line has eight to ten syllables in an iambic rhythm, the lines in each stanza rhyming in an ABAAB pattern. This poem tells the story of a man who is walking in a forest and comes across the road, observes that one path is worn from one another, but decides to take the roughest and most pristine one. He then reflects on the future, thinking that this course will change the course of his life. He will later look back and reflect on all the changes. This is my favorite poem from this unit, mostly because of the simplicity of its symbolism: the speaker must choose between divergent paths in a forest and sees that choice as a metaphor for choosing between different directions in life. A great universal truth is simply and uniquely presented in a way that captivates the audience with its great images and simple metaphors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The most common figure of speech in poetry is metaphor because the entire poem itself is a great metaphor for the decisions one makes in life. The speaker stands at a crossroads between two roads and debates which path to take, the roads in this situation represent the decisions a person must make in life. The streets are also a metaphor for the individualism necessary in life. The speaker shows how they went the opposite direction than most people on a decision and how it changed them forever. This metaphor helps the reader become aware that the speaker expresses individualism and is thinking about how his life would change if he chose differently. One time the speaker shows individualism is when he says how he chose where to go. After the traveler reaches the crossroads, he must decide which one to take. There was one that was worn out and one that was starting to go wild. "Then he took the other one, equally beautiful, / and which perhaps had greater demands, / because it was grassy and needed wear." This part of the poem describes how the speaker wants to be different from everyone else. The traveler chooses the road or decision that takes him furthest from everyone else because the road has been less traveled. The speaker wanted to be different, so they took the opposite path to everyone else and took an easy journey. The main theme of "The Road Not Taken" is that it is impossible to see where a major decision in life will lead. Since no one knows what the consequences of major life decisions will be, it is best to make them quickly and with confidence. It is normal to reflect on what other life could have been achieved if another path, the one not taken, had been chosen. But considering this hypothetical is profoundly useless, since it is impossible to say whether taking the other route would have been better or worse: all that can be said is that it would have been different. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Even though this poem was written over 100 years ago, it still presents ideas that are relevant in today's world. There are many times when we come to a fork in the road in our life and have to decide which path is best for us. Although we will have to make life decisions and choose paths, the path we choose will determine the kind of person we are and the life we ​​will lead. Once you've made choices you can't undo them, which is why it's important to think about what kind of person you want to become. You can choose to follow everyone else's lead and.