Robert Frost Poetry Analysis The Road Not Taken Video Lecture | English Literature for Grade 9

an analysis of the road not taken' by
Robert Frost to begin let's review what
is happening in the poem the narrator
comes to a fork in the road and as a
choice of two paths to take he
scrutinizes the pass but finds no
discernible difference in the last
stanza he projects that he will be
saying that he took the road less
traveled so what is the difference
between the two paths as far as the poem
is concerned there is no difference if
we put his desire to take the less
traveled Road together with the fact the
roads are indistinguishable what road
can the narrator choose the answer of
course is neither the last lines of this
poem are often quoted as a statement of
nonconformity and many people take this
to be the theme of the poem the title of
the poem should make it clear that this
isn't the case the poem is called after
all the road not taken' and not
something like the road less traveled
others talk about the road not taken'
and say that the poem is about regret to
say that regret is an element to the
poem is absolutely true the poem is full
of the fear of the narrator's regret
about making the wrong choice to say
that this is the central theme of the
poem however is to miss the point for us
larger point to set their choices in
life where there's little or no
discernible difference and uncertainty
makes choosing almost impossible at
these times we are often paralyzed by
the fear of making the wrong choice here
it is the fear of regret that acts as an
impediment to any choice that should be
made this is why it is the road not
taken' how do we know that no choice is
made by the narrator we need only look
at the verb tenses in the poem the first
three stanzas are all written in the
past tense the fourth stanza begins with
the future tense verb chell indicating
that the rest of the poem is all future
speculation
additionally Frost repeats the first
line in the poem in the fourth stanza to
illustrate that the narrator is still
back where he was in the beginning this
is the tragedy of the poem in the
struggle to avoid missing out on either
choice the narrator is lost out on both
the road not taken' is whichever choice
he might have made for frost this is an
essential component of human nature the
fear of regret stops us from taking
action
the theme is explored at length in his
play a masque of mercy the epilogue
contains the following my failure is no
different than Jonas we both have lacked
the courage in the heart to overcome the
fear within the soul and go ahead to any
accomplishment courage is what it takes
and takes the more of because the deeper
fear is so eternal the narrator's fear
and apprehension run through the entire
poem sorry I could not travel both kept
the first for another day doubted if I
should ever come back telling this with
a sigh the last stanza illustrates
narrator's apprehension further with the
stuttered repetition of I two roads
diverged in a wood and I I took the one
less traveled by lastly we have the
color yellow which we associate with
cowardice used symbolically in the first
line
of course yellow leaves also indicate
autumn which is also shown by the leaves
having fallen to the ground the season
autumn being before winter which
symbolizes death is used to indicate
that the narrator is near the end of its
life tragically is wasted nearly his
entire life in indecision
although the poem is tragic it is comic
as well
far from being a statement of
nonconformity the four stanzas the
satire the pompous self-proclaimed
nonconformist is a character type with
which almost everyone is familiar for
despite his uniqueness he's everywhere
beginning with the first two lines of
the last stanza the narrator tributes
epic significance to his choice I shall
be telling this with a sigh somewhere
ages and ages hence Frost's intentional
use of the archaic sounding words shell
and hence contrast starkly with the
plain speech in the rest of the poem and
serve to emphasize the narrator's
pretentiousness
moreover the grandiose phrase ages and
ages leaves no doubt that frost is
mocking it after all no one's life
extends over ages in the last two lines
narrators boast that he will take the
road less traveled and that it will make
all the difference
is undercut by all the previous
observations that the two choices are
nearly the same so we have these
statements of inflated self-importance
contrasted with an inconsequential or at
least inscrutable choice in the narrator
far from making the bold individualistic
stand shrinks fearfully from making any
for further analysis and information
about Robert Frost's philosophy
unrelated topics see our lesson page at
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