Definition
Hence: In the future (used after a period of time).
Trodden: Set one’s foot down on top of.
Undergrowth: A dense growth of shrubs and other plants, esp. under trees in woodland.
Annotation
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
and sorry I could not travel both
Robert Frost made many dramatic decisions that affected the poem The Road Not Taken and his writing in general from moving to England to becoming a farmer after proposing to his wife, choices he made greatly affected him. There was always an uncertainty in his life and nowhere is that more apparent then when he writes “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / and sorry I could not travel both” (1-2). Frost was always presented with tough decisions including his move to Great Britain, choices that he made willingly but always resented.
Robert Frost became a farmer after his grandfather passed away; he enjoyed the calm farm living and writing in the mornings. While living in Derry New Hampshire for 9 years he wrote many of his great works but his farming venture was unsuccessful and he had to go back to teaching, he always regretted leaving the farm life behind but chose the path that would benefit his family and his writing career. Later on in his life he moved from Massachusetts to Great Britain and later England, this affected the writing of this poem mostly because he was faced with decisions with no clear answer or right choice. He doubted he could come back to Massachusetts when the choice was made because he felt the decision was final in the sense that he should follow through and see where it leads him. Roads or paths in life are the hardest to take, Frost felt sorry who couldn’t stay home and follow through with certain decisions like farming but he had to move forward.
Explication
The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a fable, or a brief tale that tries to teach the reader a lesson. This poem is made up of four stanzas, with 5 lines per stanza that follow a rhyme scheme of ABAAB. When I originally read this poem I thought it was about choosing the road less traveled but upon analyzing the words closely I realized I was wrong, this poem is about the uncertainty of life and how our choices no matter how uncertain define us. In this poem the narrator is presented with two choices or roads. He contemplates which path to take while he tries his best to analyze the decision he is about to make, but as far as he could see they are both equal. To his knowledge no one has traveled either path as he states “In leaves no step had trodden black”(13).
In the 1st stanza the main theme of the poem is showcased “two roads diverged in a yellow wood”(1). The idea that life is seen as a path that we all most take and major decisions as forks in the road with no way of being able to predict where they will lead us or how they will turn out as he states “And be one traveler, long I stood/And looked down one as far as I could”(3-4). Frost while uncertain is also regretful that he is unable to experience both decisions “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / and sorry I could not travel both” (1-2) something that showcases the simple idea that experiences define us but we must constantly move forward without regret.
Robert Frost tries to teach us all a simple life lesson, that you will never be able to predict what’s to come or where different choices will lead you. He showcases how in life we can’t predict the future, he does this by stating the similarity of the paths he was presented with in the 2nd stanza and how he sat and studied them but did not see any discernable difference between the two. Frost also dwells on the idea that we all hope to come back and be able to experience a different choice or path, but he realizes in the end that life will never give us a second chance instead it will constantly lead us forward. Towards the end of the poem the narrator breaths a sigh of relief, showcasing to the reader that following through with whatever life throws at you no matter how unpredictable will always make the difference.
The lesson Robert frost tries to teach us is simple and defined clearly in 4th stanza. Upon traveling the path he chose and looking back at his life he realizes he choose a path less traveled and even though it was a challenge and he could not predict where life would take him he did not give up. Reading the poem we realize how impossible it is for the narrator to try and predict where the paths will take him or what the outcome will be, but when he contemplates and looks back at his life he realizes the decisions he made and moving forward made all the difference.
Works cited
Frost, Robert, and Louis Untermeyer. The Road Not Taken; an Introduction to
Robert Frost. New York: Holt, 1951. Print.
Hollander, John. “A Close Look at Robert Frost.” A Close Look at Robert Frost
Poets.org – Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Spring 1998. Web. 12 May 2012.<http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15894>.
Meyer, Michael. Poetry: An Introduction. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2001. 354-56. Print.
Stanlis, Peter J. Robert Frost: The Poet as Philosopher. Wilmington, DE: ISI,
2007. Print.
