

The word ‘sigh’ indicates that he is dissatisfied with his decision of taking second road. In second half of the poem, the poet shows his failure in choosing the right path. Now, he wishes that he could go back but he think he will never be able to come back to take the first road. The poet took the second road and saved first road for another day. The poet knows how “way leads” to another, and then another until you end up very far from where you started your journey. He decided to move forward on second road and saves the first road for another day. Both roads were having green leaves and no one stepped on them. Secondly, he was the first person on the road that morning and there were no clues that which road is more travelled. The poet was indecisive and it was difficult for him to recognize the better road. Here, again, the poet realized that both the road are looking same. After walking through the road, he realizes that both the roads were similarly worn out. The path was grassy which depicted that fewer people took this road and it was ‘wanted wear”. Then the poet takes the alternative road because he feels that both roads are equally good. He took a long time to decide whether it is good or not for him. He looked at the one road carefully till from where it got curved and afterward the road was covered with tall trees and thus was hidden. The poet was curious about the roads and wanted to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the both paths. Before advancing on one path, he wants to understand how it was. (Here, two roads indicate two ways of life.)ĭue to uncertainty, the poet stood at that fork and looked at the both roads very carefully. Robert Frost had to choose one between the two roads, but he found it difficult because he never came across these two roads in his life and he was not sure which one is better. Instantly, he realized that being a traveler, taking both the roads is not possible. The poet reached a point where road had a diversion (the road was divided into two different paths). There were yellow woods across the roads, which means there is start of fall season and the leaves are turning yellow. In the poem, The Road Not Taken, readers come to know that the poet, Robert Frost, was traveling alone one day on a road. Look at the meter of below line from The Road Not Taken!Īnd sorry I could not travel both (2 nd line of The Road Not Taken) The overall meter of the poem tetrameter. Second syllable of the meter is generally stressed/accented. However, there is little variation some lines contain a syllable more or less than the average syllable count.

T he use of enjambment in the poem keeps the sense flowing where one line runs into the next very smoothly.Įach line of the poem consists of nine syllables. The whole poem has the same pattern ABAAB. The second line ends with “ claim” which rhymes with fifth line “ same”. In the first line of above stanza, “ fair” rhymes with the words, “ wear” and “ there”. Line 5: Had worn them really about the same, Line 4: Though as for that the passing there Line 3: Because it was grassy and wanted wear Line 2: And having perhaps the better claim, Line 1: Then took the other, as just as fair, Let us analyze rhyme scheme of second stanza of The Road Not Taken. The First, third, and fourth lines rhyme together, and second and fifth line rhyme together. The rhyme scheme of each stanza is ABAAB.

The poem is narrative in form and written in the first-person. Unique collection of words, use of variation, and perfect composition make it superb piece of Robert Frost. ‘The Road Not Taken’ has an interesting style. The central idea of the poem is quite simple so that every individual can relate it to his personal life, especially when it comes to the concept of choices and opportunities in the life of individual. It is a lyric with a patterned rhyming and a regular metrical scheme. It is a narrative poem that describes the struggle of a central character standing on the road that has diversion and he want to choose correct path but fails to decide which one is better for him. The poem, The Road Not Taken, is one of the famous poems written by an American poet: Robert Frost.

Introduction to the poem: The Road Not Taken
