The Road Not Taken

Monday shift at work, and I have nothing to do because it’s Labor Day in the U.S. so, I kind of advertised for some people to give me some topics that I can write about. Here’s one.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn 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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Thanks to Ana for bringing up such a wonderful piece of art

I’ve first read this poem when I was still in college, in one of my English subjects. I didn’t know where I saved a copy of the reaction paper I made for this poem. But nonetheless, this was one of the most inspiring poems that I’ve read so far. Now, unto the poem itself.

The poem talks about a journey. It could be a journey towards a goal, a journey through life or a journey towards something of importance. As I read the poem, it comes to a point wherein along the way, in order to reach a certain goal, you find yourself stuck along a forked road. This is Robert’s way of symbolizing choices that you will need to make in order to achieve that goal. In the next line, Robert made several descriptions about that particular “path” that we can take. One path, wherein he said had “Better claim” could be a path which is easier, the other path could mean that it’s harder.

Nonetheless, what Robert wants to point out here is the importance of independence and personal freedom. That we should live every decision that we make in life. The poem points out that when we make these decisions, there will be no turning back.

Frost never said in this poem that the less traveled road is the most correct way but what he’s after is a traveler’s thoughts about the decisions that he made during the journey and the way that traveler ponders if that decision was correct.

I hope you had fun reading the poem as much as I did. =)