The Road Not Taken Group

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vivalavida
vivalavida
Teacher

In the poem "The Road Not Taken", what is the theme and what techniques does Robert Frost use to commnicate his theme?

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Posted by vivalavida on Tuesday May 5, 2009 at 6:07 PM and tagged with frost, style, techniques, theme.

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  1. pmiranda2857
    pmiranda2857 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The poem is about decision making, making choices in life, about having the ability to be an individual who can determine the course that his or her life follows.

    The poem consists of 4 stanzas of 5 lines each.  

    "Frost composed this poem in four five-line stanzas with only two end rhymes in each stanza (abaab). The flexible iambic meter has four strong beats to the line. Of the technical achievements in “The Road Not Taken,” one in particular shows Frost's skill at enforcing meaning through form." 

    Robert would often take walks in the woods with a friend and his friend would ponder the possibilities of the path that they didn't take.  This is relevant to all the choices that individuals make each and every day, some have a more significant effect on an overall life, others are simple and insignificant.

    The author is forced to make a choice, he can't stand in the woods all day, but even after he has made the decision, he is not sure if he did the right thing.  So the poem also presents a dilemma that is interesting to analyze.

    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. (Frost) 

    Even though the traveler appears to be sure that he chose the right road, his decision is based on a road that looks like it holds more mystery, one that is less explored than the other.  Perhaps Frost is inviting the reader to engage in being curious about life and not just settle for the ordinary, but explore the mysteries of life to be fulfilled, and most especially if an individual is bored or feeling unchallenged by life, don't be afraid to travel the road less traveled and chart a new path for yourself.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/road-not-taken-salem/road-not-taken

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    Posted by pmiranda2857 on Wednesday May 6, 2009 at 1:26 PM