Editor's Choice
In "The Road Not Taken," what is the meaning of "fair" in the first line?
Quick answer:
In "The Road Not Taken," the word "fair" in the first line of the second stanza means "attractive" or "good." The narrator describes the second path as "just as fair," suggesting it is as appealing and promising as the first. The term also implies that choosing either path is equally justified or valid. Although the narrator notes the second path is less traveled, he maintains both paths are similar in appearance and opportunity.
The narrator says in the second stanza of the poem that after looking at the first road, he decides to take the second, as it's "just as fair." By "fair," the narrator could mean "good" and "attractive." In other words, the second path through the woods is just as welcoming and enticing as the first road. However, the narrator could also mean that taking the second road is just as right or as good a choice as taking the first road. In other words, choosing the second path is as right a choice as choosing the first path.
The narrator also chooses the second path because it is "grassy and wanted wear," meaning that the grass is growing long on the second path and it seems as though fewer people have traveled along it. Though the narrator claims he or she wants to return to the first path on another day, the narrator knows that one step often leads to another and that he or she may never return to the first path.
The word “fair” comes at the beginning of the second stanza of “The Road Not Taken.” In the first stanza, the narrator sees two roads or paths ahead. He’s deciding which one to take. He looks down the length of the one that has been used more often, “Then took the other, just as fair.” Here the word means attractive, beautiful, nice, and maybe even favorable or promising. Although we get the impression that one of the roads is well worn and the other one has grass growing over it in neglect, the narrator spends the second stanza and half of the third assuring us (or himself) that in reality, the two routes are equal in appearance and in sustained foot traffic. His use of the word “fair” plays into this façade, since it can also mean average or impartial.
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