Question

2. What is the theme of the poem “The Road Not Taken’?

Answer 1

Answer:

The main theme of the poem, "The Road Not Taken," is that human beings are confronted with and defined by the choices they make.  The main idea of the poem is that the speaker is confronted with this fork in the road and must make a choice as to which road to take.  The speaker can only choose one path, and must abide by that choice.  The theme of the poem is that human beings are defined by the choices they face and the choices they make.  While we might wish to avoid these choices, the speaker (and, the poet, for that matter) tells us that we are unable to avoid the agonizing element of choice.  There can be little to alleviate this burden from us; we face the fork in the road and must choose.  In the final analysis, the poem indicates to us that the main theme of our choices must also be that we are content with them.  The last line of the poem indicates this, in terms of the speaker realizing that the choices he made "have made all the difference."  It seems to me that this read on the end indicates that regardless of what our choices are and our decisions, they are ours and we must take ownership of that fact.

Explanation:

Answer 2

Consistent rhyme scheme