Question

5 different values of ch. The Road Not Taken

Answer 1

The poem The Road Not Taken broadly symbolises situations in life when we have to choose between two things. These two things may refer to major things like people, career choices, educational prospects, or any minor things like which games to play, which attire to choose, where to go out for dinner, etc. Through this poem, the poet tries to tell his readers that no matter which way/path you choose, you will always wonder ''what would have happened if I had chosen the other path?" Therefore, the path that you choose will no doubt make a difference in your life. However, the path that you didn't choose will also leave some impact in your life later.

Answer 2

The symbolic value articulated in the poem is the element of human choice. Freedom is the overriding element in Frost's poem. The opening stanza which depicts the speaker being able to gaze out at two divergent roads pits him in the challenging predicament of being poised between equally desirable, but ultimately incompatible courses of action. Simply put, the speaker cannot take both roads, cannot avert himself from the element of choice that is thrust upon him. The speaker must, to quote Satre, "Choose!" There is little to alleviate the agony of such a choice. Yet, Frost spins this as a positive element, one of distinction and self definition and not one that pins down the speaker. The speaker studies the road that others did not take and notes its details: "Because it was grassy and wanted wear." The speaker understands that taking the path that others did not can "make all the difference." In the final analysis, the value of individual freedom with what happens as a result becomes a critical and defining element to the poem, a symbolic value praised and hoisted above all.