Explain in your own words how you will relate to the poem”The road not taken".
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The Road Not Taken Message
What is the message of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost?
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LSUMNER eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
In "The Road Not Taken," the message of the poem is about life's choices. The speaker is confronted with two roads. He debates his choices. He tries to figure out which road to take. He finally decides to take the road less traveled by and declares that it has made all the difference.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Clearly, the speaker feels he has made the right choice. Of course, this comes at the end of the poem after much deliberation. "Long [he] stood" trying to decide which road to take:
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;
The speaker feels a sense of regret that he cannot travel both roads. Life is about choices. The speaker is torn between the two roads. He finally takes the road less traveled by and feels that he has made the right choice. Still, he imagines that he shall be telling his story ages from now with a sigh:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Life is difficult. Choices are hard at times. By and by, the speaker makes a choice. He takes the road less traveled by. He chooses not to conform. He chooses to be a unique individual. He does not follow the crowd. In the end, he makes a choice that he feels has made all the difference. Although he is sad that he could not take both roads, he feels that he made the right choice ultimately.