Robert Frost (18741963). Mountain Interval. 1920. 1.

The Road Not Taken

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; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. 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.

1 0

1 5

2 0

Themes There are several themes in the poem The Road Not Taken. The themes are : Making important decision in life The realities in life

Making Important Decision In Life The poem deals with making important decision in life. Decision making is an important aspect in life. The persona faces a situation in which he has to a very important decision that would affect his next course of action. In the poem, the persona is a traveler who comes a across two diverged roads. He has to choose the one that would take him to the right destination. The persona makes the decision after weighing the pros and cons.

The Realities In Life The persona faces the realities of life as a solo traveler. There is no one he can turn to for help or to assist him to make decisions. This is one of the themes I the poem. The persona realizes of his immediate environment and knows that the situation is a real one. He is faced with a problem. There are two options or alternatives available but he can only choose one. This is the reality in life. There are instances in life when one has to make decision from the number of possibilities pr alternatives.

Moral Values The poem teach us to deal with situations in a rational way, by understanding the situation well. It also teaches us to make important decisions carefully. The persona shows that it is important to weigh the pros and cons before solving a problem or making an important decision. The poem highlights positive values that are important to succeed in life. It teaches us to be forward-looking, optimistic and far-sighted. We need to be focuses as life is a journey and we are travelers. Thus, we need to make right decisions in life. We learn the important of being realistic and practical in life. When we make decisions from available options, we have to be careful as we have to face the consequences of our actions. It teaches us to be brave in facing the challenges in life and to make decisions carefully as some decisions in life are risky. Risk-taking is part and parcel of challenges in life.