Jaime Garcia

AP Literature and Composition

Mrs. Dawn Weathersbee
12 November 2013
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost- An Insight on Frosts Poetic Methodology
Kerri Russel once spoke the words, sometimes its the smallest decisions that can
change your life forever. Robert Frost takes quite the similar view when life presents itself in
choices. Frosts world renowned poem, The Road Not Taken represents the conflict within a
young or middle aged man that has a reached a position at a fork in a road he is traveling in
which he must choose two paths, both which futures are uncertain. Following this choice is the
everlasting fear the speaker has of making the wrong decision. Frost attempts to reach out to
those in a similar situation with this occasion, however his poem can be sympathized with easily
to the point in which one would overlook Frosts main goal which is to make the mistake of over
thinking or worrying about what might have happened if the other road were taken. To
accomplish his goals, Frost includes literary devices such as imagery and symbolism,
accompanied by his overall tone of the poem.
Imagery plays a tremendous role within Frosts The Road Not Taken due to its depiction
of the road and how ones distinction from the other can be observed through the images the
words provide within the text. Frost begins by depicting the road itself by describing the scenery
as two roads diverged in a yellow wood-(Line 4). To follow this description, Frost describes
the road less taken by saying that it was grassy and wanted wear which picturesquely describes
that the road is not one that is often taken. Frost uses the imagery he produces and ties it with his
symbolism as the road represents different paths in life, and how the undergrowth represents the
uncertainty choices made now would have on the future. The imagery of the scenery correlates
Jaime Garcia
AP Literature and Composition
Mrs. Dawn Weathersbee
12 November 2013
with life events such as these in which decisions are needed to be made. Finally, the less
traveled road is grassy and wanted wear because it represents the path that is not socially
accepted which is why the person should not worry about the decision he or she has made
because it his or her personal decision and worrying about what could have happened could lead
him or her to believe they were wrong in what they had chosen. Therefore, imagery and
symbolism is one way in which Frost attempts to convince the reader of his theme.
Although Frosts imagery and symbolism aid in portraying the thematic message that the
poem attempts to send across to the reader, the tone expressed through these literary devices
plays a tremendous role in this as well. Frosts overall tone varies in many ways, at first the tone
results as contemplative when deciding between the merits of each road, followed by regretful
because the speaker realizes that he will forever be burdened with uncertainty of what lied ahead
on the other path, and finally, ultimately optimistic when acknowledging that taking the road less
traveled would turn out to be one of great experience.
Therefore through Robert Frosts entrancing use of imagery accompanied by the
transparency of lifes relation with the symbol of the road and its features, along with the various
tones that take place within the piece, Frost is successful in providing his thematic moral which
is to never worry when life presents itself in a difficult decision. Take one and follow it and do
not look back. That is the moral of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.