V4 - The Road Not Taken
The Road Not Taken - R. Frost
Have you ever taken a decision
when you were younger
that has influenced your life so far?
Have you ever thought about
what life would have been like
if you had taken a different decision?
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The Road Not Taken - R. Frost
Have you ever taken a decision
when you were younger
that has influenced your life so far?
Have you ever thought about
what life would have been like
if you had taken a different decision?
The Road Not Taken
Written in 1915 in England, one of Robert Frost's—and the world's—most well-known poems.
Commonly (mis)interpreted as a celebration of rugged individualism/courage, but actually has different meanings.
Most people believe the narrator made an individual and courageous choice by choosing the path less traveled by. It was a special choice he made and that choice made all the difference in life.
The poem is often recited/written on cards on graduation day
BUT
In the poem the narrator says that actually both paths look equally worn, so both choices have been made by more people. Since he chose one thing, he cannot know how life would have been if had indeed chosen the other path/option in life. So, his choice was not that special and he cannot know if this in fact made all the difference, maybe the other choice would have been just as fine.
The Road Not Taken
Misinterpreted as: Courage, Individualism
Actual meaning: the burden of free will/choice; fictive memory (the one less travelled by vs equally trodden)
The Road Not Taken - themes
Choices and Uncertainty - which choice should you make in life
Decision making and the burden of free will
Often misinterpreted as:
Individualism and non-conformity - choosing the path less traveled by/choosing something others don't, making your own decisions in life -> the diverging roads (paths splitting up into different directions) = an extended metaphor for unconventional vs conventional choices (individualism vs conformity)
Fictive memory/Making meaning - maybe the narrator remembers incorrectly (the road less travelled by vs equally trodden); maybe the narrator attaches more meaning to his choice than it actually has
The Road Not Taken - literary devices
Assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds (in the same line)
Alliteration - the repetition of the initial stressed consonant sound in nearby words
Symbol - one thing stands for another thing which has a deeper meaning (e.g. rose = a flower, symbolizes love)
Extended metaphor - a comparison without as/like (carries on throughout the poem);
Tone = the poet's attitude/perspective towards a subject (diction/words)
Mood = emotional atmosphere (setting; imagery/descriptive words that evoke emotion)
(vowels = a, e, i etc.; consonants = b, c, d, f etc.)
The Road Not Taken - literary devices
Literary device : stylistic structure/creative use of words to enhance writing, evoke emotion, and convey deeper, non-literal meaning in prose or poetry
Alliteration- Wanted Wear - W - (l.8; repetition of the initial consonant sound W) Though/that/there (l. 9)
Assonance - where/bent - E - (l. 5 - repetition of the same vowel sound in any position in the word); both/morning/trodden (O)
Consonance - to/it/bent - T - (l5 - repetition of the same consonant sound in any position in the word)
Repetition - way/way; ages/ages; and/and/and
(vowels = a, e, i etc.; consonants = b, c, d, f etc.)