Poetry, like music, has a flow from one line to
another and one stanza to the next. In Robert Frost's
classic poem, "The Road Not Taken," we discover
an unusual use of timing that not only represents the
sentiment of the poem, but also reflects the
character of the man himself.
Efpatridis – ENG 1DP - 2014
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
1
1
1 1
1 1 1
1
1
=9
Two roads di verged in a yell ow wood, (a)
1
1 1 1
1
1
1
1
1
=9
And sor ry I could not tra vel both (b)
1
1
1
1
1 1
1
1
1
=9
And be one tra vel er, long I stood (a)
1
1
1
1
1 1
1 1
1
Road = choice
=9
And looked down one as far as I could (a)
1
1
1
1
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1
The poem has a
rhythm that
departs from the
norm much like
the speaker who
chooses his own
path. The
speaker is facing
a conflict –
making a major
decision in his life
that is leading
him in in different
directions.
=9
To where it bent in the undergrowth; (b)
He is in the “fall”
of his life – 40s to
50s. Leaves in the
woods are yellow
and falling –
metaphor for his
life.
4 stanzas – 5 lines each = quintain
In "A Road Not Taken," the beat of the poem, like the beat of a
heart in the middle of a major decision, is irregular. By beginning
with a spondee - Two roads - the reader feels the sudden shock
of the speaker of the poem. Throughout the poem, the speaker
skips a beat - anapest and dactyl - carrying the reader along
with anticipation to the final stanza.
Efpatridis – ENG 1DP - 2014
YOUR TURN:
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.
Was it a mid-life crisis? Moving? Changing jobs?
Divorce? Having another child? ? ?
Oh, I kept the first for
another day! - ended
up taking a different
path than he initially
thought.
Adventurous,
impulsive? He stood
a long time reflecting
and contemplating on
the choice, and then
takes the other in a
split second. What
does it reveal about
him?
Is he happy or sad
with his choice?
It has had a major
significance.
After telling the reader that telling the story would come with a
sigh, Frost masterfully creates a sigh in the third line of this stanza
when the speaker says, "...and I -- / I took the one less traveled
by..." Interestingly, this is all in strict iambic meter; however, Frost
returns to a heart skipping beats in the last line, "And that/has
made all/the dif/fer ence.
Like a Song
Frost's poems are like finely crafted symphonies. There is
tension, discord, harmony, climax and resolve. His poetry does
not have the comforting harmonies of a lullaby. Rather, Frost
writes poems that trigger the emotions in ways that can
sometimes surprise the reader. He writes to pull at the heart,
planting seeds of thought that wiggle their way into the conscious
until they bloom into epiphanies. The rhythm and meter in "The
Road Not Taken," leaves the reader unsettled and questioning.
Efpatridis – ENG 1DP - 2014
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Study Questions
1. What problem did the narrator face?
Why do you think he wanted to travel down both roads?
2. How does the narrator describe the two roads?
How are they similar and different?
What imagery is associated with each road and why are these references significant to
the meaning or message of the poem?
Use the chart to organize your analysis:
Road 1
Road 2
Description of road:
Images used by
narrator:
What meaning do the
images contribute to
meaning? Consider
connotation and
denotation.
3. Which road did the narrator take?
How does the narrator feel about this choice?
How do you interpret the words “sigh” and “difference”?
Why are these words open to different interpretations?
4. Describe how the narrator’s dilemma in facing both roads could be a metaphor for
life.
What other words in the poem contribute to creating the metaphor?
5. With your elbow partner, describe an experience from your life when you had to
make a difficult choice concerning something important in your life.
How did you make this decision? What issues or emotions did you struggle with?
Were you happy with the decision or did you have any regrets or doubts?
Efpatridis – ENG 1DP - 2014