American Literature

The essence of deciphering and understanding choices made in life remains crucial in understanding its corresponding meaning and value among individuals. Since life itself is considered to be a constant journey with different roads and paths taken, the uncertainties of these decisions provide individuals the ability to question its outcome and impact. The poem Road not Taken by Robert Frost clearly exhibits such analogy and offers readers not only the ability to reflect on this but also illustrate such ironies of the possibilities available.

    Analyzing the poem in terms of its structure, Frost utilizes several literary techniques in order to captivate readers attention and highlight the essence and value of choice as it relates to one life. Particularly, it uses the irony as an essential tool to convey its message and such capacity then infuses greater justification on various issues that the poem seeks to illustrate. One example of irony can be seen in the last two lines of the poem which reads
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
(Frost and Untermeyer, p.270).

    Reflecting on the particular stanzas of the poem, it can be seen that the overall action initiated by Frost corresponds to the capacity to first introduce the scenario and then highlight what efforts have been made during the process. Such analogy provides readers an idea of the experiences and path the persona has chosen accordingly. Specifically, the first stanza illustrates the scene where the scenario is given and the person is given a choice on which two roads to take. Analyzing this particular section literally and figuratively, it highlights the relevance of making choices regardless of the image that the roads convey.

    The second stanza highlights what road the person chose to take. It provides readers with an idea of going forward to the road less traveled. In here, he uses imagery in order to convey the difference between the two and highlights the reason why the person made the particular choice. Seeing this, Frost imparts to readers the purpose of the decision made and highlights how this has been justified in the particular line by saying
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
(Frost and Untermeyer, p.270).

    The third stanza continues to illustrate the differences between the two roads. This analogy in essence also uses imagery as Frost sought to convey towards readers the relevance of this because of the capacity to induce appeal to both roads. This can be seen because though a certain choice has been made, the person wished to engage in the other path some other time. However, the main predicament here is that such incident may not happen again. In here, Frost uses the value of how short time is and the relevant outcomes of his initial choice to take the road less taken.

    Analyzing further these two stanzas altogether, the poem seeks to impart the relevance and value of the choice made. However, justifying that the author was happy with the decision would be fairly wrong to claim because of the fact that heshe is still uncertain where the roads lead and what outcomes can be seen in the process. Though the individual may have sought to go forward to the other road and experience it, the constraints of time hinders the process of doing so. Thus, the analogies in these stanzas correlate with each other in portraying the process of engaging in decisions or choices.

    The last stanza however is the one that captivates and synthesizes the poem altogether. It now becomes not only a viable instrument of analysis for readers but also a viable aspect in inducing inputs. Particularly, the last five (5) lines of the poem illustrate this reality as readers are provided with a questionable direction of the outcome made by the choice. In here it reads
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
(Frost and Untermeyer, p. 270).

    From an initial perspective, readers may argue that this idea promotes the value of how the person made the right choice. However, this is where the trick of Frost poem emerges. In particular, there was no hint in the previous stanzas that the person was contented with the decision made. Similarly, the same argument can be said pertaining to the incident turning out to be negative. Due to this, pointing out that a result can be seen in the choice made would only create a false assumption on the value of the poem.

    Given this aspect, the proper way to convey to readers about the poem involves the aspect of choice and decisions itself. These two principles remain evident throughout life and The Road not Taken is a clear example of this. Here, people cannot predict what the potential outcomes of these choices are for the future is still uncertain. It is through how we lived our lives that we can determine whether or not the decisions made in the past have indeed been fruitful on our part.

    Overall, Robert Frosts portrayal about choices and its relative uncertainty can be seen in the poem. By the use of effective analogy, irony, and imagery, he was not only able to impart the value of choices in life but also illustrate the capacity to use time in the poem as an instrument in creating a truth based on the directions or roads we seek to take.