National Poetry Month Poem of the Day: "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 4, 2022

An Analysis of "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Of all Robert Frost poems, none are more famous than "The Road Not Taken." My analysis of it leads to the following observations and queries.

1. The rhyme scheme is a b a a b
2. The poem uses the well known metaphor of a path being compared to life, and a divergent path representing a choice.
3. Both paths are appealing to the poem's speaker (2).
4. He can only see so far down the first path and took the other (4-5).
5. The first path is full of undergrowth; the second is grassy (5,8).
6. They are both worn just the same (10).
7. He chooses the second path, yearning to take the first another day, but deep down inside knowing he won't (13-15).
8. He knows he makes the wrong choice and sighs (16-17).
9. He lies by saying he "took the one less traveled by" (19).
10. The last line is ambiguous: is he rationalizing or is he being ironic.

Links

• Symbolism in Robert Frost Poetry Lesson Plan Free Download PDF
• "The Road Not Taken" Blog Post
• Poetry Lesson Plan Bonanza