The Road Not Yet Taken Week 6

Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Yet Taken”, In a few brief words it is the choice between two roads and which one to take, and the character’s decision to choose the road less traveled and that it ended up making all of the difference.

1.       The title reminds me of the ability to walk alone as an individual instead of following everyone else and their trail. Because you need to make your own. If there was any other title I suppose you could call it the road with the grass more squished down, but then who would want to read that? Kidding. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine any other title for a poem, because it feels like there couldn’t be one any better.

2.       There weren’t any words that I didn’t understand.

3.       I hear some rhyming like line 1 and 4wood and could. It seems that in one line there will be the beginning rhyming word and then two shorter phrases would pass before the next rhyming word would follow.

4.       If you looked at the poem literally; there is a person (we don’t know if it is male or female, although I think it is meant to be sexless so we can all relate to the meaning of the poem.) and they are at a crossroad. They have the ability to choose two paths. One that is obviously more worn from being used more often, while the other is less used. So the path less traveled was taken and apparently that was worth it for the main character.

5.       Things that I am seeing are 1. The roads. 2. The first road looking like the grass had been beaten down. 3. The second road not worn and grass is fresh. 4. The road less traveled almost begging to be walked through. 5. Also the character of this poem looking back and feeling confident with his decision.

6.       1. The speaker is sexless. 2. There is a decision to be made. 3. Obviously at a crossroad in his/her life. 4. Weighing options and decisions. 5. Having the feelings of following comfort. 6. Or following the road that will make the speaker grow as a person. 7. The speaker finally makes a decision. 8. starts moving forward in the chosen direction. 9. Feeling confident. 10. And having no regrets for the decision made.

7.       The attitude of the speaker is about making decisions concerning the entirety of one’s life. And deciding to live it like everyone else or to march to the beat of your own drum.

8.       The poem has some structure but overall it’s a lesser amount it gives the mind some freedom to roam while still giving it boundaries.

9.       Obviously the tension in the poem has to do with the speaker trying to determine which way to go after traveling thus far. The decisions don’t seem too terribly difficult for the speaker, although it did take some thought.

10.   “And sorry I could not travel both…” I found this interesting. Not having the ability to see what both paths could produce at the end and having to make one decision and hoping it is the right decision. “Because it was grassy and wanted wear…” I like how the road almost has its own voice begging to be trodden on. “ 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 last traveled by, and it has made all of the difference.” I like the feeling that a decisions was well made, and even in old age there is no regret, which should be how we all live our lives.

I like the feeling of life giving you choices and you can make a decision and once it has been made you can’t go back. Life is set in motion the moment a decision is made. And I love how the speaker says “And sorry I could not travel both…” because I think we all want both, wonder what could have happened if we had made better decisions in our lives, even simply just making decisions in our lives. And the path more worn is like our comfort zone and our fault at following the footsteps before us in fear that going the other way may result in our downfall. And the path less worn is giving the ability to march to your own drum and become independent, and decide a life based on what is important personally as opposed to what is expected.  

What's your path?