But as he admits, "way leads on to way," (line 14). He was unable to return back to pick up the other path in the same way that it is impossible to turn back time.
The Road Not Taken" can apply to almost any point in anyone's life when a person is faced with a decision. Because the literal scene and setting cover up the poet's underlying intentions, the metaphor of "The Road Not Taken" can apply to nearly anything. For example, the narrator might have chosen to be with one romantic partner over another, thinking that he would be with her or him for only a short while. In this case, the road not taken would be the other person. Or, the road not taken could refer to a business opportunity, or simply a chance to board a different bus than the one he was used to taking to work. The reason why "The Road Not Taken" remains a compelling and enduring poem is because its message is universal and applicable to any human experience.
Robert Frost, in addition to using metaphor as a core part of his poetic repertoire, relies on rhyme and rhythm. Lines alternate eight, nine, and ten syllables, in a cadence as light as the tone of the poem itself. The rhyme scheme is ABAAB, BCBBC. Therefore, the poem is structured and loose at the same time, which reflects the actions of the narrator. While he acknowledges his inability to have his cake and eat it too, to take two paths and still be one man, the speaker still wishes he were able to have experienced...
Frost also uses alliteration to anchor the poem's rhythm. For instance, line 6 ends with the phrase "wanted wear." In lines 8 and 9, Frost relies on assonance to give a more subtle form of rhythm in "The Road Not Taken." The words "grassy" and "passing" have the same "ass" sound. Repetition is another poetic device Frost uses: "way leads on to way," and "ages and ages hence," (lines 14; 17). Moreover, the poet repeats the whole phrase "Two roads diverged in a wood," drawing the reader's attention to the momentous occasion of his having encountered a life-changing fork in the road.
Because all persons are confronted with choices, some of which seem easier than they really are, "The Road Not Taken" has a timeless quality. At one point or another, every human being will wonder "What if?" As Frost suggests in his poem, people frequently wonder what they are missing out on, what would have happened had they chosen the other path. The tone of "The Road Not Taken" is not one of regret: the narrator does not disparage the path he chose, which he selected with conscious thought and pure instinct. On the other hand, the tone is wistful and longing, for missed opportunities, for the parallel realities that could be experienced if only we were more than just mere humans.
Works Cited
Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Eds.…
