The Road Not Taken: The article is all about the Road Not Taken Summary by Robert Frost. It explains the road not taken summary in short. BA English Notes for Semester 3 of BBMKU University.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. 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.
The Road Not Taken Summary
This poem signifies a situation where the poet was walking down a road that had a diversion. He had to choose between the two paths. Since he was a single person, he could choose only one of the two paths. The wood was yellow, representing a world full of people residing for many years.
The poet stood at that fork and looked at the paths very carefully. He looked as far as he could. Before moving forward on one path, he wants to understand how it was. Was it suitable for him to walk on it or not? He was able to see the path till from where it got curved. However, afterward, it was covered with trees and thus was hidden. He wanted to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the paths. The same happens in life too. We must make decisions thinking about their good and bad consequences in the future.
The poet looked at one path for a long time to decide whether it was good for him. Then he takes the alternative path as he feels both paths are equally good. He feels that the path he chose is better for him. The path was grassy, which depicted that it was walked over by fewer people and was ‘wanted wear”.
It depicted that the path was unused. However, as he walks on the path for some distance, he realizes that both paths are similarly worn out. Even in our life, every decision has its good and bad consequences. We might think we are in a better position than others, but it is not the reality.
The poet says that the two paths looked similar that morning. Both had left on them. No one stepped on that, and thus they were green. He decided to move forward on one path and keep the other for another day. Although he knew he would not be able to return as one path would lead to another. This happens in life too. We make a decision and move forward in that direction. We would get a chance to start over again if we fail. But that does not happen.
The poet says that sometime in the future, he will take a deep breath and say that he had to make a tough decision once in a lifetime. He was standing at a diversion of two roads. Both looked to him equally well. Thus, he decided to move forward on the road fewer people took. As a result, it has made him what he is today. That one decision shaped his future.
Similarly, in the future, when we grow up, we have to say that once upon a time, when you were in your youth, you had to make tough decisions. The choice made by you made you what you are today. Thus, the article of the poem the road not taken summary gives a powerful message to the people.
It tells us to be careful in making decisions in life. One should be wise and careful while making choices, as our choices shape our future. Also, once we decide, it is tough to change and start again. One wrong decision could make us regret it throughout life. All this depends on the choices we make today.