Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken-- By Robert Frost

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


     I wanted this poem to be my final for a response because out of all poems I have read it is not only one of the best written moments in history but because it is an inspiring example of poetry's ability to use its hold on a reader to send a message.  My father showed me this poem along with Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening when I was very young, a told me about the meanings and nuances in the language, the different tools that the poet used to craft this masterpiece.  He always stressed to me the importance of simplicity and crisp words (a lesson I have obviously neglected).  The true poem is not read but sung by the mind, and the musical structure of The Road Not Taken is undeniable. This poem stands as testament to the skill of Frost, and as an example of America's voice throughout time to come.