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=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.

Robert Frost 

**Analysis**: Robert Frost is an amazing poet known for his love of nature and the outdoors. This poem does not shy away from that very same theme, starting off with the narrator walking outdoors in autumn. He comes to a fork in the road, and struggles with the decision of which road he should travel down. There are features of each road that make it appealing, yet one of them had somewhat of a reputation for being the better road. He looks as far down the road as possible, but gets no further insight. He also had evidence of people's past choices, but was eventually forced to make a decision based solely on his thoughts and feelings. At poem's end, he ends up choosing the one that only a few choice people travel.

This poem relates to what can probably be said is the most intriguing situations in the average person's life. Often one is faced with a difficult choice to make, and they can only pick one. The fork in the road represents this situation. People have heard other opinions about each choice, and each has both its advantages and disadvantages. They can look down the pathway that each choice might take them to, but eventually the choice will solely be theirs. There is always the choice that is more popular in life; most people know it takes real courage to choose the less popular one. People that end up taking the popular path might be content with their lives and the choice they made, but often it is the brave individuals who go down the path less traveled that are the happiest with the bold decision they made. Frost shows this content with the narrator's decision through the ending line, "And that has made all the difference." It is here where he ends his use of the end rhyme, possibly referring to the ending of the tradition of the popular choice being made. This line shows his happiness because he knows if he chose the other path, his life would be far different than it has come to be, probably in a negative way. With this poem, Frost is clearly trying to make a point that can apply to all of humanity. Difficult situations always lie ahead in our lives, and we are the only ones that can do something to make sure we follow the right path. Frost's use of the grassy, nice road is a symbol for the temptations that will attempt to draw us in to making the more popular choice. Personification is another device used when the narrator mentions that the popular road "wanted wear." This could be a referral to the people and events that will try to negatively influence one in their life, but you must keep your head straight and always concentrate on your goal, to make the best decision. Frost is a poet that has a brilliant ability to mix words, feelings, and ideas beautifully, and __The Road Not Taken__ is a poem that certainly follows suit.