Poetry Analysis: Robert Frost

Robert Frost was an American poet.  He is highly known for his poems about his realistic depictions of rural life as his work was initially published in England before it was published in America.  Much of Robert's work also examined complex social and philosophical themes in the early twentieth century.  The poem 'The Road Less Travelled' is one of my personal favourites written by Frost.

 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I particularly enjoy this part of the poem as the closing piece.  In my opinion Robert Frost may be trying to tell the reader that making original and independent choices can make life more rewarding!  I view the poem as depicting tough decision making and the rewards of creating your own journey, even if others do not travel the same path as you.  "I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference" closes the poem, as Frost breaks free from the route that others may have taken before and takes it upon himself to break new ground.

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;


 

I enjoyed these specific lines in the poem because Robert used descriptive imagery to describe his take on the two roads diverging.  He describes the setting as a "yellow wood" and told us one path "bent in the undergrowth".  This gives the reader a positive first impression of the poem as they begin reading, it's intriguing, interesting, and begs the need to read on!