The verses are composed usually of brief forms such as the quatrain (4-line stanza). His poems are usually short, seldom running over from one page to another. Robert Frost is known as a poet of “simplicity”. In this poem, we can easily realize the situation in which a traveller is faced with the dilemma about selecting either of the two roads lying before him in a yellow wood. One of Frost’s favourite modes is the dramatic mode in which a situation is depicted. He allows the situation to speak for itself and allows the deeper meaning to emerge naturally. But Frost has not dealt with the problem philosophically. The central metaphor clearly suggests the external human problem of choices. The metaphor of two roads represents the two possibilities of where only one could be entertained at a time. Added to that, the poet has also made a clever use of natural imagery. The most significant poetic technique applied here is that of symbolism. It is not restricted to the personal level. The personal experience of the poet acquires universal proportions. The title of the poem is suggestive and symbolic. and successfully brings forth the theme of making a choice. There are four stanzas each of five lines. The poem is written in very simple language. READ ALSO: An Introduction by Kamala Das - Summary, Critical Appreciation and Model Question Answers Frost sought to romanticize this notion of ruminating over what might have been, and on his return to America in 1915, he incorporated this notion into the composition of a poem for his new volume of poetry. Frost originally read it to a group of college students, who, to Frost’s astonishment, believed it was a very serious poem. Frost and Thomas enjoyed trekking together, and Thomas frequently had difficulty deciding which path to choose. Such a thing happened regularly, and Frost took it as an occasion to jest at the expense of his friend’s ‘wasted regrets’. It was written as a joke for Frost’s buddy, Edward Thomas, in 1915. However, before the end of that walk, he would regret the choice he had made and wished that they had chosen the other available routes. The latter was seriously interested in acquainting his American friend with the rarities and specialties of the area and as such, always took a route that could serve his purpose. During his stay, he used to go for long walks into the countryside accompanied by Thomas. The inspiration for writing the poem came to Frost in 1914 when he was with his friend Edward Thomas in Gloucestershire, England. “ The Road Not Taken” is the opening poem in Robert Frost’s third collection of poems titled Mountain Interval, published in 1916.
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