The Road Not Taken Figurative Language

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In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, a traveler reaches a point in which the path he is on splits so he can go one of two ways. He stands and tries to decide between the two, and chooses the one that has less wear. He reflects on his choice and realizes that he will never get to know what the other path may have brought him. There is a large variety of literary devices used in the poem, along with valuable life lessons that should never be forgotten. Robert Frost has used symbolism to generate many feelings and thoughts in the readers mind in much of his work (“Figurative Language”). There is a handful in this particular poem that are worth note, some being much more visible than others. Symbolism is very prevalent throughout Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. As a matter of fact, the title of the poem itself is a symbol for lost opportunities. It also serves as sort of a tone setter. Aside from the title, there is much more symbolism shown in the poem. The lone man wandering through the woods, otherwise known as a solitary traveler represents Robert Frost’s great respect for the social outcast. Frost moved to New…show more content…
One of the obvious themes represented in this poem is decision making. The traveler sees his future-self looking back on his decisions at the end of his poem and wondering what different life outcome he may have experienced with different decisions, or if he would have taken the road that he hadn’t that day in the forest. This theme also shows that a lot of big decisions are final and there might not be any way to change the effects that your decisions cause. As Frost states, “way leads to way…” and the opportunity will probably never come to go back to change a lot of life choices. Frost shows that sometimes it is best to explore opportunities that are not chosen by many, and that is what could make the difference in the short or long
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