Like many of his poems, "The Road Not Taken" shows Frost's
strong connection with nature and natural beauty. He takes time to explain that the
forest is "yellow," meaning that it is Fall, and that the path "bends in the
undergrowth," showing how the forest (life) hides the
future.
The narrator also mentions that his chosen path is
"grassy and want[s] wear," meaning that the paths are not paved roads but dirt, meant
for foot travel. Both paths are covered in leaves, reinforcing the Fall theme from
before and the lack of travelers. Most of the imagery in the poem is visual in nature;
the narrator doesn't mention bird, insect, or wildlife sounds, but the reader can
imagine that the path crunches underfoot, seeing as how it is covered in leaves. Other
sounds can be assumed from the fall setting, but none are actually mentioned. Similarly,
there are no smells, tastes, or touch sensations mentioned; the poem is more about
trying to decide the future based on what is known at the
moment.
The last important visual image mentioned is "the
morning," meaning that the narrator is just starting out on his journey. This symbolizes
a still-young person, with many choices ahead, making one of his first major decisions
in life. As the day (life) continues, he will look back on the "morning" and think about
his decision, wondering if it was the correct one.
No comments:
Post a Comment