work cited for robert frost the road not taken analysis

The poem’s meaning is often misunderstood as taking the road “less traveled by”, as the last stanza expresses. Frost is relaying this conflict through the symbolism of a fork in a path leading through the woods. The poem is a reflection of one of life’s many sources of conflict, the time when a decision will alter the outcome of one’s life forever.

The poem, “The Road Not Taken”, is reproduced below for ease of reference, and will be used for the rest of this analysis:Īnd that has made all the difference (Frost 1). To understand the use of irony in the last paragraph and how the poem really is about making a choice and living by that choice, the poem must be appraised in its entirety. The following analysis of the last stanza will reveal Frost’s use of irony, followed by a discussion of how the poem is about making a choice and living with that decision. The discussion will then focus upon the irony in the last stanza and how the irony supports the points made in the first stanzas.Īccording to Oxford Dictionaries, irony is defined as “the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.” In other words, the underlying meaning, the hidden meaning, is the heart of the use of irony in poetry. Following this analysis is an explanation of how each point expresses the true sentiment of the poem - choosing a road and living with the decision. Following the definition of irony will be a stanza by stanza analysis of the poem the poem will be interpreted in terms of the life events in Frost’s life.

But first, in order to understand Frost’s use of irony, one must first define irony. “The Road Not Taken” is a demonstration of the use of irony in the last stanza. This essay examines Frost's 'The Road Not Taken,' providing supporting evidence from the poem to prove it is not about taking a 'less traveled by' road in life but rather choosing a road and living with the decision, and explaining the irony in the last stanza.įrost was known for his masterful use of irony in his works. However, it is the irony in the last stanza that leads to the true interpretation of the poem. As the poem describes a poet at a fork in the road, the poem itself can be interpreted in two equally strong manners. The most famous of his works is “The Road Not Taken” and has provided future generations with flawless use of irony as a literary instrument. The Academy of American Poets summarized Frost’s work: “The author of searching and often dark meditations on universal themes, he is a quintessentially modern poet in his adherence to language as it is actually spoken, in the psychological complexity of his portraits, and in the degree to which his work is infused with layers of ambiguity and irony” (para. He became the most celebrated poet of his time. Robert Frost was a celebrated American poet who was born in the latter part of the 1800s and died in the 1960s.

Work cited for robert frost the road not taken analysis