Who is Robert Frost? Well, you are in luck because we are going to be talking about him. In this research essay, I will describe the successful instances that have made Robert Frost became a successful poet and how these successful instances made him the successful poet that he is. I will be investigating the poem “The Road Not Taken” to find the different themes in this poem. I hope by the end of this essay that I have made everything clear for you of what the theme is in Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”.
Mr. Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco but following his father’s death, his family had moved to Lawrence Massachusetts returning to where his ancestors were originally from. Mr. Frost became famous for his poetry’s engagement with New England locales who were fascinated by his poems. Mr. Frost graduated in 1892 from Lawrence High school as a class poet. During his time in high school, he had so many successful moments like sharing the honor of co-valedictorian with his wife-to-be Elinor White. Two years later a magazine called New York Independent accepted one of his poems called “My Butterfly.”
After the New York Independent accepted one of his poems his status would rise to name him a professional poet and Mr. Frost got a check for $15.00 (Poetry Foundation). He would then publish his first book by the age of 40. Mr. Frost would then go on to win a record for four Pulitzer Prizes. While this was all happening, Mr. Frost became the most famous poet of this time before his death at the age of 88. While Mr. Frost celebrated his book that had six privately printed poems (Poetry Foundation). Two copies of Twilight were made for him and his fiancée.
In the next eight years, he succeeded in having 13 more of his poems published. During this time Mr. Frost would earn a living by teaching after attending Dartmouth and Harvard (Poetry Foundation). While later he worked a farm in Derry, New Hampshire (Poetry Foundation). In 1912 Mr. Frost was discouraged by American magazines because of the constant rejection of his work. He would take his family to England where he would find more professional success. By continuing to write about New England Mr. Frost would have two books published A Boy’s Will (1913) and North of Boston (1914).
Mr. Frost established his reputation through the two books he published A Boy’s Will (1913) and North of Boston 1914). During his 75th birthday, the US Senate passed as a resolution in Mr. Frost’s honor. The resolution stated, he guided American thought, wisdom, and humor, giving us a reliable representation of ourselves and all men (Poetry Foundation). In the year of 1955 in the state of Vermont, there is a mountain named after Mr. Frost in Ripton in the town of Mr. Frost’s legal residence. In the year of 1961, Mr. Frost was given the honor of being asked to read a poem.
Mr. Frost allied himself with imagists who helped to promote his American reputation. While doing this he also published Poetry: A Magazine of Verse which got reviewed by Ezra Pound. Mr. Pound’s review said “had the tang of the New Hampshire woods, and it has just this utter sincerity. It is not post-Miltonic or post-Swinburnian or post-Kiplonian. Speaking naturally with good sense while painting the thing, the thing as he sees it (Poetry Foundation).
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a serious mainstream poem; shockingly nonetheless, its ubiquity comes essentially from the basic demonstration of misreading. With this Poem, Frost has given the world a bit of composing that each individual can identify with, particularly with regards to the idea of decisions and openings throughout everyday life. A greater part of the time, this Poem incited and utilized with an understanding that isn’t actually “right”. The prevalent view is that Frost implied for this Poem to be about expectation, achievement, and opposing chances by picking away well, “less went by”. Then again, if the Poem is evaluated, it is very evident that it has reasonably the contrary meaning.
Robert Frost has utilized free verse style in “The Road Not Taken” He works inside structures, yet and now and again, works the structure inside his exposition. Utilizing a variety and his image of words, his poems followed an extraordinary structure. On occasions, he made structures to suit his verses. He has a general propensity to work inside and without limits, cutting paramount, recognizable, and eccentric verses. He idealized the specialty of “sound of sense” in his initial years, carrying crude tactile recognition to a human brain. The sound of words structures is somewhat of symbolism because of the types of words and sound of sense.
Robert’s Frost Poem, “The Road Not Taken” includes five sections exemplified in four stanzas. The rhyming show utilized is ABAAB with the last line being exemption to the standard. Each line comprises of four stressed syllables.
What I thought the poem was about is an individual who wanted to travel both roads at the same time but couldn’t because you can only travel one road in your lifetime. Therefore, this individual shows the subject of disappointment, by uncovering that he is heartbroken before he even chooses which street to take. We essentially wind up watching a significant moment, where he needs to settle on a choice that is hard for him. Which the individual is attempting to see as far as possible down every street, to assist him with choosing which one he ought to decide to take.
The individual is going through a dilemma of choice that many humans face throughout their lifetime, we as people may go through challenging experiences in our lives and one of them is choosing between two or more paths. When it comes to points in our lives where we must make difficult decisions for our next step, based on the opportunities presented or given to us. Often, we are disappointed that we cannot hold onto or experience the consequences of every opportunity that shows itself to us. To gain authority in life, we must let some of those opportunities go.
What the Road Not Taken is actually about is that it avoids exhorting on choosing a complete path. Mr. Frost’s interpretation of this is marginally convoluted. The green streets and yellow woods speak to the present as the individual perspectives from a future point of view. This self-acknowledgment is disgraceful and amusing in itself. The future self-will lament first his choice about taking a street less went on. Looking back, his poem is everlasting for this situation.
As the character in the poem visualizes deception in his future, by glancing later on in the poem. He is mindful that he will be a far and a long way from being right and even at times dishonest at times, taking a gander at his life. He is completely mindful that his future self-will denies his past self’s choices, affirming it securely. There is no authoritative or genuine way here. Therefore, what lies in a difficult situation of a person with a remainder of sentiments lies a person with feelings of guilt. With unexpected feeling throughout the poem. The poem contains traces of regret due to picking a road that is less travelled by. Which the individual ponders about the other way that he could’ve taken but didn’t. Taking everything into account, the idea of The Road Not Taken is based on its tone.
In conclusion, there are two fundamental topics, ideas, and themes in this poem the creator expounded on. The main topic is taking the path less traveled by in such a case that you take the path that every other person ventures then you are simply following a group, where on the off chance that you take your way you are a leader, not a follower. Which gets to the next fundamental topics, ideas, and themes of this poem which is being a leader not a follower in light of the fact that being a leader is better than to be following a group in such a case that you follow the group you won’t get to where you need to be throughout everyday life or your goal. Getting to your goal is the primary objective of being effective throughout everyday life and you can’t be fruitful if you are simply following others.
Works Cited
- Asad, Omer. “Summary and Analysis of The Road Not Taken.” Poem Analysis, 26 Feb. 2020, poemanalysis.com/Robert-frost/the-road-not-taken.
- Frost, Robert. “Robert Frost | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-frost.