• This poem is set in a rural natural environment which encourages the speaker to look inward.
• The poem relies on a metaphor in which the journey through life is compared to the journey down the roads. .
• The speaker of the poem must choose one path instead or the other.
• Although the paths look equally attractive, the speaker knows that his choice at this moment may have a significant influence on his future.
• He does make a decision, hoping that he may be able to visit this place again, yet realizing that such an opportunity is unlikely.
• He imagines himself in the future telling the story of his life and claiming that his decision to take the road "less traveled by," the road few other people have taken, "has made all the difference.".
Form.
• Lyrical.
• Four stanzas, five lines each.
• Rhyme Scheme: AABCB DCDEEFCEF.
Speaker.
• The speaker is a lone traveler, speaking in first person, past tense.
• The speaker describes his observations and thoughts about his dilemma, and then he continues after he makes his decision. .
• His audience is any listener or person who may find themselves in a similar situation.
Title.
• The title "The Road Not Taken," sets the scene and tone of the poem.
• The speaker is sounds as if he is describing a road that is not often traveled.
• The "The Road," indicates what area the story will take place.
• The "Not Taken" further indicates that it may be an isolated area.
Stanza 1.
• The first stanza Frost introduces the elements of his primary metaphor, the diverging roads. .
• the speaker expresses his regret at his human limitations, that he must make a choice.
• The speaker presents the dilemma.
• The speaker is alone in making his decision.
Stanza 2.
