Road Not Taken by Robert Essay

" It was then that the voice decided to take the 'road not taken': no explanation was offered for this decision; simply that, the person wanted to pass through the road where no one had tried before.

From the onset, natural realism has taken its hold in the poem. Not offering any explanation for the voice's decision to take the 'road not taken,' natural realism is manifested in Frost's decision to not offer any explanation, nor provide additional detail as to why the voice decided to take the 'unused' road. Further, the decision is practical and bordering on adventurous: one can only surmise that the voice decided to take the unused road because he wanted to discover what lay ahead. Among the people who took the usual road, the voice would take the other one for the sake of knowing what lay ahead, no other reason than that.

Another alternative or complementary explanation to the voice's decision to take the unused, other road is that Frost has always subsisted to the theme of the 'lone individual,' glorifying the individual and oftentimes, criticizing the collective (Sheehy, 2001:20). Thus, deciding to use the road not taken is a reflection of Frost's predisposition to depict the lone individual as a consistent theme in his poetry. However, in keeping with his earlier claim about his non-deliberateness when it comes to poetry, the lone individual theme is a recurring theme in Frost's poetry, albeit this is not a literary technique or position, but rather, an expression of his thoughts and feelings about the individual versus (or vis-a-vis) the society or collective.

The last stanza echoes a predominantly realist view of life, as the voice reflects on his decision to take the road not taken: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference." The voice was not sentimental about his decision; however, the line, "I shall be telling this with a sigh" is indicative of his regret.However, consistent with the natural realist viewpoint, it could be that this "sigh" is simply an expression of how an individual like him had to make a decision at the time, and this process alone -- deciding by himself which road to take -- was challenging enough that recalling and reflecting on it, he could express relief that he had made a choice.

The voice's choice has, according to him, "made all the difference," but it did not reflect whether the outcome was to his favor or not. Once again, this lack of revelation but expressed contentment at his decision is a natural realist's viewpoint: he made a decision when it was necessary to make one, and whatever the outcome was, the fact that he made a decision made all the difference in his life than not making a decision at all. Frost's wisdom emanates from this line, in addition to being a perfect example of natural realism: for Frost and from this perspective, the voice's decision to decide and choose which road to take was already enough to make a difference in his life. Two roads were presented to him, and based on his observation, he chose to be the lone individual who will take the 'other, unused' road -- the road not taken.

References

Frost, R. (1920). "The Road Not Taken." Bartleby Official Website. E-text available at: http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html

Macarthur, D. (2004). "Putnam's natural realism and the question of perceptual interface." Philosophical Explorations, Vol. 7, No. 2.

Poirier, R. (1960). "Robert Frost, the Art of Poetry No. 2." The Paris Review, Summer-Fall 1960, No. 24. Available at: http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4678/the-art-of-poetry-no-2-robert-frost

Sheehey, D. (2001). "Stay Unassuming": the Lives of Robert Frost." In The Cambridge Companion to Robert Frost. R. Faggen (Ed.). NY: Cambridge University Press......