What does the last stanza of Rober Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken mean?

Question

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I just dont understand why he says he took the one less traveled by when previously he mentions they were evenly worn. Adn says it made all the difference? How did it make such a huge difference?

Answer 1

The less traveled road didn't necessarily lead to town.

If you always do things the same way, you always get what you've always gotten.

Taking the road less traveled gives you to opportunity to see more of the world.

Frost was encouraging you to dance - if you have the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. Same thing. Take a chance. Go for it.

It makes all the difference.

Answer 2

I think from the answers you have received you will have figured out that Frost was not on a physical journey and the diverging roads were not actual roads. You will understand now from these answers that the journey is likely spiritual or perhaps vocational. He chose a direction not suited to the majority of people and possibly not considered economically fruitful. Poetry was his choice. Choosing a literary life is both spiritual and vocational and can be satisfying but tends to set a person apart from the mainstream. It can be lonely and isolating and in the case of many leads to a kind of reward that can never be appreciated. Poetry lives on with an immortality that the poet himself does not possess. He will never know he is being considered way into the furthest of generations. . No instant gratification for the writer except for the ephemeral accolades of a publication and a cheque. . When you are deciding about what you think of the meaning of Frosts poem "The Road Not Taken" think also about his title. There is a strangeness in the choice of title. The Road Not Taken is not the one he took. He gave the common, most popular road top billing yet resisted the pull.. Reading Frosts poetry you may find that he really had no choice... he was a poet. Is that ever a choice?

Answer 3

I'm guessing that you're wondering how he told the difference between the two roads. There are ways of telling, maybe the trees and grass along the side of the less travelled road where more overgrown. Anyway, he saw a clue that told him which was which. He maybe had some wonderful adventure or other experience down that road that enriched his life, or maybe that he just chose not to go with the herd and thus claimed some individuality and independance for himself. It's not so much the roads but the choice made.

Answer 4

It made all the difference to him Because he grew strong through the challenges he met and conqueared.Equally worn does not mean equally traveled. It is a Metaphor meaning He would rather follow his own way than be like a sheep and follow the crowds.

Answer 5

Well, now you have plenty of people telling you what it means. Their interpretations deep or shallow, does it matter when you intend to draw what you will from each. They have probably all said about the same thing anyways. I have said it once and will continue to say it, asking others what it means only draws you further from knowing the truth for yourself. I'm sure if you took the time, you could decipher a meaning all on your own basis of knowledge. None of these people met Robert Frost, no one asked "what does this mean?" Therefore, whatever interpretation you come to of your own, is worth the same and more (when it comes to your own mind) as all others.

Answer 6

To look upon a road and see it worn wide might make one think it is traveled by many, how ever if the road is rough those who walked it spread there steps. Now the road traveled by many people is smooth, but because of the number of people they must walk abreast to one another. And so you now have two paths warn and wide. Now look to The Bible to see how taking the way less traveled can bring riches by enlightenment

Answer 7

Poetry is hardly ever about what it appears to be. You have to look at it metaphorically. It means he made his own choice instead of following the crowd. Hope that helps.

Answer 8

It means when I took the pathway that was uncommon, I got far, meaning don't do waht others say and make your own decisions because maybe others are wrong.

Answer 9

if some on etookk the road he saw,

they would just see words of what i s real things lik epople

Answer 10

what he is saying is that you do not have to conform or travel with the pack. You can achieve your goal using your own "path"