Is "The Road Not Taken" considered an enjoyable poem to read?

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belarafon's profile pic

belarafon | High School Teacher | (Level 2) Educator Emeritus

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Like many of Robert Frost's poems, "The Road Not Taken" is simple to read and easy to understand, yet has complexities both of theme and style. It works both as the description of a man deciding which path to walk, and of reflection on the past and the decisions made. Most poetry fans enjoy the poem; it is considered, alongside "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" to be one of Frost's best. The poem contains evocative imagery and a classic rhyming scheme that flows easily in the reading, either silently or aloud.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
(Frost, "The Road Not Taken,"

Each stanza follows the simple A-B-A-A-B rhyming scheme, with a basic iambic pattern, and so the poem has rhythm and cadence. The flow of the poem allows it to be more accessible, and so better for general enjoyment. Some single it out for its themes of choice and decision, as well as the possibly-melancholy themes of remembering choices that may or may not have been best in life; others enjoy the rhythm and general feel of the poem, as well as its easy and descriptive imagery. Overall, the enjoyment of the poem depends more on personal taste, but critical opinion is generally positive.

suzannah304's profile pic

suzannah304 | Student, Undergraduate | (Level 1) Salutatorian

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The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is indeed an excellent poem. I enjoyed a lot when I first read it. My favourite lines go " Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

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