The theme of the poem ‘The Road not Taken’ revolves around choices. The poem is neutral towards the outcome of the choices and concentrates only on the instance when one is on the brink of making a choice. It is more a rumination over the opportunities turned down. The poet wonders how different his life would have been if he’d made a different choice instead. It is not merely a reflection on the choices we make in life, be it good and bad. And while it is true to some extent, the poem has a much deeper meaning. The poem is often interpreted as a symbol of encouragement to follow one’s dreams and take control of one’s own life. The two would go on long walks and Thomas was a great inspiration in the production of the poem. The poem was conceived as a consequence of Frost’s stay in London in his early forties where he became acquainted with the writer Edward Thomas who was to later become a dear friend of the poet. The Road not Taken is undisputedly his most popular work. The poet Robert Frost gained much fame since the poem’s publication and is now hailed as one of the greatest poets in American literature. It is one the most frequently quoted poems by orators in motivational talks and is seen as the most common end address in valedictorian speeches. Since its publication in 1916 in the journal ‘Mountain Interval’ the poem has gained widespread popularity. The poem captures the feelings of indecisiveness in the face of decisions and the agony of regrets. It is a portrayal of the state of human mind in the process of making such life altering decisions. Robert Frost’s ‘The Road not Taken’ is a poem about the hard choices we face and the conscious decisions we take in life. Some decisions are simple to make whereas others are inherently difficult and require due deliberation. Some of them are small and trivial like deciding what to have for breakfast, while others such as deciding on a career are huge and potentially life-changing. The Road not Taken by Robert Frost Introduction:

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