Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
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,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
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.


This poem describes the two paths in Robert Frost's life, most probably representative of the choice he took in life. One details an easy road ahead, where there is no undergrowth or obstacles. It symbolises the easier choice, the choice in which the future which lies ahead is more or less predetermined and guaranteed to be easy. The other road is less trodden - thick with undergrowth and difficult to maneuver through. It represents the tougher choice in life, in which the road ahead will be tough and unforeseen, which could end in either reward or disaster. The author stands at the crossroads, the place where he looks down on his options and has to make a choice. This most probably means that he has reached the point where he has to make a decision, and there is no turning back.

This story is full of figurative language. The two paths represent choice, undergrowth is difficulty, and the well trodden road is the easier and predictable choice. In the end, the author chose to travel by the tougher path. This could symbolise his decision to become a poet.

~Chew Zhen Hui~
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