Understanding Poetry: Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"

What is a Metaphor?

In order to fully appreciate "The Road Not Taken," we need to understand what a metaphor is. A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

We use metaphors everyday! You probably used one today. For instance, calling a person a "night owl" or an "early bird" is an example of a metaphor.

Some metaphors are used so often that we don’t even think about it as a metaphor. For example:

Life is a journey.

The world is a stage.

Love is a battlefield.

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Metaphors are comparisons made without using words "like" or "as." Metaphors "carry" meaning from one word, image, or idea to another.

Can you find the metaphor in "The Road Not Taken"? What is the poet comparing the diverging paths in the woods to?

In "The Road Not Taken," the poet represents life as a journey. He compares a walk in the woods to life's journey. The two diverging paths in the woods refer to choices that we have to make in our lives.

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