The Long Run

Text Analysis

By: Elias Dorsey

Authors Note: In this piece, I will be analyzing the figurative language in the piece Road Less Traveled By, by Robert Frost. I will also be relating the meaning to my life. Enjoy.

            In life, it’s common to encounter situations where you have to make decisions that will affect you for the rest of your life. Sometimes they’ll affect your future college, sometimes they will affect if you get an education at all. More often than never one decision will be the one that will pay off immediately, and one will most likely pay off in an even bigger fashion, but in the long run. A great example of a poem that displays this level of deep meaining  is the poem The Road Less Traveled By, by Robert Frost.  So, which road would you take? The one that pays off immediately, or the one that does in the long run?

            Although there is meaning already, the meaning goes even deeper once you consider the meaning of the story behind the author language. For example “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and it has made all the difference”.  This is in relation to his poetry career which started in America. Poetry wasn’t appreciated as much in America as it was in Europe. So after not much success in America he moved to Europe where he became recognized for his amazing poetry. He succeeded because he didn’t give up. He took the road less traveled by.

            However, it isn’t just his back-story that adds meaning. It’s also the figurative language he uses throughout the poem. The reason he uses his figurative language is to try and “paint” a picture in the minds of the people who were reading his poem. Using figurative language such as “In leaves no step has trodden black” meaning the people don’t use the road less traveled by as much as people use the road that is easier to walk upon. Another example is “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and it has made all the difference” if there are two roads that lead to the same place how has one of them made all the difference?

            Additionally, Robert also uses mood and tone to set the stage for his writing. The mood for this poem seems as though he is trying to inspire the audience to always persevere, to never give up. Also it seems like from the author’s point of view he’s just explaining his life story and doing it in such a way, that he inspires others. He is inspirational because after he didn't make it as big as he wanted to in the United States, he didn't give up. He moved to Europe and kept writing poems and eventually got recognized as the great author he was. He persevered and that is very admirable. 

            In conclusion, decisions can change somebody’s life. It can change their life for better, or it can change them for worse. Nevertheless, change is bound to happen sooner or later. When it comes down to a decision though, you should never take the easy way out. Don’t always look for the shortcut, because if you do, it won’t always pay off. However, if you choose to do the right thing, the satisfaction will be relieving, and it will in pay off ever-so-greater, in the long run.