The Meaning of the Road Not TakenMy father introduced me to "The Road Not Taken" when I was a young teenager because he imagined that I was beginning a period of my life in which I would be forced to make many important decisions, and he saw this poem as a source of guidance through those decisions. This poem brings truth and edification in its words. It forms a beautiful analogy to life and all its complications. After my father finished reciting the poem, I never thought about Robert Frost or his poem again that day. Weeks, maybe months, passed before I started thinking about "The Road Not Taken" again. It wasn't until a year ago that I actually read it. However, I remembered that poem, and no matter how many times I put it aside to contemplate other things, it always waited for my return. Throughout my high school years, he accompanied me, reminding me that change is good, reminding me that risk is what matters in life. The first stanza of this poem introduces the concept of change and maturation. In the first line, the narrator walks through a "yellow forest", indicating that it is most likely autumn. A nice descriptive detail, but is that all? Autumn is the transition season between summer and winter. This is the common definition, but it can also mean a period of maturity or decline, and, finding himself at a crossroads on the road of life, the author was leaning towards one of these two. The maturation process, however, is what will be wrapped up in this poem. He is forced to examine each path and make a mature decision about which one to take. He begins his decision making by looking down a road as far as possible. However, he could only see up to the center of the paper... that's what makes the difference. That's why this poem makes such a difference. It sends a powerful message of self-respect. It has the power to influence a person not to be influenced. Is this a contradiction? Maybe, but it's the truth. When I came to a fork in the road, I was influenced by this poem to believe in myself and take the road "less traveled" (19). The analogy is that no life is a straight thing. Everyone faces a fork in the road and has to make a decision, possibly an irreversible decision, and the only way to look back on such a decision with a sigh of relief is to make the decision based on what you believe is right . It may not be what society thinks is right, what your friends think is right, or even what your family thinks is right, but taking the path of independent will is what makes “the difference”." (20).