Symbol & Allegory The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yello

n By the last stanza, however, we realize that the poem is about something
more than the choice of paths in a wood, for that choice would be relatively
unimportant.
n This poem is about a critical life-­‐altering choice.
n Why a road?
n We must interpret the poet’s choice of a road as a symbol for any choice in
life between alternatives that appear almost equally attractive but will result
through the years in a large difference in the kind of experience one knows.
n Image, metaphor, and symbol shade into each other and are sometimes
difficult to distinguish.
n Here’s an easy-­‐to-­‐follow breakdown:
n In general, an image means only what it is.
n The figurative term in a metaphor means something other than what it is.
n And a symbol means what it is and something more, too.
n A symbol functions literally and figuratively at the same time.
n If I say that a shaggy brown dog was rubbing its back against a white picket
fence, I am talking about nothing more than a dog (and a picket fence) and
am therefore presenting an image.
n If I say, “Some dirty dog stole my wallet at the party,” I am not talking about a
dog at all and am therefore using a metaphor.
n BUT if I say, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” I am talking not only
about dogs but about living creatures of any species and am therefore
speaking symbolically.
n Images do not cease to be images when they become incorporated in
metaphors or symbols. We simply use the term most relevant to the aspect
of the poem we are discussing.
n If we’re discussing the sensuous qualities of “The Road Not Taken,” we would
refer to the two leaf-­‐strewn roads as an image.
n If we are discussing the significance of the poem, we will talk about the roads
as symbols.
n The symbol is usually so general in its meaning that it can suggest a great
variety of specific meanings.