How is the poem "the road not taken" ironic and how is it inspirational?

Question

How is the poem "the road not taken" ironic and how is it inspirational?

Answer 1

Well i didn't know it was ironic, but it is inspirational because it is talking about two roads.  A evil one and a good one.  So he choose the one less taken buy.  So it means that not many people are on the right path.  no this is not a mormon answer my english teacher told us this  

Answer 2

okay

Answer 3

That is one of my favorite poems of all time! I've studied it and written a few explications on it. I don't view it as ironic, but that is just my opinion. However, it is very inspirational. It is about coming to a cross road in life, or just the thought process you go through when trying to make a decision about something. In the poem the character chooses to take the road not taken. He chooses to be different and take the "less worn" path. That is what inspires me the most. Why be like everyone else? Why be a follower? Be adventurous, be a leader, take a chance, make a decision or a change that not many people would make. I could go on forever about this Frost poem! That is a small look into why the poem is inspirational and what it means to me. But, that is the great thing about poetry, everyone can come up with their own interpretation of every poem.  

Answer 4

It inspired you to cheat on your homework :)

Answer 5

it inspires you not to go with the crowd and to be unique by traveling on the road less traveled. it is ironic because both the roads are the same...i think

Answer 6

The poem has been and continues to be used as an inspirational poem, one that to the undiscerning eye seems to be encouraging self-reliance, not following where others have led.

But a close reading of the poem proves otherwise. It does not moralize about choice, it simply says that choice is inevitable but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it. (that's the irony)

To Elaborate Robert Frost himself said the poem is tricky:

The fourth stanza holds the key to the trickiness of the poem:

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.

Those who interpret this poem as suggesting non-conformity take the word “difference” to be a positive difference. But there is nothing in the poem that suggests that this difference signals a positive outcome. The speaker could not offer such information, because he has not lived the “difference” yet.

The other word that leads non-discerning readers astray is the word “sigh.” By taking “difference” to mean a positive difference, they think that the sigh is one of nostalgic relief; however, a sigh can also mean regret. There is the “oh, dear” kind of sigh, but also the “what a relief” kind of sigh. Which one is it? We do not know. If it is the relief sigh, then the difference means the speaker is glad he took the road he did; if it is the regret sigh, then the difference would not be good, and the speaker would be sighing in regret. But the plain fact is we do not know what that sigh is. Again, the speaker of the poem does not even know the nature of that sigh, because that sigh and his evaluation of the difference his choice will make are still in the future. It is a truism that any choice we make is going to make “all the difference” in how our future turns out.

Answer 7

It is ironic, because in order to go through to happiness and eternal life, you have to go through a narrow road with difficulties and sometimes very bad things also. It inspires you to be a better person and endure challenges in life in order to reach that ultimate goal, happiness and joy

Answer 8

it's ironic because he takes the road not taken, which means it was taken by him and no longer is "not taken;" it's inspirational because he did what others couldn't do and followed the "right" path , so he really isn't talking about the road, but the choices we make...avoid peer pressure, be the better person, etc.

Answer 9

The irony is that he'll look back one day and ask himself what had happened (at a time in the future when he is doubting his decisions) if he had taken the road mostly taken. I can't say it is exactly inspirational. .. there isn't any great inspirational message. It's just about taking the road less taken. It might end up well, it might not. Who knows?

ans mine

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 10

It is ironic, and inspirational in all of the ways that your question fails to be. Now go join an adult literacy program.  

Answer 11

Its inspirational because he took the path less traveled by and that has made all the difference, if it was a good difference.  It could be read as ironic because he could also be saying he took a chance and didnt go with what everyone else was doing and it cost him.  So it depends on how hes looking back on his decision was it a good decision or a bad decision? He doesnt say.  Just that it did make a difference.