Abstract

Life is a choice, and determining what to choose shows self-reliance, the dignity of the doer as well as the essence of human right in running life. The character of the poem, ‘’The Traveller’’ was encountering two choices of which he had to choose one to take for his continuing journey. The shape of the diverging roads could perhaps be in any forms; however, a Y shape took the reference since it had traditional root of binary meanings. Somehow, what the traveller was dealing with was not purely binary opposition but two identical roads. Here lies the inner conflict of the traveller in that he had to, consequently, rely on himself. He must believe in himself for a strong self-reliance. Hence, both self-confidence and self-reliance became the key in this matter. This resulted in a decision that showed the essence of the traveller making difference. This analysis applied phenomenological aesthetics of Roman Ingarden to break down Frost’s literary work. Through a detailed explication based on five interwoven layers, the poem did not only show its beauty and harmony, but it also conveyed philosophical meaning, which is self-reliance, the essence of making difference.

Key words: Confidence, self-reliance, choices, making difference.