"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

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.

Answer the following questions:
1-What Is the Main Theme of "The Road Not Taken?"
The main theme of "The Road Not Taken" is that it is often impossible to see where a life-
altering decision will take us. Therefore, we should make our decisions wisely and with
confidence. Also, it is impossible to say whether taking the other road will be better or worse:
all we can say is that it will be different.
2-What Is the Central Message of "The Road Not Taken?"
The central message is that, in life, we are often presented with choices. When making a
choice, one is required to make a decision. Viewing a choice as a fork in a path, we must
choose one direction or another, but not both.
3-What Is the Structure of "The Road Not Taken?"
This poem consists of:
four stanzas, five lines in length
First-person narrative.
Has a traditional rhyme scheme of ABAAB 
4- List the literary devices used in the poem:
a. the road is life, and it diverges, that is, splits apart–forks. There is a decision to be
made and life will be changed. METAPHOR
b. The road symbolizes the journey of life
c. The image of a road forking off into two paths symbolizes a choice
d. the forest as a "yellow wood." Yellow can be considered a middle color, something in-
between and unsure of itself..
e. the color black: first to encounter a dilemma: making choices

And both the morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

5- Describe the roads in the poem.

The descriptions of each road (one bends under the undergrowth, and the other is "just as
fair") show the reader that, when making a life-changing decision, it is impossible to see
where that decision will take us.
The metaphor of roads is Life. Life offers two choices, but we can only choose one.

6- What is the tone /mood of the poem?

This sets the mood of indecision that characterizes the language of the poem.
THE LADY OR THE TIGER?

Characters:

The King - The semi-barbaric ruler, who enjoys administering justice by chance, in which the
person on trial must blindly choose their fate, whether to die or live with a determined
outcome.

The Princess - The King's daughter falls in love with a young man, who, once her father
learns of their affair, subjects him to a perilous fate in which he must choose one of two
doors. Behind one holds a tiger, who will eat him; the other hides a young maiden whom he
must marry. The Princess, who is semi-barbaric as is her father, knows which door hides each
creature, and signals the young man to pick the door on the right. Will she show her barbaric
side (being impetuous and jeolous), or her humane side (allow her lover to live, but be with
another). The reader is left to guess her decision.

The Young Man - The handsome and brave courtier loves the Princess, but when his
intentions are discovered by the King, he is subject to the worst punishment of all, a public
demonstration of his fate in which he faces either certain death, or is forced to marry a
maiden, rather than his beloved Princess.

The Lady - The lovely young maiden who waits behind one of the doors and would be the
Young Man's bride if he chooses her door, is hated by the Princess.

Plot Summary: The story is set in a kingdom ruled by a semi-barbaric king, who rules calmly
and wisely for certain things, but relishes public trials of chance to administer justice for
things he cares about, primarly for his own pleasure.

Genre:

The Lady, or the Tiger? is in the genre of fairy tale, rather than a short story.
Themes

1- Fate versus Choice: Since the King presents an out-of-their control, no-win "choice"
for the Young Man (determinism), he and the Princess cannot pursue their love for
each other (free will). Ironically, the Princess can exercise free will deciding the fate
of her lover, since she knows the secret of what's behind each door and can choose his
fate.
2- Trust versus Betrayal - Though the Princess seems to be deeply in love with the young
man, and he trusts her with his life, she is faced with two opposing emotions: jealousy
and hatred for the young maiden if her lover survives, or mortal anguish should he be
devoured by a Tiger.

Literary Devices

Suppressed ending: The literary device of supressing the ending to create suspense for
the reader, which creates more questions than answers. Just as the Princess deliberates
on the "right" choice to guide her lover to his fate, the reader is left guessing, and
wresting with terrible outcomes (particularly for the Princess). The problem described
in his tale has become a literary expression meaning an unsolvable or impossible
problem to solve. "Which will it be, the lady or the tiger?"

Symbols:

The doors represent fate

The tiger represents death and punishment

The lady symbolizes innocence and reward

"Doleful iron bells" represent mourning

"gay brass bells" represent celebration and life.

1. Explain the meaning of "semi-barbaric" and why it's a perfect adjective to describe both
the King and the Princess. How can someone be half cruel, brutal and uncivilized, and half
not?

2. Stockton begs the question: "Which came out of the opened door,--the lady, or the
tiger?" Write a persuasive argument for which choice the Princess ended up making, and
why.
VOCABULARY STUDY:

Relationship/ receive/ abyss/ ruler/ hurled / return/disobeyed/

swallowed/divided/displeased/devised
In the story “The Lady or the Tiger”, a semi-barbaric __________ lived and he liked to punish
people who ____________ him with a blind chosen fate. The king always had strange ideas
and ___________ a plan.This king used the arena in his kingdom in a different way to reward
the innocent and punish the guilty. There were two doors in this arena and the prisoner had to
choose one door to open. This decision __________ up life into two: life and death. Behind
one door was a hungry tiger. If he opened that door, he would be ___________ by the tiger.
Then iron bells clanged and the left pieces of the prisoner were thrown into a deep
______________ .However, if the prisoner opened the other door, a lady appeared at the
door. The prisoner had to marry that lady and this way he had a new marriage and started a
new _______________. Then bells rang out and music played.
The king had a beautiful daughter. He loved her above all others but she didn’t always listen
to her father and _________ her father’s wishes. One day, she fell in love with a handsome
slave. Everything was great between the two until the king found out the secret love. When
the king learned this, he __________ at her daughter to stop this relationship and immediately
sent all his men to punish the young slave. At the time the lover and the king’s men
_________ to the palace, the prisoner was sent to the arena.

On the day of the arena, the young slave looked at the princes for a sign. The princess actually
learned the secret of the door. In other words, she knew where the tiger was placed. The
princes made a motion to the right. We actually don’t know the end of the story. All we know
is that she was a jealous lover and a savage, wild woman like her father. How do you think the
story ended?