THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Pre-Reading Activity 1, What do you see in the picture? 2. What would a person have to do when reaching a point like this? 3, What options would you have when there are no signposts? Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American poet ‘who traveled a great deal. He spent most of his ‘adult life in New England, the setting for this poem. THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood’, And sorry | could not travel both ‘And be one traveler, long I stood ‘And looked down one as far as | 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'; \y Though as for that the passing there* 10 Had worn them really about the same, ‘And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black’. Oh, | kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 15 I doubted if | should ever come back. | 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, 20 And that has made all the difference "yellow wood — in cooler climates leaves rurn yellow in the fall autumn) *fair - beautiful ‘claim — argument “grassy and wanted wear — overgrown and unused ‘the passing there — the number of people who had taken that road “no step had trodden black — when people walk on fallen leaves they turn black Tages and ages — a very long time 4 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Scanned with CamScannerBasic Understanding Refer to the list of words below to help you understand the poem. You may also refer to the Key Vocabulary when you do the Vocabulary Practice exercise. Key Vocabulary [aiverged — vo diverge onal] ee ‘doubted - to doubt 790 Pon’ | ty ence (aim WD pon pan] —_ SEAT Spa sigh anne ae rundergrowsh ony 20] Se Spent Vocabulary Practice Match each word to its meaning in the poem. 1. diverge a. far from here and now 2. doubt b. along deep breath that expresses an emotion 3. hence c. split in different directions 4. sigh d. not be certain about Questions A stanza is a group of lines that forms a unit in a poem. Let's look at each stanza of the poem. I 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 | could To where it bent in the undergrowth; 1. Where is the “traveler” as he starts telling his story? Write the words that relate to the setting. 2. What prevents the “traveler” from seeing farther down the road? 3. What regret does he express in the first stanza of the poem? 1 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, 4. Which road does the traveler choose? 5. What does the word “that” 6. What similarities between the two roads does the traveler point out? refer to? THE ROAD NOTTAKEN 5 Scanned with CamScanner10. i. mm ‘And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, | kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, | doubted if | should ever come back. What is said about the two roads on that fall morning? What decision did the traveler make in the woods, as the two roads “equally lay” before him? What does the traveler realize as he takes one of the roads? IV | shall be telling this with a sig ‘Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and |, | took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Does he think his decision will have any impact on his life? (Yes / No} Quote from the poem to justify your answer. The sentences below explain the poem in less poetic language. Match the sentences to the appropriate line numbers in the poem. a. The traveler has reached a crossroads in a forest. b. The traveler regrets or feels comforted by his choice. c. The traveler's choice of road directly impacted his life path. d. The two roads were, in fact, more similar than different (2 lines). e. The road he did not take seemed to have been used by more travelers. {. However hard he tried to look down the road, the vegetation of the forest prevented him from seeing where it led (2 lines). 4g. Inlife, one event or choice leads to another and its unlikely we can go back to where we started (2 lines). 6 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Scanned with CamScannerAnalysis and Interpretation 1. The poem is divided into four stanzas. a. Identify the theme in each stanza of the poem. b. Suggest a title for each stanza that reflects the theme. Use a graphic organizer for your answer, for example: Theme Title Stanza} ‘A metaphor is an image or word picture that describes one thing by comparing it to something else, but without the use of ‘lke’ or ‘as’. For example, ‘My little sister is a feather’ is a metaphor comparing her weight to that of a feather ~ meaning, of course, that she does not weigh very much! 2. The Road Not Taken is about having to choose which road to take on a walk in the woods. However, the whole poem can also be seen as a metaphor for the journey of life. Can you explain how? In art, choice is often symbolized by the letter Y, with the forked top clearly indicating two options. 3. a, What is the symbol for choice in this poem? b. Quote the phrase the poet uses to suggest this symbol, including the line reference. c. Why do you think the phrase you quoted for 3.b is repeated? 4. Look at lines 1 and 12. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” “in leaves no step had trodden black.” a. What do these two lines tell us about the season in which the journey takes place? b. In your opinion, is it important what season it is? 5. Look at lines 13 and 15: “Oh, | kept the first for another day! | doubted if | should ever come back.” ‘These two statements form a paradox - they seem to contradict each other but don't really. Explain what the traveler means in the context of the poem. ‘THE ROAD NOT TAKEN 7 Scanned with CamScannerLet's Think Distinguishing different perspectives Distinguishing different perspectives is a thinking skill thac enables you to see how different people see an object, a person or an event. Let's try it out. Look at the person sitting on the left at the second table from the front of the third row of desks. Make a note of what you see. Now think about what other students in other parts of the classroom see. Do you all see the same thing? The same concept can be applied to all kinds of interactions and situations. For example: It is 7:00 on Tuesday morning and Sarah, an 11"* grade student, is sill ast asleep. Who might have the following different perspectives on this situation? a. “These teenagers! Why do they go to sleep so late when they know they have school in the morning? Sarah is so irresponsible!” b. “Poor Sarah, she must be really tired ~ she stayed up so late last night studying for her exams. She was still at it when I turned my light off at 12:30!” With a partner, chink of other situations where it is useful co distinguish perspectives other than your own. Applying this skill co licerarure enables you to understand how each character might sce something differently, or even how readers might interpret what they read differently. Scanned with CamScannerBridging Text and Context Read the information below about the poet's life and then answer the questions that follow. Robert Frost was born in California but grew up in Massachusetts, part of the region in the northeastern U.S.A. known as New England. Alter he finished school he took on all kinds of jobs but he always knew he wanted to be a poet. Although he spent two years at Harvard University, he left his studies and became a farmer to support his family. Alongside his farming activities he also wrote postry and taught at various schools, colleges and universities throughout his career. In his poetry he often used the rural settings he lived in to present his social and philosophical ideas. 1, From what you know about Frost's life, how do you think the road the poet himself took “made all the difference”? 2. How does this information affect your understanding of the poem? Post-Reading Activity 1. Some people claim that Frost wrote the poem to make fun of his friend Edward Thomas, who had trouble deciding where to go when they took long walks together. Imagine you are Edward Thomas. Write a letter to Frost to tell him of your reaction to the poem. 2. Write a dialogue between the traveler and a friend, explaining his choice of road and where it Jed him. You may act it out with a partner for the class. Reflection 1. What did you like most about this poem? Explain. 2, How did learning about Distinguishing different perspectives help understand this poem? Scanned with CamScanner