THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

-Robert Frost
1894-1963)

INDEX
1. About the Poet
2. Introduction
3. Theme & Sub-Theme
4. Characters
5. Summary
6. Key-Points
7. Reference to the context & Vocabulary
8. Points to Ponder
9. Poetic Device & Rhyme Scheme
10.Assignments
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
-Robert Frost
1894-1963)
About the Poet : Robert Lee
Frost was an American poet and
winner of four Pulitzer Prizes. His
poems were first published in
England before they were published
in America. Frost is highly regarded
for his realistic depictions of rural
life. He is great at sharing the
beauty of the world around him with
us through his poetry. He writes
simply, but insightfully, about
common and ordinary experiences.
His best-known poems include “The
Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening”.
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
-Robert Frost
Introduction :
The poem is about the choices one has
to make in life and their consequences.
One day while walking in a forest, the
poet arrived at a place where the road
diverged into two. So he had to decide
which road he should take. The poet
was in a dilemma now. He started
debating over the choices as he
realised that he could not walk on both
the roads at the same time. However,
he decided to take the second path and
thought of travelling the first some
other day in the future.
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Theme – Human beings are defined

by the choices they face and the choices they
make. The road in the poem can be related to as
life while the two roads that the path turned into
can be decisions.

Characters – The narrator in the poem

 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Stanza 1
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
SUMMARY
The poem is set in a yellow autumn forest at a junction where the two roads
diverged. While travelling alone through the woods, the poet comes across this
junction where he had to decide which path he needs to take for himself. The
poet indicates that on the road of life one comes across equally appealing
choices but one must choose the better option for himself or herself. The poet
shows his regret as he was unable to travel on both the paths. He stayed there
for long and examined both the paths thoroughly. He eyes one till the far end
where it meets the undergrowth but was unable to see where it would lead him.
VOCABULARY
diverged: separated and took a different direction
yellow wood: a forest with withered leaves suggesting Autumn season
undergrowth: dense growth of plants and bushes
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Stanza 2
Then took the other, 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.

SUMMARY
He then saw the other road which was rather grassy and not worn out
as much. The poet was in a dilemma but he resolves it by choosing the
'grassy one' as it was less frequented by travellers and 'wanted wear'.
This shows that the poet was not the one who blindly followed the
masses. He concludes that both the paths have an equally strong claim
and were worn out about the same.
VOCABULARY
fair: As good as the other one, claim: Better option
grassy: full of grass
wanted wear: had not been walked upon/unused
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Stanza 3
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.

SUMMARY
The poet was confused because both the paths looked almost similar as
there wasn’t any footprint on the leaves that morning. However, he
decided to take the second path, which he had found appealing. He
pacifies himself by saying that he will travel the first road some other
day and has just saved it for future. Later on , he realises that just like in
life where one situation or stage leads to the other, the same way these
woodland paths would also lead from one to the other. He realizes that
he will never travel that path again and thus, would not be able to take
the first path.
VOCABULARY
trodden : crushed by being walked on, to walk heavily
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Stanza 4
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 travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

SUMMARY
In years to come, the poet says, he will be telling others about the choice he
made. While doing so, he will sigh in either relief or regret for having made the
right or the wrong choice. Either way, the poet is assertive that the choice will
make a significant impact on his life.

VOCABULARY
sigh: deep breath
hence: in the poem it means the future
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

KEY POINTS

❑ The poem is about the journey of life. The two roads diverged in a yellow
wood forest symbolise a person’s dilemma in life.

❑ The narrator’s choice about which road to take represents the different
decisions we sometimes must make and how those decisions will affect the
future.

❑The poet asserts on the basic problems of human life. There are different
alternatives, and a man has to decide only one of the options. The two roads
here are symbolic of the ambiguity one faces while making a decision in life.

❑ Decisions are like steps which we take, we can only look back and ruminate
on the consequences . We can not go back and start all over again.
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Poetic Device/Figure of Speech –
Symbolism: two roads which represent choices in our life
Alliteration: Wanted Wear - ‘w’ sound is repeated
Imagery - the image (picture) of the road, yellow wood
(picture of trees with withered leaves).

Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

e.g. black colour represents evil
Alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
e.g. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Rhyme Scheme –
Stanza 1- abaab
Stanza 2- cdccd
Stanza 3- efeef
Stanza 4- ghggh
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Stanza 1
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Stanza 2
Then took the other, 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.

Stanza 3
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.
Stanza 4
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 travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Rhyme Scheme –
Stanza 1- abaab
Stanza 2- cdccd
Stanza 3- efeef
Stanza 4- ghggh
 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
ASSIGNMENT : QUESTIONS TO TEST COMPREHENSION

Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)

1. Why did the poet look down as far as he could?
2. Why couldn’t the poet travel both the roads?
3. Explain “grassy and wanted wear”?
4. As a symbol, what does ‘road’ signify in the poem?
5. Does one road seem more appealing than the other? Use examples from
the poem to support your answer.
6. Why did the poet stand long on the forked road to make the decision?
7. Do you think the road the speaker took was really the less travelled one?
Why?
8. Do you think that the speaker will come back and try the other path?
9. Do you think the speaker regrets his choice, or he is happy about it? Why?
10. Why did the poet choose the road less travelled by?