The Road Not Taken–(Poem by Robert Frost)

Points to remember:
 This poem emphasizes on the importance of taking right decisions at the crucial moments in
our life.
 Here the poet has reached a turning point where he has to make a decision.
 There are two paths before the poet. One leads to the undergrowth and the other is less
travelled by people.
 The poet takes a long time to arrive at a decision because he knows that the decision which he
takes now will make a big difference to his life.
 He decides to take the less travelled path because he wants to be unique and after some time
he realizes that both the roads were equally used by people.
 The Poet keeps the other path reserved for another day.
 He doubts that he would ever have a chance to come back. Once a decision is taken it is
forever. You have to be satisfied with it.
 The poet says that after many years he would say that he chose the less travelled path and that
made all the difference in his life.
 He will tell people that our life depends on the decisions we take. The decisions will have
great influence on our life.
 Hence, it can be said that the present holds the future.
Poetic Devices
Rhyme Scheme: abaab
1. Imagery: The elements in a poem that spark off the senses.
Yellow woods, diverging road, trodden leaves

2. Anaphora- When a word is repeated at the start of two or more consecutive lines, it is
the device of Anaphora.
‘And’ in line 2, 3 and 4

3. Alliteration- The repetition of a consonant sound in close connection.

Line 8- wanted wear (/w/ sound repeated)

4. Onomatopoeia-Sound words
Line 16- ‘sigh’

5. Repetition- Repeating the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer
and more memorable.
Line17- ‘ages and ages’

6. Metaphor- A word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not

literally applicable.
Road metaphor of life
Fork metaphor of choices
 7. Symbolism- Using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical
ideas, emotions, and states of mind.
Two roads represent two or more choices in our life.

Answer the following questions:

1. Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?
The traveller finds himself in the yellow woods at a point where the road forks into two. The
problem that he faces is that he cannot decide which road to take to continue his journey
since it is not possible for him to travel both roads at the same time.
2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.
(i) a yellow wood
(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iii) the passing there
(iv) leaves no step had trodden black
(v) how way leads on to way
i) Yellow wood symbolises the autumn season when the wood is full of yellow leaves fallen
from the trees.
ii) It conveys that the road was full of grass and nobody had used that road. It was a smooth
road which had not worn out.
iii) The traffic or movement of people through the road.
iv) The leaves had not changed their colour and turned black because of less people stepping
on them. It could represent a path one may have never/seldom taken in life for the fear of
uncertainty.
(v) This phrase means how certain decisions one makes in life could pave the way for many
other decisions.
3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them?
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?
i) In stanza two the poet explains that the only difference between the two roads was that the
road he took had the right to be chosen (the better claim) because it was covered with grass
and looked as if it had not been used too much. Besides this difference, both roads had been
equally worn down by passers-by travelling on them. In stanza three the poet says that both
the roads were equally covered with leaves and that no person had stepped on.
ii) In the last two lines of the poem the poet says that there is a difference between the two
roads because he took the road that was less travelled by other people and that made all the
difference to his journey.
4. What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet
regret his choice or accept it?)
The last two lines of the poem mean the acceptance of reality. The poet made a choice and
accepted the challenging path. He took and unexplored path in his life. He wanted to do
something different in his life so he chose the less travelled road. No he does not regret his
choice.
Read the extract and answer the following questions.

“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) Which road did the poet choose and why?
(ii) What doubt was the poet referring to?
(iii) Explain: “In leaves no step had trodden black.”
(iv) What does the poet want to convey in this extract?
Ans-
(i) The poet chose the road which was grassy and not taken by most of the travellers
as it looked attractive to him.
(ii) After making his choice of going on the second road, the poet doubted if he would
be able to retrace his steps and walk on the first road.
(iii) It means that the leaves on the other road were intact. There were no marks that
anyone had trodden on them.
(iv) The poet wants to convey that one decision leads to another and we seldom get a
chance to change them. So we need to continue with them whatever be the
outcome.
Practice Questions
1. Discuss the significance of the title ‘The Road Not Taken’.
2. “I took the one less travelled by.” What does the choice made by the poet indicate
about his personality?

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