The Road NOT TAKEN

BY ROBERT FROST

MODULE 2

First StanzaTwo roads diverged

in a yellow wood,And sorry I could

not travel bothAnd be one

traveller, long Istood

And looked down oneas far as I could

To where it bent inthe undergrowth;

Gist of Stanza 1

The poet was standing at a junction wherethe road forked into two. It was a forestfull of yellow leaves due to the autumnseason. As the poet could not travel boththe roads, he stood there for a long time,deciding which road to take. He was indilemma. He looked down at one road as faras he could and to where it bent anddisappeared in the wild bushes.

Second Stanza

Then took theother, as just asfair

And having perhapsthe better claim,

Because it wasgrassy and wantedwear;

Though as for that,the passing there

Had worn themreally about thesame,

Gist of Stanza 2

After viewing both the roads, the poet decided to take the second road because it was grassy and had not been travelled by many. The poet was adventurous and wanted to travel on the road which had not worn off. Moreover, he felt that it had better claim. As far as the passing of traveller was concerned, both the roads had worn in the same manner.

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.

Gist of Stanza 3

Both the road lay in the same condition in front of the poet that morning. No leaf had been crushed black as no one had passed from both the roads that morning and both of them were covered with leaves. The poet decided to go back on the first road some other road although he knew that one way leads to another and had the doubts if he would ever be able to travel on the first road.

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.

Stanza 4

The poet was not sure about the success of his choice. Hethought he might regret about his decision of travelling onthe second road and he might tell about it with a sigh. It’svery difficult to pass the judgement at the spur ofmoment. After many years perhaps he will be telling with asigh about his choice. Two roads diverged in the wood andhe selected the one which was less travelled by and hischoice has made all the difference.

Multiple choice questions based on

the Poem

The poet stood at the intersection of?

➢A wood painted yellow

➢An autumn forest

➢Trees with infected flowers

➢Woods which is filled with red leaves

The poet regrets that

➢He could not travel on both the roads simultaneously

➢He has become old

➢The roads are covered with thick undergrowth

➢The paths are not clearly visible

The poet finally chooses the road

➢Which has been less travelled by

➢Which looks more attractive

➢Which very few have trod on

➢Which is less grassy

Pick out the lines which says that the two roads looked similar that morning

➢‘oh, I kept the first for another day.’

➢‘yet knowing how way leads on to way’

➢‘I doubted I should ever come back’

➢‘ both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.’

The road in the poem stands for

➢A long tedious journey

➢Challenges

➢Choices in life

➢Forward movement

Exercise for practice

• What is the message/ theme of the poem ‘The Road not Taken’?

• How does one way lead to another? Is it easier to come back to the path we have left for another day?

• Describe the significance of good decisions. In what manner do they support life?

Word AttackDecode and match the image with its correct vocabulary word

❖ Yellow wood - small forest covered with yellowish leaves. May suggest an autumn season.

2. ❖ Diverged – like a fork; separated and went in different directions.

3. ❖ Bent – curved , turned.

4. ❖ Trodden – walked upon

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