About the poem: The
Road Not Taken
'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost is about the circumstances we come across in our life where we have to choose one option. However, while choosing an option, we often get confused as the other option also seems equally good. Sometimes, we think of what suits us the best, while sometimes, we think of what our future will be if we choose a particular option. This poem is universal as any human being can be related to it.
About the poet:
Robert Frost
Robert Frost is an American poet who belongs to the modern genre of poetry. Most of his poems also reflect romanticism. His poems show us the realistic setting of the rural life of early 18th century England. He, through his poems, explored the different social and philosophical themes. He used nature as a metaphor for life and the same can be seen in his famous poems such as 'Stopping by Wood' and 'The Road Not Taken'.
Summary of the poem:
One autumn morning when the yellow leaves are fallen on the forest trail, the narrator comes across a fork where two roads diverge. As being the only traveller, he has to take only one road. He knows that any road, he would take would go and meet the other road. But to make his choice easier, he observes both the roads.
He looks at the first road. It is very much visible and is somewhat filled with yellow foliage. This road goes into the undergrowth.
To give a fair chance to the other road, he too looks at it to make a choice. This road is grassy as not many people have chosen this road. For him, the road wants to get worn, wants to get used. On this road too, the yellow foliage is fallen, and that makes both the roads similar.
It seems that same number of people have passed from both the roads and neither of the road is less travelled.
He decides to go by the road, which is 'grassy and wanted wear'. He knows that he if chooses this road, he might not come back to see what the other road offers.
Finally, after many years, he tells this situation with a sigh, with relief, and mentions that as he chose the road less travelled, it has made all the difference. Whatever he is now, it is because of the less travelled road he chose.
Metaphor in this poem:
The entire poem is a metaphor as human life is compared with the forest trail/roads. We often come across the fork in our life where we have to choose between the alternatives that are offered to us. We always look for their pros and cons before making a decision. Also, even years after making a decision, we think of what would have happened if we would have chosen the other option. The phrase 'yellow woods' represent the decision made during the toughest time.
Poetic Devices:
Imagery:
A description that appeals to our senses is imagery. Here the poet describes the wood and the train in such a way that it creates visuals in the readers' minds. 'Yello wood' is strong imagery used here. Also, the entire journey is described in such a way that the poem acts as a navigator through the woods.
Simile:
When two or more things are compared using the words 'like', 'as', it is a simile. In this poem, simile is used in the line, 'Then took the other, as just as fair' to compare the roads with the ways of life.
Personification:
When a non-human and inanimate object is given human quality, it is personification. The line 'It was grassy and wated wear' is personification. The road wants to get worn seems like it is demanding something just the way humans demands.
Alliteration:
When two or more words with similar beginning consonant sound appear together, it is alliteration. For example: 'wanted wear'.
Rhyme Scheme:
The rhyme scheme used in this poem is ABAAB.
Question - Answers:
1) Where does the traveller find himself? What
problem does he face?
Answer: One fine morning, the traveller (the narrator) finds himself in a yellow wood. As he walks on a road, the road diverged into two roads. The traveller is confused which road he should take.
2) Discuss what these phrases mean to you:
a) Yellow wood - The phrase 'Yellow wood' means it is an autumn season where trees have shredded their yellow leaves. It also means the 'difficult time'.
b) It was grassy and wanted wear - It means the road was not used by many people.
c) Passing there - Both the roads in the morning seem as same number of people have passed from there.
d) Leaves no step had trodden black : That morning, it seems that neither of the roads are less travelled by
e) How way leads on to way: It means that any road we choose, it leads and join to some other way.
3) Is there any difference between the two
roads as the poet describes them in a) stanza two and three and 2) in the first
two lines of the poem?
Yes, there is a difference between the roads the poet describes in stanza 2 and 3 and in the first two lines of the poem.
The first two lines of the poem describe that there are two roads diverged in the yellow wood. Here, the poet has not given a detailed description of the roads.
However, in the second and third stanza, the poet has described the two roads in detail so that it would be easy for him to take the decision.
4) What do the lines: I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference' mean?
We are the result of the decision we took in the past. The same thing the poet is trying to convey here. He has chosen a path less travelled, believed in his instincts that the less-travelled path would offer him something better, and thus became what he is today i.e. a well-known person in the world of literature. Very few people have to courage to go against the mainstream notions. But most of them became successful in it too.
Notes by Mr. Amit Kharat
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