Monday, July 7, 2014

The Road Through The Woods — Summary, Questions & Answers, Poem Meaning

The Way Through the Woods — Class 8 English

Poet: Rudyard Kipling

Table of Contents

Concept Map
About Rudyard Kipling
About the Poem
Summary of 'The Way Through The Woods'
Short Questions & Answers
Reference to Context Questions

Concept Map

About Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865, in Bombay. In 1871, his family returned to England. His father and mother returned to India but left him and his three sisters as boarders. He spent five years in a foster home where he was bullied. These experiences left him with psychological scars and a sense of betrayal.

Later, he returned to India and worked for an Anglo-Indian newspaper. In the early days of his literary career, he was popularly known as a writer of short stories, but later became famous as a poet and fiction writer. His famous works include The Jungle Book, Soldiers Three, and Kim.

He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.

About the Poem: 'The Way Through The Woods'

This poem is a part of his collection of short stories, Rewards and Fairies. Each story in this collection was followed by a poem. This poem is well-known for its supernatural elements, depictions of active wildlife, and use of paradox. The poem unfolds the past memories of little things missed by the poet, presented in a flashback technique. It reveals Rudyard Kipling’s deep love for nature and his distinct style of observing the wild—a hallmark also evident in The Jungle Book and Kim.

Summary of 'The Way Through The Woods'

The poem begins with the mention of a road through the woods that was closed seventy years ago. The road was left undisturbed. Over the decades, weather and rain have undone and erased the road, restoring the woods to their original state before the road existed. Today, a casual observer cannot tell that a path ever existed because it is hidden beneath dense bushes and scrub. Trees planted after the closure have grown tall, seamlessly absorbing the old path into the forest.

Despite being lost to human eyes, the area is full of life and activity. It is inhabited by the ring-dove that broods there and the playful badgers that roll at ease.

A visitor walking into the woods on a late summer evening would discover even more: the cool night air settling over trout-filled pools, and otters whistling to their mates without fear, undisturbed by human presence.

In the quiet of the woods, one can imagine the ghostly rhythm of a cantering horse's hoof and the swish of a skirt moving through the dew-covered grass. These spectral sounds suggest visitors from the past walking confidently, as if the old path were still clearly visible. While modern human senses find no visible track, memory and imagination keep the road alive.

Questions & Answers

1. Who can see where the old road ran?
Ans: The keeper of the woods can see where the old road ran.

2. Why is the otter not afraid of men?
Ans: The otter is not afraid of men because very few people enter the woods.

3. What are the various creatures that can be seen and heard in these woods?
Ans: Fish (trout), otters, ring-doves, and badgers are the creatures found in these woods. Spectral horses and riders can also be heard.

Explain with Reference to the Context

Passage 1: “There was once a road through the woods...”

a) What happened to the road that once ran through the woods?
Ans: The road was closed by men seventy years ago and was left undisturbed until nature reclaimed it.

b) How long ago did it exist?
Ans: It existed seventy years ago.

c) How has it disappeared?
Ans: Heavy rain, weathering, and unhindered growth of bushes, scrub, and planted trees covered the path completely.

Passage 2: “It is under the coppice and heath / And the thin anemones...”

a) What is under the coppice and heath?
Ans: The old, forgotten road lies hidden under the coppice, heath, and anemones.

b) Why is it hidden there?
Ans: Because it has not been used for decades, allowing the natural undergrowth to spread across it completely.

Passage 3: “You will hear the beat of horse’s feet, / And the swish of a skirt in the dew...”

a) Which horse is being referred to here?
Ans: The horse that riders rode along the path long ago, now existing as a supernatural memory.

b) How and when is it present in the forest?
Ans: It is not physically present; its ghostly sounds can be imagined in the late summer evening.

c) Does its presence appear natural to you?
Ans: No, it does not appear natural because it is a phantom presence representing the history of the woods.

Passage 4: Which lines tell you that the woods are full of life?

Ans: The following lines show that the woods thrive with wildlife:

“That, where the ring-dove broods,”
“And the badgers roll at ease,”
“Where the otter whistles his mate”
“On the trout-ringed pools”

5. What can be heard on a late summer evening? What causes these sounds?
Ans: One can hear the whistle of an otter calling its mate across the pools, as well as the phantom sounds of a horse’s canter and the swish of a skirt through the dewy grass.

6. “As though they perfectly knew” — Who does “they” refer to? Why do you think so?
Ans: “They” refers to the past travelers and riders who used the road regularly when it was open. They move easily because the route was second nature to them.

7. Which words tell you:

a) That a woman is walking through the woods?
Ans: “The swish of a skirt in the dew”

b) What lives in the pool?
Ans: “Trout” (from “trout-ringed pools”)

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