The Road Not Taken

You may watch a video explaining the poem by clicking here.

Meanings:

Word Meaning: Stanza 1

diverged: separated and took a different direction

yellow wood: a forest with decomposing leaves

undergrowth: dense growth of plants and bushes means the forest)

Word Meaning: Stanza 2

fair: As good as the other one,

claim: Better option

grassy: unused

wanted wear: had not been used

Word Meaning: Stanza 3

trodden means walked over.

Word Meaning: Stanza 4

sigh: Deep breath

hence: here, in the future

Summary:

The poet says that once he was walking down a path in a forest. He reached a place on the road where it was divided into two paths. He could take only one of the paths. He took the time to choose the right path. He observed both ways to decide which one would be a better option for him. He chose the one which seemed to be less walked over. He kept the other one for some other day although he knew that he would never get the chance to travel on it. He would go further on the chosen path and he would not get a chance to return. As he walked on the chosen path, he realized that both paths were similar. He felt that his future depended on the choice that he made.

The speaker thinks of how he will tell about this incident in the future with a sigh. He chooses the road he thinks to be less worn and says “That has made all the difference.”

Literary Devices:

1. Rhyme Scheme: abaab

2. Symbolism: two roads which represent two or more choices in our life

3. Anaphora: ‘and’ repeated at the beginning of lines 2, 3 and 4

4. Alliteration: Wanted Wear ‘w’ sound is repeating

1. ‘first for’ – ‘f’ sound is repeating

2. ‘though, that’- ‘th’ sound is repeating

 5. Repetition: ‘Ages’ is repeated. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood’- this sentence is repeated in stanzas 1 and  4.

Textual Question and Answers:

1. Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?

A. The traveller finds himself standing at the junction where the road had divided into two roads. He is in confusion as he must choose one path. He is unable to decide which one to choose.

2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.

(i) a yellow wood

‘Yellow wood’ refers to the forest which has withering leaves as in the season of autumn. It represents a world of aging people.

(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear

 It means that the path had a lot of grass on it. This means that it had yet to be walked over by many people. It had to be worn out by the steps of the people who walked on it.

(iii) the passing there

 It means that when the poet walked over the path that he had chosen.

(iv) leaves no step had trodden black

It means no one had walked over the leaves as they were fresh. If they had been walked over, they would have turned black.

(v) How way leads on to way

 It means that as we walk on a path, the path divides and we come across more options. We have to make further choices. We have to continue walking choosing our paths.

3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them?

(i) in stanzas two and three?

The two paths were similar. In the beginning, the poet felt that one of them was grassy and had not been walked over by many people, but when he walked on it for a while, he realized that it was like the other road.

(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?

Here, again the poet talks of his initial decision when he thought that the roads were different and chose the one that had been walked over by a lesser number of people.

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 speaker thinks of how he will tell about this incident in the future with a sigh. He chooses the road he thinks to be less worn and says “That has made all the difference.” 

I think that the poet neither regrets nor feels happy over the decision. He sounds philosophical. He accepts his choice as a matter of fact.

II. 1. Have you ever had to make a difficult choice (or do you think you will have difficult choices to make)? How will you make the choice (for what reasons)?

I think I will have a difficult choice to make when I must decide between Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences. I have to take the decision in my Intermediate Course. I like both subjects equally. I will take the decision depending on my performance in the board examinations.

2. After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?

After my choice is made, I will never think about what might have been. I will take responsibility of the results of my decision and accept them.