The Road Not Taken

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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.

Dust of Snow

Dust of Snow

Introduction:

The poem ‘Dust of Snow’ is Robert Frost’s well-known work. This poem presents a moment that seems simple but has a larger significance.  

 About the Poet:

Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He was an American poet much admired for his depictions of the rural life of New England and his command of American colloquial speech. Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime and is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 31 times. His most famous works include poems like "Fire and Ice", "The Road Not Taken", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", ‘West-Running Brook’, "Acquainted with the Night", ‘The Lovely Shall Be Choosers’, ‘From Snow to Snow’ and many more.

 Summary:

Stanza 1

    The way a crow

    Shook down on me

    The dust of snow

    From a hemlock tree

 

Meaning Stanza 1: The crow is commonly regarded as a symbol of death and fear and is not associated with goodness. But, in these lines, a complete irony is depicted where it is doing a good deed by shaking off the snow. Here, the poet has not chosen trees like oak, maple, or pine. Instead, he chose the hemlock tree which is usually associated with poison and toxicity. So, in this stanza, the beautiful snow sitting on the branches of the poisonous hemlock tree is shaken off by a crow.

 

Stanza 2

    Has given my heart

    A change of mood

    And saved some part

    Of a day I had rued

 

Meaning Stanza 2:  From the lines, it’s clearly understood that the poet was going through a bad mood. He had not been looking forward to that day and the day was not turning out any better than he had expected either. But, the crow descending on the Hemlock tree changes it all. Here, the poet uses the elements of the fearsome crow and poisonous Hemlock tree to shake the white, pure snow off the branches. Robert Frost has also used a bit of irony here by referring to the poisonous Hemlock and the medicinal Rue. As soon as the snow fell on him, the poet’s otherwise bad mood was uplifted. He was filled with joy and a sense of thankfulness that he was alive to see such beautiful things in this world.

 

Meanings of words and phrases:

mood: a temporary state of mind or feeling

rued: to feel regret, remorse or pity

 

Theme:

In “Dust of Snow”, the poet is trying to tell us that on a cold winter’s day, he went out. At such a time, the only thing that cheers him up is the world of nature. This natural world is available for us to see and touch-free of cost. However, we generally take it for granted. Worse still, we can curse nature for giving us bad weather. However, if we look beyond our own inconvenience, we will see that nature is beautiful even at its harshest. If only we pay attention to all that life gives us, we will learn to appreciate it. The crow is what brings the beauty of the snowflakes to the poet’s attention, and for that, he is grateful. He is grateful to be alive to see such wonderful sights in this world at no cost whatsoever to himself.

  Conclusion:

The poem reiterates that the little things in life can make huge changes in our future. It also shows that if we can take the hard times of life in stride, eventually something will happen to change our situation into happier times. The simple things we do for others can make all the difference. Just think about those random acts of kindness we do and how much they brighten a person’s day and sometimes change their future. Noticing and appreciating all the small things in life will make your life happier. It will also cause you to have a spirit willing to change and succeed.

 Dust of Snow Literary Devices:

 1. Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

 The instances of alliteration are as follows-

     Has given my heart

    And saved some part

 2. inversion – when the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to create a rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, inversion can be seen.

 3. assonance – the prominence of a vowel sound throughout a line is called assonance. In stanza 1, line 2 –  “Shook down on me” – ‘o’ sound is prominent.

enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the next line without the use of any punctuation marks, it is called enjambment. It has been used throughout the poem.

 3. Synecdoche: Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

     Has given my heart

 

Rhyming Words:

 Stanza 1 – crow - snow, me – tree;

Stanza 2 – heart - part; mood - rued

 Rhyme Scheme:

abab – cdcd

Answers to textual questions:

 Q1. What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?

 A. “Dust of snow” means tiny particles of snow. The poet was in a bad mood when particles of snow had fallen on him. This changed the poet’s mood immediately. His day got better.

  Q 2. How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.

 (i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?

 A. Birds like sparrows, nightingales, and peacocks are often named in poems. I don’t think that a crow is often mentioned in poems. Crows are often seen as indicators of doom and fear. I get negative images when I think of a crow.

  (ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?

 A. A hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. The poet does not mention a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as maple, oak, or pine because he wants to indicate a sad scene. As a hemlock tree is considered bad the poet refers to it.

  (iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent — joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

 A. Both crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. Frost has used both the negative creatures as the carriers of positivism and strength that transformed his day for the better. The dust of snow shaken by the crow stands for positivity and hope.

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice

Introduction:

Apocalypse is the day when the world would end.  Some people believe that the world would end as a result of global warming and some are of the view that it may end as a result of extreme freezing. Looking at the current climatic conditions of the world, both seem possible. But, there are chances that the world may disintegrate due to many other reasons, like greed, hatred, unwanted desires, and other vices. That’s what Robert Frost tries to convey in his poem, ‘Fire and Ice’.  

 About the Poet:

Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He was an American poet much admired for his depictions of the rural life of New England and his command of American colloquial speech. His poem “My Butterfly” gave him his status as a professional poet. Frost s first book was published when he was about 40. Later he went on to win a record four Pulitzer Prizes. He also became the most famous poet of his time. Frost was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 31 times. His most famous works include poems like "Fire and Ice", "The Road Not Taken", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", ‘West-Running Brook’, "Acquainted with the Night", ‘The Lovely Shall Be Choosers’, ‘From Snow to Snow’ and many more. He also wrote some famous plays like, ‘A Way Out’, ‘The Cow s in the Corn’, ‘A Masque of Reason’, ‘A Masque of Mercy’, etc.

 Summary

Fire and Ice is a lyric of nine lines by Robert Frost. The poet feels that the world will one day be consumed by excess of fire. But the poet also thinks that if the world were to end twice even ice could destroy the world, and there was sufficient ice for this. 

Symbolically, fire stands for extreme intensity of emotions while ice stands for complete lack of feelings. Greed and hatred are symbolized as fire and ice. 

Both are equally disastrous as they and both have the power to destroy the world. The last line of the poem makes us feel that the poem does not question either the existence or the capability of these powers. He is conscious of the ruinous capacities of these two powers.

 Stanza 1

Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

Meaning:

The first two lines throw light on the debate in society on how the world will end. Scientifically, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for nuclear disaster and climate change. But, Frost’s use of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ is largely metaphoric. Ice and fire are opposites of one another. This suggests that most people have entirely opposing views on the end of the world. Ice and fire also represent two extremes which could cause immense damage.

Stanza 2

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Meaning:

Just like the burning desires are dangerous for the poet, the ice is also a concern in his mind. He believes that the world will end, in one form or the other. If fire isn’t enough to complete the task, then ice would perform it equally well. In contrast to a burning flame, the chilling ice represents hatred to the poet. He believes that it is something that would chill the world, slow it down, and isolate each individual enough that the human race simply wouldn’t survive it. There’s no doubt that he believes in the destructive power of fire, but he sees no reason not to believe that ice would end the world just as easily.

Meanings of words and phrases:

tasted: to have experience of something

desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen

favour: to feel or show approval or preference for something

perish: a slow, gradual, nonviolent death

suffice: to be enough or adequate

Figures of Speech (Literary Devices)

 1. Alliteration: The occurrence of the same consonant letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words is called Alliteration.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

I hold with those who favor fire.

2. Hyperbole: Hyperbole is an overstatement that exaggerates a particular condition for emphasis.

But if it had to perish twice

 3. Metaphor: Metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.

I think I know enough of hate

Rhyming Words:

Stanza 1 – fire - desire - fire

Stanza 2 – twice - ice – suffice

Rhyme Scheme:

abaa – ababa

 Symbolism:

The poet uses fire as a symbol of desire and passion, and ice as a symbol of hatred. These are, in fact, symbols for human behaviour and emotions. These symbols can be applied into our daily life as a warning against vices of desire and hatred in a personal connection.

Theme:

The theme of the poem is the destructiveness of the passions of love and hate. Symbolically, fire stands for the heat of love and passion, while ice for the cold of hate. The last line confirms the poet s belief in both the passions possessing enormous destructive power. These passions are inevitable in the drama of human life. In this poem, Frost makes provision for opposite views. He shows himself in agreement with those who believe that the world will end in fire and with those who believe that the world will end in ice. From the poem, it is clear that the poet does not want to load his beliefs or views upon his readers. He rather vaguely suggests them to entertain the views of others, even if they are diverse in nature. We also find an analysis of one s life. If a person is obsessed with unhealthy desires like power, greed, etc., then they will face the fiery end. If a person is jealous and full of hatred, he will demise with the cold that is coldness of love.

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

The Road Not Taken

In “The Road Not Taken,” the speaker arrives at a place where his path diverges in a yellow wood. He is unable to see what lies ahead. He examines both roads. He thinks one of the roads to be less used. He realizes that perhaps both roads are equally travelled and regrets that he will probably never return to take the other path.

The contradictions continue. He decides to save the first, probably, more travelled route for another day. Then he confesses that he does not think it probable that he will return. This suggests that this seemingly casual and inconsequential choice is really likely to be crucial. It may be one of the choices of life that involves commitment. It may lead away from the traveller forever from the original stopping place. In the end, he picks the one that has seen the least use, concluding that this has made a significant difference in his life.

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.”

It looks like a personal poem about a decision of vast importance, but there is evidence to the contrary both inside and outside the poem. (216 words)