Glimpses of India - A Baker from Goa

Glimpses of India - A Baker from Goa

About the Author

Prof. Lucio Rodrigues was the Professor at Dempe College heading the English department. He is an authority on Goan folklore. He was a visiting professor of folklore at the Indiana University, USA in 1969. His essays in English, as well as those translated from Konkani, were published as Of Soil and Soul and Konkani Folktales after his death in 1973. [Source and for further reading about the author: https://www.pruthagoa.com/lucio-rodrigues-lover-of]

Summary

At the beginning of the lesson, the narrator tells the readers how his elders often remember the time when Goa was under Portuguese rule. The elders talk about how the importance of bakers is still maintained in the Goan villages even after the Portuguese are gone. The bakers are known as ‘Paders’.  The mixers, moulders, and furnaces involved in baking continue to serve the people with their famous bread loaves. The original bakers may not be living now, but the profession continued by their sons.

The thud of the baker’s bamboo stick can still be heard in the village. The same jingling thud would wake the narrator and other children during their childhood days. The children would go running to without even brushing or washing their mouths.  The maid-servant of the house collected the loaves while the children preferred the bread bangles.

Bakery products have much importance in Goan culture and traditions. Bol or sweet bread is a part of marriage gifts, cakes and Bolinhas or coconut cookies are eaten at every festival and the lady of the house prepares sandwiches at her daughter’s engagement. Previously bakers used to wear a unique knee-length frock known as ‘kabai’, but they wore a shirt and trousers slightly shorter than the usual trousers during the narrator’s childhood days. The bakers generally collected their bills at the end of every month. Bakery continued to be a profitable profession, keeping baker’s families happy and prosperous.

Question and Answers

Q1. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

A. The narrator‘s elders often think of ‘those good old days’ and speak of the famous loaves of bread that date back to the time of Portuguese rule over Goa. They are nostalgic about the past and the famous bakers of the olden days. Though the Portuguese have left Goa the bakers still exist, the legacy is continued by their sons.

 Q2. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?

A. Yes, bread-making is still popular in of Goa. The time-tested furnaces, the mixers, and moulders are still in Goa. The legacy of bakers is continued. We can find a bakery in every Goan village as bread is an important part of the Goan culture and traditions.

 Q3. What is the baker called?

A. The baker is called as ‘Pader’ in Goa.

 Q4. When would the baker come every day? Why did the children run to meet him?

A. The baker would come twice every day during the narrator’s childhood days. He would come in the morning to deliver the bread for the first time and once again while he was returning after selling his stock. The children would go running to him to take the bread bangles specially made for them.

Q5. Match the following.

What is a must?

i.              as marriage gifts?                    – cakes and bolinhas

ii.             for a party or a feast?                 – sweet bread called bol

iii.            for a daughter’s engagement?       – bread

iv.           for Christmas?                                   – sandwiches

Answers:

i.              As marriage gifts,                           Sweetbread called bol

ii.             For a party or a feast                      Bread

iii.            For daughter’s engagement           Sandwiches

iv.           For Christmas                                 Cakes and bolinhas

Q6. What did the bakers wear?

i. In the Portuguese days?

ii. When the author was young?

A. i. In the Portuguese days, the bakers wore a unique knee-length frock dress typically known as ‘kabai’.

ii. In the narrator’s childhood days, he had seen them wearing shirts and pants that are shorter than usual pants.

Q7. Who invites the comment - “he is dressed like a pader”? Why?

A. During the narrator’s childhood days, the bakers used to wear a peculiar dress. They wore shirts and pants that were shorter than usual. If a person is seen wearing pants of as of a baker’s, he invites the comment - “he is dressed like a pader”.

Q8. Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?

A. The monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall with a pencil.

Q9. What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?

A. ‘Jackfruit-like appearance’ means a well-built or plump physique, similar to jackfruit. In those days, bakers had plump physique because baking was a profitable profession. The bakers’ family and servants never starved and they were prosperous.

Q10. Which of these statements are correct?

i. The pader was an important person in the village in old times. True

ii. Paders still exist in Goan villages. True

iii. The paders went away with the Portuguese. False, they still exist in Goan villages.

iv. The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock. False, they wear shirts and trousers that are shorter than the usual ones and longer than the half-pants.

v. Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days. False, they are still an integral part of Goan culture.

vi. Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business. True

vii. Paders and their families starve in the present times. False, it is still a very profitable business and their families are happy and prosperous.

 Q11. Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?

A. Bread is an important part of Goan culture and traditions. Breads are integral parts every occasion such as - sweetbreads at marriages, sandwiches at engagement parties, and cakes and Bolinhas at Christmas and other occasions. It makes the presence of a baker in every village very essential.

Q12. Tick the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?

i. The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo can still be heard in some places. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)

ii. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)

iii. I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)

iv. The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)

v. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals.                                               (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)

vi. The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous.                  (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)

Answers:

i. Nostalgic

ii. Nostalgic

iii. Nostalgic

iv. Funny

v. Matter-of-fact

vi. Matter-of-fact

The Hundred Dresses II

El Bsor Ester (1906-1988)

The Hundred Dresses II

‘The Hundred Dresses-II’ is a sensitive account of how a poor, immigrant young girl is judged by her classmates. Wanda Petronski is a young Polish girl who goes to school with other American children in an American town. Other children of her school see Wanda as ‘different’ in several ways.  

About the author:

El Bsor Ester (1906-1988) was an American author and librarian famous for children's books. She also created illustrations for this book. Her books, ‘The Middle Moffat’, ‘Rufus M.’, and ‘The Hundred Dresses’ were Newbery Honor Winners. She was awarded the Certificate of Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature from the New York Association for Supervision of Curriculum Development in 1968.

Summary

All the students of Room no. 13 are looking at the wonderful drawings done by Wanda Petronski. Miss Mason receives a note from Wanda’s father. He informs that his two children, Wanda and Jake will not attend the school.  They are moving to a big city. No one would judge them for their names there. Miss Mason is shocked and expressed her sadness to the class. Maddie is disturbed by the letter. She wants to say sorry to Wanda. Both the best friends, Peggy and Maddie hope to meet Wanda at her Boggins Heights home before she leaves. But sadly, there is no one in the house.  Maddie thinks herself to be a coward as she couldn’t stand against the wrong. That day she thinks seriously and decides not to let anyone tease someone again. Peggy and Maddie decide to write a letter to Wanda. At first they want to write an apology letter. Finally, they write a friendly letter. They ask her how she likes the new place. They do not get any reply for weeks. One day near Christmas, Miss Mason gets a letter from Wanda. Wanda writes that she misses everyone in room no 13. She gifts one dress each to Maddie and Peggy. Wanda tells them that she has a new lot of hundred dresses lined up in her new house. Maddie and Peggy are happy to receive the gifts. They realize that Wanda has drawn their faces along the dresses. Thus, they both conclude that Wanda likes them.

Questions and Answers

Q1. What did Mr Petronski’s letter say?

A. Mr Petronski’s letter informs Miss Mason that his daughter Wanda and son Jake are not going to attend the school anymore. He says in the letter that they are moving to a big city, where no one will make fun of their strange name, no one will address them as “Pollack”. There will be many people with weird names there and no one will ask them why they have a funny name.

Q2. Is Miss Mason angry with the class, or is she unhappy and upset?

A. No. Miss Mason is not angry with the class. She is upset and unhappy after reading Mr Petronski’s letter. Her students have treated someone badly because they come from a different place and they have an unusual name. Even though she is unhappy and sad, she gives the children of room no.13 the benefit of doubt saying, ‘whatever happened must have happened in thoughtlessness’.

Q3. How does Maddie feel after listening to the note from Wanda’s father?

A. Maddie id sad and feels very bad after listening to the note from Wanda’s father. She feels like a coward for not standing up against other girls who are teasing Wanda. She thinks about how they made Wanda feel and hopes for a chance to make amends.

Q4. What does Maddie want to do?

A. Maddie is sad. She wants to make everything right with Wanda. She hopes for one last chance to make amends and say sorry to her.

Q5. What excuses does Peggy think up for her behaviour? Why?

A. Peggy knows that her behaviour with Wanda is bad. She is unable to make amends as Wanda has moved to another city. She is troubled by guilt. She says that she never called Wanda a foreigner and made fun of Wanda’s name. She is convinced that Wanda is too dumb to understand that they are making fun of her.

Q6. What are Maddie’s thoughts as they go to Boggins Heights?

A. Maddie hopes to find Wanda and make amends with her. She wishes that the Petronski family hasn’t left the town. She wants to say sorry to Wanda and stop her from moving. She wants to assure her that everyone will be nice. She also wants to tell her that everyone at the school thinks that Wanda is a wonderful girl.

Q7. Why does Wanda’s house remind Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?

A. Wanda’s house is a small house up on Boggins Heights. There is dry grass all around it. There is no sign of life in or around the house. The surroundings looked shabby but clean. Maddie remembers Wanda’s faded blue dress that is clean but shabby.

Q8. What does Maddie think hard about? What important decision does she come to?

A. Maddie cannot stop thinking about never being able to say sorry to Wanda. She cannot sleep and thinks deeply. After hard thinking, she comes to a conclusion that she will never let anyone tease someone because they have an unfamiliar and long name. She decided to stand against all the wrongs.

Q9. What did the girls write to Wanda?

A. Peggy and Maddie decide to write an apology letter to Wanda. But, they end up writing a friendly note telling her that she is the winner of the contest. They ask her how is she likes the new place and they tell her that they miss her a lot.

Q10. Did they get a reply? Who was more anxious for a reply, Peggy or Maddie? How do you know?

A. No, they didn’t get a reply. The letter wasn’t returned also. They concluded that Wanda must have received it. She might be too angry with them to reply to it. Out of the two girls, Maddie was more eager for a reply. She wanted to make everything right with Wanda. This is evident as weeks after sending the letter, Peggy almost forgot about the business while Maddie imagined scenes in which she would defend Wanda from bullying, mean girls.

Q11. How did the girls know that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her?

A. During Christmas time, Miss Mason received a letter from Wanda saying how much she missed everyone in room no. 13.  She asked the teacher to give the drawing of the blue dress to Maddie and the green dress to Peggy as her gifts. This makes clear that Wanda liked them even though they teased her. 

Q12. Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for their family?

A. Wanda’s family moved to a different city because in a big city there would be many other Polish immigrants. The natives would not find Wanda’s family strange. They would not make fun of them. Wanda and her brother Jake could attend school without feeling bad. Yes, life in the big city would be different for the family because their community would have more people. They would feel comfortable there.

Q13. Maddie thought her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. Was she right?

A. Maddie was right when she realized that remaining silent while Peggy teased Wanda was a mistake. Yes. She was right. She too was a part of the bad deed because she remained silent and let Peggy tease Wanda.

Q14. Peggy says, “I never thought she had the sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too dumb. And gee, look how she can draw!” What led Peggy to believe that Wanda was dumb? Did she change her opinion later?

A. Peggy is a rich and popular girl in room no 13. She has a low opinion on Wanda. Wanda’s calmness and indifference to her teasing lead her to believe that Wanda is too dumb to understand that the girls are making fun of her. Yes. She changes her opinion later and realizes that Wanda is a talented girl.

Q15. What important decision did Maddie make? Why did she have to think hard to do so?

A. When they learned that the Petronski’s had finally moved away, Maddie couldn’t stop thinking about never being able to say sorry. She couldn’t sleep that night as she was thinking too deeply. As a result of deep thinking, she came to a conclusion that she will never let anyone tease someone because they have an unfamiliar and long name. She decided to stand against all the wrongs.

Q16. Why do you think Wanda gave Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses? Why are they surprised?

A. Wanda gifted the drawings of the dresses to Maddie and Peggy. Both the girls were surprised as the drawings had their faces on them. The girls realized that Wanda had the intention to gift these drawings even before winning the contest. This clearly indicates that Wanda liked them although they teased her.

Q17. Do you think Wanda really thought the girls were teasing her? Why or Why not?

A. Yes, I think that Wanda knows all about teasing. Wanda was aware that the girls were teasing her. The note from her father clearly indicated that the students made fun of her name.

The theme of the story

 ‘A Hundred Dresses’ tells us about racial discrimination. Racial discrimination is prevalent in many societies. The story brings to light the sorrowful state of poor children who are victims of bullying and teasing. Underprivileged children are being treated differently. In this story, the central character, Wanda Petronski becomes an object of fun for the other girls. Wanda’s name is different and funny. She is poor and she is not like the other girls. She always wears a faded blue cotton dress which is shabby but clean. Other children believe that Wanda is boasting about possessing a hundred dresses. They do not know that she was a great artist and could indeed design a hundred different dresses. The story drives home the message that it is not correct to be judgmental about anyone without actually knowing them. 

Character Sketches

Wanda Petronski

Wanda Petronski doesn’t appear in person in the story. However, a lot has been told about her by means of other characters. Wanda Petronski is a Polish girl. She has migrated to America with her family. Because of her origin and her long, funny name, the American students of her school find her different.

Wanda appears to be a very calm and introvert girl. She always takes a seat in a far corner of room no.13, her classroom. She never responds to the teasing of the other girls about the hundred dresses she claims to have. By the end of the story, Wanda comes across as a very humble and forgiving girl. She writes a letter to Miss Mason saying that she missed all the students of room no.13. Moreover, she gifts the drawings of the dresses to the girls. Her liking for Peggy and Maddie is evident in her action as she has drawn their faces in the dress designs gifted for them.

Peggy

Peggy is one of the classmates of Wanda. She is not like Wanda. She is the exact opposite of Wanda. She is an easy-going girl whereas Wanda is an introvert. She is a native of America. Unlike Maddie, Peggy belongs to a wealthy family. She is a pretty girl and she sports curly hair. She is a popular girl in the school. She always sits in the front benches of the class along with her best friend Maddie and other children who get good marks. 

She wants to have fun with Wanda as she has a long and funny name. She teases Wanda as Wanda tells her about the hundred dresses. When she comes to know that Wanda indeed possesses a hundred dresses she realizes her mistake. With her best friend Maddie, Peggy tries to meet Wanda. She agreed with Maddie to make amends with Wanda. Peggy even acknowledges Wanda as a better artist than herself.

Maddie

Maddie or Madeline is Peggy’s best friend and a classmate of Wanda. She is a very sensitive girl. Unlike her friend Peggy, she is not rich. Though she is one of the girls who teased Wanda, she is not comfortable with it. Maddie comes from a poor family. So, she understands Wanda’s plight. But peer pressure dominates her. She often feels guilty for making fun of Wanda.

She is unable to decide whether to encourage Peggy in teasing or to support Wanda. She keeps thinking of Wanda even after Wanda’s moving out of the city. She feels like a coward as she doesn’t stop the girls making fun of Wanda. She realizes her mistake and takes a firm decision to stand up for anyone who is bullied and to never make anyone unhappy. She is happy to receive Wanda’s gift of drawing. She is the one who recognizes their faces on the dress drawings. She knows that Wanda has forgiven them.

Springtime A La Carte

O. Henry - Author

O Henry is the pen name of Sydney Porter (1862-1910). He was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings. 

Springtime A La Carte

Q1. What does the author say about the opening of a story? Do you agree with him? Comment on the opening of this story?

A1. The author says that we should not begin our story with unimaginative sentences like, “It was a day in March”. Yes. I agree with him.

Though the author says us not to begin a story with unimaginative sentences, he just does just like that to create interest in the readers of his story.

Q2. What was the job assigned to Sarah in Schulenburg’s Restaurant?

A2. Sarah was assigned to type the menus in Schulenburg’s Restaurant. She had to provide typewritten menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Q3. What was Schulenburg’s agreement with Sarah?

A3. Sarah had to provide typewritten menus for the restaurant, as often as they were needed. In return she would get three means in her room.

Q4. Describe Sarah’s feelings as she thought of spring?

A4. Sarah was very unhappy at the thought of spring. It reminded her of her lover, Walter. Spring was the time of Dandelions. These flowers were made as a crown and presented to her by Walter. They decided to marry in spring. She lost touch with Walter. So, she was sad.

Q5. Who was Walter? Describe Sarah’s feelings on him?

A5. Walter was the son of an old farmer, Franklin. He lived in Sunnybrook Farm. He was a modern farmer. She had fallen in love with him. He made a crown of Dandelions and presented it to her. They decided to marry in spring.

Q6. How had Sarah and Walter lost touch with each other?

A6. Sarah had moved to a new room. She wrote the address of the new room to Walter. The letter did not reach him. He tried to reach her at her old address and she was not there. This is how they lost touch with each other.

Q7. What led Sarah and Walter to meet?

A7. Walter happened to look at the menu in Schulenburg’s Home Restaurant. He recognized the “W” key of her typewriter. Instead of typing ‘Dandelions with Hard-boiled Egg’, she mistakenly typed, “Dearest Walter, with Hard-boiled Egg’.

Q8. The story has a typical O’ Henry twist in the end. Explain.

A8. The last line of the story provides the twist. It solves the mystery of how the lovers found each other without help from police. With this last line, the author draws the reader’s attention to the typing mistake done by Sarah.

The Indian Weavers - Question and Answers

Sarojini Naidu

Indian Weavers

Question and Answers

Q1. Pick out the words, expressions or phrases from the poem that indicate different times of the day.

A. These are the words, expressions or phrases from the poem that indicate different times of the day:

 i. daybreak - early morning

ii. fall of night - before the night, late in the evening

iii. moonlight chill - cold night

Q2. Is there a similarity between the break of the day and the birth of a baby? If yes, what is it?

A. Yes. There is a similarity between the break of the day and the birth of a baby. Both symbolize a new beginning.

Q3. Pick out two objects which the shroud is compared to its colour.

A. The two objects that are compared to the shroud are feathers and cloud.

Q4. Which three stages of life that the poem speaks of? Can you relate them to the three stages of the day?

A. The three stages of life that the poet spoke of are birth, marriage, and death. We can relate them to the daybreak, fall of night and midnight chill, the three stages of the day.

Q5. The poet uses similes to draw a direct comparison between things. Identify the similes used in the poem and point out the common link between the two objects or things compared in each case.

A. The similes used by the poet to draw a direct comparison between things are:

i. blue as the wing of a halcyon

ii. like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green

iii. white as feathers and white as a cloud

The links between the two objects compared are i. blue, ii. purple and green and iii. white.

Q6. Identify and collect the words in the poem that indicate the changing mood of the poet?

A. These are the words in the poem that indicate the changing mood of the poet. Gay, bright, solemn and still. 

You can watch an animated version of the poem The Indian Weavers

Quality - Question and Answers

Quality

John Galsworthy (1867-1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1932. 

Reading One:

Q1. How had the narrator been introduced to Gessler? What was unique about his shoes?

A. Gessler was the bootmaker to the narrator’s father. The boots made by Gessler are of good quality. They were mysterious and wonderful.

Q2. The process of getting Gessler to make shoes was as meticulous as his creation. Do you agree with his statement? Give reasons for your answer.

A. I agree that the process of getting Gessler to make shoes was meticulous. Here are some reasons for my answer. 1. He would not make shoes without order. 2. His shop had a kind of respect. 3. He selected only beautiful pieces of gold-brown leather.  4. He made boots with great care and devotion.

Q3. How did Gessler react when he learned that the boots had creaked? What does it tell you about him?

A. Gessler reacted as if he was hurt and he was sorrowful when he learned that the boots had creaked. It tells me about the devotion and care he had towards his profession.

Q4. What did Gessler feel about the big firms?

A. Gessler felt that the big firms had no self-respect. The big firms attracted customers not by the quality of work but by advertisement.

Q5. Why did the narrator not visit the shop for a long time?

A. The narrator did not visit the shop for a long time because he had ordered many pairs of boots and they lasted longer.

Q6. Why did the author order so many pairs of boots? Did he really need them?

A. The author ordered several pairs of boots to encourage and support Gessler. He really didn’t need so many pairs of boots.

……..

Reading Two:

Q1. How do you understand that Gessler was passionate about his job?

A. I understand that Gessler was passionate about his job because he treated his job as an art. His boots had some essence of boot stitched to them. He did his job with devotion and care. He treated leather pieces as beautiful pieces. He treated his profession with respect. He didn’t allow anybody to touch the boots he was making.

Q2. What had Gessler dies of? What does it reflect about industrialization?

A. Gessler dies of starvation. He couldn’t find work and had no money to buy food. Industrialization robbed artisans like Gessler of their profession and self-respect. It reflected the bad things that happened because of industrialization.

Q3. Is the title ‘Quality’ appropriate? Why? If you were to give this story another title what would it be?

A. I think the title ‘Quality’ appropriate. It is a sad story of a bootmaker who made good quality boots with devotion and care. He respected his profession. Industrialization robbed artisans like Gessler of their profession and self-respect. If I were to give this story another title, it would be ‘the other side of industrialization’.

Q4. Rewrite the story giving it a happy ending.

A. There was a bootmaker’s shop in London. It was run by two brothers. The name of the shop was Gessler Brothers. They made shoes with devotion and care. They respected their profession. They always made quality boots. People liked their boots for their quality. Their shoes fitted well and lasted longer. People waited for their boots to be made on order. The shop prospered in spite of the competition from big companies. Gessler Brothers became a famous shop.

Q5. Do you think Gessler should have changed with the times? Why?

No. I do not think that Gessler should have changed with times. Quality is the most important thing. Everyone should try to make quality products. People should have given more orders for Gessler’s boots because of quality and durability.

 If you want to watch an animated photostory with images and subtitles for the lesson 'Quality'.CLICK HERE,

The Language of African Literature - Ngugi Wa Thiong’O

Ngugi Wa Thiong’O (Pic:businesstoday.co.ke) 

The Language of African Literature 

Ngugi Wa Thiong’O says that he was born into a large family of a farmer. The community was like an extended family. He spoke his native language Gikuyu. Children listened to stories and retold the same to others. People who could make their stories alive and dramatic by using words and images were good storytellers. They used inflexions and tones effectively. He says that children appreciated the magic of words beyond real meanings. They enriched language with the help of puzzles, riddles and proverbs. Homes and farms were their primary schools.

After the Kenyan emergency in 1952, English became the language of education. Students who spoke the native language were humiliated. English was given the most important place n the apartheid pyramid structure of education. Students who couldn’t get better marks in English were made to fail even though they got distinction in all the other subjects. Proficiency in English ensured prominence in the colonial rule. Orature in native languages was stopped and English literature was encouraged. Language and literature took native Africans away from their nativity.

Kenyan languages were equated with backwardness and underdevelopment. Nguigi wanted to fight the colonial intention of detaching native people with nativity. Kenyan children should not grow up hating the tools of communication developed by their own communities and their history. He switched to writing in his mother-tongue of Gikuyu after seventeen years writing in the Afro-European tradition. He believed that writing in native African languages is a part of the anti-imperialistic struggles. He says that colonial alienation takes natives away from reality by distancing the language of daily use. The system separates mind from body and produces a society of headless bodies and bodyless heads.

Ngugi wants to bring back harmony between all the aspects of language and reunite the Kenyan student to the native environment. He wishes to see Kenyan languages carry their literature, culture and social nature. He says the Kenyan student can learn other languages without having any inferior complexes about their own language only after experiencing the richness of native language.

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)