- THE ROAD NOT TAKEN : SUMMARY
Robert Frost.
The poet while travelling on foot in the woods reaches a junction where two roads diverge and he has to choose one among them He stands there for long. Then he decides to choose the road, which was grassy and needed ‘to wear’. He feels this choice will make all the difference to his future life. He decides to try the other road, some other time, knowing fully well that he will not get a chance to go back to it. Later he wishes that he had taken the other road. This is the irony of life, we cannot travel on all the available roads, no matter howsoever we may wish to.
The poet feels that after ages from now he would be looking at this decision with a ‘sigh’. He would tell that since he had taken the road less travelled, it made all the difference.
Thus the poet speaks of the basic problems of making the right choice. Many alternatives are available at the time of choice but man has to select one. It is only the future that will reveal, whether the decision is wrong or not. After taking decisions we cannot undo them, we can only regret them. Even if we wish, we cannot start all over again.
Stanzas Explanation
• Stanza 1: On the road of life, the speaker arrives at a point where he must decide which of two equally appealing choices is the better one. He examines one choice as best he can, but the future prevents him from seeing where it leads.
• Stanza 2: The speaker selects the road that appears at first glance to be less worn and therefore less traveled. This selection suggests that he has an independent spirit and does not wish to follow the crowd. After a moment, he concludes that both roads are about equally worn.
• Stanza 3: Leaves cover both roads equally. No one on this morning has yet taken either road, for the leaves lie undisturbed. The speaker remains committed to his decision to take the road he had previously selected, saying that he will save the other road for another day. He observes, however, that he probably will never pass this way again and thus will never have an opportunity to take the other road.
• Stanza 4: In years to come, the speaker says, he will be telling others about the choice he made. While doing so, he will sigh either with relief that he made the right choice or with regret that he made the wrong choice. Whether right or wrong, the choice will have had a significant impact on his life.
The Road Not Taken Questions And Answers
The Road Not Taken : Short Questions and Answers
1.Describe the two roads that the author comes across.
Ans. The author comes across a fork in his travel. He stands and looks at the both roads which are equally lay with grass. One was much traveled and the other was less traveled.
2. Which road does the speaker choose? Why?
Ans. The speaker has chosen the road less traveled. Because there may be two reasons. One is that he has left the other road for another day anticipating that he may come back in future and the other is that he wants to prove his adventurous nature and to show the world that his brave decision has led to the success attained by him.
3.Which road would you choose? why?
Ans. I would choose the road less travelled. Because, the entire wold is running on a theme ‘me’. If I follow somebody’s footsteps,I cannot be identified as an individual.The life is too short ,whether you choose or do not choose,you must die.I don’t want to die as unrecognized fearing the short ditches on my way.
‘Face the problem, become tough, reach destination’ is my philosophy.
4. Does the poet seem happy about his decision?
Ans. No, He is not happy about his decision. Because the title is “The Road not taken” not “The Road Less Traveled”. Though the last word of the poem ‘difference’ suggests a positive note/ expression, the word is said with deep grief, according to the word ‘sigh’ used in the first line of the stanza.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. What is the theme of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’?
Ans. The regret in life when we do not make the right decision. Life is full of challenges and difficult decisions have to be made on which depends our future life and success. When even this happens and we make a choice out of many or two then the choices or choice not made keeps haunting us making us ponder what could have happened if we had made that choice which we did not, if we had taken that road, which we did not take.
- Which road does the poet choose? Why? Is he happy about his decision?
Ans.He chose the road not frequented, which had not been trodden so far; reflecting and arguing with himself that maybe some day he would come back, find that road and walk on it. But somewhere in his mind he is troubled with the thought that maybe he would not be able to do so. Life does not deal in rewinding and coming back to end one’s decisions or undo mistakes. We have to continue with the decision we once make whatever the outcome. - Why was it so difficult for the poet to make a decision? Give reasons.
Ans.It was difficult for the poet to make a decision as he had no idea what any of them had in store for him. He was at a difficult time in his life, to remain in USA where he was not given recognition or to migrate to England. Only the future could tell. It was like taking a leap in the dark. Who could tell its result? It was difficult to say how he would be received in England as his experience of his birthplace USA was bitter. - What is the moral presented by the poet in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’?
Ans.This is an inspirational poem and quite tricky, according to Robert Frost himself. The poem presents an antithesis. The traveller comes to a fork and wishes to take both, which is impossible. One of the roads is described as /;[[ grassy and ‘wanting wear’, then he says that both the roads look the same. This represents the eternal dilemma of man : he finds the grass greener always on the other side. This poem is a call for the reader to forge his or her way in life and not follow the path that others have taken. This poem encourages self-reliance, reinforces the power of independent thinking and sticking to one’s decisions. The poet does not moralise about choice, he simply says that choice is inevitable and you will never know till you have lived the ‘difference’. So there is nothing right or wrong about a choice, it is all relative. Whatever direction one takes one must pack it with determination and zest for one can never turn the clock back, or relive that moment. - As the poet who took the road not taken by many people, write a letter to your friend stating how “it has made all the difference”. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]
Ans:Dear Smith,
As you know that I have established myself as a poet but this journey of life had not been very simple. I must tell you about the day when I was facing a dilemma to choose between the two roads to walk upon and I chose the one which was less frequented, leaving the first one for some other day. I knew fully well that I will not get a chance to go back to it. Now I wish I had taken the first road. But friend, this is the irony of life, we cannot travel on all the available roads, no matter howsoever we wish to. The basic thing is to make right choice because after that we can’t undo them. It is only the future that will reveal whether our decision was right or wrong. Since I took the road less travelled by, it has made all the difference—The outcome is known to you. Rest in next letter.
Yours
Robert Frost - Describe the two roads the author finds.
Ans.One day during his walk, the poet reached a point of bifurcation. There were two roads and he had to take only one. He stood there surveying the pros and cons and looks at both the roads with great care. The poet looked at the road, as far his eyes could see till it bent in the undergrowth. He saw that the other road was more grassy and needed to be travelled upon. But when he had gone a little ahead, he saw that the other road was also grassy.
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