The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost) -Poem#01

The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Comprehension Questions

1. What is the initial conflict in the poem and how does the traveller come to a decision about what to do?

2. Describe the setting of the poem. What words does the poet use to allow us to share the traveller’s experience?

3. Carefully examine the last stanza and explain what the speaker means by the line ‘Somewhere Ages and ages hence’.

4. What do the two roads symbolize? Based on your interpretation, why does the traveller choose the road not taken?

5. How vital a role does nature play in the poem? Does Frost use nature to add to the conflict the traveller faces?

6. According to you, what does the speaker mean by the last line of the poem?

7. ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way’ is a comment about the nature of a person’s life. Elaborate

8. There is spirit of regret and longing in the poem. Discuss