The road not taken Questions and Answers(Unit 1 : Poetry for values and ethics) FY B.COM Orient blackSwan

The road not taken

COMPREHENSION

Q I Read the following lines and answer the questions given below.

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.

a) What emotions might the ‘sigh’ suggest? Do you think the poet is happy or sad when recounting his choice?

ANS – The word sigh might suggest range of emotions including sadness, relief, resignation, disappointment, longing, regret, etc.

I don’t think that the poet regrets upon the path he has chosen. It has not clearly mentioned in the poem whether he feels happy or sad.

But definitely he feels sad that he could not take another path which he kept for future. He couldn’t come back that’s why he felt sad for.

b) Do you think it was easy for the poet to choose the road ‘less travelled by’?

ANS – It was not easy for the poet to choose the road less travelled by because he stood at the point of diversion for so long. He was confused as he was unable to choose the right one. He was willing to travel on both the roads but practically It was not possible.

c) What do you think the poet means by ‘All the difference’?

ANS – All the difference refers to the impact of the decision made by the poet. And the poet is very delighted that his decision has influenced his life in a positive way. He took the rare path which changed his life completely. All the difference is probably the degree of success which he has achieved & the amount of happiness & fulfillment he felt by travelling the less trodden road.

Q II. Answer the following questions in a sentence each.

a) What is the conflict the poet faces?

ANS – The poet is confused about the path that he should choose.

b) Describe the setting of the poem.

ANS – The poem takes place at in the Yellow wood with a place where two roads diverged in the autumn after the leaves have began to change colour & fall.

c) Why does the poet say that the second road had the ‘better claim’?

ANS – The poet says so because the road was grassy and had not worn off due to travelers as it was less travelled by.

Q III. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each.

a) How does the poet come to a decision as to which road to take?

ANS – The poet introspected both the roads. The poet thought that the other road had better claim as it was grassy and was needed to be used. The poet wanted to explore the unexplored. Perhaps that’s the reason that he chose the road less travelled by. The poet felt sorry that he could not travel on both roads. He felt that the less travelled road has a better claim on him.

b) What words does the poet use to allow us to share the traveller’s experience?

ANS – The words used by the poet which allow us to share the traveller’s experience are:

Two roads diverged in

Sorry, I could not travel both

Be one traveller,

I kept the first for another day

Other having the better claim

I doubted if I should ever come back

I took the one less travelled by – & That has made all the difference

These are the words which describe the traveller’s thoughts and feelings.

c) Carefully examine the last stanza and explain what the speaker means by the line ‘somewhere ages and ages hence’?

ANS – The speaker means by the line ‘Somewhere ages and ages hence’ that after many many years in the future he would tell his experience of making a different choice i.e taking a road less travelled by. He imagines that he would be delighted to tell that his decision has made all the difference in his life.

This line is the speaker’s imagination of future.

Q-IV Answer the following in about 150 words each.

a) What do the two roads symbolise? Based on your interpretation, why does the traveller chose the road not taken?

ANS – The two roads in the poem symbolize the choices people make in the life. There are many instances where people have to make choices between different paths in life, knowing that the decision is irrevocable. These diverging roads symbolize choices in life where one must choose a path without knowing where it will lead.

The poet was at the crossroads where the two roads diverged into the woods. He wanted to take both the paths but he had no choice but to take one. So he kept the first for another day. The speaker took the second path.

The reason why the poet wanted to take the road less travelled by is that he wanted to follow his heart even if the path is seemingly unconventional. The poet wanted to make a difference in his life by taking the path less travelled by. He wanted to explore the unexplored. He wanted to face the challenges. He wanted to try those things which was were not tried by anyone else.

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

ANS – The nature has played a very important role in the poem. Nature’s setting has helped the speaker to express his thoughts & convey his message. The traveller in this poem is experiencing an internal conflict. He got two choices in his life and had to choose one. And  the poet tries to explain this situation with nature’s setting. The Yellow wood where the traveller is stuck at the crossroads is the point at which the two roads diverge. The one is less travelled is travelled by many and the other is less travelled (of the two the traveller decides to choose the road less travelled by.)

These diverging roads symbolize choices in life where one must choose a path without knowing where it will lead.

The nature’s scenery reflects and is deeply interwined with  the inner conflict of the poet. The poet says that both the roads are equally same i.e. both the roads equally lay in leaves and no steps had  trodden black. It implies that both the choices seems workable or feasible and he could not determine the better option. The roads reflects the complexity of choices. It creates confusion. The same happens with life choices. It becomes difficult to choose any one choice without knowing the result.

The peacefulness of the woods contrasts with the seriousness of the decision.

c) There is a spirit of regret and longing in the poem. Discuss.

ANS – The poem ‘The road not taken’ is about the choices we make in our life. The paths that diverge into the woods are used as metaphor which represents the life’s choices.

Between the both choices, the poet decides to choose the less travelled road. Due to the decision which is irreversible the poet is experiencing the feeling of regret & longing.

There is a spirit of regret because the poet had to choose only one path & he was doubtful that if he could ever come back. He regrets that he couldn’t explore the both paths. He regrets that he has lost the experiences and opportunities which the another path would have offered.

There is a spirit of longing in the poem also because he always wished to travel the both paths. He wanted to experience the life if he might have led had he taken the other path. He always wonders what would have had happened and wanted to know how the life would have been if he had taken the another path.

Although the poet is satisfied with his decision but still feels there are moments when he regrets for his decision and is longing to explore the unexplored.