‘The Road Not Taken’ Poem

Study the poem below carefully and answer the questions that follow.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, 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 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.

Questions

• (a)    What is the poem about? (3marks)
• (b)    In what situation does the persona find himself, in the first stanza? (2marks)
• (c)    How does the persona react, in the third stanza, to his situation in (a)   (2marks)
• (d)    Identify two images in the poem and discuss their suitability.(4marks)       
• (e)    The poem takes the form of a narrative. What is the significance of this in delivering the message in the poem?  (3marks)
• (f)    Comment on the fate of the traveler  (2marks)
• (g)    Describe the tone used in the last stanza  (2marks)
• (h)    Explain the meaning of each of the following lines:
  • (i)     Because it was grassy and wanted to wear    (1marks)
  • (ii)    “I took the one less traveled by”   (1mk)