The Road Not Taken (class 9)

Introduction to the Poem

In the poem - ‘The Road Not Taken’, the road symbolizes our life. The poet says that the path that we don’t choose in our life is ‘the road not taken’. He describes his feelings about that choice that he had left in the past. The path which we have chosen, decides our future, our destination. The important message that the poet wants to give is that the choice that we make has an impact on our future and if we make a wrong choice, we regret it but cannot go back on it. So, we must be wise while making choices.

Page No: 16 Thinking about the poem

I. 1. Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?

Ans: The traveller finds himself in the yellow woods at a point where the road forks into two.
The problem that he faces is that he cannot decide which road to take to continue his journey since it is not possible for him to travel both roads at the same time.

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2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.

(i) a yellow wood
(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iii) the passing there
(iv) leaves no step had trodden black
(v) how way leads on to way

Ans: (i) Yellow wood symbolises the autumn season. Autumn corresponds with old age. The poet could be symbolically talking about the later stages of life.
(ii) It conveys that the road was full of grass and nobody has used that road. It was a smooth road which had not worn out.
(iii) The use of the path by passersby.
(iv) The leaves had not changed their colour and turned black because of less people stepping on them. It could represent a path one may have never/seldom taken in life for the fear of uncertainty.
(v) This phrase means how certain decisions one makes in life could pave the way for many other decisions.

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3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?

Ans: (i) In stanza two the poet explains that the only difference between the two roads was that the road he took had the right to be chosen (the better claim) because it was covered with grass and looked as if it had not been used too much. Besides this difference, both roads had been equally worn down by passersby travelling on them.
In stanza three the poet says that both the roads were equally covered with leaves and that no person had stepped on.
(ii) In the last two lines of the poem the poet says that there is a difference between the two roads because he took the road that was less travelled by other people and that made all the difference to his journey.

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4. What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, doesthe poet regret his choice or accept it?)

Ans: The last two lines of the poem mean the acceptance of reality. The poet made a choice and accepted the challenging path. He took and unexplored path in his life. He wanted to do something different in his life so he chooses the less travelled road. No he does not regret his choice.