The Road Not Taken summary analysis class 9| Questions and Answers. Here we will explain the poem’s summary, difficult word meanings and the practice questions and their answers.
About the poet: The road not taken summary
This famous American poet, Robert Frost wrote this well known poem “The Road Not Taken. His writings are very simple and lucid. He is known for his realistic depiction of village life. His poems are highly symbolical with deeper meaning. The poem “The Road Not Taken” is a symbolical related to day to day life. In this poem we also find the use of imagery.
Idea of the poem: The road not taken:
The poem has symbolical meanings. The poet talks about the roads which are diverged. And the poet had to choose one road which is very difficult for him to choose as the future depends on it. And how the poet faces the challenges and chooses one path which has changed the entire life of the poet. Here the Main theme of the poem is decision that we take in our life. Once we decide or choose from many options in our life we have to keep going. We cannot go back to the take the path again. So here the poet suggests everyone should take decision very wisely and carefully in life. So that it become worth in our future living.
We can also interpret the poem, as the poet talks about two paths which have the same destination. We all have the same destination to death. These two roads from birth to death. We have two options one is the path of virtue, honesty, truthfulness where less people travels. Another is the path of vices, anger, jealousy, revenge, materialism where the modern world people are more involving themselves. And the poet wants to be the special one who chooses the road which is chosen by less number of people and that has changed the whole life of the poet. And suggest everyone to choose the right path in our life to live our life peacefully and happily.
The road not taken explanation:
Stanza 1: Word meanings
Diverged– Separation, (two roads were separated and went in different ways)
Yellow wood– Jungle (roads were diverged in yellow wood because the leaves on the ground that are yellow in color, it also refers the autumn season)
Undergrowth– means heavy plants or jungle that is grown on the side of the road. (The poet is unable to see the road so far because the undergrowth.)
Explanation of the stanza 1:
The poet says two roads diverged or separated into two different path where the poet stand on the road and thinking which path he had to choose. As he can’t not travel both at the same time because he is a one traveler. It was a difficult task to choose the right path. So he was thinking which one is suitable for him. And he was looking the path to where it is visible; the roads are curved and not visible fully because of the undergrowth (jungle on the side of the road). For better understanding of the poem The road not taken summary read the difficult words meanings also.
Stanza 2: Word meanings-
Fair– means good, (in the poem it indicates that both the roads are equally good, as fair as the other one.)
Perhaps– ‘may be, (the poet was not sure which path will be better for him so he guesses.)
Claim– means good option.
Grassy– means the ground with full of grass. (The roads are grassy means not many people travelled on it.)
Wanted wear– the road which had not been used so far.
Explanation
As the poet was looking the path for a long and he thought about to take one road and took the other one. Which is the right option for him? He felt that the chosen option may be good for him because it was grassy and not been used by many people. After walking few distance, he realized that both roads are equally good (fair). So in our life whatever the options we choose have the same obstacles, difficulties, problems. But we face the challenges in our life and keep moving ahead.
Stanza 3: Word meanings
Trodden– means walked over.
Explanation:
The poet says both the roads ere looks alike; both the paths are similar in that morning. Because both the paths had leave on them, these are green no one had walked on them. So he decides to take the one path and he kept another one for another day. The poet knew that one way leads on to its own way. The poet doubted if he comes back means he cannot go back whatever the choices he had made. In the same way, whatever the decision we make, which option we choose should be wise. We cannot go back in the past and choose it again.
Stanza 4: Word meaning
Sigh– long breath
Hence– here it means in the future.
Explanation of stanza 4:
In this last stanza, the poet say that somewhere in the future he will be telling about this with a great sigh that how he meet two point in life and he had to choose one option between two. And how he chooses the right option right path which travelled less and that had made all the differences in his entire life.
That’s how we can understand the poem, The road not taken summary. For other poem visit daffodils poem by Wordsworth
The road Not Taken summary & questions and answers:
Q No.1: Where does the poet find himself? What problem does he face?
Answer: – The poet finds himself standing on the fork in a road. The problem the poet face is that he has to choose one road between the two roads. As he is a one traveler he cannot travel both. So he looked down and thought for a long which path is suitable for him. It was very difficult for the poet to choose the right path as the future depend on it.
Q No 2: Describe what these phrases mean to you.
a) A yellow wood.
This phrase yellow wood refers to the forest with full of leaves which are yellow in color it also refers to the people in this word who are older than the poet. (Yellow color leaves also indicates the autumn season.)
b) It was grassy and wanted wear.
This phrase means the roads which are grassy because less number of people has travelled on it. It is yet unused and the poet wanted to travel on this path.
c). the passing there.
This means that the poet already had travelled few distances on the road. Then he realized that both the roads were equally about the same.
d) Leaves no step had trodden black.
This phrase means that no one had travelled on the road (no step) because the leaves are still green and fresh. If anybody had been walked over then it would have turned into black.
e) How way leads on to way.
It means that the roads which have chosen from two option. However the situation comes we keep going. It leads to its own way. The chosen path leads on its way.
3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes in stanza 1 and stanza 2.?
a) In stanza two and three.
As the poet described in stanza two that two roads were similar as fair as the other one. Initially, the poet felt that one path is better for him. But after travelling some distance (passing there) he realized that both the paths were same. No one had travelled on it as the fallen leaves were green and fresh no trodden black yet. So he chooses one path and left the other one for another day.
b) In the last two lines of the poem.
In the last two line the poet again says about the two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And how he selects one path which has been travelled by less number of people. And that decision of choosing right path changed the whole life of the poet. If you interested read animal farm by George Orwell 1945.
CONCLUSION
THUS, we can explain The road not taken summary stanza by stanza read here you can interpret the poem The road not taken summary, questions answers of your own.