- 1. The Road not Taken Robert Lee Frost March 26, 1874 January
29, 1963
2. 3. The Road not Taken
- 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; 5
4.
- 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,10
5.
- 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.15
6.
- 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 traveled by,
- And that has made all the difference .20
7. 8. to diverge 9. to doubt 10. hence 11. sigh 12. undergrowth
13. to diverge 14. to doubt 15. hence 16. sigh 17. undergrowth 18.
19. 20. 21. 22. 23. to diverge 24. to doubt 25. hence 26. sigh 27.
undergrowth 28. yellow wood leaves turn yellow in autumn fair
beautiful claim argument grassyand wanted wear overgrown and unused
the passing there the number of people who had taken that road no
step had trodden back stepping on leaves they turn black ages and
ages a very long time 29. How do we go about breaking thepoetic
code ?
- By Looking at Robert Frosts choice of words we get a clue as to
what the poet is saying.
30.
- Tworoad s divergedinayellow wood
- And sorryIcould not travelboth
- And beonetraveler, longIstood
- And looked downoneas far asIcould
- To where it bent in the undergrowth;
- Then tookthe other , as just as fair
- And having perhaps the bett erclaim,
- Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
- Though as for that, the passing there
- Had wornthemreally about the same.
- Andboththat morningequallylay
- In leaves no step had trodden black.
- Oh,Ikept the first foranotherday!
- Yet knowing howway leads on to way ,
- Idoubted ifIshould ever come back.
- Ishall be telling this with a sigh
- Somewhere ages and ages hence:
- Tworoad s divergedinawood, andI
- Itook theoneless traveled by,
- And that has made all the difference.
31. system of systems
- one person has two choices
32.
- travel /being a traveller
- What are possible connotations of
33.
- How does he reach his decision?
- Which words evoke his emotions?
- Was the decision difficult?
34.
- Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
- AndsorryI 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
35.
- And havingperhapsthe better claim,
- Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
- Though as for that , the passing there
- Had worn themreally about the same .
- Andboththat morningequallylay
- In leaves no step had trodden black.
36.
- Look at the words in red and try to find the common
denominator, we can establish that the speaker spent some time
trying to make up his mind (long I stood) and that he underwent a
process of considering the pros and cons.
- The decision was hard because there was really wasn't much to
choose between the two roads. They both attracted him but the
(later) "less travelled by" road was the one he chose.
37. Universal Themes
- The idea of man traveling through life which is a series of
roads and crossroads.
- People make decisions along the way which may be very
difficult.
- One can never see into the future (the bend in the road the
undergrowth)
- The decisions are irreversible (way leads on to way)
38. Robert Frost on his own poetry:
- "One stanza of 'The Road Not Taken' was written while I was
sitting on a sofa in the middle of England: Was found three or four
years later, and I couldn't bear not to finish it. I wasn't
thinking about myself there, but about a friend who had gone off to
war, a person who, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn't
go the other. He was hard on himself that way."
- Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, 23 Aug. 1953
39.