Literature

Communication Skills

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow woodAnd sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fairAnd 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,

And both that morning equally layIn 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 sighSomewhere 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.

Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)

Robert Lee Frost 

• Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California, to journalist William Prescott Frost, Jr., and Isabelle Moodie.

• Frost graduated from Lawrence High School in 1892.

• In 1894 he sold his first poem, "My Butterfly. An Elegy" (published in the November 8, 1894, edition of the New York Independent) for $15 ($409 today). 

Robert Lee Frost 

• One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

• He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution." 

• He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetical works.

Summary

Stanza 1

• On the road of life, the speaker arrives at a point where he must decide which of two equally appealing (or equally intimidating) choices is the better one. He examines one choice as best he can, but the future prevents him from seeing where it leads. 

Stanza 2

• The speaker selects the road that appears at first glance to be less worn and therefore less traveled.

• This selection suggests that he has an independent spirit and does not wish to follow the crowd.

• After a moment, he concludes that both roads are about equally worn. 

Stanza 3

• Leaves cover both roads equally. No one on this morning has yet taken either road, for the leaves lie undisturbed.

• The speaker remains committed to his decision to take the road he had previously selected, saying that he will save the other road for another day. He observes, however, that he probably will never pass this way again and thus will never have an opportunity to take the other road. 

Stanza 4

• In years to come, the speaker says, he will be telling others about the choice he made. While doing so, he will sigh either with relief that he made the right choice or with regret that he made the wrong choice.

• Whether right or wrong, the choice will have had a significant impact on his life. 

Conclusion• The road beyond the bend may represent the future or the

unknown, neither of which can be perceived. 

• Here, Frost uses personification, saying that the road has a claim. 

• Personification occurs here also if wanted means desired.

• No personification occurs, however, if wanted means lacked. 

• Sigh can indicate relief or happiness, or it can indicate regret or sorrow.

• The interpretation of its meaning is up to the reader.

Prepared By…‘KIZER GROUP’

• Akash Ambaliya (Roll no.-2)

• Jay Chhatraliya (Roll no.-28)

• Brijesh Daraniya (Roll no.-31)

• Gol Gopal (Roll no.-51)

• Parag Hinsu (Roll no.-56)

Thank You…