The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost
Background
Robert Frost was an American Poet, born in 1874, whose work was first published in England in 1912. He returned to the United States in 1915 and within 5 years, he was the most celebrated poet in America. He won several awards and prizes, including 4 Pulitzer prizes, an American award honouring journalism, poetry, literature and other art forms. He wrote poetry and taught until his death in 1962.
The Road Not Taken is largely regarded as one of his most famous poems, and is also one of the most controversial! Many people argue over the meaning of this poem. Dive in, and make up your own mind. Use the notes at the end to decipher any unfamiliar words you come across. If you would like to annotate your poem, download the Word version below:
the_road_not_taken.docx |
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;
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,
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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Notes:
diverged: branched off; moved in a different direction
undergrowth: small trees and plants growing beneath larger trees
fair: promising; favorable
claim: demand or right
trodden: walked on
hence: from this time
Activity 1: Paraphrase:
Download the activity below to complete it on your device in Word.
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 the 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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Notes:
diverged: branched off; moved in a different direction
undergrowth: small trees and plants growing beneath larger trees
fair: promising; favorable
claim: demand or right
trodden: walked on
hence: from this time
Activity 1: Paraphrase:
Download the activity below to complete it on your device in Word.
road_not_taken_paraphrase.docx |
Activity 2: Comprehension
Complete the following questions to examine the poem more closely. You can download them below if you prefer to type your responses.
road_not_taken_qus.docx |
Activity 3: Discussion
In your groups, discuss the difference between the following two titles:
The Road Not Taken, and The Road Less Travelled.
Think carefully about the meanings of the two, what do you think they could refer to? How do they differ?
In your groups, discuss the difference between the following two titles:
The Road Not Taken, and The Road Less Travelled.
Think carefully about the meanings of the two, what do you think they could refer to? How do they differ?