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Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

      

Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

The road not taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both .
And be on 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.
(Robert Frost)

(a) What is the poem about? (4 marks)

(b) Identify and explain any two used in the poem. (4 marks)

(c) Explain the meaning of the following lines (6 marks

i) Because it was grassy and wanted wear',
ii) Oh, I kept the first for another day!'
iii) 'And that has made all the difference'

d) The title, of the poem can be interpreted in two different ways. Give the two possible illustrations. (4 marks)

  

Answers


Martin
The Road not taken

a) Either: the poem is not about making choices/decisions. It is irresponsible in life
to have everything that seems desirable.

- What we chose influences out destiny.
- In choosing one thing, we forge something else.
- And that once a choice is made you have to learn to live with its consequences/outcome/result/eventualities.
Or (literal/surface meaning)
- The road/path in which he is traveling dirges/folks into equally attractive, thereby forcing the traveler to select one of them.
- The persona hopes to explore the road not taken (by him) in future but he knows that it could be impossible to do so.
- He regrets the fact that making the choice one way or the other limits the persona’s freedom and as it were closes the door on the other choice

b) Symbolism/allegory

….. road/path/way = option or choices
…..Yellow wood =unknown, yet to be uncovered through exploration.
……Undergrowth = confusion/indecision/obstacles to be overcome.

Personification

….Road/path seen as having the better claim a road an inanimate object but described in human term as influencing the choice of the persona.

Contrast

--- Two roads, one not traveled and other well traveled on. This indicates the difficulty in making choices in life.

Repetition

Two roads, 'I'and the word 'and' _______ emphasize the difficulty in making a choice + ages/ ages, way /way.
Rhyme
______ 'Would' -stood' – create rhythm/ makes the poem interesting/memorable /musical.
(Candidate should first identify, the explain what has been identified)

c) i) The road not well trodden/used.

It needed someone to walk on it/ clean it.

Or

It was more challenging/difficult option to take/

It seemed less popular/people avoided it

ii) The persona means that he did not select the first alternative but he hope to explore it in future

iii) The road taken (1 mark) has led /has determined the destination of the persona

Or

The choice made has forever determined his destiny/fate/hopefully for the better
d) ----The title may be alluding to the road/option that the persona did not take (1 mark) but which seems to have been taken by many 1 mark

---- The title may be alluding to the road/ option that the persona took (1 mark) but which is not taken by many --- the biblical allusion

marto answered the question on April 2, 2019 at 09:16


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