THE ROAD NOT

TAKEN
ROBERT
FROST
At the end of this
lesson, the students
must be able to:
• identify and explain
the use of setting
and symbolism in “The
Road Not Taken”;
• predict a poem’s theme
by reading its title;
and
• apply the meaning of
“The Road Not Taken” to
their own lives.

• identify and explain the

use of setting and
symbolism in “The Road
Not Taken”;
 MOTIVATION!
● What are some choices that you have had to
make today?
● Describe a decision you have made that has
had an important impact on your life. It
may be a major or minor decision.

● Are you happy with the path you are in

right now?
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
 • (March 26, 1874 –
January 29, 1963) was
an American poet. His
work was initially
published in England
before it was
published in America.
He is highly regarded
for his realistic
depictions of rural
life and his command
Robert Lee Frost of American colloquial
speech.
 • 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.

Robert Lee Frost

 10 FACTS ABOUT ROBERT FROST

○ HE WAS NAMED AFTER CONFEDERATE GENERAL

ROBERT E. LEE

○ HE WAS A COLLEGE DROPOUT—TWICE OVER.

○ HE MADE $15 FROM THE SALE OF HIS FIRST

POEM.
 10 FACTS ABOUT ROBERT FROST

○ HE BELIEVED “THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” WAS VERY

MISUNDERSTOOD.

○ HE WAS THE FIRST POET TO READ AT A

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION.

○ HE OUTLIVED FOUR OF HIS SIX CHILDREN.

 10 FACTS ABOUT ROBERT FROST

○ HE WASN’T MUCH OF A FARMER, ACCORDING TO

HIS NEIGHBORS.

○ HE INSPIRED GEORGE R.R. MARTIN.

○ NO ONE HAS MATCHED HIS PULITZER PRIZE

RECORD.
 10 FACTS ABOUT ROBERT FROST

○ HIS EPITAPH IS TAKEN FROM ONE OF HIS

POEMS.
THE ROAD
NOT TAKEN
-ROBERT LEE FROST
 NARRATIVE POEM
A narrative poem is a longer form of
poetry that tells an entire story,
with a beginning, middle, and end.
Narrative poems contain all of the
elements of a fully developed story,
including characters, plot, conflict,
and resolution.
 DESCRIPTION OF THE TITLE
○ ‘The road’ is the symbol of the choice
made by us in life. Many times, we regret
the choice we make but what is done once
cannot be undone.

○ The word "road" not only means "way", it

also means "journey" or a "stage of
journey".
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Two roads diverged in Then took the other,
a yellow wood, as just as fair,
And sorry I could not And having perhaps
travel both the better claim,
And be one traveler, Because it was grassy
long I stood and wanted wear;
And looked down one Though as for that
as far as I could the passing there
To where it bent in Had worn them really
the undergrowth; about the same,
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
And both that morning I shall be telling
equally lay this with a sigh
In leaves no step had Somewhere ages and
trodden black. ages hence:
Oh, I kept the first Two roads diverged in
for another day! a wood, and I—
Yet knowing how way I took the one less
leads on to way, traveled by,
I doubted if I should And that has made all
ever come back. the difference.
 SUMMARY OF THE POEM
○ This poem talks about the choices one has
to make in life and their consequences.
One day while walking in a wooded area
full of trees, the poet comes to a place
where he has to decide which road he
should take.
 SUMMARY OF THE POEM
○ He starts debating over the choices as he
realizes he cannot walk on both. However
he decides to take the second path with
the intention of travelling on the first
some other time in future
 ANALYSIS
• "The Road Not Taken" is an ambiguous
poem that allows the reader to think
about choices in life, whether to go
with the mainstream or go it alone. If
life is a journey, this poem
highlights those times in life when a
decision has to be made. Which way
will you go?
 ANALYSIS OF
LITERARY DEVICES
IN “THE ROAD
NOT TAKEN”
 METAPHOR
● There are many metaphors in the poem like
road, fork in the road and yellowwoods.
The road in the poem is the metaphor of
life, while the fork on the road
metaphorically represents the choices we
make to determine the course of our
lives.
 METAPHOR
● Similarly, yellow woods are the metaphor
of making decisions during the hard times
of a person’s life. These metaphors used
in this poem emphasize the importance of
different decisions we make in different
situations and their impacts on our
lives.
 IMAGERY
● Imagery is used to make the readers
feel things through their five senses.
The poet has used images of the sense
of sights such as leaves, yellow woods
and grass. These images help readers to
actually perceive things they are
reading. The image of the road helps
readers to visualize the road providing
a navigation route to the traveler.
 SIMILE
● A simile is a device used to compare
things with familiar things to let the
readers know it easily. There is one
simile used in the second stanza such
as “as just as fair”. It shows how the
poet has linked the road less taken to
the easy way through life.
 ASSONANCE
● Assonance is the repetition of vowel
sounds such as the sound of /a/ and /o/
in quick succession in “though as far
that the passing” and in “Somewhere
ages and ages hence.”
 CONSONANCE
● Consonance is the repetition of
consonant sounds such as /d/ in “two
roads diverging in a yellow wood” and
/t/ sound in “though as far as the
passing there.”
 PERSONIFICATION
● Robert Frost has personified road in
the third line of the second stanza.
Here, it is stated “Because it was
grassy and wanted wear” as if the road
is human, and that it wants to wear and
tear.
 ANALYSIS OF
POETIC DEVICES
IN “THE ROAD
NOT TAKEN”
 STANZA
● A stanza is a poetic form of a fixed
number of lines. In this poem, there
are four stanzas with each stanza
having five verses or lines.
 QUINTAIN
● A quintain is a five-lined stanza
borrowed from Medieval French Poetry.
Here, each stanza is a quintain such as
the first one or the second one.
 RHYME SCHEME
● The whole poem follows ABAAB rhyme
scheme. There are four beats per line,
employing iambic tetrameter. The rhymes
in “The Road Not Taken” are end rhymes
which are also perfect rhymes.
 TROCHEE
● Trochee means there is a one stressed
and one unstressed syllable in a line
such as “Two roads diverged in a yellow
wood.”
LET’S TEST
YOUR
SKILLS!
 QUESTION 1
THE POEM REGRETS THAT:
a. He could not travel on both the roads
simultaneously
b. He has become old
c. The roads are covered with thick
undergrowth
d. The paths are not clearly visible
 QUESTION 2
The poet finally chooses the road:
a. Which has been travelled by many
b. Which looks more attractive
c. Which very few trodden on
d. Which has less grass
 QUESTION 3
What poetic devices did Frost used in his
poem?
a. Trochee, Apostrophe, Conceit
b. Quintain, Trochee, Stanza
c. Rhyme Scheme, Synecdoche, Repetition
d. Alliteration, Consonance, Euphony
 QUESTION 4
The poet stood at the intersection of?
a. Autumn Road
b. Crossroads
c. Two Roads
d. Three Roads
 QUESTION 5
The poet felt sorry because...
a. He could not see the road well.
b. He could not travel on both roads.
c. He did not know the direction.
d. He felt scared not he’ll fail while
taking the road.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
● https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Road-Not-Taken
● https://www.slideshare.net/arpanboss5/the-road-not-taken-by-robert-
frost-powerpoint-presentation-with-interactive-quiz-type-of-slides
● https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken
● https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/89511/robert-frost-the-
road-not-taken
● https://literarydevices.net/the-road-not-taken/
● https://www.ulethbridge.ca/sites/default/files/The%20Road%20Not%20Ta
ken%20-%20Larissa%20Polowick%20-%20Lesson%20Plan%2010-1_0.pdf