Page 105 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“The Road Not Taken”
by Robert Frost, page 84

Vocabulary
diverged – went in different directions; forked
trodden – stamped down
hence – from this time

1. Read the poem carefully, then describe the two roads and explain whether or not they are
very different from one another.

The roads are not very different from one another. Both are “worn really about the same”
and, when the speaker arrives at them, neither one is freshly trodden. The speaker also
describes the second road as “just as fair” as the first.

2. Was the speaker at all interested in taking the road he did not end up choosing?

Yes; the speaker was “sorry [he] could not travel both” and “kept the first for another
day.”

3. Why do you think the speaker will be telling this tale “with a sigh” later in life?

Answers may vary. Example: The speaker will sigh because he was forced by circumstance
to choose one road over another; he regrets it now and will always regret not being able to
take both.

4. Why is the poem called “The Road Not Taken” instead of “The Road Less Traveled”?

The poem, often misread as inspirational verse, is about the fact that each choice made
entails leaving another choice behind. The road he did not take occupies the speaker’s
mind—simply because he did not take it. He may wonder what difference the road not
taken would have made in his life had he chosen it instead.

5. How would you describe the tone of this poem?

Answers may vary. Example: The tone is one of resignation and an awareness of the
possibility of regret.

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