JUSTIN HO
LITERATURE SAMPLE PAPER
Questions & Suggested Answers
Made using Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken".
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
By Robert Frost
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 travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(i) How does the poet vividly portray the speaker’s feelings and thoughts towards his choice in The Road Not Taken?
(ii) What impressions does the poem give you regarding the theme of choice?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
In general, this poem has a myriad of evidence that can be interpreted in many different ways. Candidates need not make judicious use of everything present, but do need to select evidence that is crucial to their interpretation of the poem. It would also be ideal not to re-use evidence unless they can be seen in a different light in conjunction with other pieces of evidence or textual characteristics. Having a greater focus on part (ii) over part (i) would be acceptable for this question as part (ii) opens up more avenues for greater depth.
Part (i)
DICTION - APPREHENSIVENESS
The poet's usage of the word "and" suggests that the speaker had doubts regarding the confirmation of his decision. The continuous repetition of this word further exemplifies the extreme extent to which the poet felt apprehension.
The poet also portrays the speaker to be "sorry" that he "could not travel both". The usage of the word "sorry" suggests that the poet felt regret at having to choose between the choices presented to him, vividly displaying his unwillingness to make that very decision.
The poet also describes the speaker having said that "[he] shall be telling [his choice] with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence". The usage of the word "shall" and "sigh" here implies the extreme certainty with which the speaker believes that he would regret his choice, further conveying how the speaker lacks confidence in his decision.
The poet describes the two paths as "[being worn] really about the same". This implies that the speaker perceived the two choices presented to him appearing to be similar, suggesting his inability to rationalise choosing one option over the other.
Furthermore, he describes them to "[be] just as fair". This further supports how the speaker is unable to perceive any noticeable differences between the two options, solidifying the speaker's apprehensiveness towards his decision.
IMAGERY - UNCERTAINTY
The poet describes the speaker as being in a "yellow wood". The visual image of the woods being yellow has a connotation of distress as the colour yellow is consistently associated with alarm. This vividly conveys the extent to which the poet is at a loss.
The poet described the path as being "bent in the undergrowth". The visual image of the path being covered by the undergrowth vividly conveys the large extent to which the speaker is unable to determine the consequences of his decision.
The poet describes the speaker as making this observation only after he had looked "as far as he could". The kinesthetic image of the speaker "looking as far as he could" further suggests that the speaker had put in extreme amounts of effort in determining where his potential choice would lead to. With the speaker unable to see where the path led to in spite of his immense efforts, the large degree to which the speaker is unable to reliably obtain knowledge of the consequences to his actions is emphasised.
The poet describes the paths as having "leaves no step had trodden black". This visual image of untouched leaves further suggests the large extent to which the speaker lacks information to make his decision with.
STRUCTURE - HESITATION
The poet consistently makes use of end-stopped lines. This is reminiscent of how one repeatedly pauses to evaluate their decision before confirming it, suggesting the large extent to which the speaker is hesitant about his choice.
The poet makes use of an end rhyme in lines 1 and 3 through the words "wood" and "stood". This further emphasises upon the intense extent to which the speaker thought about his decision, further exemplifying the speakers' hesitation.
(More specific literary devices/forms of imagery and other thoughts/feelings are accepted as long as they are supported by sufficient evidence.)