PART 2

Q1: What does “undergrowth” mean?

A1: It means the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest.

Q2: What does “claim” mean?

A2: It means an assertion of a right.

Q3: What’s the rhyme scheme of this poem?

A3: The scheme is “abaab”.

Q4: How do you understand the word “sigh”? Is it a kind of nostalgic relief or regret?

A4: The word “sigh” is a tricky word. Because sigh can be interpreted into nostalgic relief or regret. If it is the relief sigh, then the difference means the speaker feels glad with the road he took. If it is the regret sigh, then the difference would not be good, and the speaker would be sighing in regret. Hence, sigh is ambiguous here for the speaker is not showing whether his choice is right or wrong.

Q5: What might the two roads stand for in the speaker’s mind?

A5: Clearly this poem is endowed with abundant symbolic meanings. In the speaker’s mind, the two roads not only refer to the real roads he has to take while walking in the yellow wood, more significantly, it means two different ways of life when one hesitates before the life’s crossroad. Different choices will lead to different futures. For the poet, it also shows his attitude towards poetry creation. “He prefers to take the less-travelled road” suggests that he doesn’t follow suit but employs the traditional pattern in spite of the influence of modernist innovation.

Q6: Why does Frost himself claim that this is a tricky poem?

A6: Three things make his poem tricky --- the time frame, and the word “sign” and “difference”.

Q7: What does the poet suggest in the last stanza?

A7: The poet wants to tell people that everyone will face countless choices in life. And every decision will have different effect. How a person spends his life depends on what choice he has made while facing the choices.

Q8: What does the poet want to convey in this poem?

A8: The poet wants to use the two roads to symbolize the crossroads in life. And to enlighten the reader to have a right and regretless choice.

Q9: What is the theme of this poem?

A9: Traditionally, this poem has been understood as an inspirational poem, seeming to encouraging people to be self-reliant and not following where others have led. Actually, it does not moralize about choice, it simply says that choice is inevitable but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it. This is the theme of the poem.

Q10: What’s the language style of Robert Frost?

A10: Frost uses simple language, a graceful style, and traditional forms of poetry. His poetry is characterized by a perfect combination of the traditional poetic forms and American vocabulary and speech rhythms; by a recurrent “persona” (speaker) in the image of a wise countryman. He believes poetry was metaphor. He suggests rather than speakers. He never takes side in face of life’s paradox, leaving the decision to be made by readers themselves.

Q11: What’s the practical significance of this poem?

A11: The poem is inspirational, a paean to individualism and non-conformism. The last line in the poem can be seen as a declaration of the importance of independence and personal freedom. The poem seems to illustrate that once one takes a certain road, there is no turning back. Although one might change paths later on, the past cannot be changed. It can be seen as showing that choice is very important and is a thing to be considered.