The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
(1) 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;
(6) 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,
(11) 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.
(16) 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.
The speaker uses the word “I” nine times in the poem. Read back through the poem to find
all of these places. What is the significance of this repetition? (RL5)
A. The repetition stresses the personal confidence that the speaker has in himself throughout
the poem.
B. The repetition stresses the relationship that the speaker has with his natural surroundings.
C. The repetition stresses the personal struggle in making a decision.
D. The repetition stresses the problems that the speaker deals with every day of his/her life
C. The repetition stresses the personal struggle in making a decision.
The correct answer is C. The repetition of the word "I" in the poem stresses the personal struggle in making a decision. Throughout the poem, the speaker reflects on their own individual choices and the impact those choices have had on their life. The repetition of "I" emphasizes the personal responsibility and agency the speaker feels in choosing their path.
To find all the places where the word "I" is repeated, we can simply read back through the poem and look for instances of the word "I". Let's go through the poem:
(1) Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
(3) And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
(4) To where it bent in the undergrowth;
(16) I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
(18) I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
We can see that the word "I" is mentioned five times in total: in lines 3, 4, 16, and twice in line 18.
The significance of this repetition is that it emphasizes the personal struggle and decision-making process of the speaker. The repeated use of "I" highlights the individuality and agency of the speaker, who is faced with a choice between two paths. It underscores the personal responsibility and ownership of the decision made by the speaker.
Therefore, the correct answer is C. The repetition stresses the personal struggle in making a decision.