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.
To find all the places where the word "I" is repeated in the poem, you would need to read back through the poem and identify each instance. Here are all the lines where the word "I" is used:
- Line 3: "And sorry I could not travel both"
- Line 5: "And be one traveler, long I stood"
- Line 7: "And looked down one as far as I could"
- Line 9: "To where it bent in the undergrowth"
- Line 12: "Then took the other, as just as fair"
- Line 14: "Because it was grassy and wanted wear"
- Line 16: "Though as for that the passing there"
- Line 18: "Had worn them really about the same"
- Line 20: "And both that morning equally lay"
- Line 22: "Oh, I kept the first for another day!"
- Line 24: "Yet knowing how way leads on to way"
- Line 26: "I doubted if I should ever come back"
- Line 28: "I shall be telling this with a sigh"
- Line 30: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—"
- Line 31: "I took the one less traveled by"
- Line 32: "And that has made all the difference"
Now that we have all the instances of the word "I" identified, we can analyze the significance of this repetition. The repetition of the word "I" emphasizes the personal perspective and individual agency of the speaker throughout the poem. It highlights the speaker's personal struggle, decision-making process, and the consequences of their choices. By repeating the word "I," the poem emphasizes the role of the individual and the personal significance of the choices made. Therefore, the correct answer is:
C. The repetition stresses the personal struggle in making a decision.