Question

'The Road Not Taken' is a biographical poem. Therefore, some personal
biographical information is relevant for the deeper understanding of the poem
we have read. Go to www.encarta.com and complete the following worksheet
about Robert Frost.
a) What "momentous decision" was made by Frost in 1912?
b) How old was he when took that decision?
c) Why was it so difficult to take that decision? Think and give more than one reason.
d) Was the "road" taken by Frost an easy one "to travel"?
e) Do you think he wrote "The Road Not Taken" before sailing from the USA to
England or after? Can you quote a line or two from the poem that can support your
answer?
f) Do you think Frost finally became popular in America as a poet?

Answer 1

(a) Frost made the momentous decision of going to England from America.
(b) He was 38 when he made that momentous decision.
(c) It was quite difficult to take that decision because:

• He was leaving the country of his birth and going to a foreign country.
• He was risking to adopt a profession that was not very rewarding.
• He had to sell his property to go there.

(d) No, the road was not easy to travel.
(e) I think Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken’ after sailing from the USA to England. The lines that prove this point are: ‘I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence.’
(f) Robert Frost became very popular in the USA. He was widely read and appreciated as a poet in his lifetime.