Where is the poet standing at the beginning of the poem and who is he with? (Stanza 1)
What decision does the poet have to make? (Stanza 2)
The poet is the first person to have arrived at this place in some time. How do we know this? (Stanza 2/3)
The poet sums up his thoughts in the final two lines. What are his thoughts, in your opinion, and how do they relate to the title of the poem?
Did the poet’s letter (pp. 296/297) help or hinder your reading of the poem?
Challenge Yourself
1. The poem can be read on two levels – literally and figuratively. Literally this poem is about deciding which road to walk down in a wood. What is the figurative meaning of the poem, in your opinion?
2. Some literary critics have said that the theme of the poem is carpe diem (Latin for ‘seize the day’). Do you agree with this assessment of the poem?
CREATE
W7.4
Choose your favourite image from the poem and, using the ‘Poetry in Pictures Poster’, draw it or find an image from a magazine/website to represent how you imagine the scene. You must also include a quote from the poem that explains your image choice.
RHYMING SCHEME
Work out the rhyming scheme of the poem. You can do this by noting the sound of the last word in every line and assigning it a letter: wood = a; both = b, stood = a, etc.).
n
Learn another poem you have now studied in this collection off by heart and recite it for a classmate or your teacher. You might like to look up how it has been read by others, especially if there is a recording by the poet themselves.
