The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost

Robert Frost is a famous American poet. He is known as a ‘Farm Poet’. His poems are also
beautiful. His famous poems are ‘Mending Wall’, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’
and ‘Birches’.

Robert Frost’sThe Road Not Takenis a beautiful poem about making choices in life. It discusses
the very common situation of coming to the crossroads and not knowing which way to choose.
Like all Frost poems it begins in delight and ends in wisdom.

One morning the poet came to a junction where two roads diverged in a yellow wood. He
stood for a long time there, wondering which way to choose. He was sorry that he could not
travel both roads. After considering the prospects of both roads, he took the second one
because it was grassy and less travelled by. He kept the first road for another day. But he
doubted if he should ever come back because one way leads to another way.

The poem ends quite dramatically when the poet hopes that later in his life he will be able to
say with a sigh of relief that choosing the road less traveled by has made all the difference in
his life. (Or, is it a sigh of dismay? The reader is left to guess for himself.)

Since its publication, many readers have analyzed the poem as a nostalgic commentary on life
choices. The narrator decided to seize the day and express himself as an individual by
choosing the road that was “less traveled by.” As a result of this decision, the narrator claims,
his life was fundamentally different that it would have been had he chosen the more well-
traveled path.

This reading of the poem is extremely popular because every reader can empathize with the
narrator’s decision: having to choose between two paths without having any knowledge of
where each road will lead. Moreover, the narrator’s decision to choose the “less traveled” path
demonstrates his courage. Rather than taking the safe path that others have traveled, the
narrator prefers to make his own way in the world.

On the surface the poem is autobiographical, showing Frost’s bold choice to become a poet. He
had tried his hands at many things and it was later in his life that he achieved success as a
poet. But it is also philosophical, showing the great human dilemma in making a choice,
especially when it is the road less traveled by.

Thus the poet speaks of the basic problems of making the right choice. Many alternatives are
available at the time of choice but man has to select one. It is only the that will reveal whether
the discussion is wrong or not. After taking decision, we cannot undo them, we can only regret
them. Even we wish, we can not start all over again in life.

Compiled and edited by Dr Gurunath Badiger, GFG College Dharwad 9448216439 Page 1
 IF

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling is one of the famous British poets of 20th century. He is famous for his short
stories like "The Jungle Book,". He was just as famed for his verse as his prose. His major
poems are "If", "The White Man's Burden" and "The Ballad of East and West’

‘If’ is one of the widely read poems of Kipling. The poem is a father defining for his son the
qualities of a good man. He is setting the parameters or boundaries for his son and giving him
a goal to achieve. The poem deals with life’s challenges and how to deal with them.

Stanza one deals with being confident about the decisions you make and taking responsibility
for those decisions. If others, who cannot take that responsibility for themselves react
negatively, you will be patient with them and not reduce yourself to their level by telling lies
or dealing in hate. However, don’t ever think you are above anyone else.

Stanza Two states that it is good to dream, but don’t let your dreams control your life. It is
good to think, but don’t just think and not put those thoughts into action. You will experience
triumph and disasters in your life, but don’t take them seriously because they are not the
substance of life, they are the extremes. If you hear things you said misused or things you
have done destroyed, you need to be able to pick yourself up and rebuild them with
everything that you have left in you.

Stanza Three counsels don’t be afraid to take risks and possibly lose everything. If you do lose
everything, don’t talk about it, just start all over again at the beginning. When you are tired
and exhausted and your body just feels like it can’t continue on, use your mind and your will
to tell yourself to “Hold on” and persevere. Push through it.

Stanza four deals with a person’s reaction to others. You need to be able to talk to large
groups of people and yet not let them influence your belief in what is right,wrong, moral, or
immoral. You need to be able to walk with men of power and influence and yet not forget the
common man and his needs. You need to know yourself and your beliefs so well that neither
your friends nor your enemies can hurt you because you know who you are and what you
stand for. People can depend on you, but don’t let others become too dependent on you. You
need to live every single minute of your life to the fullest. If you do these things, then the
world is yours, and you will be a good man.

The virtues expressed in "If-" are devoid of showiness or glamour; it is notable that Kipling
says nothing of heroic deeds or great wealth or fame. For him the true measure of a man is his
humility and his stoicism.

Compiled and edited by Dr Gurunath Badiger, GFG College Dharwad 9448216439 Page 2
 A Prayer for My Daugher

W B Yeats

W.B. Yeats’ ‘A Prayer for My Daughter’ is one among the best poems after his initial successes. His famous
poems ‘The Second Coming’ ‘Easter 1916’ ‘Leda and the Swan’ and ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ have already
established him as a great poet of the Modern Age. This poem added another feather to his cap. Yeats wrote
this poem on the occasion of his daughter’s birth. Anne Butler was born on 26th February 1919.He wrote this
poem after her birth. The poet is anxious about his daughter’s future. Like in ‘Second Coming’ the poet warns of
bad days ahead and prays for the well being of his daughter.

The poem opens with the image of his child sleeping innocently through a howling storm. The poet is
gloomy and the problem before him is how to protect his daughter from the wrath of coming cruel tides. The
coming artificial civilization troubles the mind of the poet. The poet prays for his daughter. The prayer for beauty
is mixed with caution

“May she be granted beauty and yet not

Beauty to make a stranger eye distraught”

He prays that she should be kind and she should be capable of closest intimacy unlike Helen. The poet
prays that she may have courtesy. He says,

“Hearts are not had as gift but hearts are earned

By those are not entirely beautiful”

Sometime the poet peeps into himself and find mistakes in him. He thinks that hatred is the murderer
of innocence and wishes that his daughter should be read from the hatred. The poet feels that the intellectual
hatred is the worst. Infact it was this hatred that separated to poet from his lover Maud Gonne. The poet wishes
that his daughter should remain free from the fanaticism of the intellect. He writes

“An intellectual hatred is the worst

So let her think opinions are accursed”

He thinks that the daughter of Maud Gonne remains free from such hatred and appointed mind. The poet
pictures a horrible atmosphere. At the end the stream beneath the tower is flooded and rising sea wind howls. It
is during this time how can the child in the cradle escape nightmares. However, the poet hopes that ceremony
and innocence finds relief.

In the last stanza the poet father prays that she be married to a good bridegroom who should take her to
well appointed home. There should not be arrogance and hatred. Though the looks worried, he has hopes for
the future.

‘The Prayer for my Daughter’ is a rich and complex poem. The poet has used various symbols to
convey his thoughts in this poem. The poet praises courtly charm, wisdom and the glad kindness. He
hates hatred; particularly intellectual hatred. The poem has close resemblance with his other poem ‘The
Second Coming’ because there are similar images and references, which are common in both the poems.

Compiled and edited by Dr Gurunath Badiger, GFG College Dharwad 9448216439 Page 3
The poem is rich and complex with the phrases and images. It contains many symbols, which added richness to
this poem. The ‘storm’ is the symbol of destruction and the ‘flooded stream’ symbolizes disturbance. Though it
appears to be a simple from the outset, it is certainly thought provoking when we have a close reading.

Marriage is a Private Affair

Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe is a big name in African Literature. He is a noted writer from Nigeria. His
famous works are Things Fall Apartand Anthills of Savanna.

“Marriage is a private affair” is a beautiful short story written by Chinua Achebe who is a
great Nigerian novelist. In this short story Chinua Achebe writes about the strict rules of
marriage in his Ibo tribe in Africa. Inter-tribe marriage is forbidden in Ibo culture. Here
Chinua Achebe presents the conflict between a young man and his father over the choice of a
bride outside the Ibo tribe.

fell in love with a beautiful, educated girl Nene. They wanted to get married. But Nnaemeka
belonged to Ibo tribe of Africa. The tribe follows strict rules about marriage. Inter-tribe
marriage is forbidden. Even the Christian faith could not influence the tribal customs. Both
Nnaemeka and Nene are Christians. Still Nnaemeka’s father Okeke does not allow his son to
marry Nene. Okeke has already fixed a girl for Nnaemeka from his own tribe. But Nnaemeka
told his father that he does not love that uneducated girl in the neighbourhood. She is a stupid
girl. So Nnaemeka described the good qualities of Nene who is a Christian and also a teacher.
But quoting the Bible, Okeke said that a woman who is a teacher is not fit for him as a wife
because St.Paul in his letter to Corinthians says that women should keep silence. Both Okeke
and his son were obstinate in their decisions.

Without the permission of his father, Nnaemeka married Nene and lived in the city of Lagos.
Nnaemeka sent to his father his wedding photographs. Okeke cut off the picture of Nene and
sent the photographs back to Nnaemeka. Nnaemeka showed his father’s letter to Nene and she
was very sad. The prejudice against Nnaemeka’s marriage affected both the villages. In Lagos
Nene was rejected by her own people. So she felt that she was an outcast. But she suffered her
sorrow and insult silently. Gradually people began to love her and liked her presence. Years
went by.

One day Okeke received a letter from his daughter-in law Nene. It said that Nnaemeka is the
father of two sons and they wanted to see their grandfather. They could not believe that their
grandfather did not want to see them. Nene said that she would remain in Lagos, but
requested Okeke to allow Nnaemeka to bring his two sons home. This letter touched the
innermost heart of Okeke and he changed his mind. He was eager to see his two grandsons.
Thus the marriage of Nnaemeka and Nene proved to the African society that marriage is a
private affair. It is the unity of a man and woman who are in love and no tribal custom can
stop such marriage

Compiled and edited by Dr Gurunath Badiger, GFG College Dharwad 9448216439 Page 4
 A Portrait of a Lady

Kushwant Singh

Kushwant Singh is a famous writer, novelist, short story writer and journalist. He is famous
for his works like Train to Pakistan,I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, and A Portrait of Lady
and Other Stories.

In this story, ‘A Portrait of a Lady’ Khushwant Singh draws a pen picture of his
grandmother. He describes how he had spent his childhood with her in the village. He also
describes the change that came in the relationship in the city. Ultimately, he describes the
moving scene of her death.
Khushwant Singh draws here an interesting portrait of his grandmother. He presents
her as a tender, loving and deeply religious old lady. Singh says that his grandmother was an
old woman. She was so old that her face was wrinkled that at the present it was difficult to
believe she would ever had been young and pretty. Her hair was white as snow. She had a
little stoop in her back. She could be seeing reciting her rosary all the time. The author says
that "she was like the winter landscape in the mountains and expanse of pure white serenity
breathing peace and contentment."
A picture of author's grandfather was hung on the wall. He appeared too old and it was
that he ever had a wife. He appeared to have only lots and lots of grandchildren. Singh was
the only child at that time. His parents had gone to live in the city leaving him behind the
village under the care of his grandmother. She would get him ready for school. And she would
also feed him with Chappathi. The School as attached with a temple. All the children sat in the
verandah reciting alphabets while his grandmother is engaged reading holy scriptures. Finally
in the evening, the author and the grandmother would walk back home feeding the dogs.

After a friendly relationship with his grandmother, he had to adopt a new life in the
city. This itself was a turning point for the grandmother and the grandson. Both of them were
sent for to settle down in the city with his parents. The author went to an English school but
the grandmother never liked the way he was taught. Though Singh and his grandmother
shared the same room, she was unable to help him. Apart from this, she was also disappointed
that he was learning music that she considered not for gentlefolks. In due course, Singh went
up to a University and because of that, he was given a separate room. This indeed made the
common link of their relationship snapped down completely. The grandmother agreed the fact
and she used to spin the wheel from sunrise to sunset to compensate that. Only during the
afternoon she would relax by feeding the sparrows with little pieces of bread. They were her
best friends and the sparrows also liked her company.

Singh went up abroad for higher studies. It was for five long years. He had a doubt in
his mind that whether his grandmother may survive or not until he comes back. He also
thought that it might be the last physical contact between them when she came in the railway
station to see him off. After five years he came back, incredibly he was welcomed by his
grandmother. He was surprised to see her. She was not grown a single day older. Singh
notices that even at this time when everyone is joyful about his return, grandmother's happiest
moments was with her sparrows.

Compiled and edited by Dr Gurunath Badiger, GFG College Dharwad 9448216439 Page 5
 The story takes a sudden turn. Later in the evening there was a change in her attitude.
She celebrated the return of her grandson by collecting some women of neighborhood and
beating drum for several hours. But in the morning, grandmother's health deteriorates and she
reveals that she was nearing her end. So she decides that she is not going to waste a single
moment by talking so she prayed. Quite suddenly, the rosary falls from her hand and she
exhaled her last breath and it was clear that she was no more. After making the preparations
for the funeral, the family members went to fetch her body for the last journey. The golden
blaze of light of the setting sun glittered her room. And to pay the last homage to the
grandmother, thousands of sparrows gathered in and around her room. The sparrows never
did cheered nor did they do anything normal. They don't even bother to notice the bread
pieces thrown at them. Along with her funeral, the sparrows flew away.

It is one of the most touching stories. There is beautiful description of grandmother at

home. The grandmother and grandson relationship links the past with the present. She is an
observer of changes in Modern times. Her views on modern education tell us the importance
of spirituality in education. Her life is simple and saintly. She lived a meaningful life. The
author draws a lot of inspiration from the life of his grandmother.

Compiled and edited by Dr Gurunath Badiger, GFG College Dharwad 9448216439 Page 6