GENERAL ENGLISH: I YEAR - SEMESTER I HANDOUTS UNIT-II POETRY Lesson-1 The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost About the Poet: Robert Frost (1874-1963), was an American poet. His poems are mainly concerned with real situations, the rustic life of the countryside and landscape. The poems though they appear simple on the surface, are actually thought-provoking. They follow his own view on poetry that „a poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.‟ Four times Pulitzer prize winner(1924, 1931, 1937, 1943), his volumes of poetry are A Boy’s Will (1913), North of Boston (1914), The Mountain Interval (1916), New Hampshire (1923), West Running Brook (1928), A Further Range (1936), A witness Tree (1942), Steeple Bush (1947) and Complete Poems(1951). The present poem, The Road Not Taken was first published in 1916 and it is the first poem of The Mountain Interval. Central Idea: One day while travelling alone, the poet reached a point where the road bifurcated into two. He could not decide which way to go. Since he is only one traveler he could not travel both and he took long time to decide as to which road to take. He even tried to look for the end. Finally he chose the one that seemed a little less frequented though he himself admits that there is actually no such difference. Though he had doubts about his return he says that he kept the other road for another road. At the end the poet remarks that his decision has made all the difference not specifying whether it is for good or bad. The poet leaves much to the imagination of the readers. The poem speaks of how we are often forced to make decisions involving alternatives that appear almost equally pleasant in all respects. But such choices are irrevocable and may lead to either regret or a sense of achievement later in life. The theme appeals to everyone, as the need to choose the right path is a problem often faced in life. In this poem Frost represents the choices by using the image of two roads that lead away from a common point. The person standing at the junction is in a dilemma and ponders on which one to choose. Both seem appealing, but indecision arises as their ends are not visible .The traveler has to take a decision on the basis of whatever he can see. Even after the choice is made, the traveler might regret not choosing the other. The road not taken might always seem a better choice when hurdles appear on the chosen road. However it is important to understand that difficulties could appear on any path. It is also wise not to regret a decision after it is made, as two roads can never be the same. Frost uses the image of two roads diverging in a wood to effectively convey the sense of dilemma as well as uncertainty with regard to the consequence of the decision taken. However, the end of the poem also warns the reader of the consequences of taking a „less travelled road‟, that is, experimenting with new ideas. It teaches us to accept our decisions and face their consequences without regretting what we did not do. Frost consciously uses the technique of making descriptions of everyday situations or events and symbols of profound truths. The Road Not Taken is characterized by frost‟s usual simple style, that is marked by ordinary, straightforward language, great emotional restraint and understatement. Critical Analysis: Frost wrote the poem in the first person. In 1961, Frost himself commented that “The Road Not Taken” is “a tricky poem, very tricky."The Road Not Taken" is a narrative poem consisting of four stanzas of 5 lines each in iambic tetrameter. The rhyme scheme is ABAAB; the rhymes are strict and masculine. Those who opt for the less traveled path are supposed to have independent thinking and move away from the others ( who adhere to conformity). The poem has much philosophical significance and it also throws light on positive thinking never to regret about the past, a part of personality development. Lesson-2 Night of the Scorpion - Nissim Eziekel About the poet : Nissim Ezekiel (1924-2004) was born in Mumbai, India. His collections of poems include A Time to Change (1951), Sixty Poems (1953), The Third (1958), An Unfinished Man (1960), The Exact Man (1965), and Hymns in Darkness (1976). He often employs direct and conversational tone to convey his moods and thoughts in his poetry. His poems are mostly satirical, confessional and contemplative. He was the recipient of Sahitya Akademi award (1983) and Padma Sri (1988). The present poem is a part of his anthology, The Exact Man. Central Idea : Set in the backdrop of rustic situation evocative of Indian ethos, the poem has a touch of gentle irony. The poet narrates by recalling his childhood experience how his mother was stung by a poisonous scorpion. Continuous down pouring of rain for ten hours had driven the scorpion to hide beneath a sack of rice. After injecting poison and inflicting unbearable pain upon the mother with its venomous sting, the scorpion risked the rain again. The peasants of the village came like swarms of flies and expressed their sympathy. Despite their frantic searches they couldn‟t find the scorpion and they remarked that with every movement that the scorpion made, its poison would move in mother‟s blood. They expressed their superstitious remarks saying that the sins of her previous birth be burnt away that night, suffering decrease the misfortunes of her next birth, the sum of evil in this unreal world be diminished by her pain and also that the poison might purify her flesh of desire and spirit of ambition. Confusion set in with many a neighbor, many more candles, lanterns and insects inside the hut and the endless rain outside. Mother twisted and groaned with pain on a mat in the mud hut. Her husband, a sceptic and a rationalist tried his hand on every curse and blessing, powder, herb and hybrid and even poured a little paraffin on the bitten part and put a match to it. The holy man came and played his part by performing his rites to tame the poison with an incantation. The dark and painful night lasted long and after twenty hours the poison lost its sting. The poem has a touching and pointed ending when the mother after passing through the panicky and laborious saga of suffering, says “Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children” proving that nothing stands before love. Critical Analysis : Written in the first person narrative, the poem is about the agony that a son had undergone watching his mother suffer a scorpion bite. The poem is a portrayal of typical Indian village life with all its superstitious simplicity dramatizing many ideas which clash each other at night in dim lamp light. A contrast can be brought between good and evil, darkness and light, rationalism and blind faith. When the efforts of the irrational superstitious villagers, the rational father and the religious holy man prove to be futile, it is the mother‟s pure and selfless love for her children that emerges victorious. The deep rooted strains of superstition and blind faith of the villagers are juxtaposed with their concern for fellow beings, sympathy and cooperation. The evil forces in the poem are the poisonous scorpion and the dark, long and painful night. .