TP-CASTT: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

What is TP-CASTT? (Add to p. 72) It’s a method for analyzing poetry: T: Title (What do you think this poem will be about?) P: Paraphrase (Literal Meaning) C: Connotation (Interpretation) A: Attitude/Tone S: Shifts (Time, Tone, Speaker, etc.) T: Themes (Life lessons/message) T: Title again (What does it mean to you now after analyzing the poem?) Treat this page as a reference page.

Begin TP-CASTT for “TRNT” (p. 76 of NB) T- Title What do you think the poem will be about based on the title? (Complete sentence; CS) I think the poem will be about ______________________ because_____________________________. You can’t get this part wrong; just try to make an educated guess (Pretend it’s your hypothesis and the rest of the TPCASTT is an experiment to see if your hypothesis was right.)

TP-CASTT “TRNT” P-Paraphrase Stanza 1 (CS): A traveler comes to a fork in the road and is sorry he can’t go on both paths. It’s fall (“yellow” wood). So, he takes his time and tries to look down one path but can’t see all the way because the path curves and his vision gets blocked by bushes and plants.

Paraphrase Continued Stanza 2 (CS): He decides instead to take the other path which is pretty and is probably the better choice because it was still grassy (e.g., nobody had been on it that season). However, foot/horse traffic had actually “worn” the intersection equally.

Paraphrase Continued Stanza 3 (CS): It’s morning. He realizes BOTH paths are covered with leaves no one has stepped on yet (that’s why they’re not “black”). He promises to go back to the other road one day. He doubts he will do it because once you go down one road, it keeps leading to other roads.

Paraphrase Continued Stanza 4 (CS): He says he sees his future self telling this story with a sigh. He will recall the fork in the road, how he took the path less travelled, and how it will changed everything in his life.

Metaphor (Extended Metaphor: Choosing a path is similar to making a major life choice): Detail from the Poem… How is this similar to making a major life choice? “Two roads” (paths) Symbolizes the choices we have to make in life. “Yellow woods” (autumn) We often make life changing choices in the “autumn” of our lives (young adult years) The speaker tries to look down one path until it “bent in the undergrowth” When making choices, many of us try to imagine what the future will look like, but ultimately, we can’t because it gets too hard to tell what will happen (vision gets blocked)

Connotation continued Detail from Poem How is this similar to making a major life choice? One road has a “better claim” because it was grassier and no one had been on it yet (“wanted wear”) Often, one choice looks better on the surface. This path could also symbolize the more adventurous choice, the choice most people don’t make because they want a comfortable life. Both paths were actually covered in fresh leaves (“equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black”) After analyzing our choices, we still have a hard time telling which choice is better because they still look SO similar and equally good/bad. The speaker plans to come back one day but knows that “way leads on to way.” After making a choice, we think we can always go back and change. However, once you make a choice, you have to stick to it.

Connotation continued Detail from Poem How is this similar to making a major life choice? The “road less travelled” made “all the difference” One simple choice can change your whole life. Some people think this line also means that making the less popular choice can be the difference between living a normal life and an exciting one.

Left Side of “Attitude/Tone” Chart Evidence the tone is positive (The speaker is optimistic) Speaker says the road taken had the “ better claim” (it was “fair” and “grassy”) Speaker says the road taken “made all the difference” Speaker repeats “I” twice in last stanza, meaning he takes ownership of his choice and is proud of it. (“And I—I took the road…”) Speaker says he’ll be telling this story with a “sigh”—a happy sigh?

Right Side of “Attitude/Tone” Chart Evidence the tone is ambivalent (Speaker isn’t sure of his choice) Speaker says “PERHAPS” (maybe) the road had “the better claim” (doesn’t sound too sure) Speaker doesn’t specify what KIND of “difference” it will make—bad? Speaker says BOTH paths were covered by fresh leaves—so they were actually pretty SIMILAR, despite what he said about the grass. Speaker doesn’t specify what KIND of sigh—it could also be a SAD one.

Shifts: Stanza 3-4: Shift in tense (He goes from the present to the future) Stanza 2-3: Shift in tone (He goes from being ok with his decision to seeming a little doubtful)

Themes What abstract nouns do you think this poem touches on? Now, take one of your nouns and write a complete sentence about it (What does the POEM say about it? What truth is the poem trying to get across to readers?)

Themes (Major life lessons): Decision-making is very hard to do; we have to make do with limited info and hope for the best and try not to look back so much. Decisions determine our future. Be careful with the decisions you make—they can affect your life and you may regret it later. Individualism can be rewarding. If you read the poem positively, the message is “Don’t be afraid to take a chance and don’t always do what others are doing—it will be worth it.”

Title: What does the title mean to you now? I think the poem’s title is significant because ___________________________________.

Short Answers Do you think the speaker was satisfied with his choice? What similar idea does “The Road Not Taken” share with “New Directions”?