Here is a summary and the theme of the poem “A Roadside Stand,” along with answers to the questions, based on the information in the sources.
Summary of “A Roadside Stand”
The poem “A Roadside Stand” by Robert Frost describes a small new shed built by the side of a road in front of an old house where fast-moving traffic passes. This stand is set up by poor, rural people who plead pathetically not for charity (“a dole of bread”), but for some of the money from the city folk. This money, they feel, supports the prosperity of the cities (“the flower of cities”). However, the city drivers usually pass by with their minds focused ahead. If they do stop for a moment, they are annoyed (“out of sorts”) because the stand’s signs and appearance seem to mar the landscape. The stand offers local goods like wild berries and crook-necked squash, but receives little custom. The poet expresses the deep sadness and “childish longing” of the people running the stand, who wait all day hoping for a car to stop, even just to ask about prices. When cars do stop, it’s often only to turn around or ask for directions or gas they don’t have. The poet feels an “insufferable pain” seeing this unfulfilled longing. He notes that the “requisite lift of spirit” from earning money the “country scale of gain” has never been found for them. The poet admits a momentary thought of putting these people “out of their pain” quickly, but then considers how he would feel if someone offered to do the same for him, highlighting the complexity of the situation.
Theme of “A Roadside Stand”
The poem presents the lives of poor deprived people with “pitiless clarity and with the deepest sympathy and humanity”. A major theme is the rural-urban economic divide and the pain inflicted by the indifference of the city dwellers towards the simple needs and desperate hope of the rural poor. It also touches upon the unfulfilled longing and sadness that stems from this economic disparity and lack of meaningful interaction.
Answers to the Questions:
Here are the answers to the “Think it out” questions:
The city folk who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to the roadside stand or to the people who ran it. If at all they did, it was to complain. Which lines bring this out? What was their complaint about? The lines that bring this out are:
- “The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,” suggesting they ignore the stand. 🚗💨
- “Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts / At having the landscape marred with the artless paint / Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong”. This shows their complaint that the stand looks untidy and spoils the view. 😠🖼️
What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand? Their plea was not for charity (“not be fair to say for a dole of bread”), but for some of the money (“But for some of the money, the cash”) from the passing city traffic. They wanted this money so that their lives could feel the economic growth that supports the cities. 🙏💰
The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor rural people, but actually do them no good. Pick out the words and phrases that the poet uses to show their double standards. While this specific question is listed in the “Think it out” section, the provided text of the poem and the ‘About the unit’ information do not explicitly detail the actions or double standards of government or social service agencies in relation to this particular roadside stand or the people who run it. The focus is primarily on the indifference and fleeting complaints of the passing city traffic. Therefore, based only on the provided sources for this poem, it’s not possible to pick out words or phrases showing the double standards of these agencies. 🤔Government/Agencies are not detailed in the provided text.
What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it ‘vain’? The ‘childish longing’ is the hopeful expectation of the rural poor for a car to stop and make a purchase, to experience some economic benefit from the passing city wealth. It is called ‘vain’ because this hope is rarely fulfilled; the cars mostly pass by without stopping, or stop only for unrelated reasons, leaving their longing unaddressed. 🥺🚫
Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural poor? The lines that convey the poet’s “insufferable pain” are:
- “Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear / The thought of so much childish longing in vain,”. 😥💔
- And the thought, even if fleeting, of wishing to end their suffering quickly: “I can’t help owning the great relief it would be / To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.” (though he immediately questions this thought). 😞 Relief thought.