Raintree 6 The Way Through the Woods

 Raintree Coursebook 6

The Way Through the Woods

The Way Through the Woods is a poem that is filled with eerie atmosphere and mystery. The

speaker begins the story about the woods by telling the reader how the road through the

woods was shut seventy years ago. He then goes on to say how the path is now covered with

shrubs, grass and trees and how only the keeper of the woods knows that there was once a

road though these woods. He also never reveals the reason why the road was closed—so there

is a mystery suggested in the withholding of that information.

The speaker also goes on to describe how the animals and birds are thriving in this woods

where humans rarely visit. And then goes on to say how on certain summer evenings, ‘You will

hear the beat of a horse’s feet, And the swish of a skirt in the dew, Steadily cantering through

The misty solitudes’. He suggests that although no one can be seen, there is someone in the

woods who is very familiar with the old road and still rides on it as if it were as it was seventy

years ago. However, this is only a suggestion and again, the speaker does not really tell us what

it is that he thinks is in the woods.

The poem is filled with unease and mystery. The reader does not know the identity of the

speaker himself/herself and the question arises how the speaker knows all that he claims to

know. Also the mystery of why the road was shut and the strange noises all adds to the eerie

atmosphere. The juxtaposition of the strange happenings in the woods with the lush growth of

plants and the teeming wildlife also adds to the feeling of unease that something out of the

ordinary is happening in the woods.

POEM THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS

Comprehension

A. 1. The road has been shut for seventy years.

2. Weather and constant rain, for years altogether, have caused the shrubs and grass to grow.

Because of this, the road is now covered in dense undergrowth.

3. The keeper knows everything about the forest. He is witness to the changes in the forest and

knows that the road existed once upon a time. He knows that now, because of the weather and

rain the road is covered with shrubs and bushes.

4. On a summer evening, when the otter whistles to his mate, one can hear the beat of a horse’s feet

passing through the forest and the swish of a skirt in the dew.

5. Trout are fresh-water fish. The words ‘trout-ringed pools’ imply that the fish are visible at the

surface of the pool, although they are supposed to be deep in the water. It seems that because

people rarely come to the woods, the fish have been able to multiply unchecked. There were no

people fishing for trout in these pools, so there are plenty of fish here.

6. The otters do not fear people because they are not used to seeing many people in the woods.

They do not realise that there is anything to fear from humans.

7. The speaker says that if one enters the woods one can hear the steady cantering of a horse and

the swishing sound of a woman’s skirt. This indicates that it is a woman and that her skirts are

brushing the bushes as she rides past.

8. The speaker feels full of wonder and curiosity when he enters the woods. The woods offer an eerie

and misty atmosphere. The speaker feels that the old road has stories attached to it and he is very

interested in solving the mystery of the woods.

B. 1. a. ‘They’ here refers to the forest officials and keepers who looked after the forest seventy years

ago.

 b. The road must have been shut after an accident in the forest, in order to prevent other

travellers from travelling down the road. It might even stories about this accident that started

the rumours about the ghosts in the woods.

 c. The country has high amounts of rainfall throughout the year. The constant rainfall has helped

trees and shrubs to grow abundantly and cover the road.

2. a. The ‘they’ refers to the ghostly apparitions in the woods.

 b. The line ‘As though they perfectly knew’ implies that the mysterious horse and the woman are

perfectly aware of the hidden road. The woman is used to travelling by it and therefore she

rides with confidence.

C. 1. The speaker is probably a keeper or someone who walks in the forest quite often. He has been

visiting the woods for a very long time. He is witness to the changes in the forest and knows

how the trees and shrubs have covered the path. On summer evenings, he thinks he hears the

cantering of a horse and the swishing sound of a woman’s skirt. They travel down the same path,

and therefore it is evident that it was a known route in the past.

2. Human beings are wary of what is happening in the woods. On the other hand, the animals are

not afraid of the mysterious horse and the woman in the forest. They are aware of a supernatural

presence but they live at peace with it. The ring-dove broods, the badgers roll at ease and the otter

whistles to his mate. However, the humans seem afraid and cautious.

D. Suggested answer (Accept any logical answer). Once, a very long time ago, the path through the

woods led to the pretty village of Dunhill. However, this path was not very popular with the local

people because there were stories about thieves who had made these woods their home. Most wary

travellers took the longer road to the village and hardly anyone travelled the path after dark. One

day, a noble family was travelling to Dunhill to visit with their relatives. An elderly uncle was very ill

and they were in a hurry to reach their destination. So, they decided to cut through the forest. But

half-way through, the thieves descended on them and the family came to a tragic end. The forest

officials decided to close the road through the woods for a while until the case was solved. But as

time went on, rumours surfaced about ghostly apparitions in the woods and slowly, people stopped

using the path.

THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS POEM

A. Answer in brief.

Where was the road? Why is it not visible now?

 Ans: The poet says there was a path running through the forest some seventy years ago. Over the

years, rains and different weather conditions have undone the path. It is not visible now because trees

and plants have grown all over the land and have fully covered the place where once there was a

road.

B. Answer in detail.

How does the poet describe the late summer evening in the woods?

 Ans: The poet ventures into the forest when darkness has already set in. He says the night air is cool

and it cools down the pools filled with trout. The otter is busy going about doing its regular chores

and calling out for its mate. They don’t seem to be afraid of any intrusion by human beings as no

humans were seen in that area for a long time. The poet says, these creatures may occasionally hear

the hooves of a horse galloping and the swishing sound created by the movement of a woman’s

skirt in the darkness. The poet probably means these woods are visited by the ghosts of people who

crossed the road seventy years back.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

Only the keeper sees

That, where the ring-dove broods,

And the badgers roll at ease

There was once a road through the woods.

a. Who is the keeper?

b. What does he know?

c. What are the creatures that can be seen now?

Ans: a. The keeper is the one who takes care of the forest land.

 b. He only seems to know where the road lay many years back.

 c. There is the ring-dove calling out in its sad tones and the badger spends its leisure time

rolling around.

D. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

 Do you think there is something mysterious about the poem? Give examples from the poem and

justify your answer.

 [Free response] Suggested answer: The way the poet has described the old forest path makes it

mysterious for me. The poet says the road was shut seventy years ago and the road has disappeared

beneath the bushes and different kinds of plants. It is hidden from the human eyes. Then the poet

mentions about the keeper who seems to know where the road was and what all occupy the road

now. The poet says in the evening if one entered the forest, one could hear the trampling of a horse’s

hoof though one can’t really see a horse or could hear the swish of skirts but not see the owner of

the skirt. Perhaps, he is talking about the ghosts of those who travelled through that road so many

years back.