Questions and Answers

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 6 Haunted Houses

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Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 6 Haunted Houses

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 6 Haunted Houses

Haunted Houses Poem Comprehension Questions Answers

Question 1.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses.
Through the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.
We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

i. How every house is a haunted house?
ii. What do the phantoms do inside every house?
iii. Where do we meet the phantoms inside the house? What is the significance of the word “meet” in the fifth line of the given excerpt?
iv. How does a living being feel when the phantoms move inside the house?
v. How do the phantoms walk inside the house?
Answer:
i. Every house is a haunted house in the sense that the ghosts return to the houses they once lived. The conventional belief of uninhabited houses being only haunted by ghosts is overruled by the poem. Instead ghosts are presented as a part of the normal world who behaves like living humans and stays with us silently.

ii. After death, the phantoms return to their houses and silently wander everywhere. For example, they can be found at the door-way, on the staircase and along the passages where they roam about silently. The harmless ghosts however continue with their daily work without disturbing the living ones.

iii. The phantoms are found at the door-way, on the staircase and along the passages where they freely roam about without being noticed by those living inside the house. It is rather unusual to meet the ghost physically since they are unsubstantial being. The poet might have used the word meet to suggest that the speaker in his poem is a ghost himself who can see the phantoms and hear their voice too.

iv. Though people living inside their houses cannot see the ghosts around, but they feel unease whenever the ghosts are on move.

v. The phantoms walk noiselessly inside the houses. Their feet however make no sound on the floor and thus, their movement remains inaudible to the living world.

Question 2.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.
The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.

i. How there are more guests at table than the hosts?
ii. How does the speaker describe the ghosts?
iii. Explain the figure of speech in the fourth verse-line of the given excerpt.
iv. How is it possible that the stranger cannot see the ghosts while the speaker can see and hear them?
v. What does the stranger see?
Answer:
i. Since ghosts silently populates the houses where they once lived, the speaker imagines that there are more guests at the table than invited by the hosts.

ii. The ghosts are well mannered and harmless beings. They silently wander everywhere inside the house and continue with their daily work with put disturbing the living ones. Moreover, the ghosts are unsubstantial beings, invisible to human eyes. They float in the air around and we feel unease whenever they are on move.

iii. The figure of speech employed in the fourth verse line of the given excerpt is simile. A simile is a figure of speech which makes an indirect comparison between two distinctly opposite things. Here wall hanging pictures are compared to the ghosts since both are silent and incommunicable.

iv. Stranger being a living human cannot see the ghosts around him while he sits by the fireside. On the contrary, the speaker can see the impalpable form of ghosts as he himself is a spirit and well used to with the transcendental world. Hence, he can hear the voice of the ghosts which remains inaudible to the ears of his guest.

v. The stranger being a living human can only see the tangible things around. He can neither hear the voice of the ghosts nor can see them floating around in the air.

Question 3.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
The spirit world around this world of sense
Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air.

i. Who are “we” referred to in the given excerpt? What do the “we” don’t have? Why?
ii. Who are the owners and occupants of earlier dates? What does the poet mean by owners and occupants of earlier dates?
iii. On what ground do the ghosts return to their houses?
iv. Describe how the ghosts move around us.
v. What is the identity of the speaker in the poem? Give at least two reasons to support your view.
Answer:
i. “We” in the given excerpt refer to the speaker and the other phantoms, living with him. The speaker however is himself a spirit. Hence he categorises himself as one among the phantoms, living with him- in the same house After death, the phantoms have no legal deed to claim the houses where they once lived. Their houses are now inhabited by others and they live there along with the living humans without any claim.

ii. The phantoms are the owners and occupants of the earlier dates. This means that they once owned their house with proper legal documents. But now since they are dead, their properties are transferred in the name of the living humans who legally occupy their space.

iii. Despite having no legal deed to claim their houses after death, the phantoms still return there. They however leap up from their graves and stretching their grimy hand they claim their rights over the houses they once lived.

iv. The ghosts are insubstantial beings. They surround us the way atmosphere surrounds us. In fact, they are everywhere around us, moving like mists and vapours in the air.

v. The speaker of the poem is a ghost himself evident when he says that he can see the phantoms around him and can hear their voice. Moreover, he identifies himself as one among the host of phantoms when he says “we” for several time in the poem. For example in the second and fourth stanzas he says we instead of they which establishes that he is a spectre himself.

Question 4.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.
These perturbations, this perpetual jar
Of earthly wants and aspirations high,
Come from the influence of an unseen star
An undiscovered planet in our sky.

i. How is human life kept in equipoise?
ii. What opposite attractions and desires does the poet mean?
iii. Where from does the “perturbations” in human life come from?
iv. How does unseen star and undiscovered planet influence?
Answer:
i. Human world is balanced by the forces of opposites. For example, the longing for materialism is balanced with the desire for spiritual attainment.

ii. Human world is balanced by the forces of opposites. On one hand there is a tremendous desire for materialistic pleasure while on the other hand we oftentimes long for higher goals like spiritual attainment. The poet however speaks about these two opposite extremes of human desire which establishes a perfectly balanced life.

iii. The poet imagines that human fear and anxieties are actually the influence of some unseen stars in some remote planet. We cannot deny the power of such unseen force which controls us in a major way.

iv. We are deeply influenced by the force of some unseen stars in some remote planet. Our fears and anxieties are generated within us due to the influence of unseen stars in some undiscovered planet. Such influence however is hard to ignore.

Question 5.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud
Throws o’er the sea a floating bridge of light,
Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd
Into the realm of mystery and night,
So from the world of spirits there descends
A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
O’er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

i. How does the moon create a floating bridge over the sea?
ii. How does the bridge look like?
iii. What impact does the bridge have upon us?
iv. What can the spirits do with bridge that humans are denied of?
v. Why does the bridge sway and bend? What kind of floor does it consist of?
vi. What overall impression of the ghost do you form based on your reading the poem?
Answer:
i. The moon coming out from the dark cloud, showers its rays upon the sea. This is imagined as the floating bridge of moonbeams that descends from the world of spirits to the earth.

ii. The bridge is made of light instead of wooden plank. Hence, the poet fancies the bridge as having unsteady floor. The bridge however sways and bends due to being made of light. In a way, it looks awesome at night all because of its radiance.

iii. The bridge of light looks awesome at night all because of its radiance. Such an ethereal view goads us to imagine a world of transcendental where the phantoms live. In other words, the beautiful view of the bridge of light helps us to rise above the “dark abyss” of the materialistic world in which we live and connects us with the world of spirits.

iv. Spirits can easily travel through the wobbling floors of the bridge of light which humans cannot. In other words, unlike the phantoms, we cannot cross the bridge, though our thoughts travel through its wobbling floors.

v. Since the bridge is made of the beams of moon, it sways and bends easily. The bridge however is flexible since it is devoid of any solid support. Moreover, its floor is unsteady where only spirits can walk.

vi. Longfellow’s ghosts are presented as generous beings who love to be within the circle of living humans. Instead of being hostile, they are well behaved and are completely harmless. Longfellow however fancies ghosts as the shades of departed friends and family members whom we are glad to have still with us in whatever form they appear. Hence, he presents his ghosts as “inoffensive” instead of being malicious.

Haunted Houses Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Longfellow’s ghosts are
a. ugly
b. evil
c. terrifying
d. inoffensive
Answer:
d. inoffensive

Question 2.
Ghosts move silently because
a. they have no feet
b. they move very slowly
c. their feet make no sound upon the floors.
d. they are insubstantial
Answer:
c. their feet make no sound upon the floors.

Question 3.
While the ghosts move around us we feel
a. delighted
b. angry
c. uneasy
d. sad
Answer:
c. uneasy

Question 4.
Ghosts remain silent like
a. pictures on the wall
b. dead humans
c. non living object
d. stars and moon
Answer:
a. pictures on the wall

Question 5.
The stranger at the fireside cannot see the ghosts because
a. he is blind
b. the ghosts doesn’t want him to see them
c. the ghosts are formless being invisible to human eyes
d. ghosts do not exist
Answer:
c. the ghosts are formless being invisible to human eyes

Question 6.
The speaker can see and hear the voice of the ghosts because
a. he is a spiritual man
b. the ghosts want him to see them
c. he is not blind like the stranger
d. he himself is a ghost
Answer:
d. he himself is a ghost

Question 7.
Why do ghosts have no legal document of their houses and lands?
a. because they have misplaced those documents
b. because they are dead
c. because their properties are transferred to others
d. because they have renounced their property
Answer:
b. because they are dead

Question 8.
Why do ghosts return to their houses?
a. to relax for a while
b. to terrorize those living there
c. because they once lived and died there
d. to see who stay there presently
Answer:
c. because they once lived and died there

Question 9.
The spirits float in the air like
a. falling leaves
b. mists and vapours
c. germs
d. dust
Answer:
b. mists and vapours

Question 10.
What brings in balance in our lives?
a. adjustment
b. good values
c. opposite attractions and desires
d. to accept and reject everything in the same way
Answer:
c. opposite attractions and desires

Question 11.
What descend form the world of spirits
a. blessings
b. curse
c. supernatural power
d. a bridge of light
Answer:
d. a bridge of light

Question 12.
Who can travel through the wobbling floors of the bridge?
a. None
b. humans
c. phantoms
d. animals
Answer:
c. phantoms

Question 13.
Our travel through the bridge of light
a. body
b. soul
c. emotion
d. thoughts
Answer:
d. thoughts

Haunted Houses Poem Annotations with Comments

Stanza I:

Wherein: in which
Haunted: ghostly
Phantoms: ghosts / spirits
Errands: daily task
Glide: move smoothly
With feet … the floors: they walk without making any noise

Comment:

The conventional belief of uninhabited houses being only haunted by ghosts ¡s overruled by the poem. According to him, ghosts stay with humans but are invisible. They are harmless, active and yet noiseless. In fact, they are just the extended part of the normal world which cannot be ignored.

Stanza II:

Along the passages …… go: since the phantoms are active they are always on move
Impalpable: unsubstantial
Impalpable ….. on the air: the phantoms are unsubstantial beings that float in air
to and fro: back and forth
A senses… to and fro: an eeriness is felt within us while the ghosts move back and forth

stanza III:

more guests: refers to the ghosts.
More guests….invited: the poet imagines that even ghosts join us at the dinner table. Hence, there are more guests at the dinner table than invited.
Illuminated: lightened up
Thronged: gathered
Inoffensive: harmless
As silent…wall: This is an example of simile. Since the ghosts are silent, their existence in the hail is like picture on the wall.

Stanza IV:

Cannot see: the guest sitting by the fireside cannot see what the speaker can see
Form: shape
Sound: refers to the sound produced by the movement of the ghosts in the room. It inaudible to human ear
Perceive: come to realize
Unto: archaic term for to.

Comment:
He but perceives…and clear: While the guest cannot see the phantoms around, the speaker can see them clearly. This however suggests that the speaker of the poem is a ghost himself.

Stanza V:

Title-deeds: legal deed of ownership
Mortmain : permanent ownership
Estates: property
And hold …… estate: despite having no legal documents to claim the houses as their own, the ghosts still stay inside the houses because they once lived there and were legal owner of the houses.

Comment:

This stanza vehemently suggests that the speaker of the poem is a ghost himself. This is evident when he says that he resides in a house which
was once his own (“Owners and occupants of earlier dates”). But now when he is dead, he has no legal deed to claim the house.

Stanza VI:

spirit-world: the world of ghosts
world of sense: real world
floats … everywhere: the world of spirit is everywhere under the sun. They surround us the way atmosphere surrounds us
Wafts: pass gently through the air. The spirits keep on moving like mists and vapours
Ethereal: unearthly
A vital ….. ethereal air: the spirits are the vital components of the ethereal air.

Stanza VII:

Equipoise: balance of forces opposite attractions and
desires: It is the law of nature that opposite attracts
instinct: inclination
more noble instinct: pursuit for spiritual desire
aspire: to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal.

Stanza VIII:

Perturbation: worries; mental uneasiness
perpetual: unending
jar: here it refers to body
earthly wants: materialistic desire

Stanza IX:

Moon from ……. cloud: moon coming out from the dark cloud
Throws: showers light
a floating bridge: the moon rays showering upon the sea is imagined as floating bridge
trembling: refers to the shimmering light of moon
plank: here it refers to the slant of moonlight which looks like a bridge
fancies: Imagination
realm: area
realm of….night: we imagine of a creepy and mysterious world

Stanza X:

Descends: comes down
Unsteady: unsteady because the bridge formed by the spirits is not tightly
fastened. It is just an imaginative bridge and is thus, flexible
sway: swing
abyss: chasm

Haunted Houses Poem Paraphrase

Stanza I:

Every house is a haunted house as people have once lived and died there. The phantoms however wander noiselessly inside as their feet make no sound on the floor. Moreover, they are harmless and continue with their daily work without disturbing the living ones.

Stanza II:

These harmless phantoms are found everywhere in the houses. For example, they can be found at the door-way, on the staircase and along the passages where they roam about silently. They are invisible being and they float in air. An eeriness is felt while they are on move.

Stanza III:

Phantoms are an extended part of the normal world. They enjoy sitting with the guests at the dining tables. The lighted halls are thronged with them. The guests are hardly bothered since the well mannered phantoms remain as silent as the picture hanging on the wall.

Stanza IV:

A guest sitting by the fireside cannot see what the speaker can see. The speaker can see the ghosts, hear their voice while the guests can see only the tangible things around. But then the guest can at least feel the eeriness in the air while the speaker sees the world beyond normal.

Stanza V:

The phantoms have no legal deed to claim these houses as their own. Yet they stay inside these houses since they once lived there and were legal owner of the houses. Now when they are dead and their houses are inhabited by the living mortals, they still leap up from their graves and stretching their grimy hand they claim their rights over the houses they once lived.

Stanza VI:

However, the world of spirits surrounds us the way atmosphere surrounds us. It is like a thin covering over us which can hardly be ignored. The spirits however are everywhere. They keep on moving like mists and vapours in the air. Moreover, they are the are the vital components of the insubstantial world which floats around the world of real.

Stanza VII:

Human world is balanced by the forces of opposites. For example, the longing for materialism is balanced with the desire for spiritual attainment. In other words, it is human instinct to seek for materialistic pleasure but; life also longs for higher goals like spiritual attainment which ensure peace of mind. Such contradictory longings, juxtaposed together establish a perfectly balanced life.

Stanza VIII:

Our life is filled up with worries and anxieties due to our longing for materialistic needs. Such uneasiness which perpetually exists within us is actually the influence of some unseen stars in some remote planet. In other words, the fever and fret of human life are the result of some unseen force controlling us.

Stanza IX:

The moon coming out from the dark cloud, showers its rays upon the sea. This is imagined as the floating bridge of moon beams which shimmer all throughout the night. Such an ethereal view goads us to imagine a world of transcendental where the phantoms live.

Stanza X:

Our thoughts are connected with the transcendental world through this bridge of light which descends down on earth from the world of phantoms. The bridge however is flexible In the sense that it sways and bends due to being made of light. Unlike the phantoms, we cannot cross the bridge, though our thoughts travel through its wobbling floors.

Haunted Houses Poem Summary by H.W. Longfellow

Every house is a haunted house as people have once lived and died there. After death they return to their houses and silently wander everywhere. Their feet however make no sound on the floor. Moreover, they are harmless and continue with their daily work without disturbing the living ones. One can find them at the door-way, on the staircase and along the passages where they roam about silently.

They are invisible being and they float in air. Poeple alive cannot see them; but feel unease whenever the ghosts are on move. When guests visit the hosts the phantoms enjoy sitting with them and remain as silent as the picture hanging on the wall. The speaker says that he can seethe crowd of phantoms everywhere in the house while his guest sees only the tangible things around. This however suggests that the speaker himself is a ghost who can hear the voice of the phantoms ringing all around.

Phantoms however have no legal deed to claim these houses as their own. Yet they stay inside these houses since they once lived there and were once the legal owner of the houses. Now when they are dead and their houses are inhabited by the living mortals, they still leap up from their graves stretching their grimy hand to claim their rights over the houses they once lived. In fact, the spooky world of spirits surrounds us the way atmosphere surrounds us. They are the ever present

reality of life, moving like mists and vapours in the air. Their existence can be felt only when we overcome our yearning for material need and look forward to spiritual attainment. The worries and anxieties due to our longing for materialistic needs is actually the influence of some unseen stars in some remote planet. We cannot deny the power of such unseen force which controls us in a major way.

A troubled mind is often eased with the sight of the moon showering its rays upon the sea. It looks like a floating bridge of moon beams, which brings to our mind the thought of the transcendental world where the phantoms live. Our thoughts are connected with the transcendental world through this bridge of light which descends down on earth from the world of phantoms. But, unlike the phantoms, we cannot cross the bridge, though our thoughts travel through its wobbling floors.

Haunted Houses Poem Introduction

Published in 1858 in the Birds of Passage collection, Longfellow’s Haunted Houses may have been influenced by the loss of his first wife to a miscarriage. The poem though appears spooky with “phantoms” all around, is actually an amiable presentation of the supernatural world with ghosts being just a changed human form, pursuing human activities soundlessly. Longfellow however means to suggest that the phantoms are just an extended part of the normal world, “harmless” and invisible to humans.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 5 A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945

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Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 5 A Doctor's Journal Entry for August 6, 1945

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 5 A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Comprehension Questions Answers

Question 1.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
The morning stretched calm, beautiful, and warm
Sprawling half-clad, I gazed out at the form
of shimmering leaves and shadows. Suddenly
A strong flash, then another, startled me.

i. What was the morning like? What was the doctor doing?
ii. What startled him?
ii. How the world around him changed within moment?
iv. What happened to the clothes of the doctor?
Answer:
i. The morning was calm, beautiful and warm. Looking out of his window, the doctor sees the shining leaves and shadows. The doctor however was relaxing. He was partly dressed.

ii. The two consecutive flashes simply terrified the doctor. The brightly lit stone lantern reminded him of magnesium flares, generally seen during war.

iii. The two consecutive flashes simply changed the world. While wondering about the flares, the doctor finds the entire world Crashed and crumbled around him. Dust swirls around him as soon as the roofs and walls of his house begin to tumble down. The doctor is even more terrified.

iv. We come to know that the clothes which the doctor was wearing, his drawers and undershirt, disappeared within moment. In other words, the clothes of the doctor were burnt to his utter dismay.

Question 2.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
My right side bled, my cheeks were torn, and
I Dislodged, detachedly, a piece of glass,
All the time wondering what had come to pass.
Where was my wife? Alarmed, I gave a shout.

i. Why did the right side of the doctor bleed?
ii. Why did the doctor give a shout?
iii. What is the name of the doctor’s wife? How did she appear?
iv. How did the doctor console his wife? What did he do then?
v. What did the doctor and his wife find soon as come out in the street? What was their reaction?
vi. What did they see when they stood afraid in street?
Answer:
i. The doctor was badly injured when a splinter pierced his right thigh. It however protruded from his thigh and blood gushed out from there.

ii. The doctor was highly terrified when he was reminded of his wife. He wondered where she was at that time. Hence, he gave a shout to call her at once.

iii. The name of the doctor’s wife is Yecko-san. She appears holding her elbow, terrified like her doctor husband. She looks pale and was bloodstained because of being injured.

iv. The doctor consoles her saying that they will be fine but; they must go out immediately so as to save themselves from being buried under their collapsing house.

v. Soon as they came out in the street, the doctor and his wife stumbled against the head of a man, crushed to death under a gate. They were so shocked that they failed to move.

vi. While they stood shocked in the street, they saw a house before them which tilted at first. It then swayed and finally crushed down on the ground. Fire was seen blazing up all of a sudden in the dust and spreading all around with the help of wind.

Question 3.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
It dawned on us we must
Get to the hospital: we needed aid —
And I should help my staff too. (Though this made
Sense to me then, I wonder how I could.
My legs gave way. I sat down on the ground.

i. What dawned on them?
ii. Give two reasons why they wanted to go to the hospital.
ii. The doctor says, “I wonder how I could”. What did he wonder? ‘
iv. What were the other problems the doctor faced at that moment?
v. How did he recover? Did he able to go to the hospital?
Answer:
i. Because of being injured when their house collapsed as a result of atomic explosion, both the doctor and his wife were perplexed for some time. They failed to decide what to do immediately. But ultimately, the doctor realised that they must rush to the hospital for medical aid.

ii. The doctor and his wife were badly injured when their house collapsed as a result of atomic explosion. Hence, it was necessary for them to rush to the hospital for medical aid. Next, the doctor also thought that he could also help his staff by rendering service to the people injured in the blast.

iii. Despite his urgent need in the hospital, the doctor wondered how to reach there. His legs were already numbed with pain and he was thus, forced to sit down on the ground, failing to move ahead.

iv. Besides his fatal wound in his legs, the doctor also felt thirsty. But there was no water to drink. Moreover, he was badly exhausted due to profuse blood loss. He was feeling breathless as a result of exhaustion.

v. The doctor sat down on the ground being completely exhausted. He took quick short breath and regained his strength after a while.

Question 4.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
A dreadful loneliness
Came over me when she had gone. My mind
Ran at high speed, my body crept behind.
I saw the shadowy forms of people, some
Were ghosts, some scarecrows, all were wordless and
dumb

i. Who is she referred to in the given excerpt? Where had she gone?
ii. What did the doctor see around him while he was sitting alone?
iii. How did the people walk towards the hospital?
iv. Why did they walk with the arms stretched straight out?
v. Did the doctor understand at a first sight that why they were walking so strangely?
Answer:
i. She is Yecko-san, the wife of the doctor. On her husband’s ardent request, Yecko-san went to the hospital, leaving the doctor alone in the street.

ii. The doctor saw some bizarre-looking men, walking down the street. They were so worn out that they looked either like ghosts or scarecrows.

iii. the doctor watched the people walking in a naked pa-rade to the hospital. While they were walking, their arms were either stretched out or their hands dangled loosely from their body.

iv. Since these men were badly burnt in the explosion, their arms were either stretched out or their hands, dangled loosely from their body so as to avoid friction on their wounds.

v. At first the doctor wondered why these men were walking so strangely. But, after a while he realised that they were badly burnt in the explosion. To avoid their flesh being rubbed off against each other, they thus walked with their arms either stretched out or hands, dangling loosely from their body.

Question 5.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
I turned my gaze, but was at a loss
That she should stand thus, till I came across 
A naked man – and now the thought arose
That some strange thing had stripped us of clothes.

i. Why did the doctor turn his gaze?
ii. What did he think initially when he saw a woman with a child standing naked in his path? How did he clear off his misunderstanding?
iii. What did the doctor see after he came across a naked man?
iv. What does the poet intend to show through the series of devastating pictures.
Answer:
i. The doctor saw a woman with a child, standing naked in his path. Hence, he turned his gaze away from them.

ii. Seeing the naked woman and her naked child, the doctor at first presumed that they have come out straight from bath. But noticing a naked man before him, he finally realised that some dreadful thing had happened because of which people’s clothes were burnt.

iii. After he came across a naked man, the doctor saw an old woman, lying on the ground. Her face was disfigured with deep anguish. Yet she remained silent.

iv. With a series of horrifying pictures, Vikram Seth shows how the entire human civilization is at stake during war. The idea is reinforced by a constant emphasis upon nudity in the poem. The Doctor feels unashamed being naked. So too are other people in the city. It seems as if the entire city is marching away from civilization and moving towards an uncertain future which promises nothing but eternal horror and pain.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
The poem is about
a. Kargil war
b. Gulf War
c. aftermath of nuclear attack in Hiroshima
d. World War
Answer:
c. aftermath of nuclear attack in Hiroshima

Question 2.
Who is the speaker of the poem?
a. Yecko-san, the wife of the doctor
b. the poet
c. a warrior
d. the doctor
Answer:
d. the doctor

Question 3.
What fascinated the doctor when he looked out of the window?
a. the shining leaves and the shadows
b. the beautiful birds all around
c. the beautiful sunset
d. the glorious rainbow
Answer:
a. the shining leaves and the shadows

Question 4.
What terrified the doctor all of a sudden?
a. the cry of his wife, Yecko-san
b. the two consecutive strong flashes
c. the thunderstorm
d. the accident on the road
Answer:
b. the two consecutive strong flashes

Question 5.
What happened to the roof and walls of the doctor’s house?
a. they became damp
b. they remained unaffected
c. they collapsed
d. the walls only cracked
Answer:
c. they collapsed

Question 6.
What happened to the drawers and undershirt of the doctor?
a. nothing happened
b. they were covered with dust
c. they turned black
d. they disappeared
Answer:
d. they disappeared

Question 7.
What was the condition of the doctor after the sudden blast?
a. he was at home so nothing happened to him
b. he was only shocked
c. he was bleeding and was badly injured
d. only his clothes were dirty
Answer:
c. he was bleeding and was badly injured

Question 8.
How did Yecko-san emerge?
a. she emerged with a towel in her hand
b. she emerged holding her elbow
c. she emerged crying loudly
d. she emerged being unaffected
Answer:
b. she emerged holding her elbow

Question 9.
Why did the doctor fall on the street?
a. because the street was slippery
b. because he bumped over a human head
c. because he was stumbling
d. because the street was dark
Answer:
b. because he bumped over a human head

Question 10.
What happened to the house which stood before the speaker?
a. it remained unaffected
b. it titlted, swayed, toppled and crashed
c. it was burnt to ashes
d. it collapsed
Answer:
b. it titlted, swayed, toppled and crashed

Question 11.
Where did the doctor decide to go?
a. hospital
b. bank
c. open space
d. bunker
Answer:
a. hospital

Question 12.
Why did the doctor sit on the ground?
a. because the road was blocked
b. because his legs gave way
c. because his wife didn’t want him to move ahead
d. because he had no where to go
Answer:
b. because his legs gave way

Question 13.
Why a soldier gave a towel to the doctor?
a. to clean his blood stained face
b. because he was sweating profusely
c. because he was naked
d. because the doctor needed it to dress his wound
Answer:
c. because he was naked

Question 14.
How did the doctor feel when his wife advanced towards hospital leaving him on the street?
a. he felt relaxed
b. a dreadful loneliness came over him
c. he was annoyed
d. he was shocked
Answer:
b. a dreadful loneliness came over him

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Annotations with Comments

Lines 1 to 10:

stretched: spread
sprawling: stretching (gleaming) shining with soft light
Shimmering: spread;
startled: shocked
flares: bright flame
timber: wood used in Construction
debris: wreckage, garbage
swirled: whirled (moved in a circular motion)
weird: strange, odd, bizarre
disappeared: burnt (in this context)

Comment:

The poem begins with a picture of a beautiful morning with shimmering leaves”. But the sudden strong flashes disrupts everything. The serene nature is ravished along with the city, where people are seen wounded and running naked in the street. The picture is deeply pathetic and reminds us of the picture of Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945, the blackest day in human history, on which the poem is based on. In other words, the poem describes the aftermath of nuclear attack in Hiroshima, by the United States during the final stages of World War II.

Lines 11 to 18:

splinter: fragment of wood or glass
jutted: protruded
mangled: mutildted
dislodged: removed
detachedly: removed
alarmed: terribly frigttened
gushed out: flowed out
panic stricken: terrified

Lines 19 to 29:

bloodstained: marked with blood
stumbling: staggering
tripped: stumbled
tilted: slanted
toppled: collapsed
dawned on us: suddenly came to our mind
aid: help

Lines 30 to 45:

how I could: since he is badly injured, it is impossible to help his staff
legs gave way: legs could not go ahead
gave way: felt weak and numb
revive: renew
stiff: hard
rebelled: opposed
distress: suffering
dreadful: awful
mind: thoughts
crept behind: left back.

Comment:

I was still naked…no shame: War destroys everything. The entire human civilization is at stake during war. The poet draws such a picture of war by constantly emphasizing upon nudity in the poem. The Doctor feels unashamed being naked. So too are other people in the city. It seems as if the entire city s marching away from civilization and moving towards an uncertain future which promises nothing but eternal horror and pain

Lines 46 to 63:

Scarecrows: actually it means human figures made of sticks and placed in green field to scare away crows. But here the word means messy human figures arms stretched
straight out: their hands were stretched out since their skin was so burnt
dangling: hanging
friction: rubbing
chafe: rub
shuffled: moved
shuffled in blank parade: walked slowly in trance dismayech saddened
marred: ruined.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 6:

The beautiful morning wakes up the doctor. Looking out of the window, he sees the shining leaves and shadows. Suddenly, the two consecutive strong flashes terrify him in a major way. The old stone lantern blazes up and the doctor wonders whether the two flashes are magnesium flares, generally seen during war.

Lines 6 to 17:

While wondering about the flares, the doctor is even more shocked seeing the roof and wall of the building collapsed and the debris, scattered all over. Moreover, dust swirls around him and the drawers and under shirt of the doctor is burnt within moment. A splinter protrudes from his thigh and the doctor is severely injured. Blood sprouts out from his right side.

His cheek is torn. He removes a piece of glass struck in his body, wondering what has happened to him. Suddenly he is reminded of his wife. The doctor is at once terrified. He hollers with all his might to call his wife, Yecko-san. Blood continues streaming out from his body and he wonders whether a big artery in his neck is fatally injured.

Lines 17 to 35:

Yecko-san finally shows up, holding her elbow, when the doctor calls her again. Like her husband, Yecko-san is also terrified. The doctor assures her that they will be fine but; they must go out immediately. While they walk on the street, they stumble against the head of a man, crushed to death under a gate. They are so shocked that they fail to move.

A house before them at first tilts, then sways and finally crushes down on the ground. Fire is seen blazing up all of a sudden in the dust and it spreads all around with the help of wind. The doctor, shocked to see the horrible spectacle all around him, finally decides to go to hospital. They badly need medical aid as they are severely injured.

Even he can help his staffs there. But he wonders how to reach the hospital with his legs, already numbed with pain. The doctor sits down on the ground, failing to move ahead. He is thirsty. But there is no water to drink. Sitting on the ground he takes a quick short breath and regains his strength after a while.

Lines 35 to 45:

The doctor rises up, soon as he regains strength. He is still naked. Yet he is not ashamed. This thought disturbs him until he meets a soldier, standing by the side. The soldier offers him a towel, taken out from around his neck. The doctor fails to move ahead. His legs are stiffened with dried blood. He asks his wife to go alone to the hospital. Yecko-san feels reluctant to leave her husband. But ultimately she leaves him behind, finding no better option. After her departure, the doctor feels terribly lonely.

Lines 46 to 51:

Some bizarre looking men are seen walking down the street. They are so worn out that they look either like ghosts or scarecrows. They are all waking silently with their arms, either stretched out or hands dangling loosely from their body. The doctor wonders why they are walking so strangely. The next moment he realises that they are avoiding their flesh to be rubbed off against each other. After all thqy are burnt and the friction on their wounds will definitely plague them a lot.

Lines 47 to 63:

People are also seen walking in a naked parade to the hospital. The doctor discovers a woman with a child, both of whom are naked. The doctor wonders whether they have come out straight after bath. He then sees another naked man.

He realises that some dreadful thing has happened because of which people’s clothes are burnt. An old woman is also seen lying on the ground. Her face is disfigured with deep anguish. Yet she remained silent. In fact silence seems to be the common feature of everyone in the street.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Summary by Vikram Seth

Vikram Seth’s A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 describes the aftermath of nuclear attack in Hiroshima, by the United States during the final stages of World War II. The poem is in the form of an entry made in a journal by a doctor, who is himself badly wounded because of the explosion of atom bomb. What he sees around him is the spectacle of horror which simply terrifies the doctor. The poem is indeed a deeply moving picture of nuclear holocaust.

The poem begins on a calm note. The Doctor wakes up and sees a beautiful morning from outside his window. Suddenly, the two consecutive strong flashes terrify him in a major way. The roof and the wall of the building collapse all of a sudden and dust swirls around him. A splinter protrudes from his thigh and blood sprouts up from his right side.

His cheek is torn: He removes a piece of glass struck in his body, wondering what has happened to him. Suddenly he is reminded of his wife. The doctor is at once terrified. He hollers with all his might to calls his wife, Yecko-san.

Yecko-san finally appears holding her elbow. Like her husband, she is also terrified. The doctor assures her that they will be fine but; they must go out immediately. While they walk on the street, they stumble against the head of a man, crushed to death under a gate. They are so shocked that they fail to move. A house before them at first tilts then sways and finally crushes down on the ground. Fire is seen blazing up all of a sudden in the dust and it spreads all around with the help of wind.

The doctor shocked to see the horrible spectacle all around him, finally decides to go to hospital. But he fails to walk ahead since his legs are numbed with pain. The doctor sits down on the ground, takes quick short, breath and regains his strength after a while. He then endeavours to walk, but fails again since his legs are stiffened with dried blood. He asks his wife to go alone to the hospital. And after she leaves, the doctor feels terribly lonely.

Some bizarre looking men are seen walking down the street. They are so worn out that they look either like ghosts or scarecrows. They are all walking silently with their arms, either stretched out or hands dangling loosely from their body. The doctor wonders why they are walking so strangely. The next moment he realises that they are avoiding their flesh to be rubbed off against each other. After all they are burnt and the friction on their wounds will definitely plague them a lot.

People are also seen walking in a naked parade to the hospital. The doctor spots out a woman with a child, both of whom are naked. The doctor wonders whether they have come out straight after bath. He then sees another naked man. He realises that some dreadful thing has happened because of which people’s clothes are burnt.

With all these pathetic picture, the poet shows how the entire human civilization is at stake during war. The idea is reinforced by a constant emphasis upon nudity in the poem. The Doctor feels unashamed being naked. So too are other people in the city. It seems as if the entire city is marching away from civilization and moving towards an uncertain future which promises nothing but eternal horror and pain.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Introduction

Vikram Seth’s A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 describes the aftermath of nuclear attack in Hiroshima, by the United States during the final stages of World War II. The poem is in the form of an entry made in a journal by a doctor, who is himself badly wounded because of the explosion of atom bomb. What he sees around him is the spectacle of horror which simply terrifies the doctor. The poem is indeed a deeply moving picture of nuclear holocaust.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 4 The Night Mail

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Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 4 The Night Mail

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 4 The Night Mail

The Night Mail Poem Comprehension Questions Answers

Question 1.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, 
The shop at the corner, the girl next door. 
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient against her, but she’s on time.
Past cotton grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
snort noisily as she passes

i. Which border is the night nail crossing? What does it bring to the people?
ii. What does the poet mean when he says that the night mail brings letter to poor and rich?
iii. How is the night mail personified?
iv. What type of landscape does the poet mention in the given excerpt?
v. How does the night mail pass through the landscape mentioned in the given excerpt?
Answer:
i. The “border” mentioned in the given excerpt is the border between England and Scotland. The night mail however brings a variety of letters to a variety of people.

ii. The night mail is represented as a perfect communist who doesn’t discriminate between poor and the riches. This is evident when the poet says that the train brings “Letters for the rich, letters for the poor”, which however indicates that the service rendered by the night mail is not restricted to the privileged class only.

iii. Throughout the poem, Auden personifies the night mail as a woman. The train however shares the elegance of a woman while it passes smoothly without disturbing the world around. This is evident when the poet says that while the train passes, “no one wakes”. The smooth manner which the train maintains ail throughout its journey is certainly a feminine quality for which the train is referred to as she.

iv. In the given excerpt, the train is seen crossing the cotton fields and the rocky land. It covers a long distance unmoved of everything around.

v. Auden lends a conventional picture of the night mail crossing the cotton field and the rocky land with a rumbling noise. Moreover, white steam gushes out from her shoulder while the train moves on.

Question 2.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.

i. Why do birds turn their heads? Wherefrom they turn their heads?
ii. What is meant by blank-faced coaches? Why do birds stare at the blank-faced coaches?
iii. How do sheep dogs react while the night mail passes on?
iv. Why no one wakes when the night mail passes on through the farm?
v. What happens in the bedroom while the night mail passes on?
Answer:
i. Hearing the rumbling sound of the approaching train, birds turn their heads to see the night mail moving on elegantly. They however turn their heads from the bushes around.

ii. Blank faced coaches refers to the black and vacant coaches uninhabited by humans. Birds however continue staring at the blank-faced coaches sine they are surprised finding no human figures inside.

iii. Sheep-dogs, continues sleeping comfortably with crossed-legs while the night mail passes by. Generally sheep-dogs are sensitive animals. They get up even with slightest noise. But, the rumbling sound of the night mail hardly bothers them since they are used to hearing such noise and assured that the train will do no harm to them.

iv. Like the sheep-dogs, human too are used to hearing the snort of the night mail. Hence, they continue enjoying their sleep while the night mail passes by.

v. Though humans and animals continue sleeping, unmoved of the passing of the night mail, the jug in the bed room responds with a mild shake. In other words, the mild tremor caused while the train passes on, shakes the jug inside a bedroom.

Question 3.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
Dawn freshens, Her climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descend,
Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs
Men long for news.

i. Whose climb is referred to in the given excerpt? What happens with the leap of dawn?
ii. Describe in brief the landscape of Glasgow as painted by the poet.
iii. What does the poet mean by all Scotland?
iv. Which areas of Glasgow does the train crosses in the given excerpt?
Answer:
i. The night mail’s difficult path of moving along a sharp rise is referred to in the given excerpt. With the leap of dawn, the night mail descends down towards Glasgow and runs through the plain land.

ii. In the given excerpt, the poet explores the industrial landscape of Glasgow through which the night mail passes in the morning. Auden records that the night mail crosses the rows of cranes along the harbour of Glasgow. The next moment, it travels through the vast industrial areas where the furnaces look like gigantic chessmen.

iii. All Scotland in the given excerpt refers to the people of Scotland who are eagerly waiting for the night mail so that their letters be delivered on time.

iv. The night mail passes through the industrial landscape of Glasgow evident from the pictures like “the fields of apparatus, the furnaces / Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.” In other words, the poet refers to the vast industrial areas of Glasgow where there are furnaces that look like gigantic chessmen.

Question 4.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from girl and boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or to visit relations,
And applications for situations,
And timid lovers ‘declarations,’
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,

i. What kind of letters does the night mail deliver to the people?
ii. Why are holiday photograph sent to the recipients?
iii. How does the poet describe the tone and style of the letters?
iv. Name the various colours of paper used to write the letters mentioned in the poem?
v. Are there only handwritten letters posted to the recipients? What does the night mail carry other than letters?
Answer:
i. However, the train brings a variety of letters to a variety of people. There are letters expressing thanks or joy, love letters, letters of gossip, letters accompanied with holiday photographs, letter from uncles, cousins, aunts, letter expressing sympathy all stuffed together to be delivered to the people of Scotland.

ii. Holiday photographs are sent to be enlarged and kept as a memoir of beautiful moment of life.

iii. The variety of letters that the night mail carries are written in various tones and styles imaginable. Such tones and styles are mischievous, tedious, emotional, clever and unintelligent to name a few. Moreover, some of the letters are typed while others are printed and even misspelled.

iv. A wide range of letters carried by the night mail are written on papers of various colours. The colours mentioned by the poet are pink, violet, white and blue.

v. Along with the handwritten letters, there are also letters which are typed. Moreover, there are also printed letters among the lot.

Question 5.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
They continue their dreams,
But shall wake soon and hope for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?

i. Who are they referred to in the first line of the given excerpt? What are they doing?
ii. What kind of dream they see while in their sleep?
iii. What will they do after they wake up? Why?
iv. How will they react hearing the postman knocking at their door?
Answer:
i. They in the given excerpt refer to the people of Scotland who remain fast asleep even when the train arrives with letters for them in the early morning.

ii. Thousands remain asleep and have terrifying dreams. The poet says that their dreams are as dreaming of monsters. In a way, the dream seems to be something of dreadful nature due to the political unrest in Europe.

iii. After waking up from their sleep the people of Scotland will wait for the letters to be delivered to them in proper time. This is because of the inherent nature of humans to remain connected to the world around. After all none can endure the pain of being forgotten.

iv. After waking up from sleep the people of Scotland will wait for the letters to be delivered to them in proper time. And the moment they will hear the postman knocking at their door, their hearts will pound due to.

The Night Mail Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
The night mail is heading towards?
a. London
b. Glasgow
c. Paris
d. Belgium
Answer:
b. Glasgow

Question 2.
The night mail is personified as a ………….
a. child
b. man
c. woman
d. none of the above
Answer:
c. woman

Question 3.
Who turns towards the night mail when it passes by?
a. humans
b. birds
c. sheep-dogs
d. cows
Answer:
c. sheep-dogs

Question 4.
What do humans do when the night-mail passes by?
a. they enjoy watching the train
b. they sleep
c. they wait anxiously for the train to stop
d. they stop the train in the middle
Answer:
b. they sleep

Question 5.
What shakes in the bedroom while the train passes by?
a. mug
b. water bottle
c. lamp
d. jug
Answer:
d. jug

Question 6.
In the morning the train descend down to
a. London
b. Glasgow
c. Birmingham
d. Inverness
Answer:
b. Glasgow

Question 7.
While in their sleep people dream of
a. fairies
b. letters
c. money
d. monsters
Answer:
d. monsters

Question 8.
When do people experience a pounding heart?
a. when the night mail arrives
b. immediately after they wake up
c. the moment when they get letters
d. the moment when the post man knock at their doors
Answer:
d. the moment when the post man knock at their doors

Question 9.
The furnaces set on dark plain look like
a. monsters
b. citadels
c. gigantic chessmen
d. None of the above
Answer:
c. gigantic chessmen

Question 10.
Which among these is not carried by the night mail?
a. letters
b. cheques
c. postal order
d. telegrams
Answer:
d. telegrams

The Night Mail Poem Annotations with Comments

Stanza I:

border: refers to the border of England and Scotland
cheque: an order to a bank to pay a stated sum from the drawer’s account
rich: rich people
poor: poor people
Pulling up: mounting up
Gradient: slope
Beattock: A village in Dumfries and Galloway council area, Scotland
Moorland: high land with rough grass and bushes.
Boulder: rock
Shovelling: emitting
Snorting: make a sudden explosive sound

Comment:

snort noisily ….of wind-bent grasses: Throughout the poem, the night mail is personified as a woman. Auden often refers the night mail as “she” who “snort noisily” and crosses the “Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.” “All Scotland waits for her”, as she brings news for all. International news was significantly important due to Hitler’s meteoric rise to power.

Stanza II:

turn their heads: birds turn their head when they hear the night mail crossing with rumbling sound
she: refers to the night mail
blank-faced: black and vacant coaches
Sheep-dogs: a dog of a breed suitable for guarding and herding sheep.
Slumber: sleep
Paws across: cross-legged
No one wakes: all are fast asleep when the night mail passes by
Shakes: jug in a bedroom vibrates due to the tremor caused when the night mail passes by.

Comment:

Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course: Sheep-dogs are a part of the sleeping community which remains unmoved while the train passes by. Generally sheep-dogs are sensitive animals. They get up even with slightest noise. But, the rumbling sound of the night mail hardly bothers them like the humans who are used to hearing the noise of the train passing by. Hence, the sheep-dogs continues enjoying their sleep like humans.

Stanza III:

Dawn: early morning
Her climb is done: the train has completed covering the difficult path of climbing up on the mountains.
Descends: come down
Yelping: here it refers to the rumbling sound of the train
Glade: Of space Towards the steam.
of cranes: the rows of cranes along the harbour of Glasgow
the fields of apparatus: fields of industries
chessmen: solid figure used as a chess piece. Set on ….. gigantic
chessmen: heads toward dark furnaces set up like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland: all the people of Scotland
glens: a narrow valley, especially in Scotland
lochs: a lake

Stanza IV:

Receipted: a written a knowledgment of having received
Stock: store
applications for situations: application for vacant post
gossip: rumours
circumstantial: detail
snaps: pictures
condolence: sympathy
hue: colour
catty: mischievous
heart’s outpouring: heart’s outburst

Stanza V:

Dreaming of terrifying monsters: indication of disturbed sleep due to dreaming something dreadful
Cranston: A locality and parish in Midlothian council area,Scotland.
Aberdeen: a city in North East Scotland, on the North Sea
quickening of the heart: pounding of the heart

The Night Mail Poem Paraphrase

Stanza I:

The night mail is crossing the border and heading towards Scotland. Laden with letters, bank cheques and postal orders meant for all classes of people, the train is committed to reach on time. The path however is difficult since it isn’t easy to move along a sharp rise with hurdles and obstacles on its way. While on move, the night mail crosses the cotton fields and the rocky land. It covers a long distance unmoved of everything around. The poet fancies the train as a woman puffing out noisily and releasing steam from her shoulder while passing by the miles of verdant lands.

Stanza II:

Birds from the bushes turn towards the approaching train while they hear the rumbling sound. The dark and vacant coaches surprise them as they see no human figures. Sheep-dogs, continues sleeping comfortably with crossed-legs as they are used to hearing the noise of the train passing by. Humans too are unmoved. Like the sheep-dogs, they too enjoy their sleep while the train passes on with mild tremor that shakes a jug inside a bedroom.

Stanza III:

With the show of dawn, the train descends down towards Glasgow. The difficult path of moving along a sharp rise is over. The train now runs through the plain land with rows of cranes along the harbour of Glasgow. The next moment, it travels through the vast industrial areas where the furnaces look like gigantic chessmen. People of Scotland eagerly wait for the train as they long for news.

Stanza IV:

Various kinds of letters are received by the people of Scotland. It may be letters expressing thanks or joy or may be official letters from banks. There are applications for vacant post, love letters, letters of gossip, letters accompanied with holiday photographs, meant to be enlarged, letter from uncles, cousins, aunts, letter expressing sympathy written on papers of various colours like pink, violet, white and blue. The letters however have all tones and styles imaginable mischievous, tedious, emotional, clever and unintelligent. Some of them are typed while others are printed and even misspelled.

Stanza V:

Thousands remain asleep and have terrifying dreams. They are from Glasgow and Edinburgh. They continue with their dreams but expect that they will, ceive letters soon as they are awake. Their hearts will pound, hearing the postman knocking at their door. After all who can endure the pain of being forgotten?

The Night Mail Poem Summary by W.H. Auden

The night mail is crossing the border and heading towards Scotland. Laden with letters, bank cheques and postal orders meant for all classes of people, the train is committed to reach on time. The path however is difficult since it isn’t easy to move along a sharp rise with hurdles and obstacles on its way. While on move, the night mail crosses the cotton fields and the rocky land.

The poet fancies as if the night mail is a woman, puffing out noisily and releasing steam from her shoulder while passing by the miles of verdant lands. Birds from the bushes turn towards her while they hear the rumbling sound. The dark and vacant coaches surprise them as they see no human figures there. Sheep-dogs, continues sleeping comfortably with crossed-legs as they are used to hearing her noisy “snort”. Moreover, humans too remain unmoved. While they enjoy their sleep, the train passes on with mild tremor that shakes a jug inside a bedroom.

With the show of dawn, the train descends down towards Glasgow. The difficult path of moving along a sharp rise is over. The train now runs through the plain land with rows of cranes along the harbour of Glasgow. The next moment, it travels through the vast industrial areas where the furnaces look like gigantic chessmen. People of Scotland eagerly wait for the train as they crave for news.

However, the train brings a, variety of letters to a variety of people. There are “letters of thanks”, “letters from banks”; Letters of joy”; financial,” letters of gossip, love letters, letters from uncles, cousins, aunts and letters of condolence to name a few. These letters are written on papers of various colours like pink, violet, white and blue.

The letters however have all tones and styles imaginable mischievous, tedious, emotional, clever and unintelligent. Some of them are typed while others are printed and even misspelled. People who aren’t awake will receive letters soon as they are awake. Their hearts will pound, hearing the postman knocking at their door. After all who can endure the pain of being forgotten?

The Night Mail Poem Introduction

Auden’s Night Mail was written in 1936 to accompany the documentary film of the same title. The film was about a mail train flying from London to Scotland. Auden’s poem was read towards the end of the film, set to music by Benjamin Britten. The poem explores the commitment of a mail train to deliver an unimaginable variety of letters to the people of Scotland. Night Mail however remains one of Auden’s most popular poems all for its simple style and theme.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 3 I Remember, I Remember

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Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 3 I Remember, I Remember

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 3 I Remember, I Remember

I Remember, I Remember Poem Comprehension Questions Answers

Question 1.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
I remember, I remember,
The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
He never came a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day,
But now, I often wish the night
Had borne my breath away

i. What memory of his childhood does the poet record in the first stanza?
ii. What specific memory of his house does the poet still remember?
iii. How did the sun help into maintaining a perfect equilibrium between day and night?
iv. What does the poet wish now?
v. Why does the poet longs for death?
Answer:
i. The speaker recalls the memory of his childhood all throughout the poem. In the first stanza however he is reminiscent of the house where he was born. Specifically he remembers the small window through which the rays of sun ushered in the morning. During those days, the speaker says that the sun was a too punctual. He neither leaped up early nor prolonged the day by setting down late. In a way, the picture of his childhood days are simple and innocent.

ii. The poet specifically remembers the small window of the house where he was born. Through the window, the rays of sun ushered in the morning.

iii. The sun as described by the poet was too punctual during those days. He neither leaped up early in the morning nor prolonged the day by setting down late in the evening. Because of his punctuality, the equilibrium between day and night was well maintained by the sun.

iv. Due to being plagued down by the weight of misfortune and physical decline, the poet longs that the night takes away his breath and he never wake up to see the sun again. In other words, the poet is longing to be dead so as to escape the pains of life.

v. With old age, life becomes more complicated due to ill health as well as other misfortunes of life. During this time the zest for life is completely lost and often we long for death to escape further blows of life. The poet must have reached such stage of life where the urge to live more is completely lost. Hence he wishes to die as death means liberation from mundane sorrows.

Question 2.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
I remember, I remember,
The roses, red and white,
The violets, and the lily cups,
Those flowers made of light!
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday, —
The tree is living yet!

i. Name the flowers which the poet still remembers.
ii. What does the poet mean by “flowers made of light”?
iii. Explain the imagery in this stanza.
iv. What is so special about the laburnum tree?
v. Explain the underlying meaning of the “tree is living yet”.
Answer:
i. The poet recollects a series of flowers which grew in his garden while in his childhood days. The flowers mentioned are red and white roses, the violets, lilies and lilacs.

ii. The colourful flowers grown ail around the garden looked so beautiful that the innocent mind of the poet fancied as if the flowers were blessed by heaven. The word “light” here means bright and shiny. The colourful flowers under bright sun shine looked so beautiful that the innocent mind of the poet considered it heavenly.

iii. The entire stanza is replete with sensuous images. The colourful flowers under bright sun rays, the robin’s nest, the laburnum tree all evoke a sensory experience in the reader. In fact, reader can literary imagine the flowers growing in the garden since the poet vividly describes them with a deliberate sensuous touch.

iv. The poet specifically remembers the laburnum tree which was once planted by his brother on his birthday. The tree however is still alive.

v. There might be two possible meanings of this expression. Firstly, it might suggest that th tree is still alive whereas the person who has planted it is no more alive. Secondly, the expression might suggest that while the tree is living and growing, the poet ¡s decaying. It is largely a matter of personal interpretation which reading to accept.

Question 3.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
I remember, I remember,
Where I was used to swing,
And thought the air must rush as fresh
To swallows on the wing;
My spirit flew in feathers then,
That is so heavy now,
And summer pool could hardly cool
The fever on my brow!

i. Describe the way the poet used to swing during his child hood.
ii. Which bird is mentioned in this stanza? Why does the poet mention the bird?
iii. What is meant by “spirit flew in feathers then”?
iv. What is “so heavy now”? Why?
v. Why does summer fail to heal the poet?
Answer:
i. Being lost of his vitality, the poet bemoans recalling the way he once swung with unimaginable rapidness. In his childhood days he used to swing expeditiously to feel the rush of fresh air all around.

ii. The bird mentioned in this stanza is swallow. The poet means to say that like the swallow, he was once carefree. His blithe childhood spirit was so light and boundless that it seemed to fly, in the air like the weightless feathers of swallow.

iii. The poet recalls his carefree days of childhood which was free from trouble. His spirit was then too light to be overwhelmed with the beautiful aspect of nature that he saw around him. The boundless ecstasy felt in his heart turned his spirit weightless like the feathers of the swallow. In such a state of losing himself so completely in nature, the poet felt as if his spirit flew like swallows in the vast stretch of the sky.

iv. The poet feels as if his spirit s now heavy since he fails to be lost in nature like his childhood days. The poet bemoans the loss of his boisterous childhood due to time’s onslaught. As he grows mature, he feels that the child within him is growing more exhausted. The spirit which was once so full of vitality is now heavy with the weight of adulthood. Hence, he laments over the loss of his rapturous spirit.

v. Summer is most welcoming in the European world. The poet being deeply plagued down by his physical ailment fails to enjoy the warm summer that he might have enjoyed during his childhood days. Hence, he feels deeply troubled realising that the warm summer after prolong winter has no effect upon him. In fact, nothing can soothe his aching adult heart which is deeply wounded by the blows of life.

Question 4.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
I remember, I remember,
The fir trees dark and high;
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky:
It was a childish ignorance,
But now ‘tis little joy
To know I’m farther off from heaven
Than when I was a boy.

i. How does the poet describe the fir tree?
ii. Why does he remember the fir tree?
iii. What is considered as “childish ignorance”? Why?
iv. How does the poet feel realizing that he is farther off from heav’n?
v. What is the theme of the poem?
vi. Why does the poet look back at the past all throughout the poem?
Answer:
i. The penultimate stanza of the poem begins with the picture of a fir tree which the poet still remembers vividly. He says that the tree stood dark and high against the sky. Hood however was enamoured by the enormous height of the tree which evoked a feeling of heaven being close to the tree.

ii. The fir tree clearly demonstrates the way Hood saw the world as a child. With its “slender tops” the tree seemed to touch the heaven above. Such innocent belief actually goads the poet to remember the fir tree which haunts him with the thought of innocence being lost forever due to time’s onslaught. The poet thus, clings to the days of happy past which at least aids him escape the struggles and harsh realities of adulthood which hails horrors in his life.

iii. The thought of the enormous fir tree being close to heaven is nothing but a “childish ignorance”. The poet ultimately realises this after he is matured enough to understand that heaven is a faraway place where one cannot reach with a rational mind. Unconcerned and free from the facts of the world, children live a life far away from reality. The pure and innocent mind of children fancy things which are unacceptable in the adult world.

This is because of maturity and exposure to the harsh realities of life. The poet thus, bemoans that it was nothing but a “childish ignorance” to consider heaven being so near which hence thought when he was a child.

iv. The poet feels deeply sad realising the gulf between him and heaven. His innocent mind was once consoled with the thought that he was closer to God as a child. The gigantic fir tree however gave him such assurance. But, now with his maturity, the poet finally realises that he is far away from heaven. Such isolation from the realm of spirituality deeply grieves the poet, realising that life was once so simple and innocent which lost forever.

v. The entire poem is a vehement contrast between childhood happiness with adult despondence and distress. While looking back at the past, the poet feels depressed realizing that his carefree days are over. This realization grieves his heart and he thus, recalls the memory of his childhood all throughout the poem. In this sense the predominant theme of the poem is the loss of childhood which means the loss of innocence and freedom.

vi. The entire poem is a return to childhood era, suggested by the title, “I Remember, I Remember. The poet deliberately goes down memory lane to retrospect upon the happy days of childhood which consoles his troubled mind, exposed to the harsh realities of life. Life in those days was carefree indeed. The unrestrained freedom which he enjoyed during his childhood is now over.

The poet is now awfully trapped in the dicious world of adulthood which promises nothing but endless misfortune. Hence, the poet yearns for his childhood days which are but a symbolic retreat to a world of innocence, purity and simplicity.

I Remember, I Remember Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Which among these the speaker does not recall in the poem?
a. house
b. sun rays
c. moon light
d. lilacs
Answer:
c. moon light

Question 2.
What comes through the little window of his house……………
a. insects
b. moon light
c. sun rays
d. birds
Answer:
c. sun rays

Question 3.
What does the poet long for presently?
a. to go back to his childhood
b. to die
c. to have good time with his family
d. to sit in his garden and relax
Answer:
b. to die

Question 4.
The colour of the roses remembered by the poet are ……..
a. yellow and white
b. black and yellow
c. red and white
d. pink and black
Answer:
c. red and white

Question 5.
The nest of robin was built in …………
a. laburnum tree
b. willow tree
c. lilac tree
d. fir tree
Answer:
c. lilac tree

Question 6.
Which tree was planted by his brother?
a. fir tree
b. laburnum tree
c. willow tree
d. oak tree
Answer:
b. laburnum tree

Question 7.
On what occasion did his brother plant tree?
a. birthday
b. marriage anniversary
c. death anniversary
d. no specific occasion
Answer:
a. birthday

Question 8.
What is compared to a swallow?
a. the mood of the poet
b. childhood spirit
c. old age
d. adulthood
Answer:
b. childhood spirit

Question 9.
“My spirit flew in feathers then, That is so heavy now” ………….. What is so heavy now?
a. body weight of the poet
b. the poet’s spirit now
c. memory
d. the poet’s spirit in childhood
Answer:
(b) and (d)

Question 10.
What is meant by “fever on my brow”?
a. high body temperature
b. the physical ailment which has taken away the youthful vitality
c. sadness particulary due to loss of innocence
d. None of the above
Answer:
b. the physical ailment which has taken away the youthful vitality

Question 11.
What “childish ignorance” does the poet mention in the poem …………
a. the thought of the enormous fir tree being close to heaven
b. the thought of heaven being far away.
c. spirit can fly like swallow
d. The punctuality of sun, maintaining perfect equilibrium between day and night
Answer:
a. the thought of the enormous fir tree being close to heaven

I Remember, I Remember Poem Annotations with Comments

Stanza I:

I remember: The refrain continues throughout the poem. The word remember” sets the nostalgic mood of the speaker as he goes detail Into describing his childhood days.
Sun : refers to sun rays
Sun ………….. at morn : the rays of sun ushered in the morning though the small window of the house,
Wink : blink
Wink too soon : leaped up early
Brought too …. a day: the sun never prolonged the day by setting down late
Borne: carried or moved particular thing
borne my breath away: take my breath away, The poet longs to die amidst the darkness of the night

Comment:

I remember: An example of refrain. Refrain Is a repeated line or number of lines in a poem which is employed for the sake of emphasizing a particular idea. The poet here emphasizes upon the fact that how simple was his childhood days which is destroyed by time.

Sun: Sun here is personified as a force for good. He is presented as a true comrade of a child as he brightens up the days of childhood. Moreover, the sun Is also an example of a perfectionist. He leaps and sets down on time which helps to maintain a perfect equilibrium between day and night.

Night…. my breath away: Night here is the symbol of sufferings and misfortunes associated with adulthood. It is exactly the opposite of day which symbolises purity and innocence. The speaker longs go die amidst the darkness of the night so as to end his earthly misfortunes.

Stanza II:

Those flowers: refer to those flowers like red and white roses, violets, lilies and lilacs.
Robin built: refers to the nest of robin built in the lilac tree.
Set: planted
Laburnum: refers to the laburnum tree
His birthday: the birthday of his brother
Still alive: The laburnum tree which was once planted by his brother is yet alive.

Comments

Those flowers: Those flowers that the poet still remembers represent the harmonic era of his childhood. Hood Is now troubled with pains and sorrows. Hence, the only way to ease his mind Is to go down the memory lane and peep into the world which was so carefree and colourful,

The tree is living yet: There might be two possible meanings ‘of this expression. Firstly, it might suggest that the tree is still alive whereas the person who has planted it Is no more alive. Next, while the tree is living and growing, the poet is decaying.

Stanza III:

Swing: move to and fro.
air must rush as fresh: he used to swing with unimaginable rapidness to feel the rush of fresh air all around
swallows: a kind of bird
swallows on the wing: Hood relates his childhood to a bird, flying freely as he swings on his favourite tree. In other words, the bird’s freedom is compared to the freedom associated with the childhood days
heavy: grave
so heavy now: heavy with the misfortunes of life
summer pool: refers to the warm summer pond
fever: agitation sickness
brow: forehead
fever on my brow: the physical ailment which has taken away the youthful vitality of the poet

Comments:

My spirit flew in feathers then: The joy of childhood is the joy of freedom. The carefree life that the poet once enjoyed during his childhood days is now over. While he recalls those days he feels elated imagining his blithe spirit flying like a bird. The word “flew” also suggests that the period of childhood joviality has now ended and the only relief for the poet is to go down the memory lane and ease his troubled mind.

And summer pool …. fever on my brow: Since old age hails trouble in one’s life, a person often looses his ability to appreciate things around him.

The innocence of childhood can easily embrace the joy of watching beautiful flowers or even the joy of swinging in the trees and enjoy beautiful warm summer, long cherished in the European world. The poet being deeply plagued down by his physical ailment fails to enjoy the warm summer that he might have enjoyed during his childhood days. In this sense the entire stanza is a contrast between the youthful physical feelings of vitality and ease with heaviness of the presence.

Stanza IV:

high: the poet uses hyperbole to describe the enormous height of the tree. The tree however seems to touch the sky
slender: thin
close against the sky: the tree seemed to touch the sky.
childish ignorance: it was his childish ignorance to imagine the tree being close to heaven
‘tis little joy: little joy because his rational mind has realised that the tree never touched the heaven. In other words, his rational mind has permanently destroyed his faith in spirituality.

Comment:

But now ‘tis little joy: The simplicity of thought is lost forever. Life is now too complicated to consider being near heaven as it was once imagined by the poet during his childhood days. Hence, he bemoans that he is now left with little joy Imagining things which are irrational. The poet’s loss of faith on spirituality is well evident here.

I Remember, I Remember Poem Paraphrase

Stanza I:

The speaker distinctly remembers the house he was born. He feels glad to recall how the rays of sun ushered in the morning though the small window of the house. The sun however was too punctual. He neither leaped up early nor prolonged the day by setting down late. Because of the sun’s punctuality, the equilibrium between day and night was perfect in those days. But now, the speaker longs that the night takes away his breath. In other words the speaker longs for death amidst the darkness of the night.

Stanza II:

The scene now shifts to a garden where the speaker used to spend time looking at the colourful flowers all around. He remembers the red and white roses, the violets, lilies and lilacs grown in the garden. He considered those flowers as if blessed by heaven. Moreover, he also remembers the nest of robin, built in the lilac tree. The laburnum tree which was once planted by his brother on his birthday, is still alive.

Stanza III:

The retrospection of childhood memories continues as the poet recalls, how he used to swing with unimaginable rapidness to feel the rush of fresh air all around. He was like weightless feathers, flying in the air. But, now as he grows old his spirit is turned so heavy that he can longer engage in such boisterous activities of his childhood days. Moreover, the heaviness of his present life disallows him to appreciate the beautiful summer which he once enjoyed during his childhood days.

Stanza IV:

The poet now recalls the dark and enormous fir tree which seemed to touch the sky above. During his childhood days he imagined that the top of the fir tree was close to the heaven as it seemed to touch the sky. The poet now realises that it was just a childish innocence to imagine the tree being close to heaven. Such imagination is lost forever. The rational mind of the poet feels sad to realise that he is far away from heaven.

I Remember, I Remember Poem Summary by Thomas Hood

Hood’s “I Remember, I Remember” idolizes the rapturous childhood with all its simplicity which finally ends in sorrow with the growing up of an individual. The speaker in the poem is entrapped in nostalgic mood while he recalls his childhood days, destroyed by time. In the first stanza however, the speaker recalls the house he was born.

He feels glad to recollect how the rays of sun ushered in the morning through the small window of the house. The sun however was a too punctual. He neither leaped up early nor prolonged the day by setting down late. Because of the sun’s punctuality, the equilibrium between day and night was perfect in those days. But now, the speaker longs that the night takes away his breath. In other words the speaker longs for death amidst the darkness of the night.

The scene now shifts to a garden where the speaker used to spend time looking at the colourful flowers all around. He remembers the red and white roses, the violets, lilies and lilacs, grown in the garden. He considered those flowers as if blessed by heaven. Moreover, he also remembers the nest of robin, built in the lilac tree. The laburnum tree which was once planted by his brother on his (brother’s) birthday is still alive. The poet remembers how he used to swing with unimaginable rapidness to feel the rush of fresh air all around.

He was like weightless feathers, flying in the air. But, now as he grows old his spirit is turned so heavy that he can longer engage in such boisterous activities of his childhood days. Moreover, the heaviness of his present life disallows him to appreciate the beautiful summer which he once enjoyed during his childhood days.

The penultimate stanza recalls the dark enormous fir tree which seemed to touch the sky above. During his childhood days, the poet imagined that the top of the fir tree was close-to the heaven as it seemed to touch the sky. Such simplicity of thought is now lost forever. The rational mind of the poet finally enlightens him with the thought of heaven being too far away from him. This however grieves the poet as he misses the innocence and closeness he had with god in his young age.

I Remember, I Remember Poem Introduction

“I Remember, I Remember” was written by Hood in 1844 a year before his death in 1845. The poem was later included in The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood (1903), ‘collected by one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Michael Rossetti.

The poem idolizes the rapturous childhood with all its simplicity which finally ends in sorrow with the growing up of an individual. The speaker in the poem is entrapped in nostalgic mood while he recalls his childhood days, destroyed by time. In this sense, “I Remember, I Remember” may be regarded as a typical romantic poem since the poet bemoans the loss of his childhood, failing to retreat back.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 2 Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat

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Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 2 Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 2 Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Comprehension Questions Answers

Question 1.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
We must find him or the train can’t start.”
All the guards and all the porters
and the stationmaster’s daughters
They are searching high and low,
Saying “Skimble where is Skimble
for unless he’s very nimble
Then the Night Mail just can’t go.”

i. Who is Skimbleshanks? What do you know about him?
ii. Why people are waiting for Skimbleshanks?
iii. Why the train cannot start without Skimbleshanks?
iv. Where is Skimbleshanks ultimately found?
v. What does “hunt the thimble” suggest in the poem?
Answer:
i. Skimbleshanks is a diligent railway cat who ensures that everything goes well with the passengers of the Night Mail. In fact, he is very particular about the hospitality of the passengers and thus, always at pain to make them feel that they are well taken care of. Skimbleshanks however is very cold.

Passengers are afraid of him. While he is on the move, people hardly dare to fool around. A well organized journey is however ensured by Skimbleshanks at the cost of passenger’s freedom.

ii. Since Skimbleshanks is responsible for the supervision of the Night Mail, the train cannot leave without him. People are thus eagerly waiting for Skimbleshanks, failing to find him anywhere.

iii. Since Skimbleshanks is responsible for the supervision of the Night Mail, the train cannot leave without him. The Night Mail however is ready to start off. It is almost 11:39 P.M. Yet the train cannot leave the platform since Skimbleshanks is found nowhere.

iv. After a hectic search for Skimbleshanks, the railway cat finally leaps us from behind the luggage van and relives the tension of all. Skimbleshanks was “busy in the luggage van”. Hence, he was late.

v. Hunt the thimble is famous party game in which one person hides a thimble, or other small object, somewhere in the room, while all other players wait outside. Failing to find Skimbleshanks, people thought that he must have been engaged playing such game with his mates.

Question 2.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
He gives one flash of his glass-green eyes
And the signal goes “All Clear!”
And we’re off at last for the northern part
Of the Northern Hemisphere!
You may say that by and large
it is Skimble who’s in charge
Of the Sleeping Car Express.

i. Where is Skimbleshanks? How does he signals the Night Mail to start off its journey?
ii. Where is the Night Mail heading towards?
iii. Who is in Charge of the Night Mail? Whom does he supervise?
iv. Do you think that Skimbleshanks is fit for his job? Give reason for your answer.
Answer:
i. Skimbleshanks is finally into the Night Mail which leaves after an intolerable delay. With a flash of his green eyes, Skimbleshanks gives the signal to the Night Mail to start off its journey.

ii. The speaker who is a passenger himself says that they are heading towards the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere. This vague destination suggests no specific destination.

iii. Skimbleshanks is in charge of the Night Mail. Skimbleshanks is in charge of supervising all including the driver, the guards as well as the bagmen who are playing cards.

iv. Skimbleshanks is highly suitable for his job of a supervisor. He is energetic, serious, and works with full dedication. Always he is at pain to ensures a pleasant journey with faultless hospitality to the passengers. He looks at everything and maintains discipline. Even at night, he remains awake to ensure safety to the passengers. Skimbleshanks is thus, aptly suitable for his job of a supervisor.

Question 3.
Read the following verste paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
Down the corridor he paces
and examine all the faces
Of the travellers in the First and the Third;
He establishes control by a regular patrol
And he’d know at once if anything occurred.
He will watch you without winking and he sees what you are thinking
And it’s certain that he doesn’t approve
Of hilarity and riot, so the folk are very quiet
When Skimble is about and on the move.

i. What does Skimbleshanks do while he paces through the corridor?
ii. How does Skimbleshanks establish control over the passengers?
iii. What are the things that Skimbleshanks disallows the passenger to do?
iv. Why one cannot play prank with Skimbleshanks?
v. Why Skimbleshanks’ presence -cannot be ignored?
vi. How does Eliot present Skimbleshanks in the poem?
Answer:
i. While he paces through the corridor, Skimbleshanks keeps an eye on everything around to ensure that nothing goes wrong. For example, he would scrutinize the face of every passenger, try reading people’s thought and ensure that they maintain peace and silence when Skimbleshanks is on the move. Skimbleshanks however is frequently on move right from first to third class compartment and exercise his control over all.

ii. Skimbleshanks deliberately exercises control over all the passengers. While on move, he continues staring at the face of the passengers, try reading their thoughts and ensure that they maintain silence all throughout their journey. Particularly when Skimbleshanks is on move, passengers feel scared to fool around or create nuisances as they are afraid of the cat. In a way, Skimbleshanks exercises strict control over the passengers and completely destroys their freedom.

iii. In order to maintain discipline, Skimbleshanks exercises strict control over the passengers. Skimbleshanks however does not approve of any kind of amusement. Passengers are strictly disallowed to create nuisances. Moreover, when Skimbleshanks is “on the move”, none can play pranks with him or ignore him. In a way, Skimbleshanks deliberately oppresses the passengers so that “nothing goes wrong on the Northern Mail”.

iv. Skimbleshanks’ magnetic personality simply scares the passengers. They thus, feel afraid to play prank with him which might offend the serious cat.

v. Skimbleshanks is possessed with magnetic personality. He is serious, cold and commanding. Hence, his presence cannot be ignored. Passengers are always alert whenever Skimbleshanks is “on the move”.

vi. Considering the socio political situations in Europe at the time when Eliot wrote this poem, one might view Skimbleshanks in the light of a dictator. Skimbleshanks activities inside the compartment suggest his love to oppress freedom. Like a dictator, he controls everything by “a regular patrol”.

People are scared of him as Skimbleshanks “doesn’t approve / Of hilarity and riot”. Their thoughts are continuously monitored and they hardly have courage to play prank with the Skimbleshanks whenever he is on move. All these suggest the oppressive nature of Skimbleshanks which Eliot explores with enough hilarity.

Question 4.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
Oh, it’s very pleasant when
you have found your little den
With your name written up on the door.
And the berth is very neat
with a newly folded sheet
And there’s not a speck of dust on the floor.
There is every sort of light- you can make it dark or bright;
There’s a handle that you turn to make a breeze.
There’s a funny little basin
you’re supposed to wash your face in
And a crank to shut the window if you sneeze.

i. What is “little den” referred to in the given excerpt? Why does one feel pleasant finding one’s den?
ii. In what sense the railway berth is considered neat and clean?
iii. Describe in brief the facilities available in the “little den”.
iv. In what way are the windows helpful to the passengers?
v. What task is assigned to the guard by Skimbleshanks?
Answer:
i. The little den referred to in the given excerpt is the railway compartment coach meant for the passengers to board in. Passengers however feel nice to see their names written on the door of compartments coach so that they can easily find their berth.

ii. Skimbleshanks ensrues a neat and clean berth for the passengers. For example, there is no speck of dust on the floor of the compartment. Even passengers are sanctioned new bed sheet, folded on the berth. A spick and span compartment thus, delights the passengers.

iii. A cosy compartment is offered to the passengers of the night mail so that they enjoy a pleasant journey. The cabins are clean with no speck of dust on the floor. There are new bed sheets, folded on the berth and adjustable light overhead. The window facilitates air inside with handle, easy to operate. Even one can shut the windows if one sneezes and feels cold. Moreover, a little basin is provided to wash face.

iv. The window helps for a smooth air flow inside the compartment. The well fitted handle also facilitate passengers to shut the window in case they feel cold and sneeze continuously.

v. While the guard is on move, Skimbleshanks remind him to ask the passengers whether the morning tea was served hot. The guard obeys the command diligently.

Question 5.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow?
“Do you like your morning tea weak or strong?”
But Skimble’s just behind him and was ready to remind him,
For Skimble won’t let anything go wrong.
And when you creep into your cosy berth
And pull up the counterpane,
You ought to reflect that it’s very nice
To know that you won’t be bothered by mice —
You can leave all that to the Railway Cat,
The Cat of the Railway Train!

i. Who enquires about the morning tea? Why does the person enquire about the morning tea?
ii. Why does one feel nice when he creep into his berth?
iii. Why one will not be bothered by mice?
iv. What assurance is felt by the passengers when Skimbleshanks is there?
Answer:
i. On Skimbleshanks’ order, the railway guard asks every passenger of the Night Mail whether the morning tea was served hot. The guard however diligently follows the command of the railway cat.

ii. One feels nice when one creep into his berth due all because of the incredible hospitality ensured by Skimbleshanks. Passengers feel very comfortable when they pull up the quilt cover and get inside for a cosy sleep. Such type of comfort makes a journey worth memorable.

iii. Skimbleshanks the railway cat is always at pain to ensure a comfortable journey to the passengers. Hence, when he is there in charge of hospitality passengers are assured that there will be no trouble of mice in the compartment. One can enjoy a comfortable sleep all throughout the night.

iv. When Skimbleshanks is there to take care of the passengers, there is no worry for the passengers. They can safely rely upon the railway cat all because of his incredible efficiency. In other words, passengers feel secured when Skimbleshanks is responsible for their well being.

Question 6.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
In the watches of the night he is always fresh and bright;
Every now and then he has a cup of tea
With perhaps a drop of Scotch while he’s keeping on the watch,
Only stopping here and there to catch a flea.
You were fast asleep at Crewe and so you never knew
That he was walking up and down the station;
You were sleeping all the while he was busy at Carlisle,
Where he greets the stationmaster with elation.

i. How does Skimbleshanks keep himself fresh and bright at night?
ii. Why does he stop here and there inside the compartment?
iii. What does Skimbleshanks do in Carlisle and Dumfries?
iv. Where ultimately do the passengers get down? Why there is no need to wait for the passengers to get down?
v. How does Skimbleshanks adieu the passengers?
Answer:
i. Skimbleshanks does not sleep at night. He keeps himself fresh and bright at night by taking cups of tea or a drop of Scotch. Such beverages simply help him to stay awake at night and remain fresh.

ii. Skimbleshanks is seen stopping here and there inside the compartment all throughout the night. This is because of catching flees and help the passengers to enjoy uninterrupted sleep.

iii. Skimbleshanks remains awake all throughout the night. When all the passengers are fast asleep, Skimbleshanks is found greeting the Stationmaster with joy at Carlisle. Moreover, he is found speaking to police at Dumfries.

iv. Passengers ultimately get down at Gallowgate, a neighbourhood of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Skimbleshanks’ hospitality is so perfect that passengers do not have to wait to get down at the station. The railway cat however would help them to get down on the platform.

v. Skimbleshanks ensures that he adieus all the passengers while they get down at Gallowgate. He used to continue weaving his long assuring that he will meet the passengers again on the Midnight Mail.

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Who is Skimbleshanks?
a. dog
b. cat
c. horse
d. detective
Answer:
b. cat

Question 2.
The Night Mail is ready to depart at …………..
a. 11.39 PM
b. 10 AM
c. 12AM
d. 8 PM
Answer:
a. 11.39 PM

Question 3.
Skimbleshanks is finally found …………….
a. in the garden
b. behind the luggage van
c. inside the compartment of Night Mail
d. at station master’s room
Answer:
b. behind the luggage van

Question 4.
How does Skimbleshanks give signal to the night mail?
a. weaving his tail
b. mewing
c. With a flash of his green eyes
d. by getting into the train
Answer:
c. With a flash of his green eyes

Question 5.
What is the duty of Skimbleshanks in the Night Mail?
a. cook
b. supervisor
c. sweeper
d. laundryman
Answer:
b. supervisor

Question 6.
What does Skimbleshanks do while he is on move?
a. talk to the passengers
b. scrutinizing the face of every passenger
c. ignore the passengers
d. misbehaving with the passengers
Answer:
b. scrutinizing the face of every passenger

Question 7.
What cannot be done with Skimbleshanks?
a. talking to him
b. asking him questions
c. relying upon him
d. playing pranks with him
Answer:
d. playing pranks with him

Question 8.
Eliot presents Skimbleshanks in the light of a …………….
a. philanthropist
b. misanthropist
c. dictator
d. misogynist
Answer:
c. dictator

Question 9.
Where does a passenger find his/her name?
a. on the berth
b. in the platform chart
c. on the door of compartments
d. near the basin
Answer:
c. on the door of compartments

Question 10.
How does Skimbleshanks keep himself awake at night?
a. by talking to the passengers
b. watching movies
c. drinking cups of tea or scotch
d. reading books
Answer:
c. drinking cups of tea or scotch

Question 11.
What does Skimbleshanks order the guard to do?
a. to moniter the activities of the passengers
b. to play prank with them
c. to encourge them to read newspaper
d. to ask the passengers whether the morning tea was served hot.
Answer:
(a) and (b)

Question 12.
How does Skimbleshanks adieus the passengers?
a. bidding goodbye
b. smiling
c. offering them chocolate
d. weaving his long brown tail
Answer:
d. weaving his long brown tail

Question 13.
What is the final destination of the Night Mail?
a. Gallowgate
b. Dumfries
c. Crewe
d. Carlisle
Answer:
a. Gallowgate

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Annotations with Comments

There’s a whisper….luggage vin!:

Whisper: murmur
Line: railway platform
Thimble: a small metal or plastic cap with a closed end.
Hunt….thimble: hunt the thimble is a party game in which one person, ides a thimble, or other small object, somewhere in the room, while all other players wait outside.
train can’t start: train can’t start since Skimbleshanks is in charge of the train.
porter: a person employed to carry luggage and other loads, especially in a railway station
high and low: Everywhere
nimble: quick
frantic: worried, anxious
saunter: walk
Skimble will appear: Skimble shanks will appear from behind the luggage van
rear: endmost

He gives one flash ……………… more or less:

FIash: to send forth light with a sudden, transient brilliancy northern part …………………
Hemisphere: refers to Scotland
by and large: on the whole
who’s in charge: Skimbleshanks is entrusted with the job of supervising the passengers in the train.
more or less: roughly

Down the corridor ……………… Skimbleshanks is aboard:

pace: walk up and down
First and the Third: first and third class compartment
patrol: monitoring
winking: blinking
hilarity: fun
riot: disturbance
Pranks: jokes

Comment:

he doesn’t approve ………….. on the move : These lines establish the Eliot’s aim to present Skimbleshanks in the light of a dictator. Though law and order is maintained by Skimbleshanks’ strict control over everything, but the freedom of the passengers is completely destroyed.

Skimbleshanks “doesn’t approve / Of hilarity and riot” which are so common among the passengers. Moreover, when Skimbleshanks is “on the move”, nonè can play pranks with him. In a way, Skimbleshanks cannot be ignored. Like a dictator, he also craves for attention.

Oh, it’s very pleasant ………. Cat of the Railway Train!:

Den: small cabin
Berth: seat
Sheet: bed cover
Speck: dot
dark or bright: one can regulate the light over the berth according to the need
crank: handle
Brightly: energetically
Creep: move slowly and carefully
Counterpane: quilt or cover
Reflect: acknowledge

Comment:

Skimbleshanks ensures a pleasant journey with faultless hospitality to the passengers. The clean compartment, with spotless bed sheet on each berth, the little basin to wash face, the light overhead all establish a perfect picture of a train compartment always under Skimbleshanks’ strict surveillance. But, the comfort ensured to the passengers is at the cost of their freedom.

They are only allowed to enjoy the journey quietly as the serious cat “doesn’t approve / Of hilarity and riot” when he is on the move. Skimbleshanks activities inside the compartment suggests his love to oppressing freedom. For example, he “will watch you without winking” and “he sees what you are thinking”. Hence, “nothing goes wrong on the Northern Mail / When Skimbleshanks is aboard.”

In the watches ………… Railway Train:

Flea: blood sucking insect
Crewe: a town in NW England
Carlisle: Carlisle is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cumbria, England
Elation: joy
Dumfries: Dumfries is the largest burgh in southwestern Scotland.
Gallowgate: a neighbourhood of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Paraphrase

There’s a whisper….luggage van!:

Skimbleshanks the railway cat is found nowhere when the Night Mail is ready to start off. Its’ almost 11:39 P.M, people are waiting for the cat, calling his name aloud. Where must have Skimble been?wonders the railway staffs like guards, porters and even the stationmaster’s daughters. They continue searching everywhere as the signal is due and the passengers have grown impatient. Finally, Skimbleshanks leaps up from behind the luggage van and relives the tension of all.

He gives one flash …………… more or less:

With a flash of his green eyes, Skimbleshanks gives the signal. The train finally moved out of the station, and heads towards Scotland. Skimbleshanks is in charge of the train. He will supervise all including the driver, the guards as well as the bagmen who are playing cards.

Down the corridor ………… Skimbleshanks is aboard:

Skimbleshanks begins his work scrutinizing the face of every passenger. He would ensure a frequent patrol from first to third class compartment and exercise his control over all. For example, he would continue staring at the face of the passengers without even blinking his eyes.

He would try reading people’s thought and ensure that they maintain silence when Skimbleshanks is on the move. Passengers hardly dare to fool around in his presence which cannot be ignored. Hence, nothing goes wrong in the Northern Mail when Skimbleshanks is aboard.

Oh, it’s very pleasant ……………… Cat of the Railway Train!:

It looks nice to see everything in order names of passengers written on the door of compartments, clean cabin floor with new bed sheet, folded on the berth and adjustable light overhead. The window facilitates air inside with handle, easy to operate. Even one can shut the windows if one sneezes and feels cold. The guard shows up with a polite gesture with Skimbleshanks behind.

He enquires whether the morning tea was served hot when Skimbleshanks is about to remind him about it. Skimbleshanks will not allow any trouble to the passengers who feel relaxed knowing that there are no mice around to spoil their sleep. Skimbleshanks can safely be relied upon for his unbelievable efficiency.

In the watches Railway Train:

Skimbleshanks doesn’t sleep at night. Cups of tea or a drop of Scotch keeps him awake all the night. He is often found catching fleas, while passengers are fast asleep. When the Night Mail reaches Crewe, he is found walking up and down the station.

At Carlisle he is found greeting the Stationmaster and speaking with police at Dumfries. Finally when the train reaches Gallowgate, Skimbleshanks would help the passengers to get down on the platform. Even he adieus all weaving his long brown tail which seems to assure that he will meet again on the Midnight Mail.

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Summary by T.S. Eliot

Skimbleshanks the railway cat is found nowhere when the Night Mail is ready to start off. Its almost 11:39 P.M, people are waiting for the Skimbleshanks. Where must have Skimble been? wonders the railway staffs like guards, porters and even the stationmaster’s daughters. They continue searching everywhere as the signal is due and the passengers have grown impatient.

Finally, Skimbleshanks leaps up from behind the luggage van and relives the tension of all. With a flash of his green eyes, Skimbleshanks gives the signal. The train finally moves out of the station, and heads towards Scotland. Skimbleshanks is in charge of the train.

He will supervise all including the driver, the guards as well as the bagmen who are playing cards. At first, he observes the face of every passenger while in his patrol from first to third class compartment. Silence is ensured when he is on the move. Passengers hardly dare to fool around in his presence. Hence, nothing goes wrong in the Northern Mail when Skimbleshanks is aboard.

However, it looks nice to see everything in order names of passengers written on the door of compartments, clean cabin floor with new bed sheet, folded on the berth and adjustable light overhead. Skimbleshanks ensures every comfort of the passengers in the Night Mail which also includes smooth passage of air inside through the window, easy to operate with its well fitted handle.

In case one feels cold and sneezes, one can shut the windows easily. Skimbleshanks also sees that the guard asks all the passengers whether the morning tea was served hot. In fact, the diligent cat will not allow any trouble to the passengers who feel relaxed knowing that there are no mice around to spoil their sleep.

At night Skimbleshanks remains awake. Cups of tea or a drop of Scotch keeps him awake all the night. When the Night Mail reaches Crewe, he is found walking up and down the station. At Carlisle he is found greeting the Stationmaster and speaking with police at Dumfries. Finally when the train reaches Gallowgate, Skimbleshanks would help the passengers to get down on the platform. Even he adieus all, weaving his long brown tail which seems to assure that he will meet again on the Midnight Mail.

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Introduction

Written in 1939, Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat is a part of Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The poem though appears simple at a glance with the presentation of a diligent cat, but there are more than the surface meaning to it.

Skimbleshanks however represents a dictator who keeps an eye around him and controls everything. In this sense the passengers of the train are under surveillance of an efficient dictator as Skimbleshanks “will watch everywhere in the train” and see “what you are thinking.”

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 1 A Work of Artifice

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Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 1 A Work of Artifice

Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Poem 1 A Work of Artifice

A Work of Artifice Poem Comprehension Questions Answers

Question 1.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightning.
But a gardener
carefully prune it.

i. What is a bonsai tree? Explain the metaphor associated with the bonsai tree.
ii. Where is the bonsai tree grown?
iii. Why does the poet say that the bonsai tree could have grown eighty feet tall?
iv. Where could have the bonsai tree grown? Why it is denied to grow there?
v. What does the word lightening suggest in this context?
vi. Explain the metaphor associated with the gardener. What does the word prune suggest in this context?
Answer:
i. Bonsai is the art of growing artificially dwarfed varieties of trees and shrubs in pots. Bonsai, however Is a globally popular Japanese gardening technique which involves miniaturizing trees so that they can be grown in a pot. The bonsai tree is an extended metaphor that runs throughout the poem.

The tree however represents a woman oppressed in the patriarchal world. Like a bonsai tree which is grown in the limited space of a pot, women too are forced to live under limited space and opportunity so that they can be easily domesticated and dominated.

ii. The bonsai tree is deliberately grown in a decorative pot so that it remains as a piece of art, delightful to look at.

iii. The poet regrets that the bonsai tree is denied of growing to the height of eighty feet like all other big tree, grown on the side of a mountain. The natural right of the tree is denied only for the sake of beautifying the indoor.

Similar is the case for the women who like a bonsai tree are deprived of their fundamental rights and are forced to live within a limited space with limited opportunity. This however ails the poet who thus, bemoans that a tree which could have “grown eighty feet tall” is deliberately restricted to “nine inches”.

iv. The bonsai tree could have grown on the side of a mountain by being exposed to nature with all its lethal effects like lightening. But unfortunately it is denied of its natural surrounding and forced to grow up in a pot. This is all because of the gardener’s deliberate attempt to dwarf the tree for the sake of beautifying the indoor.

v. Lightening here refers to the natural calamity which often harms a tree exposed to nature. But, there is more to the surface meaning of it. The poet might be indicating the fact that the tree is consoled with the assurance of its safety from the inimical world outside when placed in a pot. This exactly the way women are made to believe that they are weak and fragile and they must remain indoor. The aim however is to shatter their chance to grow up.

vi. Like the bonsai tree, the gardener too is an extended metaphor that runs throughout the poem. The gardener however is a significant representative of the patriarchal world who knows the way to oppress a woman. Hence, he dwarfs an eight feet tree to nine inches and justifies his action saying that it is the ‘nature” of the tree ‘in to be small and cozy, domestic and weak”.

Question 2.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
It is nine inches high.
Every day as he
whittles back the branches
the gardener croons,
It is your nature
to be small and cozy,
domestic and weak;
how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in.

i. What is nine inches high? Why?
ii. What does the gardener do the branches of the bonsai tree every day?
iii. What does the gardener croon to the tree?
iv. Why does the gardener croon to the bonsai tree every day?
v. Why is the bonsai tree considered lucky?
Answer:
i. The bonsai tree which the gardener grows in the pot is nine inches high. The gardener deliberately restricts its height to nine inches. This is because of his attempt to dwarf the tree so as to make it look beautiful.

ii. Every day the gardener trims the branches of the bonsai tree so that it remains small forever. This is however a deliberate attempt to deny the natural growth of the tree so that it remains beautiful to look at.

iii. Every day the gardener routinely sings to the bonsai tree reminding it about its nature to remain perennially small. The gardener also says that the bonsai tree is weak and fragile hence it is essential for the tree to remain indoor and be confined in a pot.

iv. The regular crooning of the gardener is not without a cause. It is a systematic attempt to brainwash the tree and make it believe that the bonsai tree is born weak and its nature is to remain small forever. The word “small” actually refers to its inherent inability to grow unrestrained amidst its natural surroundings.

The gardener simply deceives the tree with such false notion Just to establish his authority. This is meaningful in the sense that in the world of patriarchy, women too are deceived with such Ideas which destroys their confidence and their ability to grow up. The bonsai tree however is the symbol of an oppressed woman and the gardener on the other hand is the representative of the strict patriarchal society which limits the growth of a woman.

v. The bonsai tree is made to believe that it is weak and its nature is to remain small forever. Hence, the gardener says that the tree is fortunate to be safe in the pot where it grows with the constant care of the gardener.

Question 3.
Read the following verse paragraph and answer the questions that follow:
With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth:
the bound reet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch

i. What should begin at the early stage?
ii. What does the poet mean by “dwarf their growth”?
iii. What is meant by bound feet?
iv. Whose brained should be crippled? Why?
v. What hands does the poet refer to in this excerpt? How should the hands be taken care of?
vi. Describe in your own words the process of restricting the growth explored in this excerpt?
Answer:
i. The process of restricting one’s growth should begin at early stage. The poet actually hints about the ways women are restricted from growing up both mentally, and physically. The aim is to domesticate them so that men can have permanent control over them.

ii. The expression ‘dwarf their growth” means to limit the opportunity. Like the bonsai tree which is deliberately dwarfed for beautifying indoors, women too are controlled from growing up both mentally and physically so that men have permanent control over them.

iii. The poet here refers to the pre-20th century Chinese beauty practice of binding the feet of women from childhood so that their feet remain tiny and beautiful.

iv. The brain of women should be disabled to disallow their free thought and enlightenment. This however will facilitate men to have permanent control over them. Women should remain obsessed nurturing their beauty. They will remain as beautiful objects like the bonsai tree, delightful to look at. Here lies the success of the patriarchal society which always tends to cripp’e the brain of women.

A Work of Artifice Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Where is the bonsai tree grown?
a. on the side of mountain
b. pot
c. garden
d. near the lake
Answer:
b. pot

Question 2.
The bonsai tree could have grown to ……….
a. nine feet
b. nine inches
c. eight feet
d. four feet
Answer:
c. eight feet

Question 3.
What is the height of the bonsai tree?
a. eight feet
b. nine inches
c. four feet
d. nine feet
Answer:
b. nine inches

Question 4.
What does the gardener do to the tree everyday?
a. he trims the branches of the tree
b. he waters the tree
c. he brings the tree to the open space
d. he cuddles the tree out of love
Answer:
a. he trims the branches of the tree

Question 5.
The gardener is the symbol of ………..
a. philanthropy
b. an oppressor
c. an artist
d. a beautician
Answer:
b. an oppressor

Question 6.
The bonsai tree is the symbol of ……….
a. liberty
b. an oppressed woman
c. successful woman
d. enlightened woman
Answer:
b. an oppressed woman

Question 7.
The gardener says that it is the nature of the tree to be ……….
a. big
b. green
c. small and cosy
d. beautiful
Answer:
c. small and cosy

Question 8.
Why is bonsai tree considered lucky?
a. because it is small in size
b. because it looks beautiful
c. because the gardener loves it
d. because it is grown in pot with care and support as it is week in nature
Answer:
d. because it is grown in pot with care and support as it is week in nature

Question 9.
What must begin at very early stage?
a. the training of growing up with sound body and mind
b. the process of limiting one’s growth
c. the training of facing the world outside
d. none of the above
Answer:
b. the process of limiting one’s growth

Question 10.
Whose growth does the poet actually mean to be dwarfed?
a. the gardener
b. the world of patriarchy
c. women
d. all living creature
Answer:
c. women

Question 11.
A girl’s feet are bound because …………….
a. the feet will remain tiny and beautiful
b. the feet can grow unrestrained
c. they will not be able to walk and remain home forever
d. the they will experience pain which the patriarchal world wants to inflict upon them
Answer:
a. the feet will remain tiny and beautiful

Question 12.
What should be done to a woman’s brain?
a. brain should be crippled to stop women from being matured
b. brain should be stuffed with knowledge
c. brain must be nurtured properly so that a woman can grow up being dignified
d. Nothing should be dome to the brain.
Answer:
a. brain should be crippled to stop women from being matured

Question 13.
Hands of women are expected to be …………….
a. coarse
b. big in size
c. tender
d. nothing specified
Answer:
c. tender

A Work of Artifice Poem Annotations with Comments

Lines 1 to 7:

bonsai: the art of growing artificially dwarfed varieties of trees and shrubs in pots. Bonsai, however is a globally popular Japanese gardening technique which involves miniaturizing trees so that they can be grown in a pot.
Attractive : decorative
could have grown: this however suggests that the tree is denied of its natural growth and is deliberately dwarfed for the purpose of indoor decoration on the side….
mountain : even the tree is denied to grow in its natural surrounding
gardener : a person who tends and cultivates a garden
prune: to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth.

Comments:

Bonsai tree : The bonsai tree is the symbol of oppressed women, forced to live under strict patriarchal norms. Like the tree, women too are denied of freedom. They are domesticated and are encouraged to nurture their beauty and remain attractive like the “small” bonsai tree.

could have grown eighty feet tall: The word “could” actually hint about the possibility of women to grow unrestrained. But, like the bonsai tree they too are denied of their growth. In this sense the poem is a strong protest against gender inequality.

Gardener : He is a representative of the strict patriarchal society which limits the growth of a woman. The gardener however trims the branches of the poor tree and disallows its complete growth. This is indicative of the way women are forced to lead limited lives. Their dreams are shattered by being caged indoor and they are made to believe that they are inferior objects meant only for decoration.

Lines 8 to 16:

nine inches high: the height of the bonsai tree is deliberately restricted to nine inches.
Whittles: shapes, trim.
Whittles back the
branches: trim the branches to beautify the tree
Croons: hum or sing in a soft, low voice,
Small: small In size.
Cozy: comfortable
Domestic: tamed
Weak: feeble
Lucky: Lucky because the tree is delicately grown In pot with constant care and support. Moreover, it Is protected from the natural extremities by being kept indoor.
Pot: the pot suggests the limited space where the tree is grown to restrict its natural growth

Comment

gardener croons: Crooning however suggests the joy of the gardener while brainwashing the tree. The tree however is made to believe that it is weak and the best option is to confine the tree in a pot with enough care and support, Instead of allowing it to grow unre-strained amidst its natural surroundings. The deceptive nature of the gardener is evident here.

Lines 17 to 24:

Early: refers to childhood
Dwarf: limit
Dwarf their growth: limit their growth so that they remain indoor and beautify themselves
Bound feet: refers to the pre-20th century Chinese beauty practice of binding the feet of women from childhood, so that the feet remain tiny and beautiful.
crippled brain: Not only is the woman’s body subject to transformation, but her mind too is disabled, brainwashed and maimed by the patriarchal society
curler: a device for putting a curl into hair.
the hair in curlers: echoes an image of youth. Women are also brainwashed to retain their childhood innocence where
hands you …… Love to touch: appearance plays an important role. A sweet appearance will definitely make a woman attractive in male eyes. hands are expected to remain delicate. A woman with tender hands is considered pure and perfect.

A Work of Artifice Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 7:

The bonsai tree which is presently placed in a beautiful pot is denied of its natural growth. It could have grown to the height of eighty feet, on the side of a mountain. It might have grown strong by being exposed to nature with all its lethal effects like lightening. But, a gardener carefully trimmed it and denied its natural growth amidst natural ambience.

Lines 8 to 16:

The bonsai tree is now only nine inches high. Everyday the gardener trims the branches of the poor tree and drones with pleasure, while reminding the tree of its nature to remain perennially small. The gardener assures the tree saying that it is fortunate to-be safe in the pot where it grows with the constant care of the gardener. The tree however is weak and fragile. The best option is to confine the tree in a pot with care and support, instead of allowing it to grow unrestrained. amidst its natural surroundings.

Lines 17 to 24:

It must be remembered that the early ‘stage of life is the best time to limit one’s growth. This however helps to ensure a perfect beauty of an’ object, trimmed carefully. For example, it is a well known’ practice of binding the feet of women from childhood, so that the feet remain tiny and beautiful.

Women however are also brainwashed to retain their childhood innocence and remain playful and attractive. Their hands are expected to remain delicate which adds richness to their beauty. It must be remembered that a woman with tender hands is a pure and perfect woman.

A Work of Artifice Poem Summary by Marge Piercy

The bonsai tree, placed in a beautiful pot is denied of its natural growth by the gardener. The tree could have grown to the height of eighty feet, on the side of a mountain. It might have grown strong by being exposed to nature with all its lethal effects like lightening. But, a gardener carefully trims the tree and denies its natural growth amidst natural ambience.

Thus the bonsai tree is now only nine inches high. Every day the gardener trims the branches of the poor tree and drones with pleasure, while reminding the tree of its nature to remain perennially small. The gardener assures; the tree saying that is fortunate to be safe in the pot where it grows with the constant care. The tree however is weak and fragile.

The best option is to confine the tree in a pot with care and support, instead of allowing it to grow unrestrained amidst its natural surroundings. It must be remembered that the early stage of life is, the best time to limit one’s growth. This however ensures a pepper shape of a body with innocent mind.

For example, the poet refers to the pre-20th century Chinese beauty practice of binding the feet of women 4 from childhood, so that their feet remain tiny and beautiful. A woman’s early life is the best time to brainwash her mind so that she remains forever obsessed nurturing her beauty.

Retaining her innocence will add richness to her beauty for which a woman should be taught to remain playful and attractive. Moreover, her hands are expected to remain delicate as a woman with tender hands is considered a pure and perfect. Thus, the bonsai tree in the poem is the symbol of an oppressed woman, systematically controlled.

The gardener on the other is a significant representative of the patriarchal world who knows the way to oppress a woman. Hence, he dwarfs an eight feet tree to nine inches and justifies his action saying that it is the “nature” of the tree “to be small and cozy, domestic and weak”. In this sense, the poem is about gender inequality prevalent in a male dominated world.

A Work of Artifice Poem Introduction

Written in 1970, A Work of Artifice by Marge Piercy was published in her 1999 collection, The Art of Blessing the Day: Poems with a Jewish Theme. The poem explores how women are forced to succumb to the norms and dictates of a patriarchal society which ask her to ‘belong’ against her own wishes.

The gardener who feels elated with his “work of artifice”, is basically a representative of the strict patriarchal society which limits the growth of a woman. The bonsai tree on the other hand, is the symbol of an oppressed woman, neatly shaped and systematically controlled so that they remain only an object of beauty, delightful to look at.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

A Considerable Speck Poem Summary, Theme, Critical Analysis by Robert Frost

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A Considerable Speck Summary by Robert Frost

A Considerable Speck Poem Summary, Theme, Critical Analysis by Robert Frost

A Considerable Speck Summary

The poem of Robert Frost “A Considerable Speck” is a simple poem that does not deal with any serious themes directly. The situation of the poem is such that the writer happens to see a mite on a white sheet of paper on which he was writing. He observes the movement of that tiny microscopic creature and reflects back on the modern life of regimentation and leaves the mite there to act in its own way.

Through this he intended to show the display of his own mind when he encountered the speck. The mite here is said to be a speck. He felt that though tiny, it was considerable because that little mite made him think of its effect on his mind.

In this poem the poet says that he saw a speck. It would have been out of his sight, if it would not have appeared on a blank white sheet of paper. The white background of the paper made the speck visible to his eyes. It was the paper or the manuscript on which the poet was writing. When he saw the speck, he wished to stop it by a drop of ink from his pen.

But then something strange about the speck made him think over. He was comprehending as to what the speck was of. He thought that it was not a speck of dust that could have blown by his breathing. Then he saw that it was unmistakably a mite which was also a living creature like him. It had certain inclinations of its own as it was also living in its self-engrossed world. The poet took a pause and very gracefully waited for the mite to move.

The poet says that the mite paused, possibly it thought that the poet would do something to it. After the pause it suddenly raced again and came to a place where the poet had just written. We feel very surprised when we see how the poet says that even a little creature like the mite reacted and paused. It either tasted or smelt the ink which was probably wet on his manuscript. It showed its distaste and then again turned to fly away and escape. Then the poet says that it did nothing but used reason like the poet.

It had no desire to die so it ran with fear. Then again the poet describes the mite to be cunning. It crept and again hesitated. We find here that it had no intention to face death, therefore it ran down on the sheet of paper with terror and cunningness. Like this the mite came in the middle of the sheet or the speaker’s manuscript.

As it reached the middle of the sheet of paper it bent down, as if waiting for the judgement of the poet, possibly with the thought of accepting what the poet would do to it or accepting its own fate. Now we can see how the poet feels about it. The poet was not like the modem men who were swept away by the sense of purpose and selfishness.

So he didn’t want to kill the mite. The poet refrained from killing it not because he believed in “collectivistic regimenting love” but because he believed the mite to be an intelligent creature which should be given an opportunity to live. The microscopic item looked “considerable” to the poet. So he let it lie there as it was. The poet says that he was not so insensible as he also had a mind.

Having a mind himself, the poet recognized mind which he found it in any shape. Indeed he found it glad to find on any sheet of paper “the least display of mind.” He was glad that a small creature like the mite could rouse in the poet the display of mind. So here in this poem we find how Robert Frost intended to show the display of his mind when he encountered the speck.

A Considerable Speck About the Author Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco. Frost’s father was an editor of San Francisco evening BULLETINGAfter his father’s death, his family moved in Lawrence. He graduated from the Lawrence High School in the year 1892.

After that he went to the Darmouth College. He was a celebrated American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. He had a great mastery of American colloquial speech and made realistic depictions of the early rural life.

His great work in poetry mostly included settings from the rural life in New England in early 20th century. He sold his first poem in the year 1894, MY BUTTERFLY: AN ELEGY which appeared in the New York Independent in November 1894 edition. In 1915 he had his first poetry book,” A Boy’s Will” published.

Some famous and best poems of Robert Frost are Mending Wall, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, Birches, The Road Not Taken, Fire And Ice etc Robert Frost was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature 31 times. He won Pulitzer Prizes many times and Bollingen Prize in 1963. He died in January 29, 1963 at the age of 88.

A Considerable Speck Theme

The poem “A Considerable Speck” deals with actually the importance of the human proficiencies of the mind and feelings. The poet has appreciated the mind in a straight forward manner in this poem. The theme of this poem is more specifically the importance of the ‘display of mind’ on any ‘sheet of paper.’

A Considerable Speck Critical Analysis

“A Considerable Speck” of Robert Frost is a meditation on the importance of the human capability of imagination and thought. The speaker is the writer who, before completing his writing, saw “a speck that would have been beneath his sight,” but it was visible to him because of the white background of his sheet of paper. He introduces the poem in a captivating manner, indicating the reader, that something was about to occur. The writer (poet) poised his pen in the air to stop the mite with a drop of ink on the paper.

But this microscopic mite grabbed the attention of the poet (writer) and made him think deeply. He was wonder struck and fascinated with the minute creature as it raced across the white sheet of paper. We find how Robert Frost has used over statement to emphasize the actions of the speck on his manuscript paper, revealing his ironic sympathy and appreciation for its efforts despite its minuscule size. We find that first the speaker thought the speck to be blown dust due to his breath but then he saw that it was unmistakably a living mite.

The word “living” is used to compare the mite with himself or other living creatures. “With inclination it could call its own” the speaker here we find how carefully examined the actions of the mite in details, as if it was a complex being with emotions and intelligence. He says that the mite also had an inclination of its own.

The imagery used by the speaker is vivid in description, describing the mite in details. Although it is presumed that the speaker would be unable to distinguish the microscopic mite’s movements to that precise detail, yet we find him to be able to point out characteristics that link it to humans and other living creatures. So in the first stanza the speaker describes the mite using imagery, evoking lifelike images in the mind.

Then in the second stanza we find the speaker’s attitude towards the “speck”. He says that the mite came racing j wildly and reached the portion of his manuscript where the ink had not dried. It paused again, as either it drank or smelt the ink and with hatred and abhorrence, it turned to fly. The way the speaker uses the phrase “paused again smelt/with loathing to fly” helps the readers in visualizing the actions of the mite.

The speaker (writer) felt that the insect was too small to have any legs, but then thought that it must have a complete set, since it was walking. It ran in terror and expressed how much it didn’t want to die. And next we find how the speaker says that it l paused and hesitated and then trembling in fear at last reached the middle of the paper and finally accepted its fate of facing the reality that is whatever the man would do to it, it would accept it. When the mite surrendered in fear, the mind of the writer became more activated with several thoughts.

The third stanza concludes the poem with the speaker’s justification for not killing the helpless mite. Here we can say that he has justified his lack of physical actions regarding the microscopic creature by claiming that he had no valid reason to harm it in any way. The last section includes the appreciation of the mind wherever it is present: at this point he also adds some ironical remarks and suggestions about the inhumanity of wars in the modem world. The poet here has used the technique of irony.

He says that he doesn’t have the “collectivistic regimenting love with which the modern world is being swept”. This means that he doesn’t have the ‘love’ of being able to destroy masses of people collectively, and so he could not kill the mite out of the simple anger for being trespassing on his manuscript page. We also find that the poet is satirizing the modem man who is able to destroy masses for small reasons. Then he says that since the mite did not want any evil against him, so he let the mite lie there on the paper till it slept.

The poet then finally claims that he respected the presence of ‘mind’ anywhere, suggesting that he respected and appreciated the mite for its actions. Here indirectly he is satirizing the modem man who lacks the mind to understand that it is foolish to kill wise. The poet felt glad to find that “mind” was displayed “on any sheet of paper.” We can say that here the mind represents the human faculties for imagination, sensibility, sympathy, kindness, love and above all the intelligence that makes us able to think and judge.

A Considerable Speck Title of the Story

“A Considerable Speck” gives the reader a hint of the direction of the-poem. We can see how the poet has chosen a title that is also a paradox. “Considerable” implies importance and significance, while “speck” implies worthlessness. From the beginning of the poem we find how the poet uses imagery to describe the mite in details by saying that he saw a speck falling on a white sheet of paper.

The speck, he said, would have been out of his sight if it did not appear in the white sheet which was his manuscript. Since he was writing on it, he thought to stop the speck by a period of ink of his pen. But something strange about the speck forced him to think over. He saw that it was not a speck of dust that had been blown by his breathing but it was a living mite without any mistake. Till here, we see how the poet says about the speck which is just a microscopic thing. We find how the poet mentions the speck to be a worthless thing.

But from the line “When something strange about it made me think,” the poet highlights the effects of that microscopic things and says that something strange about the speck made him to think. From this line onwards we can see how the poet gives importance to the specks and regards it to be considerable. Then again he says how he observes that this speck had its own proficiency or inclinations. It used this inclination to stop with suspicion that aroused in it, due to the poet’s pen.

And so it came racing on wildly to the place of the manuscript where the ink was not dried. It paused for some moments as it accidentally smelt or drank (tasted) the ink and so with abomination, it turned to fly and escape. So in the poem we find how the poet gradually turns the mere speck into an object of importance. This was the time when the poet used his intelligence and reason. The speck or the mite was too small to have legs but the poet says that it must have had a set of complete legs as it was seen racing and turning to fly.

Then again the poet says that the mite didn’t want to face death, so it ran terrified and crept cunningly. It also hesitated and in this way it came to the middle of the manuscript where it was found to bent down in desperation to accept it’s fate. It was in desperation because it is the nature of the living beings to defend themselves from danger and death and so the mite being a living creature also tried to save itself desperately. It was seen at last to accept whatever the poet decided to do it.

After reading, till here we see how the poet in a very smooth manner gradually changes the speck to a living mite with it’s own inclinations, having intelligence which is the utmost necessity of a living being. He then says that he was against the collectivistic regimenting love with which the people of the modem world was being swept. So he, says that mite to be a poor microscopic item again and since it had done no evil, he let it to live there on his manuscript till it slept.

In the last four lines, the poet gives emphasize on the mind. He appreciated the mite for displaying it’s mind on the paper. The poet was so glad that such a small creature could rouse in him, the display of mind. So first we are led to a belief that the speck is only noticeable due to its contrasting against the paper next we are told it is significant because it could think when we expected it to be thoughtless, lifeless speck of dust. However, perhaps it is considered only for what it signifies: we know logically that this intelligent mite cannot have existed.

May be Frost has referred to the minuscule “ mind” to the thoughtless process by which the humans run around their lives helplessly, without achieving nothing. On the other hand, the mite is said to have mind displaying intelligence on the sheet of paper by reacting according to the situation that came in front of it.

So though we find the title to be somewhat oxymoronic, as we can’t expect such a small object to be of any importance, yet in the contents of the poem, the speck is shown to be significant and having effects on the poet’s mind. Hence thought it is a speck, it can be considered important or can be said considerable, hence the title of the poem given as “A considerable Speck” can be said to be relevant.

A Considerable Speck About The Poem

This poem “A Considerable Speck” is a witty poem. In the poem Robert Frost speaks of a living microscopic mite which he observes on a white sheet of paper. By seeing this he presumes that the mite seems to have its own inclinations. The mite is living in its self-engrossed world and it is having some desires which are totally its own.

When the mite smells the wet ink and perhaps tastes it from the paper in which the poet was writing, it runs terrified with some cunningness and avoids the writer’s or the poet’s pen for it has no desire to die. The poet desists from killing it, not because of any belief in “collectivistic regimenting love”, but because he appreciates the mite for being intelligent. He feels glad to find “on any sheet the least display of mind”. So he allows the mite to lie down on the paper with the hope that it had slept.

A Considerable Speck Main Point Of The Poem

In the poem “A Considerable Speck” we find a mere mite which is microscopic in size has more intelligence than a human being. A mere mite with intelligence is to be preferred to a human being who is a dullard. In this poem, we see that Frost does not indiscriminately accept all human
beings irrespective of their intelligence.

We also see Frost’s ability to turn a trivial thing like a mite into an occasion of significance-here a reflection on intelligence. The poem can be described as a satire on dullards. Not only this the poem also tells us to be careful in making decisions in life. One should be very wise and careful while making choices in his/her life because our choices shape our future.

A Considerable Speck Linewise Summary

1. A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again

Robert Frost in the beginning of his poem “A Considerable Speck” presents a speck that would have been beyond his sight, if it was not in a white sheet of paper on which he was writing. He was able to see a dot like thing just because it was a contrast on the white paper. He says that seeing the speck he poised his pen in the air in an idle manner to stop this speck with a period of ink but then something strange about it stopped it from doing so. The ‘speck’ grabbed the attention of the poet and made him think.

He thought that it was no speck blown by his breathing but he saw that it was unmistakably a mite which was a living creature like the humans or other animals. The poet thought that since it was a living creature therefore it had certain inclination of its own. It was also living in its self-absorbed world with its own inclination. The mite also paused and possibly it thought that the writer would do something to it or it suspected for something to be done to it by the writer. So it came running again wildly on his manuscript

2. To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt —
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn’t want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept
It faltered; I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept

As the mite raced wildly on the paper it came to the portion where the writer had written and was wet with ink. Most probably the mite had either smelled or drank the ink. The poet here did not forget to express the reaction of this microscopic creature. So he says that when it tasted the ink, it turned to fly with hatred and detestation.

When the writer saw it moving, flying, walking, running, he says that he dealt this intelligently. It was too tiny to have feet or legs but then the writer (speaker) thought that since it was walking it had a complete set of legs. Then the poet says how clever and cunning the mite was.

The mite was reluctant to die and so to express it, “it ran with terror and cunning crept.” It stopped for a moment and hesitated and when it reached the middle of the poet’s manuscript, it bent down waiting for his judgement. Most probably it had no options but to accept his fate and so it surrendered itself on the will and the judgement of the poet.

The poet through the lines 22 and 23 “Cower down in desperation to accept/ Whatever I accorded it to fate” — upholds the intelligence of the mite by saying that it bent down in desperation to accept or surrender its fate. It was aware of its anticipated danger and so it surrendered itself by bending down,before the writer or the poet.

3. Whatever I accorded it to fate
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

So we find how the mite had surrendered its fate in the hands of the writer. It was ready to accept what the writer would do to it. In these lines the poet says about the modem world, which is usually swept away by a sense of purpose and selfishness. But according to him he did not believe in this. He was not an insensible man, so he decided not to kill the mite. He says that he did not have the “collectivistic regimenting love” with which the modem world was being swept”.

He did not believe in destroying masses of people collectively so he could not kill the mite as he had a reason behind this. He says that since it was nothing and he knew that it was of no evil, he let it lie down there on the paper till it slept. Here we find how the poet had been benevolent and generous towards the mite. He could not kill it just because it trespassed on his page.

4. I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

In the end, of his poem we find the poet to respect and Vappreciate the presence of ‘mind’. Here mind is being symbolized as the human faculty or capacity which comprises of imagination, love, sympathy. Sensibility and above all intelligence that makes us able to judge, think and act accordingly. So he says that he was so glad that such a small creature like a mite could rouse in him the display of mind. Though tiny, it was considerable to him, by making him think of its effects.

A Considerable Speck Linewise Explanation

1. A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.

In the above lines, the speaker or the poet says that he saw a speck. It would have been out of his sight but it was visible to him only because it appeared on a white sheet of paper, in his manuscript on which he was writing. So seeing it he wished to stop it by a period of ink from his pen.

So he poised his pen in the air. But something strange about the speck made the poet think over. He thought that it could not be a dust speck that had blown by his breathing and then he saw that unmistakably it was mite, a living creature like him. It had a certain proclivity and propensity of its own.

2. It passed as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt —
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.

The mite stopped for a certain moment with a suspicion that the poet would do something to it. Then it went racing again to a place where the poet had just written because the ink there was still wet. Then it paused again and either smelt or drank the ink and with abomination turned to fly. The poet dealt the whole thing with intelligence.

3. It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn’t want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered; I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept.
Whatever I accorded it to fate.

Here the poet says that the mite was too small or too tiny to have feet, but then he thought that it had a complete set of legs as he saw it running with terror and creeping cunningly because it did not wish to die. Then again the poet saw it to be hesitating.

When the mite was in the middle of the manuscript it bent down as if waiting for the writer or the poet’s judgement, possibly accepting or agreeing to what he would do to it.lt surrendered to the poet on whom its fate depended.

4. I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

The poet says that he did not wish to kill the mite because he did not believe in “collectivistic regimenting of love with which the modem world was being swept.” He says that he did not have the love of being able to destroy masses of people collectively which the modem world was swept with. A modem man is swept away by a sense of purpose and selfishness. He knew that the mite could not do any evil and so the poet let it lie there till he hoped it slept.

5. I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

In these lines the poet says that he respects the presence of ‘mind’, anywhere, suggesting that he respects and appreciates the mite for its mind. So he expresses his feelings of appreciation towards the display of mind in any text or sheet which the mite showed on the paper.

A Considerable Speck Annotations and Vocabulary

Speck — dot; fleck
Poised — balanced
Unmistakably — without any mistakes
Inclinations — disposition; propensity
Suspicion — intuition; speculation
Loathing — detest; abhor
Faltered — hesitate
Desperation — hopelessness; despair
Cower down — to bend down or move backward with one’s head down because of fear
Accorded — grant
Collectivistic — a political or economic theory advocating collective control
Regimenting — organising

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Summary, Theme, Critical Analysis by Vikram Seth

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A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Poem Summary, Theme, Critical Analysis by Vikram Seth

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Summary

In the poem “A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945” the poet Vikram Seth begins with a fine morning with a calm and serene note. The doctor who is the narrator of the poem says that it was dawn and he was in his bed, half clothed, and he got up from bed and stretched his arms and legs to remove the sleepiness. He was gazing outside at the shining leaves and the shadow.

Suddenly he saw two flashes of strong light and the old stone lantern in his room lit up by itself. This made the doctor surprised and he wondered whether the flashes were magnesium flares seen during a war but he was mistaken and it was far more sinister. In the very next moment he was perplexed to discover that the roof and the walls of his house have collapsed and the debris were scattered all over. Rubble were strewn all over the place and he was left without clothes. They were all burnt in the flashes.

The doctor was wounded in the cheek, thigh, and he was bleeding. A piece of shrapnel had entered into his body and he somehow extricated the glass piece from his body. He was flummoxed by the sudden turn of events. Amidst this confusion, he wondered where his wife was. Her name was Yeckosan. The doctor called out her name with a full throated cry. His wife looked pale and frightened and had blood stains on her body and she came out holding her elbow. The doctor assured her that they would be fine and suggested to be out of the house quickly.

The blast seemed to have reduced her to a lump of nervous wreck. They rushed out of the house but they tripped and fell flat on the way. The doctor tried to figure out what he had stumbled upon. He recoiled in horror to discover that it was the head of a dead human being who had been crushed to death by the weight of a falling gate. There was no time to grieve. They saw a house that toppled and crashed, fire that sprang up in the dust, spreading fast by the wind. They thought of going to the hospital but he couldn’t walk as his legs felt wasted.

He was thirsty and was panting. Finally regaining strength he walked to the hospital. The tragedy was cataclysmic. He then tells that he was naked but was shameless at that state. A soldier gave him a towel. The doctor was unable to move, so he asked his wife to move ahead alone. She was reluctant but they had no other choice. Though the doctor’s mind was working, his body refused to work or move ahead.

He saw many shadow like figures of people, some resembling ghosts and some resembling scare crows but everybody was silent and numb. The doctors saw the survivors who were walking with their arms dangling loose from their body. With hunched back and bent shoulders, they moved clinging to the last straw of hope to stay alive. It took some time for the doctor to understand what had happened actually.

He was surprised to see people walking naked as if it was a naked parade. He saw a woman and a child both naked. He wondered whether they had come back right from bath. Then he turned his eyes from her. The mighty bomb had disrobed the hapless duo. He realized that something strange had happened that had burnt the people’s clothes.

He saw an old woman seething with pain lying on the ground, with her face distorted. But she was not grumbling. A weird sound had shrouded the survivors. This was the scenario there and it was the common thing to all the men and women present there.

The doctor could hear neither a word nor a cry of pain. Each and everyone was dumb founded and speechless. They were all shocked to silence. They could not even cry out in pain. This symbolizes that the powerful always dominates over the weak and fragile, they suppress the weaker ones and make them keep silence.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 About the Author Vikram Seth

Vikram Seth was born on 20th june 1952, in Calcutta (Kolkata). He has written eight books of poetry which includes ‘The Humble Administrator’s Garden’(1985), All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990), and the Three Chinese Poets(1992). He also wrote many children’s book like, Beastly Ties from Here and There (1992)which contains ten stories made into poetry. He has also written three fictional novels.

His first novel being “The Golden Gate” (1986). The other two are “ASuitaible Boy” (1993), which drove him to limelight and “An Equal Music” (1999). His second non-fiction “Two Lives” (2005), is the memoir of the marriage of his great uncle and his German Jewish Great aunt Some awards that he received are Padma Shri Award in the year 2007, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2008, Order of the British Empire, Officer in 2001. He is among the most celebrated Indian novelists and poets.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Theme

The poem ‘A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6,1945’by Vikram Seth deals with the destruction and ravaging caused by the explosion of the atomic bombs on the two cities of Japan – Hiroshima and Nagasaki.It was a horrific incident of 1945. It is written in the form of a joined entry by a doctor who himself was the victim of this bomb explosion.

The entry is the record of the panic stricken lives that the people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were surviving. The poet has described the hideous reality of the first nuclear explosion and its power to destroy the human race in totality.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Critical Analysis

In this poem Vikram Seth describes the scene after the atomic explosion of Hiroshima very vividly. It is written in the first person thus it makes the account seem both immediate and authetic. We find that the effects of such bombing is so tremendous that the people of the town could not find any words to say. They were neither screaming in anger nor crying in pain and despair. Since it was the first time in human history the nuclear weapons were used, the people of Hiroshima had no previous experience of it.

They all felt helpless. It seemed that they lost their senses and self dignity. That was why they no longer felt ashamed of being without clothes. They only crowded to the hospital hoping that the doctors or nurses there, would have some answer. This poem shows how only the common people are affected by such bombings, how people suffer when such historical events take place.

It was not the Japanese administration that suffered due to the atomic bombs but it was the common people, who had to face death or who were injured. The whole thing proved fatal to the common people. In the beginning of the poem, one can see the account of the impact of the atomic bombs of the city.

In this poem we see that the victim and narrator is a doctor whose job is to alleviate the suffering of others. But here he himself has become the suffering soul. He says that how on that fatal morning, he was jolted out of his bed by a monstrous blast that ripped off his under garments. The old lantern lighted up on its own, he saw two flashes which he thought to be magnesium flares used in battlefields but he was mistaken. He was baffled when his house (made of timber) came crashing down.

His garden and his house were in shambles. Dust was scattered everywhere. The sight looked frightening. A glass piece had pierced his right thigh which caused him excruciating pain. Blood oozed out from the incision. His cheek was bruised. He somehow removed the piece from his body. Midst the confusion, he wondered where his wife was. He called out by her name.

To add to his horror, the artery in his neck had been bruised. His wife appeared, undoubtedly very shaken. She also had blood stains in her body. They could realize the fury unleashed by the blast. They rushed out of the hoise in the street but fell flat on the way. He recoiled in horror to find that it was the head of a dead fellow human being on what he stumbled upon.

The doctor prodded his wife to pull up herself and go to the nearby hospital. The doctor’s conscience told him that he should do something for these injured but his enfeebled body did not permit him. They saw a house in front, uprooted from its foundation and leaning sideways and crashing onto the street. Thirst and injury had taken a toll of his energy.

He desperately wanted to reach the hospital but he fell on the ground. There was not even a drop of water to quench his thirst. He felt breathless. He mustered power and strength. He was naked but he felt no need to cover his body because his sense of shame had left him. However he asked his wife to proceed to the hospital. His wife reluctantly left him.The parting though insignificant, seemed to be painful. But there was nothing to do.

He had to be pragmatist in this time of distress. The doctor was overwhelmed with angst and doom that seemed to overtook his power of judgement. A pall of gloom seemed to have fallen on the city. The atmosphere was morbid. People with deep bums on their bodies seemed to move around without any aims. The doctor saw a woman with her child in her arms moving towards the hospital.

The mighty bomb had disrobed both of them. There was an old woman who lay on the ground seething with pain but strangely she was quiet. He encountered another naked man until then only he realized that something horrific had happened that had burnt the clothes of the people. The doctor described the atmosphere to be filled with weird silence.

The survivors did not cry, wail, pray or call out for help. They just obeyed the commands. The poet has described the gruesome reality of the first nuclear explosion which wiped out the two cities of Japan. But Japan endured this, rose up and rebuilt their city and their world

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Title of the Story

“A Doctor’s Journal Entry For August 6, 1945,” is a poem about the explosion caused by atomic bombing in the two cities of Japan-Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The aftermath of this explosion had been described from a doctor’s eye. So it is called ‘A Doctor’s Journal Entry, August 61945.’ It is written in a journal form in order to give it an objective touch.

The poem has been narrated from the perspective of a doctor, instead of the poet himself. It describes the horrific incident of bombings of Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945. These entries were a record of the panic stricken lives that people in Hiroshima were living. The narrator of the journal entry is a doctor who lives with his wife in Hiroshima.

Before seeing the flashes of light, the day began with a calm morning. The doctor describes the day as warm and beautiful. The sun was up and the doctor gazed at the shimmering leaves and shades before him. The sudden flares baffled him because he did not know the cause of them. Suddenly the old stone lantern lit up in flames. The poem is set during the time of the Second World War. In this war, magnesium was commonly used in explosives.

Therefore the sudden flashes of light prompted the doctor to think that they were caused by magnesium. As he debated on what to do next, everything around him began to crumble and fall. Everything shattered in front of him. By the time he and his wife Yecko-San stepped out and reached the garden, he could see rubble strewn all around him.

The disappearance of the doctor’s clothes was weirder than the flashes of light and the crumpling of buildings. He called it weird because the doctor could not come up with any logical explanation for such a thing to happen. A splinter stuck out from his mutilated thigh. There was blood on his right side and his cheek was tom.

The doctor’s wife looked pale and scared and was bloodstained. She was holding her elbow which was an indication that she too was injured. All these things happening on that morning were witnessed by a doctor. Then in the poem, we also find how he remembered his duty as a doctor and his first thought was to send his wife to the hospital by instructing her to leave him behind. We don’t know whether he and her wife reunited since the widespread devastation caused by the atomic explosion left almost everyone shattered and lost.

We also find how the doctor tried to fulfill his duties towards the victims but since he himself was one of them, he was unable to do so. Though his mind wanted but his body couldn’t as he was also injured. Then we see how the doctor was shocked to see the mangled head of the dead man. On his way he met a naked woman with a naked child whom he thought were bathing before that. Then he saw another naked man when he realised that the clothes were ripped open from their bodies by the bombing.

The doctor narrates in his journal how everyone was shocked and became dumb. They made no sound inspite of so much pains in their bodies. They lost their sense of shame and judgement. From the beginning of the poem till the end, the doctor gave a description of how people faced this cataclysmic tragedy. So it seems that the poet wanted to deliver his anti-war message indirectly through presenting a horrific picture of the explosion-hit people in a third person narrative.

Moreover the date and the year mentioned in the tiltle of the poem also lucidly indicates what the poem actually deals with. So we can say that ‘A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6,1945 is a good selection by the poet as a title and is a suitable one.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 About The Poem

The poem “A Doctor’s Journal Entry For August 6, 1945” by Vikram Seth is an account of the horrific incident of bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in the year 1945. It is actually written in the form of a journal entry by a doctor.

The poem speaks of the horror and devastation caused by the bomb, as well as the doctor’s feelings of helplessness and despair as he tries to treat the wounded; injured and dying. We find the doctor who also is injured and struggles to find help and understands what has happened.

The poet Vikram Seth describes the wretched conditions of the survivors after the atomic bombing by the United States during the end of the World War II ON 6th August, 1945. It is a remarkable tragic poem, describing the horrors of the aftermath of an atomic bomb explosion.

Therefore we can say this poem to be an anti-war poem also. The readers after going through this poem, are horrified thinking about the devastating effect of war on common innocent people. Therefore it is a poem describing the after-effect of this tragedy from a doctor’s eye.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Main Point Of The Poem

In this poem, Vikram Seth has depicted the gruesome reality of the first-ever nuclear explosion that was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. The cities turned into a living hell with the survivors running here and there in wretched conditions.

The tragedy was cataclysmic. The poet also depicts physical and mental agony through this poem. The bombing wiped out two cities and millions died. The effects can be seen many days after the bombing. It tells us how the nuclear explosion can destroy the whole human race.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Linewise Summary

1. The morning stretched calm, beautiful, and warm.
Sprawling half clad, I gazed out at the form
Of shimmering leaves and shadows.
Suddenly A strong flash, then another, startled me.
I saw the old stone lantern brightly lit.
Magnesium flares? While I debated it,
The roof, the walls and, as it seemed, the world
Collapsed in timber and debris, dust swirled
Around me-in the garden now-and, weird,
My drawers and undershirt disappeared.

The poet Vikram Seth in his poem “A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945:”portrays the situation after the bombing very poignantly. The cities are completely destroyed and even the people are badly injured or had faced death. lt is a tragic poem and the poet was the victim of this and he had also witnessed this cataclysmic aftermath of the explosion. The doctor describes the morning to be calm, beautiful and warm,a mild weathered morning. He looked around and saw the leaves of the trees shaking and he saw the shadows everywhere.

Suddenly two blinding flashes came one after another. The doctor first thought it was usual magnesium flare normally used-in battlefields,but he realized that he was mistaken. There were far more sinister. He was baffled. The doctor describes how the top of his house appeared to be lit by something that was the old stone lantern which lit up on its own.

He thought it was magnesium flare. As soon as he noticed that, the roof and the walls fell down in a heap of wood and there were dust rising up from the pile. His garden and his house were in a shambles. His vest has flown away from his body. The flares and the heat of the explosion had burnt away his clothes. He was left naked. Till now we can say that the poet has started the poem with a beautiful moming. lt is ironic that such a beautiful day should end with such a disaster.

2. A splinter jutted from my mangled thigh.
My right side bled, my cheek was tom, and I
dislodged, detachedly, a piece of glass,
time wondering what had come to pass.
is my wife? Alarmed, I gave a shout,
‘Where are you, Yecko-san?’
My blood gushed out.
The artery in my neck? Scared for my life,
I called out, panic-stricken, to my wife.

Looking upon himself the doctor noticed that a splinter was sticking out from his tom thigh.His full right side was bleeding profusely.Pieces of glass were lodged in his cheek.He removed the piece and started wandering as to what had happened.Then suddenly he was reminded of his wife.He called out to his wife by her name Yeck-San,the force of his effort caused his already damaged artery in his neck to burst and blood oozed out. So in a state of total panic not knowing what had happened.he yelled out for his wife.

3. Pale, blood-stained, frightened, Yecko-sn emerged,
Holding her elbow. ‘We’ll be fine, ‘I urged –
‘Let’s get out quickly, ‘Stumbling to the street
We fell, tripped by something at our feet.

When the doctor yelled out for his wife, she emerged blood stained and frightened.Here the reader realizes that the impact of the bomb was immediate and obviously devastating and disastrous.lt left its victims with no time to think,no time to escape from the spot. The doctor assured her that they would be alright and asked her to leave the house quickly. But soon as they stepped onto the street they

stumbled upon something. The doctor thought that this explosion might be limited to the house alone and thus suggested that they get out quickly. But even then they stumbled outside.

4. I gasped out when I saw it was a head:
‘Excuse me, plese excuse me — ‘He was dead:
A gate had crushed him. There we stood, afraid.
A house standing before us tilted, swayed,
Toppled, and crashed. Fire sprang up in the dust,
Spread by the wind. It downed on us we must
Get to the hospital: we needed aid —
(Though this made, Sense to me then,
I wonder how I could)

The doctor later reveals that it was the head of the dead man upon which he stumbled.A gate had fallen over him and thus he was killed.On the street they stood in horror and watched a building tilt and then crumble down in front of their eyes.The entire city was in the same state that is in destruction.No one had no clue as to what was happening.

Being a doctor he knew that they should be going to the hospital as soon as possible.He even thought j that he might be of help to his staff.The doctor’s conscience told him that he should do something for his beleaguered staff,but his feeble,injured body did not allow him.Since here the doctor whose job is to alleviate the suffering of others is a victim himself,so we find the doctor to be helpless in such a situation.

5. My legs gave way. I sat down on the ground.
Thirst seized me, but no water could be found.
My breath was short, but bit by bit my strength
Seemed to revive, and I got up at length.

Thirst and injury had taken his energy.His legs couldn’t stand any longer and he slumped on the ground although he desperately wanted to reach the hospital.There was water nowhere.He felt breathless,perhaps out of exhaustion and thirst.However,in a show of remarkable tenacity of his mind,he could gather some strength in his limbs to get on his feet again.

6. I was still naked, but I felt no shame.
This thought disturbed me somewhat, till I came
Upon a soldier, standing silently,
Who gave the towel around his neck to me
My legs, stiff with dired blood, rebelled, I said.
To Yeck-San she must go on ahead.

The doctor though was still naked,wasn’t a bit ashamed of himself.He was not like a normal man as he lacked the sense of shame like that of a normal man.lt seemed as if shameness had deserted him.Then a soldier offered him a towel to wipe his wounds ut his legs became stiff with the blood that dried up already.The doctor told his wife to leave him behind and go to the hospital,for the slow movement of the doctor was retarding the speed of them both.

7. She did not wish to but in our distress
What choice had we? A dreadful loneliness
Came over me when she had gone.
My mind Ran at high speed, my body crept behind.

Yecko-san was reluctant to go to the hospital alone leaving behind her husband that is the doctor. But at last she agreed to go. Eventually she left him alone and proceeded to the hospital because she knew that they had no other choice. The doctor’s mind was working but his body refused to work and move.He was held back by his bodily injuries. He felt a “dreadful loneliness.” Thus husband and wife were separated which tells us that there might have been thousands of such separations that day.His mind was running at a high speed but his body could not cope up with such fatal injuries.

8. I saw the shadowy forms of people, some
We’re ghosts, some scarecrows, all were wordless dumb —
Arms stretched straight out, shoulder to dangling hand;
It took some time for me to understand
The friction on their bums caused so much pain
They feared to chafe flesh against flesh again.

The doctor saw shadow like appearances of people,some looked like ghosts and some scarecrows but one thing was common to them.They were all silent and numb.Some of the survivors were walking with their arms hanging loose from their bodies.They did this to avoid the exposed flesh of their arms rubbing against the flesh of their sides.The poet creates such images to bring out the people’s sufferings.

9. Those who could shuffled in a blank parade
Towards the hospital. I saw, dismayed,
A woman with a child stand in my path —
Both naked. Had they come back from the bath?

While the doctor sat by the roadside,he saw groups of people injured badly,and in a dazed condition walking towards the hospital.There were few who could make for the hospital.But it looked like a parade as they headed for the hospital.The doctor saw his way a woman with a child,both naked.He wondered whether they had come back right from bath.

10. I turned my gaze but was at a loss
That she should stand thus, till I came across
A naked man — and now the thought arose
That some strange thing had stripped us of our clothes.

The doctor turned away from the naked woman,wondering why she didn’t cover herself. Just then he saw another naked man which made him realize the reason for everyone’s nakedness. We realized that something had happened that had burnt down people’s clothes. The face of an old woman on the ground Was marred with suffering, but she made no sound. The silence was common to us all. I heard No cries of anguish, or a single word.

The doctor saw an old woman lying whose face was distorted.She looked distressed but dumb. She was making no sound. Silence prevailed all around. The doctor could hear no words,no cries of pain. They did not cry, wail, call out for help, protest or pray. The hapless citizens endured the suffering with stoic resignation as the pain had numbed their senses of shame and judgement and made them dumb. They could feel the pain but was speechless. The poet in this poem brings alive the lament and the wrenching pain of ordinary civilians.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Linewise Explanation

1. The morning stretched calm, beautiful and warm.
Sprawling half-clad, I gazed out at the from
Of shimmering leaves and shadows. Suddenly
A strong flash, then another, stared me.

In these lines, the doctor describes a calm and mild morning when he woke up. He was partially naked and as he looked out of the window he saw the shining leaves of trees and shadows everywhere. Suddenly there was blinding flash and light, soon followed by another like the first one. He was very much surprised to see this.

2. I saw the old stone lantern brightly lit.
Magnesium flares? While I debated it,
The roof, the walls and, as it seemed, the world
Collapsed in timber and debris, dust swirled
Around me – in the garden now – and, weired,
My drawers and undershirt disappeared.

In these lines, the doctor gives a description of how the old stone lantern in his room lighted up and he thought to be magnesium flares. But then he noticed the roof,and the walls falling down. They fell down in a heap of wood and there was dust rising up from pile. The doctor found himself thrown into the garden, and the drawers and undershirt he had been wearing were all gone.

3. A splinter jutted from my mangled thigh.
My right side bled, my cheek was torn, and I
Dislodged, detachedly, a piece of glasss,
All the time wondering what had come to pass.

In these lines, the doctor says he saw a splinter sticking out of his thigh which had been injured completely. The doctor’s right side was bleeding and so was his cheek, out of which he removed a piece of glass. All the time, he was wondering and was trying to figure out what had actually happened.

4. I gasped out, when I saw it was a head:
Excuse me, please excuse me — ‘He was dead:
A gate had curshed him. There we stood, afraid.
A house standing before us tilted, swayed,
Toppled, and crashed. Fire sprang up in the dust,
Spread by the wind. It dawned on us we must
Get to the hospital: we needed aid – And I should help my staff too.
(Though this made Sense to me then, I wonder how I could)

In these lines, the doctor says that the thing on which he stumbled upon was a head of a human being who had died for a gate which had fallen and crushed his head. The doctor and his wife watched in fear as a house collapsed before their eyes. It caught fire and the fire spread because it was being blown around by the wind. At this point, they realized that they needed to go to the hospital as the doctor wanted to help the staff as well but did not know how he would do so.

5. My legs gave way. I sat down on the ground.
Thirst seized me, but no water could be found.
My breath was short, but bit by bit my strength
Seemed to revive, and I got up at length.

In these lines, the doctor says that he couldn’t stand any longer, and sat on the ground. He was thirsty, but there was no water. He was panting and eventually he gained strength and he was able to stand up.

6. I was still naked, but I felt no shame,
This thought disturbed me somewhat,
till I came Upon a soldier, standing silently,
Who gave the towel round his neck to me
My legs, stiff with dried blood, rebelled.
I said To Yecko-san she must go on ahead.

The doctor says that even though he was still naked, he wasn’t ashamed of himself and this thought disturbed him somewhat when he came across a soldier who gave him a towel. His legs couldn’t bear to be touched as the blood on them dried up already. The doctor told his wife to go to the hospital leaving him behind for he was slowing down the speed of both of them.

7. She did not wish to, but in our distress
What choice had we? A dreadful loneliness
Came over me when she had gone.
My mind Ran at high speed, my body crept behind.

The doctor says that his wife was reluctant to leave him, but ultimately she agreed to do it as there was no option. The doctor felt lonely after she left. Though his mind was moving fast, but his body could not.

8. I saw the shadowy forms of people, some
Were ghosts, some scarecrows, all were wordless dumb-
Arms stretched straight out, shoulder to dangling hand;
It took some time for me to understand
The friction on their bums caused so much pain
They feared chafe flesh against flesh again.

Here the doctor is describing how people seemed to have been reduced to pale ghosts or unruly scare crows and how everyone was silent and dumb. They were all walking with their arms dangling in front of them. The doctor couldn’t understand the reason for their walking in such a way but soon he realized that their bums were so severe that they could not bear to even touch them against anyone else’s flesh.

9. Those who could, shuffled in a blank parade
Towards the hospital. I saw, dismayed,
A woman with a child stand in my path- Both naked.
Had they come back from the bath?

The doctor here describes, that the people who had the strength to stand where all trooping towards the hospital. He also saw a woman and her child naked and wondered whether they had gone to take a bath.

10. I turned my gaze, but was at a loss
That she should stand thus, till I came across
A naked man – and now the thought arose
That some strange thing had stripped of our clothes.

In these lines, the doctor describes how he turned away from the naked woman, wandering why she wasn’t trying to cover herself up. Then he realized that everyone was disrobed and something had happened that had left them undressed.

11. The face of an old woman on the ground
Was marred with suffering, but she made no sound.
Silence was common to us all. I heard
No cries of anguish, or a single word.

In the stanza, the doctor describes how an old woman was lying on the ground and she looked very distressed but she neither cried in pain nor speak anything. In fact no one cried or said anything.

A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 Annotations and Vocabulary

Sprawling — set, lie or fall with one’s arms and legs.
Shimmering — shining with a soft wavering light.
Half — clad-partially dressed.
Startled — alarmed;flabbergasted.
Magnesium flares — a brilliant white flare containing magnesium wire.
Collapsed — having fallen down or given away.
Splinter — a small, thin sharp piece of wood, glass or similar material broken off from larger piece.
Jutted — projected.
mangled — disfigured or multilated.
dislodged — removed; get rid of.
detachedly — disconnected or separated.
panic — stricken – horror-stricken; frantic.
strumbling — trip or momentarily lose one’s balance.
tripped — toppled;fell.
toppled — fell or tumbled.
crashed — bump into or battered.
seized — snatched;grabbed.
rebelled — revolted.
distress — suffering.
dreadful — terrible;frightening.
crept — crawled or move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.
shadowy — full of shadows.
dangling — hanging or swinging loosely.
chafe — make or become sore by rubbing against something.
shuffled — walk by dragging one’s feet along or without lifting them fully from the ground.
dismayed — cause to feel concerned and distress.
stripped — remove all coverings from.
marred — spoiled or ruined.
anguish — severe mental or physical pain or suffering.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

The Power of Music Poem Questions and Answers & MCQs

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The Power of Music Poem Questions and Answers

The Power of Music Poem Questions and Answers & MCQs

Read the extracts and answer the following questions

Question 1.
He sings as though he’s staked his life, he sings as though he’s hell-bent
a. Who is ‘he’ referred to in the above extract? When does he sing?
b. How far is his ‘strain’ carried and why?
c. What is the meaning of ‘hell-bent’? Explain the above two lines?
d. What do the people do when they hear his songs?
Answers:
a. ‘He’ is referred to Bhisma Lochan Sharma the main character of the poem. He sings when the summer season comes.

b. His ‘strain’ of song is so raucous that it can be heard on the hill and the plain. The poet says that he sings in such a shrill and violent manner that it is carried from Delhi to Burma.

c. ‘Hell-bent’ means very stubborn and determined to do something. Bhisma lochan Sharma continues to sing his song as if he has put his life to stake or risked his life. He also sings as if he is determined to sing regardless of what might happen.

d. When the people hear his song, they start leaving in shock. Though they know that he is singing with good intentions yet the shrillness of his voice makes them run and they as a result become weak, sickly and pale. They run frantically and so some of them are also crushed. At last they have nothing to do other than to plead or request him to stop his singing because the song becomes unbearable to them.

Question 2.
But Bhisma Lochan, unconcerned, goes Booming out his broadside
a. Name the poem and the poet of the above extract.
b. Who is Bhisma Lochan? What does the poet mean by ‘booming out his broadside’?
c. What concerns should Bhisma Lochan have according to the poet?
d. What does the word ‘unconcerned’ tell just about Bhisma Lochan?
Answers:
a. The name of the poem is ‘The Power Of Music’ and the poet’s name is Sukuiriar Ray.

b. Bhisma Lochan is the main character of the poem who sings songs in the summer season.‘Booming out his broadside’ means that Bhisma Lochan is singing too loudly which sounds harsh for the others.

c. According to the poet, Bhisma Lochan should be concerned about the other people who are around him. He should not disturb them with his rough, harsh voice, which makes all the people to run everywhere resulting in chaos.

d. The word ‘unconcerned’ tells us that Bhisma Lochan is least bothered about others and doesn’t care of what impact his singing has on others. The people get disturbed and Bhisma Lochan’s song bothers them too much but that doesn’t make any difference to Bhisma Lochan. He is concerned with his own pleasure.

Question 3.
They whine and stare with feet in air or wonder Quite confounded.
a. Who is ‘they’ referred to in the above extract?
b. What do they do and why?
c. How do the fishes behave?
d. How do the birds and the people behave or react?
Answers:
a. ‘They’ is referred to the horses that line and stand on the roadside in the above extract.
b. The moment the horses hear the sound of the song of Bhisma Lochan Sharma which seem to be like a blare to them, they with a feeling of resentment whine and stare with their forelegs up in the air and look around in a confused manner. Most probably they look confused because they can’t understand what the sound is of and also because they can’t tolerate the ‘blare.’

c. The fishes seem to dive below the water in search of silence. To avoid the harshness of Bhisma Lochan sharma’s song they dive below the lake so that they can find peace there.

d. The birds in the sky seem to be disturbed by the noise of Bhisma Lochan Sharma’s singing. So they lose control on their wings and turn like turtles. The people run about madly and in panic. They are shocked to listen to his song. While running many people are trampled and they become pale, weak and sickly. The people grumble and request him for silence when it becomes untolerable for them.

Question 4.
He downs his horns and charges straight, with below answering bellow.
a. Who is ‘he’ referred to in the above extract referred to?
b. Why does ‘he’ charge straight?
c. Explain the second line of the extract.
d. What happens as a result?
Answers:
a. ‘He’ is referred to a Billy Goat in the above extract.

b. He charges straight in the anger to pit an end to the untolerable singing of Bhisma Lochan Sharma.

c. The second line that is bellow answering bellow means the goat to answers Bhisma Lochan’s singing bellows by his own bellows that is by his own way of charging straight in anger. In other words he has replied Bhisma Lochan in the same way or action that he does.

d. As a result, of the charging of the Billy Goat, Bhisma Lochan Shrmaa finally falls to the ground and there is silence every where.

Question 5.
And Bhisma Lochan grants the world the golden gift of silence.
a. What happens to the trees, sky and the mansion as a result of Bhisma Lochan’s singing?
b. What happens to bullock cart and the fishes?
c. What does the “golden gift of silence” mean?
d. Which two instances in the poem are the funniest according to you?
Answers:
a. The tall trees start shaking all of a sudden and are uprooted-the sound of which can be heard till the distance of a mile. The sky itself seems to cry upon listening to his voice and the tall buildings seem to shake and may collapse any moment.

b. The bullock carts are overturned and the fishes swim deep down inside the lake to save themselves from the harsh pain of Bhisma Lochan’s singing.

c. Bhisma Lochan Sharma has been disturbing the people, animals, birds, trees, everyone with his song. ie being requested to stop his song, doesn’t even pay heed to it. At last the billy goat charges him with his horns and he falls to the ground. With this, his harsh song also comes to an end. Thus the world has been gifted with silence.

d. The two instances that are finniest according to me are:

  • When people request Bhisma Lochan Sharma to stop singing as they can’t tolerate his songs.
  • At the end, when the goat chases and hits Bhisma Lochan Sharma.

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers

 

When Great Trees Fall Poem Questions and Answers & MCQs

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When Great Trees Fall Poem Questions and Answers

When Great Trees Fall Poem Questions and Answers & MCQs

Read the extracts and answer the following questions:

Question 1.
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
……………………..
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

a. What are the two animals mentioned in the poem?
b. What happens to these animals when great trees collapse or fall?
c. What are the other things that happen when great trees fall?
d. How does the poetess strike a comparison between nature and humans?
Answers:
a. The two animals mentioned in the poem are the lions and the elephants.

b. When great trees fall, the lions hunker down in the tall grasses and the elephants also lumber after safety or shelter.

c. When great trees fall or collapse the rocks of the distant hills also vibrate or shudder. The earth seems to shake with the fall of massive trees. The small animals also react to the falling of great enormous trees in the forest. They seem to recoil into silence. This means that they are not sure what they feel, for their senses are eroded beyond fear. This refers to the numbness of the soul that is followed by the loss of someone great.

d. The poetess opens the poem with the metaphor of the falling of great trees.In the literal sense it means that when great trees fall, the effect of it is felt for miles.Inanimate and immovable objects like rocks shudder.

Powerful animals like lions “hunker down in tall grasses”.Big animals like the elephants lumber after shelter”.Small animals recoil in silence. The falling of great trees is being compared to the loss of a person making it very symbolic. When a great soul departs,the effects are felt deep and far just like the need to hide away to safety.

Question 2.
When great souls
the air around us becomes
……………………
see with
A hurtful clarity.

a. What becomes light, rare and sterile? Why?
b. Describe the brief moments of “hurtful clarity” mentioned in the poem?
c. When and how do our souls shrink?
d. What does the speaker say of the healing of this loss?
Answers:
a. The air that we breathe becomes light ,rare and sterile.
The air becomes light, rare and sterile because when any great souls die or any loved ones die we can’t even breathe or the air becomes unfit for us to breathe.

b. The speaker describes the way in which those who are affected by loss have a brief moment of “hurtful clarity” in which they are able to see and understand, what a valuable soul has been lost. These moments serve as a reminder of the loss of a person.

c. The loss of our beloved soul has a great impact on our day to day life. The loss changes our reality because we were once dependent on the nurture and guidance of the lost person and due to the absence of the person, our souls also seem to shrink or we are left to feel small.

d. The loss that we have to face in the form of death of the person, who has a great influence in our lives, cannot be actually erased totally from our minds.

Somewhere in the background of our minds we feel the pain and the agony combined with grief but as time passes, our senses are restored, we slowly heal and recover when we think of their memories. This memory incites us to survive in our lives because we know that death is an inevitable part of our lives. The scar of pain, anguish and grief remains in our souls though they are healed up.

Question 3.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened
Examines,
Promised walks never taken.

a. Name the poem and the poet
b. What feeling does the poet explore in the lines of the above extract?
c. Explain the meaning of the above line.
d. What does the poetess say about the death of great souls just before the above extract?
Answers:
a. The name of the poem is “When Great Trees Fall.” It is written by Maya Angelou.

b. The poetess explores the feeling of regret as she highlights the “unexpressed feeling”in the heart.

c. With the loss of our beloved one,we become crestfallen and so our memories become sharpened and they are able to remember the moments that had been spent by us with the departed person. We have a feeling of regret as to why we haven’t spoken kind words to the person or we also remember of the walks that had once been promised to be taken with the departed person.

d. Just before the above extract,the poetess says that when he/she has lost an important and loved one, it becomes hard for him/her to breathe. The air seems to become light, rare and sterile and his/her eyes can see briefly or for a short moment with “hurtful clarity” what a precious person has departed from him/her that is one realizes the value of the great person who has departed. These moments serve a reminder of the loss of the person.

Question 4.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
with a kind of
Soothing electric vibration.

a. How do the empty spaces get filled?
b. How does the loss of a great soul affect people?
c. What do the lines of the above extract mean?
d. What does the speaker say about the restoration of senses just after this extract?
Answers:
a. The empty spaces get filled with a kind of soothing electrical vibration.

b. The loss of a great soul alters people’s senses such that they cannot be restored again in its original form.

c. The poetess through the lines of the above extract wants to say that when great people or loved ones die,slowly with time,we heal and recover the loss. After a period, peace blooms slowly and iiregularly.

This shows that though despair and anguish remain in the back of our minds, we recover and the feelings in between the healing is described as something “electric vibration”. In a sense, the pain still buzzes in the background yet the memory of the lost one is soothing and comforting.

d. The speaker says that our ‘senses’ are restored even if they are “never to be the same.” In the back of our mind, we hear the presence of the one lost. We can hear the whisper” they existed”. This gives us hope and thus we are able to heal, recover and live our lives as this gives us a new meaning or purpose in our lives. So even if there will be sadness, there is hope for healing in the middle of the great loss.

Question 5.
Our senses, restored, never
To be the same, whisper to us.
The existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.

a. What ‘whisper’ comes to us?
b. What theme does the speaker highlight in the above lines?
c. Explain the above lines.
d. Who is the poetess and when did she write this poem?
Answers:
a. We can hear the whisper coming to us saying “they existed”. Here ‘they’ is referred to the departed souls of the loved ones.

b. The poetes discusses or highlights the theme of hope in the above lines.

c. The above lines express the theme that life undergoes loss but still there is hope and recovery. The speaker says that because the great soul existed, we can do better. It even offers great hope to us who have experienced this loss.

Since on the back of our minds, we can remember and recollect the memories of the lost person, our senses are restored though never in the same way. But we know that they existed and so we can do better. If there is always pain and sadness, there is also hope of healing that brings joy and peace in the middle of this great loss.

d. The poetess of “When Great Trees Fall” is Maya Angelou. She wrote this poem in response to the death of her friend, James Baldwin who was a renowned writer and civil rights activist.

When Great Trees Fall Poem MCQs

Question 1.
The beginning line of the poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is ………….
a. an alliteration
b. a personification
c. an extended metaphor
d. a simile
Answer:
c. an extended metaphor

Question 2.
What does the falling of a tree symbolize?
a. the loss of the shelter of big animals
b. the loss of a great person
c. the loss of our minds
d. the loss of the senses of the small animals
Answer:
b. the loss of a great person

Question 3.
Find the word from the poem which means the same as’ lucidity’
a. lumber
b. strile
c. recoil
d. clarity
Answer:
d. clarity

Question 4.
And even elephants ……….. after safety. Fill in the gap.
a. hunker
b. shudder
c. lumber
d. recoil
Answer:
c. lumber

Question 5.
How many types of animals are mentioned in the poem?
a. two
b. one
c. three
d. four
Answer:
a. two

Question 6.
The air around us becomes…………
Fill in the blanks from the poem.
a. light, clear, sterile
b. light, rare, sterile
c. heavy, rare, clear
d. light, rare, clear
Answer:
b. light, rare, sterile

Question 7.
Where do the lions hunker down when great trees fall?
a. in the bushes
b. behind the trees
c. in tall grasses
d. in the caves
Answer:
c. in tall grasses

Question 8.
Small things recoil into silence because …………
a. their senses are eroded away
b. their fears are eroded away
c. their shelter is eroded away
d. none of the above
Answer:
a. their senses are eroded away

Question 9.
What does the elephants do when great trees fall?
a. they hide in the tall grasses
b. they shudder into fear
c. they recoil into silence
d. they lumber for safety
Answer:
d. they lumber for safety

Question 10.
In the poem the adjective used for ‘ignorance’ is similar to the word …………
a. undaunted
b. inexperienced
c. unspeakable
d. untaught
Answer:
c. unspeakable

Question 11.
What are the two adjectives used to describe the word “vibration” in the poem?
a. soothing, electric
b. soothing, magnetic
c. relieving, comforting
d. none of the above
Answer:
a. soothing, electric

Question 12.
What happens to the small creatures when great trees fall? They
a. shudder
b. recoil
c. lumber
d. hunker down
Answer:
b. recoil

Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Poems Workbook Answers