Small Towns and the River Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 9 Small Towns and the River Questions and Answers

Small Towns and the River Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Small Towns and the River Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Write and critical appreciation of the poem Small towns and the River.
Or
Question 2.
Small towns and the River “attempts to contrast the ephemeral nature of life with the permanence of rituals and nature.” – Discuss.
Answer:
Small towns and the River is all about the ‘rich biodiversity and the natural phenomena of the panoramic Arunachal Pradesh’ meticulously explored by the poet. Life in her’small town’ is simple, slow moving and full of tension. Dai covers up everything that constitutes her culture along with the political unrest which seems be the potential threat to the people of Pasighat. But what makes the poem outstanding is the contrast between the ephemeral nature of life and the permanence of rituals and nature.

Hailing from a small town named Pasighat, Dai feels deeply cheerless when reminded of her hometown. This is not because of her homesickness but because of the lifelessness of the town which goads her to be reminded of death. She’ remembers how the entire community once wept silently over the death of someone, ‘”just the other day”. The reference to death and the ‘dreadful silence’ that follows suggests the problem of insurgency in Pasighat which destroys peace and leads to endless massacre.

Death here might also suggest the death of the younger sister of the poet’s mother who died too early. The ephemeral nature of human life is at once established which Dai contrasts with the permanence of rituals practiced after death. In other words, human lives ends one after the other but the rites practiced after death remains all the same years after years.

Even nature too is eternal. Mamang however refers , to the river Siang which continues flowing perpetually amidst all odds. The river dries up in summer and loses its identity when devoid of water. Mamang considers it as a living entity that witness everything around whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains. On the contrary, the happy phase of life rapidly changes into fear and anxiety, found in the children of the small town.

In fact, small towns are always in terror of being ‘ swallowed up by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future. Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Corpses are thus, placed with heads pointing towards vyest so that one can move straight towards the “golden east”, meaning, heaven.

But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. , People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.

Question 3.
Small Towns and the River is essentially a reflective poem. Discuss
Answer:
Small towns and the River is essentially a reflective poem which meditates upon the mutability of life as opposed to the permanence of nature and rituals practiced by humans. The North-Eastern tribal communities have a rich oral culture, in which their myths, folklores, conventions, and beliefs are passed orally from generation after generation. Mamang Dai however recalls those memories from her “shrine of happy pictures” and establishes the diverse culture of her community.

At first, Dai meditates on the death of “someone” which leaves her town into ‘dreadful silence’. We get a typical Indian picture of reverence shown to the corpse with garland of white flowers placed on the body. People are seen weeping silently and the poet bemoans the ephemeral nature of life. On contrary, rituals practiced after death is permanent. While people die one after the other, rituals pass down from generation after generation without any change. This is typical indianness which lends the cultural identity of the nation.

Next we get a picture of the river Siang that flows through Pasighat, perpetually. Keeping in mind the Indian sentiment, Dai says that the “river has a soul” which is immortal. The soul of the river is water which dries up in summer and yet the river continues flowing perpetually amidst all odds. Moreover, because of its antiquity of soul, the river witness everything around whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains.

On the contrary, the happy phase of life rapidly changes into fear and anxiety, found in the children of the small town. In fact, small towns are always in terror of being swallowed up by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future. Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Corpses are thus, placed with heads pointing towards west so that one can move straight towards the “golden east”, meaning, heaven.

But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.

Small Towns and the River Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What picture of Indian life is presented in the poem Small town and the River?
Answer:
Small towns and the River lends a succinct picture of the Indian culture which runs throughout the poem. Belonging to the Adi tribe of the North East India, Dai however is well aware of the cultural identity of her nation which she explores in her poem. At first she we get a typical Indian picture of reverence shown to the corpse with garland of white flowers placed on the body.

People are seen weeping silently and the entire community is left into ‘dreadful silence/ Rituals practiced after death remains unchanged forever which is a typical Indian mindset. Dai however also mentions the importance of river in Indian culture with her presentation of river Siang which flows through her “hometown”, Pasighat. The river has a soul” which is immortal.

The soul of the river is water which dries up in summer. Yet it continues flowing perpetually witnessing everything around whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains.

The antiquity of the soul of the river is established when Dai assures that the river “knows the immortality of water.” Moreover, the belief of human resurrection from graves, the cultivation of bamboo the belief in god’s benevolence all lend the cultural identity of the nation.

Small Towns and the River Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
The hometown of the poet reminds her of ……..
a. Trees
b. Green landscape
c. River
d. Deathx
Answer:
d. Deathx

Question 2.
What made people cry in dreadful silence?
a. The dreadful nature around
b. Death of someone dear
c. The emptiness of the place
d. The death of river
Answer:
b. Death of someone dear

Question 3.
What is practiced after death?
a. Funeral procession
b. Rituals
c. The process of recalling soul
d. None of the above
Answer:
b. Rituals

Question 4.
Which river is mentioned in the poem?
a. Ganga
b. Siang
c. Narmada
d. Krishna
Answer:
b. Siang

Question 5.
What is the soul of river?
A. Aquatic creatures
B. Sand
C. Water
D. Minerals
Answer:
C. Water

Question 6.
After death corpses of the dead people in the community of the poet are placed towards the direction of …………..
a. North
b. West
c. South
d. East
Answer:
b. West

Question 7.
In which direction does soul walk after death?
a. North
b. West
c. South
d. East
Answer:
d. East

Question 8.
What remains permanent after death?
a. soul
b. bones
c. rituals
d. wealth
Answer:
c. rituals

Question 9.
The poet belongs to the ………….. tribe.
a. Adi
b. Garo
c. Khasi
d. Kiowa
Answer:
a. Adi

Question 10.
The poet says that life will continue moving ahead in small towns with the …………..
a. influence of technology
b. practice of rituals
c. blessings of God
d. help of big cities
Answer:
c. blessings of God

Small Towns and the River Poem Summary

Small Towns and the River Poem Introduction

Small towns and the River is all about the rich bio-diversity and the natural phenomena of the panoramic ‘Arunachal Pradesh’. The poet explores life in small towns which is so unlike the cosmopolitan culture of big cities. Life here is simple, slow and full of tension.

The poet explores everything that constitutes her culture including the vibrant cultural heritage of the Adi tribe. The poem is remarkable for its attempt to contrast the ephemeral nature of life with the permanence of rituals and nature.

Small Towns and the River Poem Summary

Pasighat, the speaker’s hometown, is a small community in Arunachal Pradesh which lacks diversity and seems lifeless. The town looks all the same both in summer as well as in winter. Dust hovers all around and wind roars down the narrow valley.

The small town however reminds the speaker about death. The speaker remembers how the entire community once wept silently over the death of someone dearly loved. She was probably the younger sister of the speaker’s mother. The speaker bemoans the ephemeral nature of life. The cycle of life is the cycle of birth and death. What is constant is the rituals practiced after death.

In other words, human lives ends one after the other but the rites practiced after death remains all the same years after years. There is a river named Siang which flows through Pasighat. River however is a living entity which seems to respond to the climatic changes. In summer the river dries up and looks as if plunged in grief while it moves through the land.

The river then looses its identity since being dried up the stars overhead are not reflected upon its water and the aquatic creatures like fishes are no more found. Because of being a living entity, the river witnesses everything and continues flowing perpetually through Pasighat. Whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains, the river sees everything around. In a way, river is immortal despite its diversity.

Childhood is the most delightful stage of life. But, children from small towns suffer from various anxieties particularly because of the fear of relocation in future. In fact, small towns are always in terror of being swallowed by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future.

Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Corpses are thus, placed with heads pointing towards west so that one can move straight towards east, immediately after being born. The eastern side however is the abode of sun.

But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.

Small Towns and the River Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 6 :

Small town reminds the speaker about death. Pasighat, the speaker’s hometown, is a small community in Arunachal Pradesh which lacks diversity and seems lifeless. The town looks all the same both in summer as well as in winter with dust hovering around and wind roaring down the narrow valley.

Lines 7 to 11 :

Once the death of someone dearly loved shattered the entire community. All wept silently looking at the garland of white flowers placed on the corpse. Life however is ephemeral. The cycle of life is the cycle of birth and death. What is constant after all is the rituals practiced after death. In other words, human lives ends one after the other but the rites practiced after death remains all the same years after years.

Lines 12 to 16 :

There is a river named Siang which flows through Pasighat. River however is a living entity which seems to respond to the climatic changes. In summer the river dries up and looks as plunged in grief while it moves through the land. Sometimes it seems as if the river has lost its identity since being dried up the stars overhead are not reflected upon its water and the aquatic creatures like fishes are no more found.

Lines 17 to 22 :

Because of being a living entity, the river witnesses everything and continues flowing perpetually through Pasighat. Whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains, the river sees everything while it flows either brimmed with water or being dried up. But despite its varied appearance, the river is yet immortal as it never ceases to exist.

Lines 23 to 30 :

Childhood is the most delightful stage of life. But, children from small towns suffer from various anxieties particularly because of the fear of relocation in future. In fact, small towns are always in terror of being swallowed by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future.

Small towns aren’t liberal like big cities. Here people still cling to various superstitions evident from their belief of human resurrection from graves. Hence, corpses are placed with heads pointing towards west so that one can move straight towards east, immediately after being born. The eastern side however is the abode of sun.

Lines 31 to 35 :

But despite all limitations, life matters in small towns. People here lead simple life without big dreams. They cultivate bamboos which grow under sun and look forward to the blessings of gods. With divine blessings, life goes on in small towns without any complicacy.

Small Towns and the River Poem Annotations with Comments

Lines 1 to 6:

Small town…death: because of slow moving life with almost nothing around, small towns reminds the speaker about death.
My hometown: refers to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
Calmly : serenely
Amidst : in the midst of
Lies calmly …. trees : the speaker’s home is amidst green foliage all around. This is another reason why small towns remained her of death. It’s all because of the picture of desolation and lifelessness.
always the same : the picture of small towns are always same irrespective of any climatic change.
Howling : make a long loud sound
Gorge : a narrow valley with steep sides and a river running through it.

Lines 7 to 11 :

other day : a day of past time
Someone : the younger sister of the poet’s mother
Dreadful : awful
dreadful silence : they were indeed so horrified with the death of someone dear that they wept being tongue tied.
Sad : they were indeed sad due to sudden death of somene dear to them
Wreath: garland placed over dead body
Tuberoses: white coloured flower used particularly for honouring the dead
Life and death : the antithesis of life and death suggests the ephemeral nature of life
Rituals : ceremonies. Here it suggests the rituals practiced after death
Permanent : something which exists perpetually.
Life after….permanent : While people die, one after the other, the rituals practiced after their death does not change.

Comment :

Life and death…….rituals are permanent: Human life is ephemeral. The poet contrasts the ephemeral nature of human life with the permanence of rituals and nature. The tribal rituals have been in existence since time immemorial. Hence, the poet says that while the cycle of life continues with birth and death, rituals remains permanent.

Lines 12 to 16:

River: refers to river Siang which flows through the town of Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh
Soul: life
river has a soul : the river is a living entity
cuts through : flows through
torrent : current
grief : sorrow. Here the timid flow of river water is suggested.
like a …………. grief : the river flows through the land almost being dried up, looking as if plunged in intense grief
holds its breath : stops flowing completely. The river dries up in summer and finds difficult to flow through the land looking for
seeking  a land of fish and stars : this is the identity of the river which encompasses a vast area to incorporate huge variety of aquatic creatures. The clear river water reflects the stars twinkling in the sky.

Comment:

Seeking …. stars : Summer takes away the identity of the river. The river water dries which make It difficult for the river to flow through the land. The dried up river fails to identify herself since stars are not reflected upon river water and the aquatic creature like fishes are no more found.

Lines 17 to 22:

The river has a soul : If soul is immortal the river too is immortal alt because of the continuous flow of water.
Stretching : extending or spreading. The word here means location.
the town : Pasighat, the hometown of the poetess.
dry earth : dried up soil.
Mist : a layer made of very tiny particles of water
immortality: incessant flow of water.

Comment :

from the first drop of rain …… the mountaintops: The river witnesses everything. Whether be the first drop of the rain in summer or the mist which blurs the clear view of mountains, the river sees all and continues flowing either being brimmed with water or being dried up during summer. The river is thus, immortal unlike humans and other living beings

Lines 23 to 30:

Shrine : a scared place of worship
Happy pictures : refers to the childhood picture
Anxiety : worry Small town grow
with anxiety : anxiety of being swallowed by the big cities as people often migrate there for better future.
Dead : dead bodies
Pointing west : corpses are placed with heads pointing towards west
soul rises … golden east : when the soul resurrects it can move straight to the east
golden east : golden because the sun rises in the east and the colour of sky becomes golden
house of sun : heaven

Comment:

While people die rituals continue to exist from time immemorial. This is evident when the poet says that the old belief of soul resurrecting from the grave goads the Adi tribes to bury their people with heads pointing towards west. The soul will wake up from the grave and move towards east. which is the way to heaven.

Lines 31 to 35:

Cool bamboo: cool bamboo shades
Restored : brought back
Walk with God : move along with the blessings of God

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Beethoven Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 8 Beethoven Questions and Answers

Beethoven Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Beethoven Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Attempt a critical appreciation of Shane Koyczan’s Beethoven.
Or
Question 2.
Shane Koyczan’s Beethoven is an inspirational poem. Discuss.
Answer:
Shane Koyczan’s Beethoven sings in praise of the great legendary composer, Beethoven, who is revered as the god of music. Brought up in the tyrannical ambience of his unkind father named, Johann van Beethoven, Ludwig van Beethoven successful emerges as a great classical maestro despite being deaf. The poem shows how miracle happens if there is resolution to achieve even the most impossible task.

To begin with, Beethoven opens with the picture of an unhappy childhood where a father is seen constantly bullying his son. The father wants his child to become a musical expert and thus, goes to the extent of abusing his child both physically and mentally without any mercy.

Long practice sessions were forced upon the child and the severe ache in fingers hardly melts the father’s heart. Whether Beethoven plays notes gently, slowly, or fiercely, the unkind father would discourage him saying, “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”.

Life continues be difficult for Beethoven even after he grows up. His incurable deafness stands as a challenge to his musical career which was overcome with strong determination. People love his symphonies. They shower applaud to his music which pierces into the nerves of the audience like a fleet of warship marching through the incessant firing of cannon shells, exploding violently.

But, what seems pathetic is while his symphonies enthral the audience, stimulate their nerves but; the composer himself cannot hear his music all because of being deaf. Musicians however teased him, aped his gesture by holding their bows a bit above the strings which would produce no sound. Yet, they were bound to acknowledge Beethoven’s expertise whose timeless music takes one to the heights of the towers of Babylon.

In other words, the incredible symphonies of Beethoven has immense power to turn the entire solar system into cymbals where from the comets would collide and the constellations would continue shaking violently until the stars begin to fall from the sky. In a way, Beethoven was a genius whose symphonies make the universe cry.

Beethoven still survives in his music. He never bowed up before anyone except music. Being deaf, he had to cut off the legs of his piano so that the vibrations of the musical notes produced on the floor could easily be felt. The man who never stooped before anyone bowed only before music, his god.

His symphonies are so life like that it seems as if one sees the figures of love and hate dancing in the rhythm of waltz. To know Beethoven, one need not to have to read his biography. Instead, listening to his symphony will assure his greatness.

Question 2.
Narrate the story of Beethoven as described in the poem Beethoven.
Answer:
Beethoven’s story is the story of a fighter who fiercely combats every impediment to emerge as an all time great music composer. From childhood, Beethoven had a tough time dealing with a despotic father who would bully his son both physically and mentally.

The father : however dreams of making his son a musical maestro. Hence, even a slight mistake was rewarded with severe punishment. Even when musical notes were played gently, slowly, or fiercely, the unkind father would discourage him saying, “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”.

Deafness stands a severe challenge to Beethoven, once he grows up. Musicians however teased him, aped his gestures and often mocked his perfection. But despite all their aversion, they were bound to acknowledge Beethoven’s expertise whose timeless music takes one to the heights of the towers of Babylon.

In other words, the incredible symphonies of Beethoven has immense power to turn the entire solar system into cymbals wherefrom the comets would collide and the constellations would continue shaking violently until the stars begin to fall from the sky. In a way, Beethoven was a genius whose symphonies make the universe cry.

Beethoven still survives in his music. He never bowed up before anyone except music. Being deaf, he had to cut off the legs of his piano so that the vibrations of the musical notes produced on the floor could easily be felt. The man who never stooped before anyone bowed only before music, his god.

His symphonies are so life like that it seems as if one sees the figures of love and hate dancing in the rhythm of waltz. To know Beethoven, one need not to have to read his biography. Instead, listening to his symphony will assure his greatness.

Beethoven Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What picture of Beethoven’s father does the poet create in the poem.
Answer:
Johann van Beethoven, the father of Ludwig van Beethoven is presented as an ambitious man with despotic nature. It was indeed tough for Ludwig to live under a tyrannical father who is devoid of mercy. The childhood of Ludwig was horrifying all because of his father who loves bullying his son because of his dream of making LudWig a musical maestro.

Often Ludwig was lashed by his father without significant cause. This however leaves the child in trauma and his striving for playing perfect notes on piano remains unacknowledged all because of his father’s heart breaking comments.

Whether Beethoven plays notes gently, slowly, or fiercely, the unkind father would discourage him saying, “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”. These words however remains perpetually in his mind and later in life when the orchestra x played his symphonies Beethoven would only hear his father’s “anthem”: “Not Good Enough”.

Question 2.
Describe the impact of Beethoven’s symphonies on the audience.
Or
Question 3.
How does audience react hearing the symphonies of Beethoven.
Answer:
Endowed with god gifted talent, Beethoven’s timeless symphonies leave a great impact upon the music lovers from around the globe. So enthralling are his symphonies, that they stimulate the nerves of the listeners and overwhelm them. It seems as if the symphonies pierce into the nerves of the audience like a fleet of warship marching through the incessant firing of cannon shells, exploding violently.

In other words, the symphonies of Beethoven electrify every molecule of a body and create a heavenly sensation from within. Musicians who once accompanied Beethoven and teased him for his deafness also acknowledge his greatness. They knew that Beethoven’s music has immense power to turn the entire solar system into cymbals where from the comets would collide and the constellations would continue shaking violently until the stars begin to fall from the sky.

In other words, the incredible music of Beethoven has the power to move the nature and make the universe cry. His symphonies are indeed so life like that it seems as if one sees the figures of love and hate dancing in the rhythm of waltz. In a way, hearing Beethoven’s music is pure addiction.

Beethoven Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Beethoven was a …………
a. soccer
b. musician
c. painter
d. actor
Answer:
b. musician

Question 2.
Beethoven’s father used to ………… him
a. admire
b. care for
c. bully
d. support
Answer:
c. bully

Question 3.
What did Beethoven’s father say repeatedly to his son?
a. WELL ENOUGH
b. EXCELLENT
c. NO BAD
d. NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Answer:
d. NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Question 4.
What is the precious tool of a musician?
a. eardrum
b. musical sense
c. eyes
d. legs
Answer:
a. eardrum

Question 5.
How does Beethoven’s music enter into human nervous system?
a. stealthily
b. with a sudden jerk
c. like a fleet of warship marching through the incessant firing of cannon shells
d. very slowly
Answer:
c. like a fleet of warship marching through the incessant firing of cannon shells

Question 6.
Before whom does Beethoven bow down?
a. Kings
b. Queens
c. God
d. Music
Answer:
d. Music

Question 7.
How db musicians mock Beethoven?
a. by making faces
b. by imitating his tender voice
c. by holding their bows a quarter of an inch above the strings not making sound
d. by amputating the legs of piano
Answer:
c. by holding their bows a quarter of an inch above the strings not making sound

Question 8.
Which among the following statements is not true?
a. Beethoven’s music takes one to the heights of the towers of Babylon
b. Beethoven’s music leaves no impact upon the audience
c. Beethoven’s music can shake the constellations until the stars begin to fall from the sky.
d. Beethoven’s music can make the universe cry.
Answer:
b. Beethoven’s music leaves no impact upon the audience

Question 9.
Beethoven’s thoughts move at the speed of ………….
a. light
b. sound
c. air
d. rocket
Answer:
b. sound

Question 10.
To know Beethoven one needs to
a. listen to his music
b. read his bio graphy
c. search internet
d. know more about his father
Answer:
a. listen to his music

Beethoven Poem Summary

Beethoven Poem Introduction

Beethoven by Shane Koyczan sings in praise of the great musical maestro who despite being deaf is yet considered the god of music. Beethoven had a difficult upbringing due to his dictatorial father. But in the end, he became a well-known composer whose works continue to inspire people around the globe. The poem shows that nothing after ail is impossible if one has the will to achieve even the most impossible task.

Beethoven Poem Summary

Beethoven, the great musical Maestro had a troublesome childhood under his tyrannical father, Johann van Beethoven. He tortured his son both physically and emotionally out of the desire to turn him into a genius. Often he would mercilessly beat his kid for playing wrong note on piano. The father expected his son to play music like a skilled player.

But, being too small Beethoven’s music missed the passion in playing musical notes and was thus, forced into long practice session which oftentimes caused severe ache in his fingers. No mercy was ever shown to him. Instead, even when Beethoven played the notes gently, slowly, or fiercely, the young child was bullied and was left heartbroken with comments like “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”.

Life however continued to be difficult for Beethoven even after he grew up. His incurable deafness stood as a challenge to his musical career which was overcome with strong determination. People love his symphonies. They shower applaud to his music which pierce into the nerves of the audience like a fleet of warship marching through the incessant firing of cannon shells, exploding violently.

But, what seems pathetic is while his symphonies/enthral the audience, stimulate their nerves but; the composer himself cannot hear his music all because of being deaf. Musicians however teased him, aped his gesture by holding their bows a bit above the strings which would produce no sound. Yet, they were bound to acknowledge Beethoven’s expertise whose timeless music would take one to the heights of the towers of Babylon.

In other words, the incredible symphonies of Beethoven has immense power to turn the entire solar system into cymbals where from the comets would collide and the constellations would continue shaking violently until the stars begin to fall from the sky. In a way, Beethoven was a genius who would make the universe cry with his symphonies.

Beethoven still survives in his music. He never bowed up before anyone except music. Being deaf, he had to cut off the legs of his piano so that the vibrations of the musical notes produced on the floor could easily be felt.

The man who never stooped before anyone bowed only before music, his god. His symphonies are so life like that it seems as if one sees the figures of love and hate dancing in the rhythm of waltz. To know Beethoven, one need not to have to read his biography. Instead, listening to his symphony will assure his greatness.

Beethoven Poem Paraphrase

Listen …. Beethoven : Under tyrannical father, Beethoven the musical maestro had his torturous childhood. Often lashed without significant cause, his father abuses the child in every possible way. While some fathers drink out of frustration, some others shout or beat their children. But Beethoven’s father is ‘ phenomenally abusive, trying every form of abuse on his child. The ambition of making his child a genius goads every father to”torture their kids and Beethoven’s father however was no exception.

Little boy NOT GOOD ENOUGH: No mercy was ever shown to Beethoven. At home he had to earn mercy by playing perfect musical notes. He was expected to play music like a skilled player. But, being too small his music missed the passion of divine music which seems to be played by the angels with harps.

Whether he plays softly or slowly or strongly, his father would break his heart saying, not good enough. Long practice session at home would cause severe ache in his fingers. Sometimes they used to twirl like roots of tree trunks. But, Beethoven’s father would show no mercy and continued bullying his child saying, “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”.

A musician….addiction : A musician’s forte is his eardrum. A deaf musician finds it difficult to play the ’ symphony composed in his mind. Beethoven was a deaf musician. He could not hear the applaud of audience for his incredible performance. The passionate cry of women remained inaudible to him. Its really ironical that while ‘ his music enthralled the audience, stimulated their nerves but the composer himself cannot hear his music all because of being deaf.

So inspiring his music was that it seemed as if the symphonies pierced into the nerves of v the audience like a fleet of warship marching through i the incessant firing of cannon shells, exploding violently. In other words, the symphonies of Beethoven would ‘ electrify every molecule of a body and create a heavenly sensation within. In a way, hearing Beethoven’s music is pure addiction.

And kings, …. Not Good Enough : Beethoven would bow before none except music. Kings, Queens didn’t really matter to him. Being deaf, he had to cut off the legs of his piano so that the vibrations of the musical notes produced on the floor could easily be felt. The man who never stooped before anyone bowed only before music, his God.

But, whenever his symphonies were played by musicians, the discouraging words of his father would haunt him terribly. He would repeat the same words of his father even when music was played softly or slowly. Beethoven could hear nothing. Hence, he would repeat what his father once said to him NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

So they …. Must be a genius : Because of being deaf, Beethoven was always teased. Musicians would hold their bows a bit above the strings and ape the gesture of the maestro. No music was produced since the bows would not touch the strings of the instrument. But, despite their kidding, they were bound to acknowledge Beethoven as all time musical maestro whose timeless music would take one to the heights of the towers of Babylon.

In other words, the incredible symphonies of Beethoven has immense power to turn the entire solar system into cymbals wherefrom the comets would collide and the constellations would continue shaking violently until the stars begin to fall from the sky. In a 5 way, Beethoven was a genius who would make the universe cry with his symphonies.

His thoughts moving …. Listen : Beethoven’s thoughts moved at a speed of sound, transformed to music dipped in emotion. In fact, his music is so full of life that one has the feeling of touching his music while hearing his symphonies. In other words, the symphonies of Beethoven are so life like that it seems as if one sees the figures of love and hate dancing in the rhythm of waltz. To know Beethoven, one need not have to read his biography. Instead, listening to his symphony will assure his greatness.

Beethoven Poem Annotations with Comments

Listen…. Beethoven

Hitting : beating
His father: refers to Johann van Beethoven, court musician and harsh disciplinarian who gave Ludwig his first music lessons.
Father … hitting him: the father appears to be of abusive nature
Yell: holler, shout
did it all: Every form of abuse was tried on his child
geniuses: intelligent

Comment:

His father made a habit of hitting him : Johann van Beethoven, Beethoven’s father, had a tyrannical personality. Instead of showing compassion, Johann used to thrash his deaf youngster for every error made by Beethoven. Johann’s lust for his son’s fame provoked him to abuse his child.

Little boy….. NOT GOOD ENOUGH

little boy : refers to Beethoven
name meant nothing : name had to be earned in the house by playing perfect notes on piano
mercy : compassion
mercy had ……. earned : Beethoven had to earn mercy by playing perfect notes on piano
note : musical note
tumbling : falling
tickle the toe : please
harp : musical instrument
tickle the toes …. hard of hearing : Beethoven was expected to play music like a skilled player. But, being too small his music missed the passion of divine music which seems to be played by the angels with harps.
anthem : (here) the same tedious, irksome and discouraging words
ivory : piano reeds of white colour
Not good enough: this is the typical refrain of the father who always I discourages his son with these words
Cramped up : ached
Gnarled : twisted
Gnarled roots ………… trunk : the exhaustive practice not only caused pain in his fingers but they twirled like roots of tree trunks.

Comment:

Who heard….Good enough : Instead of inspiring his son, Johann van Beethoven, Beethoven’s father, would discourage his kid by criticizing his music. Every time he would break the heart of his son saying that the music played by Beethoven was “NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

A musician …………… addiction

Precious tool : refers to the eardrum
Pound out : to make or produce
Symphonies : intricate musical piece
A musician …… his mind: a musician who is deaf finds difficult to play the symphony
composed in his mind
He: refers to Beethoven
Coudn’t hear…….. clapping : because of being deaf,Beethoven could not.
Whispering Beethoven : hear the people applauding for his incredible performance whispering the name of Beethoven because of being carried away by his incredible performance

As they …. addiction

Invade : enter Invade their nervous
system : allow music to stimulate their nerves
Armada : a fleet of warships
Canon balls : canon shells
Molecule : smallest part
Heavenly sensation : divine sensation (feelings)
Ache : long
He was an addiction : refers to the music of Beethoven

And kings,…not good enough

Got down : bowed
For no one: Even Kings and Queens were not revered
Amputated : cut off like music
Feel the vibrations : legs of the piano are amputated so that the vibrations of the musical notes produced on the floor could easily be felt
Got down…. music : This shows Beethoven’s love for music which is his God after all. He only bends up before music and nobody else.
Orchestra: a group of instrumentalists playing classical music.
Anthem: refers to the discouraging words of Johann van Beethoven
Broken record: broken record plays the same tone continuously

So they ……….. Must be a genius

They : refers to the instrumentalists
Mock : teased
Mimicking : aping
Holding their …… sound: holding their bows a bit above the strings and ape the gesture of Beethoben. No music was produced
since the bows would not touch the strings of the instrument.
Intimacy : familiarity
Towers of Babylon : a tower built by Noah’s descendants (probably in Babylon) who intended it to reach up to heaven so that direct communication with God is possible.
Cymbals : a musical instrument which consists of two metal plates
Collide : crash into one another
Crescendo : gradual increase in sound Univershad begun
to cry : Beethoven was a genius who would make the universe cry with his symphonies.

His thoughts moving … Listen :

His thought ………. speed of sound : the thought of Beethoven moved at a speed of sound
Tangible : perceptible by touch
You could touch it : Music of Beethoven is so lively that it seems one can touch his note
Waltz : a musical rhythm
Precision : accuracy
Listen : listen to the symphony of Beethoven
To know … Listen : To know Beethoven one need not have to read his biography. Instead, listening to his symphony will assure his greatness.

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Tithonus Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 7 Tithonus Questions and Answers

Tithonus Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Tithonus Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Attempt a critical appreciation of Tennyson’s Tithonus
Or
Question 2.
“Why should a man desire in any way / To vary from the kindly race of men” Discuss how the burden of age tortures Tithonus.
Or
Question 3.
How does the “cruel immortality” affect Tithonus.
Answer:
Published in 1860, Tithonus is one of a set of four works that Tennyson wrote shortly after the death of Arthur Henry Hallam in 1833. The death of Hallam however. shattered the young poet and he continues to search for the appropriate meaning of life. Tithonus facilitates ‘ the poet to realize that life does not mean to remain inactively alive but continue moving ahead like Ulysses.

In this sense, Tithonus symbolizes the futility of eternal life which the eponymous hero longs to renounce and be the part of the natural world where man “comes and tills the field and lies beneath”. To begin with, Tithonus laments the curse of his immortality to his lover Eos or Aurora, the goddess of dawn.

While Eos grows beautiful, renewing her beauty every morning, Tithonus is reduced to a “white hair’d shadow roaming like a dream” He thus, makes a pathetic plea to Eos to take back the gift of immortality and regrets his desire to “vary from the kindly race of men”. In other words, Tithonus realises that his demand to avert the fate of common mass is going against the ordain of nature which ensures nothing but endless sorrow.

Life however was once beautiful when Tithonus was young. During those days, he used to enjoy the beautiful leap of dawn, the charm of which is over now like the charm of enjoying endless kisses from someone other than Eos. Tithonus thus, begs Eos to release him from the east where she rises anew each morning. The sight of her cheeks turning red, her bright eyes overpowering the light of stars and her team of horses turning the twilight into bright crimson light of dawn is no more appealing to Tithonus.

He now longs to die and escape the torturous sight of Eos renewing her beauty every day. Tithonus finally realises that happy are those men that have the power to die. He thus, stands as a sharp contrast to Hallam since he is granted immortality without youth and Hallam was granted youth without immortality. Tithonus yarn echoes Faustus’s dangerous desire to crave more than what ‘heavenly power permits.’

Question 4.
Consider Tithonus as a dramatic monologue.
Answer:
As M. H. Abrams has it, dramatic monologue is a “type of lyric poem’ having the following features:

1. a single person, who is patently not the poet, utters the speech that makes up the whole of the poem in a specific situation at a critical moment.

2. This person addresses and interacts with one another or more other people, but we know of the auditor’s presence, and what they say and do, only from the clues in the discourse of the single speaker.

All these features of the dramatic monologue go on well with Tithonus, which explores the consequence of man’s desire to “vary from the kindly race of men”. Tithonus’ demand of immortality ensures nothing but endless sorrow as he grows old and never reaches the threshold of death. Tennyson however intends to establish that the meaning of life is not to remain inactively alive but continue moving ahead like Ulysses.

Tithonus laments the curse of his immortality to his lover Eos or Aurora, the goddess of dawn. While Eos grows beautiful, renewing her beauty every morning, Tithonus is reduced to a “white haired shadow roaming , like a dream”. He thus, makes a pathetic plea to Eos to take back the gift of immortality and regrets his desire to “vary from the kindly race of men”.

In other words, Tithonus realises that his demand to avert the fate of common mass is going against the ordain of nature which ensures nothing but endless sorrow. Life however was once beautiful when Tithonus was young. During those days, he used to enjoy the beautiful leap of dawn, the charm of which is over now like the charm of enjoying endless kisses from someone other than Eos. Tithonus thus, begs Eos to release him from the east where she rises anew each morning.

The sight of her cheeks turning red, her bright eyes overpowering the light of stars and her team of horses turning the twilight into bright crimson light of dawn is no more appealing to Tithonus. He now longs to die and escape the torturous sight of Eos renewing her beauty every day. Tithonus finally realises that happy are those men that have the power to die. His story echoes Faustus’s dangerous desire to crave more than what ‘heavenly power permits.’

Tithonus Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Describe in brief how Eos renews her beauty every morning.
Answer:
Eos in Greek mythology is presented as a rosy-fingered goddess of the dawn. She is the daughter of the Titans, Hyperion and Theia, the sister of the sun god Helios and the moon goddess Selene. Every morning she leaps up from the river Okeanos (Oceanus) and with her rays of light dissolves the night to hail a beautiful morn.

Tennyson however gives a succinct picture of how Eos renews her beauty which grieves the heart of Tithonus all because of being destined to “dwell in presence of immortal youth”. Tithonus observes how the tender light of dawn slowly illumes the earth as Eos begins to renew her beauty.

Her cheeks slowly turn red and her bright eyes overpower the light of the stars. Moreover, her team of horses awakes and converts the twilight into bright crimson light of dawn that spreads over the eastern sky. In a way, the picture that Tennyson represents in the poem is replete with sensuous images and establishes his aesthetic sense of beauty.

Question 2.
Who is Tithonus? How the grant of immortality affects him?
Answer:
In Greek mythology, Tithonus is the son of Laomedon, the king of Troy, and of Strymo, daughter of the river Scamander. He was loved by the goddess of dawn, Eos, who obtained him “the gift of immortality”, from the gods. But, Eos forgets to ask for eternal youth and Tithonus grows old and never reaches the threshold of death.

Throughout the poem, Tithonus bemoans for being immortal despite craving for it during his youth. He blames his beloved goddess for approving his immortality which seems like a mindless favour of a rich philanthropist who donates without considering the consequence.

Tithonus is thus, forced to “dwell in presence of immortal youth” of Eos which deeply troubles him. He whines that life was so beautiful before he met Eos. The company of some unidentified woman was so enjoyable with caresses and kisses from her.

Hence, he begs Eos to release him from the east where she rises anew each morning. After all men should not desire to “vary from the kindly race of men”. Men are destined to tilt the “field and lie beneath”. A deviation from the law of nature will ensure nothing better than “cruel im¬mortality” which Tithonus realises of late.

Tithonus Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Tithonus is the son of ………….
a. Zeus
b. Priam
c. Laomedon
d. Hercules
Answer:
c. Laomedon

Question 2.
Eos is the goddess of ………….
a. Twilight
b. Night
c. Noon
d. Dawn
Answer:
d. Dawn

Question 3.
The other name of Eos is. ………….
a. Aphrodite
b. Aurora
c. Venus
d. Diana
Answer:
b. Aurora

Question 4.
Eos renews her beauty ………….
a. at night
b. at noon
c. at dawn
d. at twilight
Answer:
c. at dawn

Question 5.
Eos gifted Tithonus …………
a. immortal youth
b. immortal age
c. healthy life
d. infected life
Answer:
b. immortal age

Question 6.
The chariot of Eos is driven by ……………….
a. elephants
b. four horses
c. leopard
d. dove
Answer:
b. four horses

Question 7.
The tears in Eos eyes reminds Tithonus of the age-old maxim which states that …………..
a. God can recall their gift
b. god cannot recall their gift
c. god has no power to grant anything to humans
d. god recalls their gifts if they are misused by humans
Answer:
b. god cannot recall their gift

Question 8.
Tithonus requests Eos to …………..
a. take back the gift of immortality
b. grant him immortal youth
c. leave him alone
d. to allow him to enjoy his old age
Answer:
a. take back the gift of immortality

Question 9.
Tithonus’ youth was full of …………..
a. misery
b. hurdles
c. adventure
d. sensuous delight
Answer:
d. sensuous delight

Question 10.
Tithonus lives in the company of Eos in the……………
a. north
b. south
c. west
d. east
Answer:
d. east

Question 11.
Tithonus finally realises that happy are those men who have…………..
a. money
b. immortal youth
c. the power to die
d. the blessings of god to remain immortal
Answer:
c. the power to die

Question 12.
Tithonus is written in the form of …………
a. monologue
b. dramatic monologue
c. sonnet
d. internal monologue
Answer:
b. dramatic monologue

Tithonus Poem Summary

Tithonus Poem Introduction

Tithonus is one of a set of four works that Tennyson wrote shortly after the death of Arthur Henry Hallam in 1833. The other three poems being Tires/as; Morte d’ Arthur, and Ulysses. The poem was published in 1860. Like Ulysses, the poem is written in the form of a dramatic monologue. The speaker here is Tithonus, a mythical figure, who laments the curse of his immortality to his lover Eos or Aurora, the goddess of dawn.

Tithonus Poem Summary

Tithonus begins with the lament of the eponymous hero for the immortality granted to him by Eos, the goddess, of dawn. Though Tithonus’ wish was granted by his goddess-beloved, yet he remains sad realising the dreadful. consequence of such favour. While Eos grows beautiful, renewing her beauty every morning, Tithonus is reduced to a “white hair’d shadow roaming like a dream”.

He thus, makes a pathetic plea to Eos to take back the gift of immortality as men shouldn’t “desire in any way / To vary from the kindly race of men, / Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance.” In other words, Tithonus realises that; his demand to avert the fate of common mass is going against the ordain of nature which ensures nothing but; endless sorrow.

The dark world brightens up as Eos renews her beauty. Her cheeks slowly turn red, her bright eyes overpower the light of the stars and her team of horses awakes and converts the twilight into bright crimson light of dawn that spreads over the eastern sky. Tithonus whines, feeling miserable under the burden of his age.

The silence of Eos terrifies him as he is reminded of the age old maxim which states that even God themselves have no power to recall their gifts. But, life however was once beautiful when he was young. During those days, Tithonus used to enjoy the beautiful leap of dawn, the charm of which is over now like the charm of enjoying endless kisses from someone other than Eos.

He remembers the silhouetting figure of this mysterious woman, the curls in her hair the long session of love with faces strewn with passionate kisses while lying down together. The lady would whisper to him “wild and sweet” melodies, like the music of Apollo’s lyre, which accompanied the construction of Iion.

Tithonus begs Eos to release him from the east where she rises anew each morning. His awful form sharply contrasts with Eos’ beauty which saddens his heart. He now longs to die and forget the painful burdens of old age. Even he longs to escape the sight of Eos riding on the chariot of silver, renewing her beauty every morning. Tithonus finally realises that happy are those men that have the power to die. The story of Tithonus thus, echoes Faustus’s dangerous desire to crave more than what ‘heavenly power permits.’

Tithonus Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 10 :

The poem opens with Tithonus monologusing the curse of his immortality. He draws a contrasting comparison of the natural phenomenon of decay in every objects of world with his immortality. The woods in the forest decay, in the course of time, man works on the earth, dies and is buried underground. But, Tithonus mourns to Eos, the goddess of the dawn that he grows old slowly in her arms and is reduced to a mere shadow.

Lines 11 to 31:

Once Tithonus was a handsome young man. Eos fell in love with him and sanctioned his demand of eternal life. Tithonus bemoans that his desire for immortal life was fulfilled like a wealthy philanthropist who donates without considering the consequence. While other gods were against his whim, Eos approves of his desire, without realising the consequence her lover will face as he grows old.

Tithonus, is now doomed with the burden of his age and forced to live under Eos’ charismatic presence. This saddens his heart and he appeals to his divine ladylove to take back the gift of immortality. Why should a man demand something unnatural only to avert the fate of common mass? Death is what nature has ordained for us. Tithonus’s demand for perpetual life is going against nature.

Lines 32 to 42 :

The tender light of dawn slowly illumes the earth where Tithonus was born. The sight of Eos overwhelms him as she renews her beauty her cheeks slowly turns red and her bright eyes overpower the light of the stars. Moreover, her team of horses awakes and converts the twilight into bright crimson light of dawn that spreads over the eastern sky.

Lines 43 to 49 :

Tithonus whines that while Eos remains perpetually beautiful, he grows ugly day by day. The curse of immortality plagues him down. Eos’ silence, her tears in her eyes terrifies him. Tithonus is reminded of the age old maxim which states that even God themselves have no power to recall their gifts.

Lines 50 to 63:

Life was once so various and new. Tithonus once enjoyed the beautiful leap of dawn during his youth. The charm is over now like the charm of enjoying endless kisses from someone other than Eos. He remembers the silhouetting figure of this mysterious woman, the curls in her hair the long session of love with faces strewn with passionate kisses while lying down together. The lady would whisper to him “wild and sweet” melodies, like the music of Apollo’s lyre, which accompanied the construction of Iion.

Lines 64 to 76 :

Tithonus begs Eos to release him from the east where she rises anew each morning. His awful form sharply contrasts with Eos’ beauty which saddens his heart. He now longs to die and forget the painful burdens of old age. Even he longs to escape the sight of Eos riding on her chariot of silver, renewing her beauty every morning. Tithonus finally realises that happy are those men that have the power to die.

Tithonus Poem Annotations with Comments

Tithonus: In Greek mythology, Tithonus is the son of Laomedon, the king of Troy, and of Strymo, daughter of the river Sca mander. He was loved by the goddess of dawn, Eos, who “obtained the gift of immortality”, from the gods for Tithonus.

But, Eos forgets to ask for eternal youth and Tithonus grows old and never reaches the threshold of death. The burden of old age. was ultimately released when Tithonus was transformed into a grasshopper after he pleads with his goddess lover to grant him death. Tithonus’s story echoes Faustus’s dangerous desire to crave more than what heavenly power permits.

Eos: The goddess of dawn, Eos is also called Aurora by the Romans. She loved Tithonus and “obtained the gift of immortality from the gods but forgets to ask for eternal youth for Tithonus”

Lines 1 to 10 :

The woods decay … fall : the idea is that every thing in this world is subject to mortality. Nothing is frozen in time.
vapours : clouds and mist
butrthen : burden of moisture.
lies beneath : buried
After many …. swan : after enjoying a long life, the swan finally dies
Cruel immortality : as the curse of immortality causes lots of trouble to Tithonus
thine arm quite limit of the : refer to Eos or Aurora the goddess of dawn
world : refers to the eastern horizon, the home of Eos.
a white-hair’d shadowed : refers to the immortal Tithonus, who has grown old enough to die
a white hair’d dream : a pathetic description of the burden of age.
the ever silent space ….east : refers to the tranqul Eastern region. The time is dawn.
far-folded mists: mists in the far off the eastern sky
Gleaming halls of morn: bright eastern sky at the approaching of day.

Comment:

A white-hair’d ….. dream: a pathetic description of the burden of age. Tithonus has grown too old to die. Yet he is immortal due to Eos’ favour. Hence, he has grown unsubstantial like a dream. The figure of speech employed here is simile.

Lines 11 to 26 :

Grey shadow : refers to Tithonus. Grey is the symbol of death.
thy : refers to Eos
thy choice : Eos choosing Tithonus as her lover
thy chosen : chosen as a lover
mine : refers to Tithonus
mine asking : at Tithon us’s request
like wealthy …. give : like a rich philanthropist having enough money to give charity without thinking twice.
strong hours : refers to the goddess accompanying Eos
indignant : angry
worked their wills : had way with Tithonus
Beat me down …. me : wearied Tithonus and destroyed his glamorous
Could not end me : maim’d:
Immortal youth : youth of Eos; to dwell …
immortal youth : could not put an end to his (Tithonus’) life disfigured Tithonus refers to the immortal Tithonus moans for living in presence of Eos’ immortal youth, when he himself has grown ugly due to the burden of age. His physical ugliness is contrasted with the eternal beauty of Eos
immortal age : it means that Tithonus is subject to immortality
and all I was in ashes : now all his erstwhile beauty is lost forever and what remains is the ashes of his youth;
make amends : compensate Tithonus for the loss of his charismatic beauty of youth
close over us : near us
silver star : refers to Venus, the morning star
thy guide : Venus announces the arrival of dawn
shine in those with tears : Tithonus interprets the twinkling light of the morning star as the eyes of Eos brimmed with tears, after hearing his pathetic condition.

Lines 27 to 31:

To her me : Tithonus here addresses Eos
let me go : let me die
to vary : to be different from
kindly race : of the same kind
goal of ordinance : limit of human existence where all should
pause : where all should stop when reached to the destined limit as is most meet
for us : as is allowed to us. We should not desire to live beyond the limit destined for us.

Lines 32 to 42:

Fans that cloud apart : blows away the cloud in the sky
dark world : refers to the world where Tithonus is born a mortal
Steal from : spreads from
thy cheek : refers to the cheeks of Eos which was turning red. It is conceived that Eos was renewing her beauty at early dawn. And the whole process of her renewal of immortal beauty is watched by Tithonus
thy sweet…. the stars : Eos’ scintillating eyes growing bright enough to overpower the light of the stars
wild team : refers to the team of horses that drew the chariot of Eos.
And shake … fire : the team of horses awakes and converts the twilight into bright crimson light of dawn that spreads over the eastern sky.

Lines 43 to 49:

Ever : each day break
before thine answer given : before giving your (Eos) answer
deparest : he (Tithonus) leaves before she could reply to him
scare : frighten seeing her tearful eyes, Tithonus fears that Eos would not be able to recall her gift.
Saying : common maxim And make me
gifts : seeing her tearful eyes, Tithonus recalls the age-old maxim that the God themselves have no power to recall their gifts.

Lines 50 to 63:

if I be that watched : Tithonus is now so old that he cannot believe that he is the same man once full of youth
the lucid outline …….. thee : refers to the shadowy figure of Eos which was becoming clear
the dim …….. rings : refers to the dark hair of Eos (the eastern clouds) that was slowly becoming brighter
portal : eastern sky
blamier : softer
whispering I … and sweet : whispering to Tithonus some enigmatic words;
Apollo sing : refers to the lute of
Apollo (the Classical mythological figure).
Illlion : Troy.

Lines 64 to 76:

Hold me not : do not force me (Tithonus) to live
How can my … thine : how could Tithonus be endured by Eos, when he has grown too old and Eos still sustaining her eternal beauty
coldly thy … me : Tithonus now feels no longer excited seeing the eternal beauty of Eos
cold : he (Tithonus) remains cold to her beauty
the glimmering threshold : the eastern sky brightening with the slow approach of daylight
steam : vapour
barrows : graves; release me …. ground : make me free out of your gift and allow me to die in the earth like the mortals there; Thou
will … morn by morn : every morning you (Eos) will come and renew your beauty
Court : the court (eastern sky) of Eos.
silver wheel : the chariot of Aurora which is Silver.

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Telephone Conversation Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 6 Telephone Conversation Questions and Answers

Telephone Conversation Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Telephone Conversation Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Attempt a critical Appreciation of Wole Soyinka’s Telephone Conversation.
Or
Question 2.
Soyinka’s Telephone Conversation is a strong protest against racism. Discuss.
Or
Question 3.
In What way does Soyinka’s Telephone Conversation urge us to think about racial prejudice?
Answer:
Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka presents the absurdity of racism in his poem, Telephone Conversation. The speaker of the poem, a dark West African man searching for a new apartment, tells the story of a telephone call he made to a potential landlady.

Instead of discussing price, location, facilities, and other information significant to the apartment, the landlady is more interested in the speaker’s skin color. This shows that despite being a well-bred woman, the landlady is after all shallowly racist.

Right from the very outset of the poem, the speaker shows how pathetically he is the victim of racism. The landlady asks him straight “HOW DARK” he is, after knowing that he an African. The speaker is shown to be genuinely modest. Instead of informing that he is an African he “warned” her against his skin colour. This however ascertains that the speaker actually feels genuinely sorry for his skin colour. To the modern thinkers, it seems almost ridiculous that anyone should be so submissive when he has committed no crime.

But then despite being unexpectedly modest, the speaker feels much annoyed when he is asked “HOW DARK” he is. His anger is subtly expressed through the repetition of the word “red” before booth, pillar box and double-tired. Yet he has no other option than to endure the humiliation since the whites are destined to take upper hand over blacks.

The landlady does exactly the same and in doing so all her sophisticated appearance seems to contrast terribly with her real-self. In other words, despite her “good-breeding,” and “Lipstick-coated” voice, she is after ail too unsophisticated to ask a gentle-man whether he is “LIGHT / OR VERY DARK?”

On contrary, the gentleman who feels genuinely sorry for his skin colour appears more refined. Citing his pass-port, he says that he his body colour is “West African sepia”. The landlady still demands a quantifiable expres-sion of his darkness. The tenant instead of satisfying her curiosity, chooses to detail the different colours of the different parts of his body. He says that though he is dark facially, the palm of his hand and the soles of his feet are lighter than the colour of his face.

The landlady expecting only yes or no regarding whether he is black or white, finally hangs up on him. The speaker, still playing his ignorance of what the lady actually wants to know from him, asks her if she is willing to meet him in person to judge his skin color for herself: ” ‘Madam/ I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather / See for yourself?” says the helpless man.

Question 4.
How far do you agree with the view that Telephone Conversation is an ironical conversation between the lodger and his landlady.
Ans.
Wole Soyinka’s “Telephone Conversation” is packed with subtleties. The puns, irony, and sarcasm employed in the poem, help him to ridicule an overtly racist woman. The conversation we observe is ironical in the sense that instead of discussing price, location, facilities, and other information significant to the apartment, the land-lady is more interested in the speaker’s skin color. This shows that despite being a well-bred woman, the land-lady is after all shallowly racist.

From the very outset of the poem, the speaker appears as a pathetic victim of racism. The landlady asks him straight, “HOW DARK” he is after knowing that he is an African. This is ironical in the sense that after all the colour of a man’s skin does matter while he is to rent an apartment. From thence onward, the landlady is perculiarly interested in discussing her lodger’s colour of skin. Moreover, it is also ironical that the speaker feels sorry for his skin colour.

He apologetically says that he is an African. The word “warned” which means cautioned shows how the humbly speaker actually attempts to warn his would-be landlady against his skin colour as if to allow him to rent her apartment is a crime, since he is an African. But despite being unexpectedly modest, the speaker feels much annoyed when he is asked unabashedly “HOW DARK” he is.

His anger is subtly expressed through the repetition of the word “red” before booth, pillar box and double-tired. Yet he has no other option than to endure the humiliation since the whites are destined to take upper hand over blacks.

The landlady does exactly the same and in doing so all her sophisticated appearance seems to ironically contrast her terribly real- self. In other words, despite her “good-breeding/? and “Lipstick-coated” voice, she is after all too rude to ask a gentleman whether he is “LIGHT / OR VERY DARK?”

On contrary, the tenant appears more refined. Words like “pipped,” “rancid,” and “spectroscopic” are not words that an unrefined man would have in his vocabulary. The gentleman’s intelligence is further displayed through his use of sarcasm and wit in response to the landlady’s questions. For example, when asked if he is “DARK / OR VERY LIGHT”, the gentleman says, citing his passport that exactly his colour is “West African sepia”.

The land-lady still demands a quantifiable expression of his darkness. The tenant instead of satisfying her curiosity, chooses to detail the different colours of the different parts of his body. He says that though he is dark facially, the palm of his hand and the soles of his feet are lighter than the colour of his face.

The landlady expecting only yes or ho regarding whether he is black or white, finally hangs up on him. We feel extremely amused when the speaker further asks the lady if she is willing to meet him in person to judge his skin color for herself: “‘Madam,’ I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather / See for yourself?”

Telephone Conversation Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
How does the tenant speaker in the poem describe the colour of his skin to the landlady?
Answer:
The tenant speaker of the poem, Telephone; Conversation is of West African origin. He feels deeply ashamed because of his dark skin. The way he talks with the landlady amply suggests his embarrassment particularly when he warns the lady against his skin colour. The word “warned” which means cautioned lends an impression of the speaker being roosted by his own ‘ complex. It seems as if to allow him to rent an apartment

is a crime since he is an African. Such irrational complex goads him to remain calm even when the landlady ’ annoys him asking “HOW DARK” he is. The speaker continues describing that his body colour is “West African sepia”.

Moreover, he goes further into detailing that he is dark facially, the palm of his hand and the soles of his feet are lighter than the colour of his face. Towards the end of the poem he shows his willingness to appear up before the landlady so that the lady can judge his skin colour: “Madam/ I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather / See for yourself?”

Question 2.
Would you consider the landlady as a racist? Give reason for your answers.
Answer:
The landlady is presented as an immodest woman who simply harasses her would be tenant once she learns that the man is of West African origin. Instead of discussing price, location, facilities, and other information significant to the apartment, the landlady is more interested in the speaker’s skin colour. This is evident when she demands to know “HOW DARK” is her tenant.

The speaker’s silence goads her to reshape her question into a bit amiable tone. She politely asks the tenant if he is dark “OR VERY LIGHT?” The answer doesn’t satisfy her and she demands a quantifiable expression of his darkness. Finally, she hangs up failing to get a specific answer from the tenant. After all, she expected only yes or no regarding whether he is black or white. But, the tenant’s riddling answer dissatisfies her. The landlady thus appears to be shallowly racist, despite being a well-bred woman.

Telephone Conversation Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
The tenant in the poem hails from …………….
a. India
b. West Indies
c. West Africa
d. Germany
Answer:
c. West Africa

Question 2.
The tenant feels uncomfortable because of his ……..
a. poor financial condition
b. skin colour
c. deformity
d. criminal record
Answer:
b. skin colour

Question 3.
Why does the speaker warn the landlady against the colour of his skin?
a. Because he knows that he the landlady might reject him as her tenant once she finds him black
b. Because neighbours might object staying with a man of black skin colour
c. Because the man doesn’t want to stay with the whites and thus, wants to know if the lady is black
d. Because the man was rejected elsewhere and thus wants to be sure whether the landlady would allow him to rent her apartment
Answer:
a. Because he knows that he the landlady might reject him as her tenant once she finds him black

Question 4.
The colour mentioned in the passport of the speaker is ………
a. while
b. brown
c. West African sepia
d. red
Answer:
c. West African sepia

Question 5.
What do the expressions “Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled / Cigarette-holder piped” tell us about the landlady?
a. that she is a fashion-able woman
b. that she belongs to higher echelons of society
c. that she is a white woman
d. that she has a good breeding
Answer:
d. that she has a good breeding

Question 6.
Which question of the landlady deeply annoys the speaker?
a. How tall he is?
b. How wealthy he is?
c. How dark he is?
d. How educated he is?
Answer:
c. How dark he is?

Question 7.
What colour does the speaker see around when the landlady annoys him?
a. white
b. red
c. blue
d. orange
Answer:
b. red

Question 8.
What does the landlady do finally with the speaker?
a. she invites him to her apartment
b. she agrees renting the apartment to the speaker
c. she hangs on the telephone
d. she asks the speaker not to meet her
Answer:
c. she hangs on the telephone

Question 9.
What was the final proposal of the speaker?
a. that he will not rent the apartment
b. that he is willing to come and meet her
c. that he would send her his photograph
d. that he will not come and meet her
Answer:
b. that he is willing to come and meet her

Question 10.
The speaker asks the landlady to visit him to…………………
a. discuss the rent
b. show the apartment
c. see how dark he is
d. to hand over the key of the apartment.
Answer:
c. see how dark he is

Telephone Conversation Poem Summary

Telephone Conversation Poem Introduction

Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka presents the absurdity of racism his poem, Telephone Conversation. The speaker of the poem, a dark West African man searching for a new apartment, tells the story of a telephone call he made to a potential landlady. Instead of discussing price, occation, facilities, and other information significant to the apartment, the landlady is more interested in the speaker’s skin color. This shows that despite being a well-bred woman, the land lady is after all shallowly racist.

Telephone Conversation Poem Summary

The telephonic conversation between the tenant and the landlady begins with the tenant knowing little about the apartment he proposes to rent. Only he gets to know that the rental charge of the apartment is affordable and is without the landlady’s interference since she stays away from the appartment. After this minimal information, the tenant begins his “self-confession”

that he is an African and his skin colour is black. The landlady is shocked and sighs over phone. After she recovers from her initial shock her sophisticated voice once again resounds in the speaker of the public telephone, booth. Curious to know how dark is her would be lodger, the landlady shamelessly asks him straight.

The tenant is deeply annoyed. He sees red everywhere “Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered Omnibus.” This however indicates his anger which made him almost tongue tied. The landlady perhaps uncomfortable with the sudden silence decides to rephrase her question. She politely asks the tenant if he is dark “OR VERY LIGHT?” The anger of the tenants continues growing from more to more. Even at this time, he fails to reply her back At last the tenant replies the shallowly racist land-lady.

Citing his passport, he says that he his body colour is “West African sepia”. The landlady still demands a quantifiable expression of his darkness. The tenant instead of satisfying her curiosity, choose to detail the different colours of the different parts of his body. He says that though he is dark facially, the palm of his hand and the soles of his feet are lighter than the colour of his face.

The landlady expecting only yes or no regarding whether he is black or white, finally hangs up on him. The speaker, still playing his ignorance of what the lady actually wants to know from him, asks her if she is willing to meet him in person to judge his skin color for herself: ” ‘Madam/ I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather / See for yourself?” says the helpless man.

Telephone Conversation Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 9 :

The telephone conversation begins with the tenant knowing little about the apartment he is about to rent. Only he gets to know that the rental charge of the apartment is affordable and is without the landlady’s interference. After this minimal information, the tenant begins his self-confession that he is an African and his skin colour is black. Within moment, the landlady is bowled over. When she recovers from her initial shock her sophisticated voice once again reverberates in the speaker of the public telephone booth.

Lines 10 to 14:

The landlady unabashedly asks the tenant how dark he is. The tenant however is confirmed about hearing her question, asking him straight how dark he is. Instantly, the man is red with anger. This is subtly expressed through the repetition of the word “red” before booth, pillar box and double-tired. Moreover, the speaker’s consciousness of the world around him is also evident from speculation of the red booth, red pillar box and his awareness about the foul smell hovering inside the booth.

Lines 15 to 21 :

The landlady however is considerate in rephrasing her question at last. Finding her tenant taking time to reply how dark he is, she asks him politely if he is dark and if so how does he looks like. The speaker says that the negotiation of the landlady is too judgmental, no matter how seemingly she appears to be pleasant.

Lines 22 to 35 :

Finally the tenant replies her, overcoming his anger. Citing his passport, he says that he his body colour is “West African sepia”; i.e. reddish-brown. Yet the landlady is unsatisfied. She wants a quantifiable expression of his darkness. But the man instead of satisfying her curiosity, choose to detail the different colours of the various parts of his body. He says that though facially he is dark, the palm of his hand and the soles of his feet are lighter than the colour of his face.

The landlady expecting only yes or no regarding whether he is black or white, finally hangs up his face. The landlady expecting only yes or no regarding whether he is black or white, finally hangs up on him. The speaker, still playing his ignorance of what the lady actually wants to know from him, asks her if she is willing to meet him in person to judge his skin colour for herself.

Telephone Conversation Poem Annotations with Comments

Lines 1 to 9 :

price : refers to the rental charge
location : location of the apartment
indifferent : it hardly matters
swore : promised she lived
premises : without her interference
Nothing remained : nothing more to know
self-confession : revealing about own self
silence : the woman was dumb founded hearing that her would be tenant is an African
transmission : the word is significant since the poem is about telephonic conversation
pressurized : hassled
voice : refers to the voice of the land lady

Comments:

Nothing remained / But self-confession: Having known a bit about the apartment, the speaker begins his “self-confession” about his skin colour. It is ironic that this is called a self-confession since the speaker has nothing that he should have to confess because of doing no wrong. He warns the landlady that he is African, instead of just informing her.

I warned: Note the words “warned”. By making the speaker actually seem sorry for his skin colour, Soyinka shows how ridiculous it really is for someone to apologize for his race. To the modern thinkers, it seems almost ridiculous.

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Strange Meeting Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 5 Strange Meeting Questions and Answers

Strange Meeting Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Strange Meeting Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Write a critical appreciation of Strange Meeting.
Or
Question 2.
“The Poetry is in the pity Show how Owen has expressed the “pity of war” in his poem Strange Meeting.
Answer:
Strange Meeting is the grim account of Owen’s terrible experience in the First World War. Published in 1920 in a volume entitled Poems, two years after Owen’s death in 1918, the poem brings together two young, former, enemy-soldiers a British and a German one who meet, after they have died on the battle field. The German soldier however speaks at length of his earnest desire to live more and unveils the tragic futility of war.

The poem opens with the soldier-poet’s illusion that he has escaped out of the battlefield “down to some profound dull tunnel”, where in the midst of the corpse of warriors, one suddenly leaps up as he is “probed” by the soldier-poet. He continues staring at the soldier-poet with pitiful eyes and lifts up his hands as if to bless the soldier-poet.

By his grim smile on face, the soldier-poet realises that he has after all reached hell where silence reigns everywhere since the sound of battle field is no more audible. The soldier-poet observes the face of the dead soldier disfigured with fear and pains. He consoles the dead soldier saying that there is nothing to mourn for in hell.

The dead soldier begins his monologue bemoaning his early death. He says that had he survived more, he might have enjoyed life, chasing things that are beautiful. Such things are more sublime and subtler than the beautiful eyes and braided hairs of women and makes fun of time as it steadily passes by. What grieves his heart is that his life is cut short and hell offers no joy of aesthetic pursuit.

One can only enjoy eternal sleep in hell. Hence, the dead soldier laments that the truth of war now remains untold. The truth being massive death toll that war claims. Men will now continue fighting, either satisfied or dissatisfied with the results of the war. The dead soldier had both courage and wisdom to counsel the warriors against the horrors of war. He could have given up his life to heal the world of its evils but, would not have lost his precious life in foolish warfare.

Towards the end of the poem, the dead soldier reveals that he was the enemy who was killed by the soldier poet on the other day. He recognizes his slayer by the frown in his eyes. Yet, he addresses the British soldier his “friend” since after death what remains of an individual is only the human identity. In other words, we lose all other identities that separate us from others.

Owen here must be suggesting the barrier of narrow political boundary which the both German and the British soldier overcome after death. Hence, the enemy solider who ‘jabbed and killed’ the German soldier, can be safely called a ‘friend’.

Question 3.
Describe with close reference to the poem Strange Meeting the lament of the German solider
Answer:
The German soldier leaps up from among the heap of corpses, imagined to be dumped in hell. He then painfully lifts up his hands as if to bless the soldier poet though being killed by him. As the soldier poet counsels him not to mourn in hell, the German soldier continues speaking at length about the perilous effect of war on mankind. He says that he feels sad all because of his early death.

Had he survived more, he might have enjoyed life, chasing things that are beautiful and more sublime than the ephemeral beauty of women’s eyes and their braided locks of hair. Owen however lends a human touch as he explores the aesthetic sense of beauty in the German soldier. This however implies that soldiers are not without human feelings which Owen suggests in many of his poems.

However the German soldier also bemoans that if he lyre-have, at least he could have revealed the truth of war which nCVy remains untold. The truth being massive death toll that war claims. Men will now continue fighting, either satisfied or dissatisfied with restricts-of the-war The German soldier had both courage and wisdom to counsel the warriors against the horrors of war. He could have given up his life to heal the world of its evils but, would not have lost his precious life in foolish warfare.

As he is now helplessly inactive in hell, he welcomes the soldier poet as his “friend”. He reveals the soldier-poet that he was the enemy who was killed by the soldier-poet on the other day. He has recognized his slayer by the frown in his eyes. Yet, he addresses the British soldier his “friend” since after death what remains of an individual is only the human identity. In other words, we lose all other identities that separate us from others.

Owen here must be suggesting the barrier of narrow political boundary which the both German and the British soldier overcome after death. Hence, the enemy solider who ‘jabbed and killed the German soldier, can be safely called a ‘friend’. The German soldier invites him to sleep together as they are far removed from every animosity that humans promote against each other.

Strange Meeting Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What impression of the British soldier do you form based on your reading the poem.
Answer:
The British soldier is the first speaker of the poem. He bc9ino me poem-MTcr. This fancy of entering into a deep, dark tunnel where dead soldiers are huddled together.

As he pokes them, one of the dead soldiers suddenly leaps up and continues staring at the British soldier with pitiful eyes. The dead solider is a German warrior who painfully lifts up his hands as if to bless the British soldier.

By his grim smile, the British soldier realises that he is in hell. Silence reigns everywhere around since the sound of the battlefield is no more audible. The British soldier observes that the face of the German soldier is disfigured with fear and pains. He consoles the German soldier saying that there is nothing to mourn for in hell.

The German soldier, who is the second speaker of the poem, recognises the British soldier and welcomes him as his friend. He says that he was once the enemy of the British soldier and now his friend since after death what remains of an individual is only the human identity.

Hence, the British soldier who ‘jabbed and killed’ the German soldier in the battlefield is called a friend and both of them agrees sleeping eternally together as they are removed from every animosity that humans promote against each other.

Question 2.
What picture of hell is presented by Owen in his poem Strange Meeting.
Answer:
Hell isn’t described exhaustively like Milton in his Paradise Lost or Dante in his Inferno. Owen just lends a succinct picture of hell once the British soldier escapes out of the

Strange Meeting Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
Who are the speakers in the poem Strange Meeting?
a. French and German soldiers
b. British and French soldiers
c. Indian and British soldiers
d. German and British soldiers
Answer:
d. German and British soldiers

Question 2.
Why is the meeting called strange?
a. Because it was not pre-planned
b. Because the meeting occurred in hell
c. Because the meeting occurred in heaven
d. Because the meeting occurred in dream
Answer:
b. Because the meeting occurred in hell

Question 3.
What did the British soldier say to the German soldier the moment he meets him?
a. He said that he killed the dead soldier last day
b. He said that he was surprised to see him in hell
c. He said that there is nothing to mourn for in hell
d. He said nothing
Answer:
c. He said that there is nothing to mourn for in hell

Question 4.
Why does the German soldier mourn in hell?
a. Because he couldn’t reach heaven
b. Because of his untimely death
c. Because he couldn’t kill the soldier poet before dying
d. Because hell is so unpleasant
Answer:
b. Because of his untimely death

Question 5.
What is the pity of war?
a. That war is an essential part of human civilization
b. That war kills young lives
c. That war is encouraged by politicians
d. That war encourages hatred among nations
Answer:
b. That war kills young lives

Question 6.
What did the German soldier want to tell mankind about war?
a. That war is necessary for ensuring peace
b. That there is no heroism associated with war
c. That war must be promoted for better future
d. That one must give up his life in war
Answer:
b. That there is no heroism associated with war

Question 7.
Why does the German soldier addresses the British soldier as his friend?
a. Because the British soldier helped him to reach hell
b. Because the British soldier saved his life
c. Because the British soldier woke him up in hell
d. Because both of them are dead and they have lost their identity of two different nations.
Answer:
d. Because both of them are dead and they have lost their identity of two different nations.

Question 8.
What does the German soldier ask the British soldier to do?
a. To go away from hell
b. To remain in hell
c. To sleep forever with him
d. To rejoice in hell
Answer:
c. To sleep forever with him

Question 9.
What is kind of poem is Owen’s Strange Meeting?
a. Heroic
b. Poem of friendship
c. Anti-war
d. Poem of love
Answer:
c. Anti-war

Strange Meeting Poem Summary

Strange Meeting Poem Introduction

Strange Meeting is an anti-war poem which records Owen’s grim experience of the First World War. The poem was written during the course of the World War I and was published in 1920, in a volume entitled Poems, two years after Owen’s death in 1918. The poem brings together two young enemy-soldiers – a British and a German who meet, after they have died on the battlefield. The German soldier speaks at length, his earnest desire to live and unveils the tragic futility of war.

Strange Meeting Poem Summary

The soldier-poet imagines that he has escaped from the battlefield into a deep, dark tunnel where dead soldiers are huddled together. As he pokes them, one of the dead soldiers leaps up and continues staring at the soldier-poet with pitiful eyes. He then painfully lifts up his hands as if to bless the soldier poet and by his grim smile, the soldier poet realises that he is in hell.

Silence reigns everywhere around since the sound of battlefield is no more audible. The soldier-poet observes the face of the dead soldier disfigured with fear and pains. He consoles the dead soldier saying that there is nothing to mourn for in hell.

The dead soldier bemoans for his early death. He says that had he survived more, he might have enjoyed life, chasing things that are beautiful. Such things are more sublime and subtler than the beautiful eyes and braided hairs of women and makes fun of time as it steadily passes by. What grieves his heart is that his life is cut short and hell offers no joy of aesthetic pursuit.

One can only enjoy eternal sleep in hell. Hence, the dead soldier bemoans that if he were alive, at least he could have revealed the truth of war which now remains untold. The truth being massive death toll that war claims. Men will now continue fighting, either satisfied or dissatisfied with the results of the war.The dead soldier had both courage and wisdom to counsel the warriors against the horrors of war. He could have given up his life to heal the world of its evils but, would not have lost his precious life in foolish warfare.

The dead soldier now reveals the soldier-poet that he was the enemy who was killed by the soldier poet on the other day. He has recognized his slayer by the frown in his eyes. Since he is killed, he now wants profound and undisturbed sleep. He also invites the soldier-poet to sleep with him as they are no more the enemy of each other.

Strange Meeting Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 14:

The soldier-poet imagines that he has escaped from the battlefield into a deep, dark tunnel where dead soldiers are huddled together. As he pokes them, one of the dead soldiers suddenly leaps up and continues staring at the soldier-poet with-pitiful eyes.

He then lifts up his hands as if to bless the soldier poet and by his grim smile, the soldier poet realises that he is in hell. He notices that the face of the dead soldier is disfigured with fear and pains. He consoles the dead soldier saying that there is nothing to mourn for in hell.

Lines 15 to 39:

The dead soldier pow mourns for his early death. He says that had he survived more, he might have enjoyed life. Even he too had the desire for the beautiful things of life which was beyond physical something more sublime and subtler than the beautiful eyes and braided hairs of women. And what grieves his heart is that his life is cut short and hell offers no joy of aesthetic pursuit.

One can only enjoy eternal sleep in hell. Hence, the dead soldier bemoans that if he were alive, at least he could have revealed the truth of war which now remains untold. The truth being massive death toll that war claims.

Men will now continue fighting, either satisfied or dissatisfied with the results of the war.The dead soldier had both courage and wisdom to counsel the warriors against the horrors of war. He could have given up his life to heal the world of its evils but, would not have lost his precious life in foolish warfare.

Lines 40 to 44:

The dead soldier now reveals the soldier-poet that he was the enemy who was killed by the soldier poet on the other day. He has recognized his slayer by the frown in his eyes. Since he is killed, he now wants profound and undisturbed sleep. He also invites the soldier-poet to sleep with him as they are no more the enemy of each other

Strange Meeting Poem Annotations with Comments

Lines 1 to 14:

It seemed : It seemed that the entire episode of an experience in the dungeon hell came to the soldier-poet in a vision
out of battle : out of the battle-field
escaped : went out
profound : deep
dull : dark
tunnel : opening cut through a hill
long since scooped : dug out long before
granites : rocks of granite stone
titanic : terrible
titanic wars : devastating wars that the Titans waged against their children
groined : vaults
encumbered sleepers : dead soldiers huddled together
encumbered : crowded
groaned : made cries of pain in sleep
Too fast in thought : deeply absorbed in thought
death : senselessness
bestirred : woken up
probed : poked stared with
piteous eyes : stared with distressing signs in his looks lifting distressful
hands, as if to bless : raising his hand painfully as if to bless the soldier-poet
sullen hail : gloomy and dark tunnel
dead smile : smile with a mere grin
thousand pains : the face of the German soldier was marked with the lines of thousand sorrow
vision’s face : face of the figure seen in the vision
grained : lined
blood : bloodshed on the battle-field
thumped : boomed
flues : passages for smoke over chimney
no cause to mourn : no real cause for lamenting in hell (or after-life).

Comment:

Titanic : Titans are the children of Uranus and Gaes. They, often called the Elder Gods, were deities of the early Greeks. They represents either primitive forces of nature or abstract qualities. Titans were originally six males and six females.

Later writers also placed some of the children of Titans among the Titans. The Titans, with the exception of Oceanus, revolted against Uranus, disposed him, and made Coronos ruler of the world. The adjective Titanic therefore refers to some monstrous warfare. – From The Wordsworth Dictionary of Classical Allusion.

undone years : years of his life lie in total ruin in hell
hopelessness : despair
Whatever hope …. life also : The German soldier says that his life was full of hope like the soldier-poet’s
hunting : searching
wild : indefatigably
wildest beauty : most romantic beauty
which lies not calm in eyes : the beauty that he searched for did not lie in the serene eyes or the braided hair of a young girl.
mocks : outpaces
steady : slow and regular
running of the hour : passage of time But mocks the steady
running of the hour: This beauty is eternal if it grieves: If the beauty pursued
Is the cause of sorrow grieves ….. than here: If the beauty pursued is the cause of sorrow, it has greater cause to grieve in this world than it has here
glee: joy
many men have laughed: many people could have been made happy
weeping : mourning
And of my ….. left : sorrows that he suffered in the battlefield yet remains in the world
Which must die now : since he is dead, the sorrows will remain untold to the world
I mean the truth untold : the truth of war will remain untold to the world
Pity of war : the sense of pathos that a right view of the foolish waste of life warfare creates.

Lines 26 to 33:

Now men …. Spoiled : Now when the German soldier is dead and the truth of war remains untold, men will feel complacent with what they did in the war
Spoiled : plundered
boil bloody : rage and fret and grow red in the face
spilled : involved in blood shed, like boiling liquid
brimming over and spilled on the ground
swift : burning with the desire to kill. None will break ranks: no nation will dissolve its army and give up fighting
Treak: march away from
I had mystery : I gained deep insight into the mysteries of life

mystery : mystic knowledge of hiden truth
mastery : excellence
To miss : so that he could easily live apart from the erring world and wait for the opportune moment to come out and heal it by giving it the truths
retreating world : degeneration of civilization, day after day
citadels : forts
That walled : into the unprotected fortress.

Comment:

Into vain citadels that are not walled: Citadel is the symbol of civilization and the word ‘not walled’ means open to attack. Owen perhaps suggests that the civilization is under threat.

Lines 34 to 39:

blood : bloodshed in battlefield
clogged : obstructed
when…..their chariot-wheels : when nations have shed enough of blood and despaired of achieving any good out of hatred suspicion and warfare
I would go up : he would go forward
wash them : wash the wounds of nations
sweet wells : the truth about war
taints : stain
that taints : that cannot be corrupted by vicious doctrines of hate and warfare
I would…spirit : had he lived he would have given his life and soul
without stint : liberally
But not.., wounds : but no dying from the effects of wounds received warfare
cess: forced realization
Foreheads……wounds were : the innocent youth with clean foreheads, compelled to fight and are slaughtered merciless.

Comment:

Foreheads …….. wounds were: There ‘may be just a passing allusion in this line to the foreheads of Christ bleeding because of the crown of thorn thrust upon him:

Lines 40 to 44:

enemy : refers to the German-soldier
know : recognize, identified.
Dark : dark hell
frowned : looked gloomfly
through me : into face
jabbed : stabbed
parried : prevented
but my… cold: when the German soldier was killed by the soldier-poet. He could not defend himself, as he felt disinclined to give him counter-stroke and his hands were cold through exposure
Let us sleep now : The two soldiers now will not be any use to the world. They are dead forever. Hence, the German soldier asks the soldier-poet to enjoy sleep forever.

Comments:

Let us sleep now: The word “us” perhaps suggest that the soldier-poet too dead. I am the enemy you killed, my friend: ‘The two antithetical words ‘enemy and ‘friend suggest the difference between thed entity of a human being before and after death.

Before death, there might be some antagonism between the man of two different nations. But after death the Identity as a human being is larger than any other identity, Hence, the enemy who ‘jabbed and killed’ the German soldier can now safely be called a ‘friend’.

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Death of Naturalist Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 4 Death of Naturalist Questions and Answers

Death of Naturalist Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Death of Naturalist Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Attempt a critical appreciation of Death of a Naturalist.
Or
Question 2.
Death of a Naturalist is a poem about the loss of innocence. Discuss with close reference to the poem.
Answer:
Death of a Naturalist was published in 1966 in Heaney’s debut anthology of poetry entitled Death of a Naturalist. Heaney however goes down memory lane to bring alive his childhood days when he was significantly obsessed with frogspawn.

But, with the transition to maturity, the simplicity of nature hardly enthralls him anymore. Instead he feels deeply repulsed observing the tadpoles turning into ugly frogs. The poem however explores the loss of innocence as the poet sees the harsher side of nature and feels threatened and frightened by the end.

Death of a Naturalist begins with a succinct picture of the flax plant being placed over a muddy pool and left exposed to the sun round the year. Such picture abounds in his native Country Derry, Northern Ireland where Heaney makes a frequent visit to collect frogspawn.

Every spring he would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles. The obsession for frogspawn is further reinforced when Heaney recalls Miss. Wall, his childhood teacher, explaining the reproductive cycle of frogs the croaking of the male frog inspires the mammy frog to lay hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn.

Such simple explanation which Heaney believed as a child reveals his innocent acceptance of things more complicated to comprehend during one’s childhood. However, innocence is also established when Heaney as a child was close to nature. The foul smell of rotting flax, the thick, stagnant, rotten water, the unpleasant sight of insects hovering around the muddy earth had no repulsive effect upon him. In this part of the poem, the flax dam appears charming despite all its nauseating effect.

But, as Heaney grows closer to being an adult, the natural world becomes more foreign and menacing to him. The smell of the flax dam now “rank” with “cow dung in the grass”. The sight of adult frog is deeply loathsome. Some of them jumped around and the others sitting “like mud grenades” ready to explode. It seems as if the vicious frogs are “gathered there for vengeance”.

The speaker once stole away their frogspawn.’It’s time for them to attack the intruder once they find the speaker within their range. Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days.

Question 3.
Comment on the significance of the title Death of a Naturalist.
Answer:
The epithet Death of a Naturalist is deeply ironic in the sense that a child’s obsession for nature turns into aversion once he grows closer to being an adult. As a naturalist, one would not be bothered about the “coarse croaking” of the “angry frogs”, or the stinky odour “cow dung in the grass”.

But, Heaney’s speaker runs away from his favourite place during childhood since his attachment to the world of nature weakens over time. Initially Heaney’s obsession with the frogspawn made him believe that he was a naturalist. Every spring he would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles.

The obsession for frogspawn is further reinforced when Heaney recalls Miss. Wall, his childhood teacher, explaining the reproductive cycle of frogs, which Heaney still remembers. But a significant change is observed in one ‘hot day’ when the same field of flax repulses him with all its unpleasant sight, sound and smell.

For example, smell of the flax dam now “rank” with “cow dung in the grass”. An army of hostile frogs were seen aggressively darting inside the flax dam. The speaker was so appalled by the sinister croak of the frogs and the stench of the field that he chose to stay away from the place.

He says that he has never in fact, heard the horrifying croak of frogs that seems so horrible, especially when they puff out their throats with deep anger. The negative image of frog suggests the change of mindset that an individual experience while moving towards adulthood.

Such change is further reinforced when Heaney fancies the frogs as mud grenades, ready to explode. The frogs are “gathered there for vengeance”. The speaker once stole away their frogspawn. It’s now time for them to attack the intruder once they find the speaker within their range.

Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days. The escape from the harsh and dreadful natural world results in the death of the naturalist in him.

Death of Naturalist Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Describe in brief Heaney’s obsession with the frogspawn during his childhood days.
Answer:
During his childhood days, Heaney developed a severe obsession for frogspawn which made him believe that he was a naturalist. Every spring time he would make a frequent visit to the flax dam his native Country Derry, Northern Ireland to collect frogspawn.

He would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles. The obsession for frogspawn is further reinforced when Heaney recalls Miss. Wall, his childhood teacher, explaining the reproductive cycle of frogs.

In a simple way, Miss. Wall would describe how the female frogs are inspired to lay eggs by the male frog, i.e. the bullfrog. The croaking of the bullfrog would tempt the mammy frog to lay hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn.

Such simple explanation which Heaney believed as a child reveals his innocent acceptance of things more complicated to comprehend during one’s childhood. In fact, childhood is the time when one develops obsessions for the simple natural things which ultimately weakens over time. This is what is suggested by Heaney in his Death of a Naturalist.

Question 2.
What significant change does Heaney observe in him on a hot day?
Answer:
Heaney’s obsession for nature turns into aversion once he grows closer to being an adult. Particularly on a hot day, Heaney observes this change in him when suddenly the same flax repulses him with all its unpleasant sight, sound and smell.

The fax which once had no repulsive effect on him now reeks with “cow dung in the grass”. On the other hand, the sight of grown up frogs seems terribly threatening. The speaker is so appalled by the sinister croak of the frogs and the stench of the field that he chose to stay away from the place.

He says that he has never in fact, heard the horrifying croak of frogs that seems so horrible, especially when they puff out their throats with deep anger. The negative image of frog suggests the change of mindset that an individual experience while moving towards adulthood. Such change is further reinforced when Heaney fancies the frogs as mud grenades, ready to explode.

The frogs are “gathered there for vengeance”. The speaker once stole away their frogspawn. It’s now time for them to attack the intruder once they find the speaker within their range. Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days. The escape from the harsh and dreadful natural world results in the death of the naturalist in him.

Death of Naturalist Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
“What is left exposed to the sun round the year?
a. Tobacco leaves
b. Flax plant sheaves
c. Leather
d. Grapes
Answer:
b. Flax plant sheaves

Question 2.
Why does the speaker visit the place where flax are left exposed to sun?
a. To collect flax
b. To watch various insects
c. To smell the odour of rotten flax
d. To collect frogspawn
Answer:
d. To collect frogspawn

Question 3.
Where does the speaker keep the frogspawn?
a. In basket
b. In jars
c. In bowl
d. In mug
Answer:
b. In jars

Question 4.
Who among these was the teacher of the speaker?
a. Miss. Meadow
b. Miss. Wills
c. Miss. Wall
d. Mr. Wall
Answer:
c. Miss. Wall

Question 5.
What did Miss. Wall teach the speaker?
a. The way to collect frogspawn
b. The life of frog
c. The way to cultivate flax
d. The reproductive cycle of frogs
Answer:
d. The reproductive cycle of frogs

Question 6.
How does Miss. Wall call male and female frog?
a. Mama and daddy frog
b. Papa and mama frog
c. Bullfrog and mammy frog
d. Bullfrog and mummy frog
Answer:
c. Bullfrog and mammy frog

Question 7.
Which among these insects is not mentioned in the poem?
a. Dragonfly
b. Butterfly
c. Blue fly
d. Grasshopper
Answer:
d. Grasshopper

Question 8.
What changes did the speaker find in him in one hot day?
a. He has grown old
b. His love for the frogspawn has grown intense
c. He no longer remains a naturalist
d. None of the above
Answer:
c. He no longer remains a naturalist

Question 9.
The adult frogs were gathered to ……….
a. Lay eggs
b. croak together
c. eat insects
D. Take revenge against the speaker
Answer:
D. Take revenge against the speaker

Question 10.
The adult frogs wanted to take revenge against the speaker since ………..
a. He once killed their babies
b. He scared them away from the field
c. He stole away their frogspawn
d. He no longer remains a child
Answer:
c. He stole away their frogspawn

Death of Naturalist Poem Summary

Death of Naturalist Poem Introduction

Published in 1966 in Heaney’s debut anthology of poetry entitled Death of a Naturalist, the present poem establishes Heaney’s reputation as the foremost Irish poet of his generation. Heaney however goes down memory lane to bring alive his childhood days when he was significantly obsessed with frogspawn.

But, with the transition to maturity, the simplicity of nature hardly enthralls him anymore. Instead he feels deeply repulsed observing the tadpoles turning into ugly frogs. The poem however explores the loss of innocence as the poet sees the harsher side of nature and feels threatened and frightened by the end.

Death of Naturalist Poem Summary

A child speaker observes how flax plant sheaves are positioned over a muddy pool and left exposed to the sun all year long. The flax rots in the muddy water and then becomes hot in the extreme heat of the sun. Foul smell of rotten flax hover around the field where insects like blue flies, dragonflies and butterflies gather around the thick, stagnant, rotten water with bubbles winking on its surface.

The speaker who often visits the place, becomes obsessed with the frogspawn, a jelly like substance which bears the egg of a frog. Every spring he would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles. The speaker’s obsession is further tantalized by Miss. Wall, probably his teacher, whose classes on the reproductive cycle of the frogs is still remembered by him.

The speaker says that Miss. Wall described the way the female frog lays eggs when inspired by the male frog, i.e. the bullfrog. The bullfrog croaks and the mammy frog lays hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn. Moreover, the speaker’s innocent mind would also believe that the colours of frogs determine the weather.

The yellow frog and the brown frog represent sun and rain respectively. Innocence, however is thwarted once the speaker grows up. He remembers one hot day when he saw an army of hostile frogs aggressively darting inside the flax-dam. The frogs were croaking furiously aloud, puffing out their throats with deep anger. Some of them jumped around, while some others sat, seething with furious rage, once they see the speaker within their range. They looked like mud grenades, ready to explode.

The dreadful sight of the frogs, their menacing activities terrorized the speaker. It seemed as if the ugly frogs’ were all gathered to take revenge upon the speaker since he once stole away the frogspawn. The speaker now feels that the spawn that he so earnestly held up in his hand to put into his jar seem to be ready to seize his hand if he dipped it in the spawn. Terrified, he runs away from the loathsome place.

Death of Naturalist Poem Paraphrase

Lines 1 to 6:

A child speaker observes how the sheaves of flax plants are placed over a muddy pool and left exposed to the sun round the year. The flax rots in the muddy water and then becomes hot in the extreme heat of the sun. Foul smell of rotten flax hover around along with the buzzing sound of blue flies, gathered around the thick, stagnant, rotten water with bubbles winking on its surface.

Lines 7 to 15:

Along with the blue flies, dragonflies and butterflies too thronged the place. But, what enthralled the speaker most was the frogspawn, a jelly like substance which bears the egg of a frog. Every spring the speaker would fill his jars with frog eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles.

Lines 15 to 21:

Miss Wall, probably the speaker’s teacher, would explain the complete reproductive cycle of the frogs by detailing the process as simply as possible. The speaker remembers the words of his teacher which states that the male frog, i.e. the bullfrog inspires the female frog to lay eggs while he croaks. The mammy frog lays hundreds of tiny eggs which however is the frogspawn. One could forecast the weather by looking at the colours of frogs. The frog however turns yellow in the sun and brown in the rain.

Lines 22 to 26:

One hot day when the field was stinking with the foul smell of cow dung, an army of hostile frogs were seen aggressively darting inside the flax-dam. The speaker was so appalled by sinister croak of the frogs and the stench of the field that he chose to stay away from the place. The speaker however had never, in fact, heard the horrifying cacophony of frogs, croaking aloud.

Lines 27 to 33:

The sight of the grown up frogs seem too unpleasant for the speaker. They continued croaking furiously aloud, puffing out their throats with deep anger. Some of them jumped around, while some others sat, seething with furious rage, once they see the speaker within their range. They looked like mud grenades, ready to explode.

The dreadful sight of the frogs, their menacing activities terrorized the speaker. It seemed as if the ugly frogs were gathered to revenge upon the speaker since he once stole away the frogspawn. The speaker now feels that the spawn that he so earnestly held up in his hand to put into his jar seem to be ready to seize his hand if he dipped it in the spawn. Terrified, he runs away from the loathsome place.

Death of Naturalist Poem Annotations with Comments

Lines 1 to 6:

All year : throughout the year
Flax : herbaceous plant that is cultivated for its seed
Festered : rotted
Towniand : a division of land of varioussizes
heavy headed : heavy on top. A human quality is attributed to the flax when the poet says that flax are heavy headed
rotted: decayed
weighted down: weighed down
sods: pieces of cut turf which helps to cultivate the flax
sweltered: becomes hot and suffocative
punishing sun: torturous sun in the sense that its very hot. Sun here is fancied as oppressor, burning down on the flax.
Bubbles : The bubbles in the muddy earth are producing gargling sound.
Gargled : the gargling sound produced by bubbles
Bluebottles : kind of flies
Wove a strong the smell : the hordes of flies buzzing around the flax-dam

Comment:

flax dam : A flax dam isn’t actually a dam, but a muddy patch of earth which is soaked to soften the flax. During such process, things get pretty stinky. ‘The plant basically rots as it softens, let ting off, an unpleasant smell.’ Heaney however looks back to a time when he was a boy. During those days he was deeply enthralled by the local flax-dam, an area of boggy water in his native County Derry, Northern Ireland.

Lines 7 to 15:

Dragonflies : a large insect with a long,thin, brightly coloured body and two pairs of transparent wings
Slobber : thick saliva
Frogspawn : a jelly like substance which bears the egg of a frog
Clotted : thick
Jampotfuls : fill jars with frog eggs
Specks : eggs
Range: place
window sills : narrow shelf below a window either inside or outside
fattening dots : growing eggs
burst : hatches
nimble : swift moving
tadpoles : a larval amphibian

Comment:

every spring …. jampotfuls of the jellied specks: Spring is the time of rebirth and renewal. The frogspawns are thus, all over the place responding to the cycle of life

to range on window sills …shelves at school: The speaker appears to be an avid collector of frogspawn. He would fill the jam jars with the eggs and leave them on the windowsills at home and at school, waiting and watching until they turn to swimming tadpoles.

This establishes his obsession for the frogspawn which is further established once he recalls the lessons of Miss Walls. Presumably the teacher of the speaker during his childhood, Miss. Walls used to teach how “hundreds of little eggs” finally hatch into tadpoles which the speaker once liked to watch.

Lines 15 to 21:

Miss Walls : probably the speaker’s teacher
daddy frog : male frog
bullfrog : large frog having a deep booming croak
mammy frog : female frog Laid hundreds…..
this was Frogspawn : female frog lays hundreds of eggs in the frogspawn, tadpoles eventually hatch out from the eggs
tell the weather : predict the weather yellow in sun ….
brown in rain : the colour of frog turns yellow in the sun and brown in the rain.

Comment:

You could tell the weather by frogs: The fact that one could forecast the weather by looking whether the frogs were yellow or brown is also related to suggest the innocence as well as the confident curiosity of the young boy.

Lines 22 to 26:

Rank with : filled with
Invaded : enter aggressively
Ducked : dodged
Hedges : bushes
Coarse : rough
Croaking: refers to the croaking sound of frogs
Bass chorus: deep sound produced by a group of frogs

Comment:

Then one hot day: Heaney now deviates from his collective memory of “every spring,” when his speaker used to collect frogspawn and Miss. Wall, his teacher would give a lesson on the reproductive cycle of frogs. He now meditates upon a “hot day” with unpleasant images of ”angry frogs” which simply sickens him.

This how ever indicates his loss of innocence when even the most basic natural sceneries would make him happy. The speaker’s transition to maturity and loss of innocence is symbolised by the swimming tadpoles turning into “great slime kings”.

Lines 27 to 33:

Gross : ugly
Bellied : swelled (here it refers to the frog bellies)
Sods : pieces of turf.
Pulsed : throbbed The loose necks…
snails: the frogs make their croaking sound, by puffing out their throats.
Hopped : jumped
slap and plop : various kinds of sounds made by frogs while they are on move
obscene : unpleasant
poised : prepared and waiting for something
grenades : hand bomb
blunt heads : soft heads
slime : an unpleasantly thick and slippery liquid substance
slime kings : refers to the ugly big frogs which look like slippery liquid substance
vengeance : revenge
dipped : put or let something down
spawn : frog spawn
clutch : hold tightly

Comment:

sickened, turned, and ran: The speaker now ceases to be a naturalist all because of his aversion for the nature. As Heaney grows closer to being an adult, the natural world becomes more foreign and menacing to him. The smell of the flax dam now “rank” with “cow dung in the grass”.

The adult frogs appear threatening with their resolution to take revenge against the speaker who once stole away their frogspawn. They look like “mud grenades” ready to explode. Hence, the speaker flees the scene which once pleased him during his childhood days.

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Sonnet-116 Poem Questions and Answers & Summary

by
Poem 3 Sonnet-116 Questions and Answers

Sonnet-116 Poem Summary, Questions and Answers

Sonnet-116 Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Attempt a critical appreciation of Sonnet 116.
Answer:
Sonnet 116 is a well known poem in the entire sequence. The definition of love which Shakespeare forwards in this sonnet has become a yardstick of what true love means. Love can be labelled as true only when it shows the power to overcome every “impediment” that comes in its way.

True love however is constant, immortal and continues to exist even when physical beauty falls prey to time’s sickle. Such conviction goads the bard to compose the poem and glorify true love. The poem opens with the speaker disapproving any sort of interference amidst true love.

True love conquers all barriers which come on its way and remains loyal and committed forever. Love ceases to become true if it changes with the change of time or with the change in the loved one. The storms of life can never influence true love all because of its firmness.

This idea is further consolidated with the image of a pole star which never changes its position in the night sky. In fact, pole star is an “ever fixed mark” which cannot be “shaken” even by violent tempest. The reference to tempest is significant in the sense that it represents the blows of life, the “impediments” which tends to threat the lovers ionging to unite all because of their “true minds”.

Real love thus, stands the test of time and guides the course of life just like the pole star guiding a lost ship in the uncharted ocean. In this sense, the value of true love is inestimable like the pole star whose altitude can be determined but, its worth remains immeasurable.

In the third quatrain, the speaker personifies time as a Grim Reaper dressed in long robe and carrying a sickle. Just as a reaper reaps crops with his sickle, time destroys the lustrous beauty of a person. The rosy lips and cheeks thus, come within time’s blow but true love endures because it is transcendental. True love does not change with hours and weeks.

Instead, continues remaining loyal and devoted till the dreadful day of judgment. If such conviction proves to be wrong, the poet says that he would not have written a single word and people wouldn’t have been in love.

As regard to its form, Sonnet 116 is written strictly in accordance with the structure maintained in other sonnets of Shakespeare. There are indeed three quatrains and a couplet which ends the sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.

Question 2.
“Sonnet 116 bristles with various images.” Discuss with close reference to the poem.
Answer:
Imagery is a common term of variable meaning, which includes the “mental pictures” that readers experience within a passage of literature. It signifies all the sensory perceptions referred to in a poem, whether by literal description, allusion, simile, or metaphor.

Imagery however is not limited to visual imagery; it also includes auditory (sound), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell)’, and gustatory (taste) sensation. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, bristles with various images which collectively establishes the poet’s belief that true love does not come in the range of time’s sickle.

To begin with, the poem opens with a declaration that true love has the magical power to conquer all barriers which come on its way and still remains loyal and committed forever. Love ceases to become true if it changes with the change of time or with the change in the loved one. In fact, real love continues to survive amidst all odds and is always steady and firm.

The storms of life can never influence true love all because of its firmness. This idea is further consolidated with the image of a pole star which never changes its position in the night sky. In fact, pole star is an “ever fixed mark” which cannot be “shaken” even by violent tempest.

The reference to tempest is significant in the sense that it represents the blows of life, the “impediments” which tends to threat the lovers longing to unite all because of their “true minds”. But, real love successfully stands the test of time and guides the course of life just like the pole star guiding a lost ship in the uncharted ocean. In this sense, the value of true love is inestimable like the pole star whose altitude can be determined but, its worth remains immeasurable.

However, in the third quatrain, time is personified as a Grim Reaper, in long robe, carrying a sickle. The image however is drawn from the traditional myth of Cronus a harvest god, in long robes, bearing a scythe. Just as a reaper reaps crops with his sickle, time destroys the lustrous beauty of a person.

The rosy lips and cheeks thus, come within time’s blow but true Jove endures because it is transcendental. True love does not change with hours and weeks. Instead, continues remaining loyal and devoted till the dreadful day of judgment. If such conviction proves to be wrong, the poet would not have written a single word. Even people wouldn’t have been in love if true love isn’t what the poet claims it to be.

Sonnet-116 Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Provide a succinct description of the factors that determine that “love is not love”.
Answer:
Sonnet 116 presents a catalogue of factors which determines whether love is true or fake. In the first quatrain, it is made clear what love is not. For example, true love endures every impediment on its way and yet continues to exist triumphantly.

In other words, true love conquers all obstacles that stand in its way and remains consistently stable and Firm. Love ceases to become true if it changes with the change of time. Even if there is a significant change in the loved one should not give up.

After all real love doesn’t disappear even when the loved one remove affection. Real love continues to survive amidst all odds and is always steady and firm. The storms of life can never influence true love all because of its firmness. Moreover, it no longer qualifies as true love which changes with hours and weeks. Time has no influence over it.

Hence, true love continues to remain loyal and devoted till the” dreadful day of judgment. Shakespeare however is too specific about what true love isn’t which establishes his high regard for love. In a way, it is only love for love’s sake that he considers as true love in his sonnet.

Question 2.
Provide a succinct description of the factors that determine true love.
Answer:
Sonnet 116 presents a catalogue of factors that determines whether love is true or fake. True love however endures all impediments which come on its way and yet continues to exist triumphantly. In other words, true love conquers all obstacles that stand in its way and remains consistently stable and firm.

The v storms of life can never influence true love all because of its constancy. Shakespeare further strengthens this idea with the image of a pole star. Just which never changes its position in the night sky. In fact, pole star is an “ever-fixed mark” which cannot be “shaken” even by violent tempest.

The reference to tempest is significant in the sense that it represents the blows of life, the “impediments” which tends to threat the lovers longing to unite all because of their “true minds”. But, real love successfully stands the test of time and guides the course of life just like the pole star guiding a lost ship in the uncharted ocean. In this sense, the value of true love is inestimable like the pole star whose altitude can be determined but, its worth remains immeasurable.

Question 3.
Describe the concept of time and love in Sonnet 116.
Answer:
Almost all of Shakespeare’s sonnets are depressively obsessed with the triumph of love over time. True love as the bard views is ageless since it exists outside the realm of time. Love can only be considered real if every obstacle can be fought triumphantly. Shakespeare openly condemns love which yields to time. This is evident when he Claims that love is “not Time’s fool”.

Time has no influence over love. Though “rosy lips and cheeks” symbolizing the boisterous youth of a lady, falls prey to time’s sickle, yet love continues to exist as it has nothing to do with physical beauty. True love however is transcendental. It is after all the attachment of mind which matters instead of physical attachment. Hence, true love is ageless.

It does not change with hours and weeks. Instead, remains loyal and devoted till the dreadful day of judgment. The poet however is so convinced about what true love is that he says that he would not have written a single word in favour of love; nor people would have been in love: “If this be error and upon me prov’d, / I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.”

Sonnet-116 Poem Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Question 1.
When marriage is not a barrier?
a. When partners are affluent
b. When partners are physically intimate
c. When partners are mentally attached
d. When the partners are willing to get married
Answer:
c. When partners are mentally attached

Question 2.
Which among the following statement is true?
a. Love is true when lovers changes with time
b. Love endures all impediments and yet remains steady
c. True love is nothing but a myth
d. Love vanishes with blows of life
Answer:
b. Love endures all impediments and yet remains steady

Question 3.
True love is like pole star because
a. Pole star changes its position
b. Pole star is shaken by tempest
c. Pole star remains fixed in one particular position
d. Pole star misleads a directionless ship
Answer:
c. Pole star remains fixed in one particular position

Question 4.
What is meant by star to every wandering bark?
a. A star misleads a directionless ship
b. A star is followed by ship
c. Pole star aids a directionless ship to find its way
d. A wandering ship guides a star
Answer:
c. Pole star aids a directionless ship to find its way

Question 5.
Time is fancied as a ………. in the poem
a. Gleaner
b. Cobbler
c. Blacksmith
d. Reaper
Answer:
d. Reaper

Question 6.
What is immeasurable of a pole star?
a. Altitude
b. Worth
c. Size
d. Position
Answer:
b. Worth

Question 7.
What actually is time’s fool?
a. Love
b. True mind
c. Physical beauty
d. None of the above
Answer:
c. Physical beauty

Question 8.
What isn’t time’s fool?
a. Rosy lips and cheeks
b. Mind
c. True love
d. None of the above
Answer:
c. True love

Question 9.
If love is not about true mind the poet would not have……….
a. Fallen in love
b. Written a word about it
c. Encouraged people to fall in love
d. Asked people to marry
Answer:
b. Written a word about it

Question 10.
People still fall in love since
a. They want to marry
b. They can’t stay alone
c. True love exist
d. It is a beautiful experience
Answer:
c. True love exist

Sonnet-116 Poem Summary

Sonnet-116 Poem Introduction

Sonnet 116 is a well known poem in the entire sequence. The definition of love which Shakespeare forwards in this sonnet has become a yardstick of what true love means. Love can be labelled as true only when it shows the power to overcome every “impediment” that comes in its way.

True love however is constant, immortal and continues to exist even when physical beauty falls prey to time’s sickle. Such conviction goads the bard to compose the poem and glorify true love.

Sonnet-116 Poem Summary

The speaker disapproves any sort of interference amidst true love. After all, pure love conquers all barriers which come on its way and still remains loyal and committed forever. Love ceases to become true if it changes with the change of time or with the change in the loved one. In other words, real love doesn’t disappear even when the loved one removes affection.

Real love continues to survive amidst all odds and is always steady and firm. The storms of life can never influence true love all because of its firmness. In fact, true love seems to be like the pole star which never changes its position in the night sky. Just as the pole star guides a lost ship, real love too guides the course of life. In this sense, the value of true love is inestimable like the pole star whose altitude can be determined but, its worth remains immeasurable.

True love is ageless as time has no influence over it. The speaker personifies time as a Grim Reaper, in long robe, carrying a sickle. Just as a reaper reaps crops with his sickle, time destroys the lustrous beauty of a person. The rosy lips and cheeks thus, come within time’s blow but true love endures because it is transcendental.

True love does not change with hours and weeks. Instead, continues remaining loyal and devoted till the dreadful day of judgment. If such conviction proves to be wrong, the poet would not have written a single word. Even people wouldn’t have been in love if true love isn’t what the poet claims it to be.

Sonnet-116 Poem Paraphrase

Stanza I :

The speaker disapproves any sort of interference amidst true love. After all true love conquers all obstacles which come on its way and remains loyal and devoted forever. Love ceases to become true if it changes with the change of time or with the change in the loved one. In other words, real love doesn’t disappear even when the loved one remove affection. Real love continues to survive amidst all odds.

Stanza II :

True love is always steady and firm. The storms of life can never influence true love all because of its firmness. In fact, true love seems to be like the pole star which never changes its position in the night sky. Just as the pole star guides a lost ship, real love too guides the course of life. In this sense, the value of true love is inestimable like the pole star whose altitude can be determined but, its worth remains immeasurable.

Stanza III :

True love is ageless as time has no influence over it. Time however is fancied as a Grim Reaper, in long robe, carrying a sickle. Just as a reaper reaps crops with his sickle, time destroys the lustrous beauty of a person. The rosy lips and cheeks thus, come within time’s blow but true love continues to exist as it is beyond physical. True love does not change with hours and weeks. Instead, continues remaining loyal and devoted till the dreadful day of judgment.

Couplet:

If the nature of true love advocated by the poet is wrong then he would not have written a single word. Even no man would ever have been in love if true love isn’t what the poet claims in this poem.

Sonnet-116 Poem Annotations with Comments

Stanza I:

The marriage of true minds : refers to the attachment of two minds in
Admit impediments : allow interference
Let me not …. Impediments : the speaker disapproves any sort of interference amidst true love. After all true love conquers all obstacles which come on its way
Love is not love : love ceases to become true
Which alters …….. finds : true love never changes with the change of time
Bends with……. remove : true love never changes when it finds changes in the loved one.

Comment:

The marriage of true minds: Shakespeare defines the ideal relationship as the marriage of true minds; i.e. the deep attachment of two minds. The expression however is based upon the Christian marriage service in the Book of Common Prayer: if any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it.”

Stanza II.

O no! : true love doesn’t change or expire.
It is … mark : true love is always steady and firm.
That looks ….. tempests: true love has courage to face and endure the storms of life
never shaken : never be terrorised
star : refers to the pole star
bark : ship
wandering bark : ship which becomes directionless
worth : value
height : altitude
whose worth … be taken : whose value ¡s inestimable although its altitude can be determined.

Comment:

It is the star to every wand ring bark: The speaker tells what love is through the metaphor of a guiding star to lost ships. Just as a pole star guides a lost ship, love too guides the course of life. Moreover, true love remains steady like pole star even amidst all odds. The constancy of true love is thus highlighted in this verse-line.

Stanza III.

Time’s fool : something that exists for a short period only
Love’s….fool : time has no influence over true ¡oie. It cannot destroy true love which remains for life long.
Rosy lips and cheeks : youthful beauty
sickle’s : scythe
bending sickle’s : this Is a traditional picture of the Grim Reaper.
Within his …. compass : time is personified as a reaper in long robe, carrying a sickle
Though rosy lips…. come : though beauty fades in time as rosy lips and cheeks come within time’s blow
Alters :  change
Love alters … weeks : Love does not change with hours and weeks.
But bears it out: love remains loyal and devoted
to the edge of doom : love remains steady till the last point of the doomsday, when the whole creation will be destroyed. The reference to ‘doom” refers to the Catholic conviction of the doomsday.

Comment:

Love’s not Time’s fool, …. compass come : Shakespeare’s belief that time has no influence over true love is established in these lines. True love is ageless. Even when one grows old, love continues to exists though the physical beauty falls prey to time’s sickle. Shakespeare believes that It is the constancy that binds together the two mutually loving persons.

Within his bending sickle’s compass come : The image of time carrying a sickle brings to the mind the image of the Grim Reaper. The Image how ever is drawn from the traditional myth of Cronus a harvest god, in long robes, bearing a scythe.

Lines 13 to 14: (Couplet)

This : refers to the nature of true love advocated by the poet.
This be error : if the conviction of true love being ageless can be proved to be wrong
I never writ : the poet would not have written a word
no man …… Iov’d : no man can ever have been in love

Comment :

The sonnet makes a dramatic and fairly strong final remark. The poet is in a way confirmed that true love is always ageless and can lead mankind to a meaningful and happy life. If true love would have been a myth, he wouldn’t have wasted time writing about it and no one would have fallen in love.

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Rhapsody Workbook Answers Poem 10 Death Be Not Proud

by
Poem 10 Death Be Not Proud

Rhapsody Workbook Answers Poem 10 Death Be Not Proud

Death Be Not Proud Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
In what way can “Death, he Not Frond” he called a religious poem?
Answer:
“Death Be Not Proud” is taken from Donne’s book of Holy Sonnet No. 10. This poem is a religious poem as it deals with the immortality of the souls. All the religious Christians believe in the immortality of the souls. In the poem, the poet says that death has no power over the soul. It can kill only our bodies. After the death, the soul becomes immortal and will wake up eternally in the heaven.

Death cannot conquer soul rather it is the soul that conquers death. So Donne considers death as a poor thing as it is helpless and powerless. By calling it poor the poet actually pities death for its vulnerability and effectiveness. He further says that death is neither terrible nor powerful. Death is only a form of rest and sleep which gives us more pleasure. Again the poet describes death as a slave of fate, chance, kings, and desperate men. It lives in the bad company of power, war and sickness.

It cannot function or work on its own. It is dependent on the agents such as poison, war and fate to put an end of a person’s life. Therefore it is powerless and should not be proud for killing a person. It is death which itself is conquered and dies.

Donne humiliates death and declares the impotence of death. Once a person faces death,he is dead bodily as his soul leaves his body and goes to the heaven where it continues its living with other spirits. Spiritually a person does not die because souls are external. This is the belief or faith of the religious Christians. So we can say that since this poem shows the eternity of the soul, degrading death, therefore the poem deals with religious faith. So it can be called a religious poem.

Question 2.
Explain the significance of the last lines of the poem “Death Be Not Proud”?
Answer:
The poem “Death Be Not Proud” by John Donne deals with the defeat of death, which is seen as all powerful and dreadful by mankind. The poem opens with death being personified as an individual who ends everything but the poet compares it to the other characters and demonstrates his fearlessness towards death, suggesting it to be just a short slumber and more like a passage into one’s eternal existence.

According to John Donne, when death has done its work on man, it Is the end of itself rather than the end of that man because the man will no longer die, but will be transcended to a spiritual being free of the miseries and afflictions of earthly physical life.

So according to the poet, in some ways, meeting death is a happy experience because man will enter his true purpose of living eternally in heaven free from all sufferings. So while existing on the earth, death becomes the only terror for man but after meeting death when his soul travels into another world that is the world of heaven, man becomes terror for death. It is death that perishes not man.

Death Be Not Proud Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Discuss the opening lines of the sonnet ‘‘Death be Not Proud”.
Answer:
In the opening lines of the poem, Donne addresses Death and asks it not to be proud. Death has been described as forceful and frightening by some, but this is completely different. According to Donne Death is a lowly thing and not a mighty one. Death thinks that it has killed people, rather, their soul become eternal and they awaken to live forever. As a result the soul becomes more powerful and conquers death.

Question 2.
Why is the poet not afraid of death?
Answer:
The poet John Donne is not afraid of death since he believes that when individuals die, they are only dead for a transient period and their souls live on, in the afterlife in the heaven. Therefore he argues that death cannot kill him, and so he is also not afraid of death.

Question 3.
Give an example of the use of paradox in the poem and explain.
Answer:
The poet employs the paradox of death by questioning its traditional picture as the indomitable conqueror of man and claiming that by doing so it provides relief and pleasure like that of ‘rest and sleep’. It ultimately offers the delivery of souls into a tranquil eternity.

Question 4.
How does death set a man free?
Answer:
When a man’s transitions take place from a physical
to a spiritual being, he becomes free. He transcends into the joys of an eternal after life, where he is free from all tragedies, conflicts, sufferings, pains and afflictions of earthly life.

Question 5.
Why do you think the poet personifies Death as a slave?
Answer:
Death cannot function independently. It needs sickness, accidents and poison to determine who will die. So it lacks the ability to choose and so the poet refers it as a ‘slave’.

Question 6.
Who in the poet’s opinion, are the agents of death ?
Answer:
According to the poet, poison, war and sickness, are the agents of death. Death is present in their company. So in order to kill a person, death must enlist the assistance of these evil agents. Death, is a victim of fate, chance, kings and wicked individuals.

Opium and other drugs have the same impact on us as death in terms of putting us to sleep. They help us in sleeping better. Death cannot function on its own level. That’s why the poet has called death to be powerless and helpless instead of dreadful and powerful.

Question 7.
What is the moral lesson of ‘Death Not Be Proud’?
Answer:
The message of the poem ‘Death Be Not Proud’ is that there is nothing to be afraid of death. In fact after death, we enjoy a life of eternity in the heaven where we can rest in peace without tragedies, afflictions, diseases, conflicts, sufferings and pain.

Question 8.
What do people think of death according to the poet?
Answer:
According to the poet, people think of death as mighty and terrifying, something that frightens their imaginations and thoughts. They believe that death is something very powerful and is a tremendous force that kills men and put an end to their lives.

Death Be Not Proud Poem Logic Base Questions

Complete the following sentences by providing a REASON for each:

1. The poet seems to taunt death because it is not independent as it has to take help of something or somebody in order to function. It is slave to chance, kings and desperate men.

2. Death is not actually powerful but it is weak and helpless because it does not have the power to kill all as it cannot kill human soul which is eternal.

3. Death is compared to sleep because like sleep it also gives rest and pleasure to us.

4. The poet pities death because death has no power as such and it can kill no one so it cannot kill the poet also.

5. Death cannot touch our souls because, it has no power to kill the immortal souls as according to Christian theology, souls are eternal.

6. Death should not feel proud because it is not at all powerful and dreadful as people think it to be but instead it is helpless and powerless.

7. Death sends us to a short sleep because after it, we wake up in the other world eternally.

Death Be Not Proud Poem About the Poet John Donne

John Donne was born in 1572 in London, in England. He was a multi-talented person who excelled as a poet, scholar, soldier and an administrator. He was considered as the pre-eminent metaphysical poet of his time. He studied at both Oxford as well as Cambridge universities of England. He studied law.
John Donne wrote a number of sonnets, satires, elegies; love lyrics etc.

His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams etc. He is also known for his sermons. His style is characterized by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations.

He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits. Among his notable works are “The Flea”, “A Valediction : Forbidding Morning”, “The Good Morrow”, “Holy Sonnets”, “The Canonization”, “The Sun Rising”, “The Dream”, “Death Be Not Proud” and many more. He died on 31st March, 1631 in London.

Death Be Not Proud About the Poem

‘Death Be not Proud’ is written between February and August 1609, and was first published posthumously in 1633. It is included as one of the nineteen sonnets that comprise Donne’s Holy Sonnets or Divine Meditations, among his best own works.

‘Death Be Not Proud’ presents an argument against the power of death. Addressing the death as a person, the speaker warns Death against pride in power. So Death actually is presented here as weak and not something “mighty”, which can only have effects on human bodies but not on human souls as they are immortal and deathless. So the main focus of the poem is to underline the immortality of the soul. The poet through this poem wants us to realize that there is life beyond this life.

This poem deconstructs the conventional image of death as a formidable ruler. Donne addresses the poem to Death, implying that Death should not be proud of itself because it is neither frightening nor strong. It has no control over immortal souls. So the poet wants us not to look at the might of it but at the wonderful power of God that we “wake eternally” from Death induced sleep.

He claims that rest and sleep are merely euphemisms for death. Finally, the poet states that death is a form of sleep from which the soul awakens to live eternally and becomes immortal. It is ultimately Death that dies. Donne thus lowers death and claims that it is not frightening or overpowering in any manner.

Death Be Not Proud Poem in Summary

The poem “Death, be Not Proud” starts by addressing ‘Death’ itself. The speaker personifies death as a figure and highlights Death’s false pride, and its short comings. He begins by calling out Death for what he believes is an inflated ego.

Death is neither frightening nor powerful although some people have called it so. It has no power over the soul which is immortal or in other words death has no effect and power over the soul. By calling Death ‘poor’, the poet pities it for its powerlessness and vulnerability.

So we can see how the poet debunks the belief that death is a victor, because it cannot kill soul; it can merely rest his weaiy body and free his soul to heaven. Linking the experience of sleep to death, he suggests that Death is merely a long sleep. Since sleep is pleasurable, there is no reason to believe that Death would not be too.

He says that the best men die young, achieving rest from the realms, and their souls are liberated. So dying is not a terrifying experience but Death should be treated like a welcome friend, not an agent of tenor. The poet tries to say that Death, in truth, is a prisoner, a slave to fate, chance, cruel kings and wicked men or in other words it cannot act on its own.

He is just an instrument in the hands of fate, powerful rulers and vicious persons. Death acts on their call. It is associated with low companions like poison, battle and sickness. Opium and other narcotics can induce better sleep than death. They help us to sleep better. So, death should not be proud of his abilities.

Finally, the poet states that death is a form of sleep from which the soul awakens to live eternally and becomes immortal. So death has no hold or control over us. The soul triumphs over death; it is death that dies. It is not death that perishes us; it is rather death that perishes. So ultimately when we wake up in eternity; death will be no more.

Death Be Not Proud Poem Line Wise Explanation

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou thinkest, thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

The poet, John Donne, addresses directly and dramatically Death who is personified as a figure. Such an address to something that we realistically know can’t be listening is called an apostrophe. The first quatrain of the sonnet denies Death as mighty and dreadful as some have called it. So Donne tells Death not to be proud.

Death may believe that he has defeated those who die, but Donne states that actually those people do not die, because their souls live on in the afterlife. He further degrades Death by calling it “ poor death”. He makes fun of Death for living under the misconception of its power for so long. According to the poem, people who die are dead momentarily and then they live along with all the other spirits in the Heaven. This is why Donne says that Death cannot kill him.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

In these lines the poet compares Death to rest and sleep. Just as we receive pleasure from a night of peaceful sleep, so also Death brings pleasure. The poet attempts to provide us with the reasoning for his argument. If we derive pleasure from rest and sleep, then we must derive even more pleasure from death itself because rest and peace are pale imitations of death.

So in other words we can say that sleep is a short form of death and nothing else. The poet also says that those people who die young are loved by God the most. Death is described here as “rest of bones” and means of soul’s delivery. When death perishes their bodies, they have peace and rest which they do not enjoy in life due to hard work, pain and suffering.

After death the bones get rest and souls become free and immortal. So Death actually gives birth to the soul which earlier was encaged in our body. Therefore we should not fear death as it is not fearful and terrible.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?

In these lines the speaker adopts a stronger tone here and humiliates Death more than he did before. The poet taunts by saying that death cannot operate on its own. It has to seek the help of something or somebody to function. It is a captive or a slave to power of fate, chance, cruel monarchs and desperate men. It is also a poor submissive slave who is driven by rich people and rulers.

Kings and criminals can put an end to a man’s life instantly. Opium is made from the flowers like the poppy and charms are made from magic; both are equally efficient at lulling people to sleep. They also have the same effect on us as death in terms of putting us to sleep.

All these help us to sleep better. Or in other words Death has low companions like poison, war and sickness. Poison, war and physical sickness are destructive. So they are the agents through which Death works. Therefore the poet questions Death as to why it swells up with pride, when it is humbled to a weakling.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be not more; Death, thou shalt die.

The final couplet speaks of the death which is merely a brief sleep since after a person dies, he will awaken and continue living eternally, free of Death or in other words those who experience Death wakes up eternally. Only their bodies perish but the souls remain the same since they go beyond the power and grasp of Death.

From a Christian perspective it can be said that Death itself is alive and logically subjected to its own death. In the other world, there will be no death or Death itself dies. The speaker will awaken from death as if from sleep and never again experience the dying process. Thus the poem ends on a paradox.

Death Be Not Proud Poem Theme

The theme, seen throughout John Donne’s poem is that death is unable to have its effects on the souls. Therefore death should not be feared as it is powerless. It only shows the power of man over Death. Though man is mortal, he is still superior to Death.

Death is a slave to its-inducing agents. It uses fate, chance, kings, criminal and sickness to put an end to someone’s life. So the poet portrays the image of death as a very common thing. He says that death is a ‘short sleep’ and nothing else because it gives us the same pleasure as we derive from sleep. The poet therefore believes in eternal life after death.

We will wake up eternally and there will be no death, so there will be another life after death. The poet makes an emphatic statement that death finishes the mortality of human being and gives them immortal status. Therefore another theme of this poem is immortality of human soul. Death perishes only human bodies. It has no control over soul as it wakes up eternally. So instead of fearing death we should be amazed at the wonder of the Divine scheme that is eternal life after death.

Death Be Not Proud Poem Word Meaning

Mighty — powerful
Thou — you
Thee — you
Overthrow — conquer
Cans’t — cannot
Do go — depart from this world
Bones — bodies
Desperate men — criminals
Dwell — live
Poppie — opium
Charms — magical chorus
Stroke — blow
Swell — puff

Death Be Not Proud Poem Critical Appreciation

John Donne in his poem ‘Death, be not Proud’ addresses death and speaks of its power. He reprimands death for being too proud and remarks that death cannot overpower him. He argues that death is for those whom death thinks that it can overthrow.

The poet also calls the death ‘poore’- it is not human beings who are the subject of pity but death itself deserves that denigration. Thus the poet gives argument after argument showing the powerlessness of death. Since death has no power in itself, it has no independent existence or authority of its own.

In order to kill a man, death has to seek the assistance of chance, fate, power of kings and criminals. It lives in the company of squalor, war and sickness which are all its exterior agents for killing people. The poet strips death of its power as an independent agency. He says death makes a picture of sleep and rest while life keeps on moving.

It provides pleasure and rest just as a peaceful night of sleep provides a man. Death is like a short sleep, as after death we wake eternally. When a person is resting or asleep, he is sort of a useless man. Therefore rest and sleep are pix of demise. So the poet here wants to say how death induces sleep, however there are numerous manner like opium and capsules which offer a higher and gentler sleep.

The forceful and convincing arguments of the poet make his point understandable easily. His tone is harsh and rugged. His irony is bitter and humour coarse. The opening of this poem is generally dramatic. The simplicity of language and complexity of expression make his vocabulary plain and pure. The poem ends on a paradox.

Death Be Not Proud Poem Style

“Death, Be Not Proud” is a sonnet-a poem of fourteen lines. It consists of four quatrains and a couplet at the end. It follows the Shakespearean structure, with a rhyme scheme of abba for the first two quatrains grouping them into an octet which is typical in Petrarchan sonnet.

Therefore if follows the rhyme scheme like a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet. There are many literary devices used in the poem like personification, metaphors, alliterations, assonance, paradox. In the poem death has been personified and since death is addressed directly therefore it can be said as an example of an apostrophe. Egs- Death be not proud, Die not, poor death

Fate and Chance have also been personified as living beings. The metaphors used in the poem are – death being compared to slave, rest and sleep. The repetition of consonant sounds is notable in Much pleasure much more much flow (‘m’ sound) and One short sleep past, we wake eternally (‘w’ sound).

These are alliterations. The repetition of vowel sounds in “And soonest our best men with thee do go” (‘e’ sound) is an example of assonance. The last line of the poem is a paradox where though the statement seems to be false but is actually true.

Death Be Not Proud Poem MCQs

Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

Question 1.
What is the tone of the poem?
a. harsh
b. sedate
c. gentle
d. passionate
Answer:
a. harsh

Question 2.
Who ‘die quite young’, according to the poet?
a. sick men
b. poor men
c. excellent men
d. bad men
Answer:
c. excellent men

Question 3.
Which of these is not compared to death?
a. rest
b. sleep
c. slave
d. none of the above
Answer:
d. none of the above

Question 4.
The structure of the poem is basically …………..
a. Petrarchan sonnet
b. a Shakespearean sonnet
c. a lyric
d. an elegy
Answer:
b. a Shakespearean sonnet

Question 5.
The form of the poet is basically ……………
a. a lyric
b. an elegy
c. a Shakespearean sonnet
d. a Petrarchan sonnet
Answer:
d. a Petrarchan sonnet

Question 6.
Which of these statements is fake in relation to death’?
a. we should not fear death
b. Death is weak and helpless
c. Death acts independently
d. Death is compared to sleep
Answer:
c. Death acts independently

Question 7.
Death is welcome according to the poem as it …………..
a. gives us rest and pleasure
b. ends all our happiness
c. is very powerful
d. is very frightening
Answer
a. gives us rest and pleasure

Question 8.
What rhyme scheme is followed in …………..
a. abab
b. abba
c. aabb
d. abcd
Answer:
b. abba

Question 9.
Who are the companions of death’?
a. poison, war and sickness
b. war, sickness and opium
c. charms, poison and sickness
d. poison, war and opium
Answer:
a. poison, war and sickness

Question 10.
“One short sleep past. we wake eternally’. what figure of speech is used in the above line?
a. metaphor
b. simile
c. paradox
d. alliterations
Answer:
d. alliterations

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Rhapsody Workbook Answers Poem 9 Small Towns and the River

by
Poem 9 Small Towns and the River

Rhapsody Workbook Answers Poem 9 Small Towns and the River

Small Towns and the River Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Critically appreciate “Small Towns and the River.”
Answer:
Mamang Dai’s works are illustrative. She received the Padma Shri award in 2011 from the Government of India. Her one of the famous works “Small towns and the River” is a poem of life and mortality. In this poem, the eternal flow of the river is being contrasted with the limited span of human life. In this poem, the existence of human life, the eternal truth about death and the concept of the after-life is discussed. The poem opens up by mentioning the life in small towns which is stagnant, irrespective of the season.

The scenario does not change there as the life there is dull and monotonous. The environment there, reminds the poet “of death”. Whenever the news on someone’s death comes, all the people of the town stick together and mourn which shows how close the people are with each other. They share their grief, loss and pain. Life and death comes on goes but “the rituals are permanent.” In this poem, the river is personified by giving it a soul. Irrespective of seasons, the river flows endlessly.

The river, in this poem, acts as a symbol of peace. This poem also talks about the childhood of human life which is a carefree period of innocence. In this period, humans remain free from every tension and troubles. But when they grow up, everything changes.

The grown-ups represent the town and the “dead are placed pointing west.” After death, when the soul rises, “it will walk into the golden east”. There is also a mention of the rebirth of a soul which indicates immortality. According to the poet, life, though non-permanent, is beautiful.

The cool bamboo gets the warmth of sunlight and “life matters, like this.” As sunlight plays a major role for the growth of plants so is life important to keep the soul thriving. This poem contains rich, visual imageries that describe mainly Mother Nature. These images can be called as visual treat which are very much original and pleasing. This poem has lucid language and simple fervour.

Question 2.
What is the theme of the poem “Small Towns and the River?”
Answer:
The theme of the poem “Small Towns and the River” is quiet simple. Through this poem, the poet expresses her idea of life and death. The poet writes, “life and death, life and death,/only the rituals are permanent” which expresses the very fact that life follows death and after death, new life begins and this is an endless circle. Human life is non-permanent but the nature and its rituals are ceaseless.

The river, which is also ceaseless, is personified by giving it a soul. The life of the small towns by the river is expressed as dull and monotonous whereas the flow of the river water is pulsating with life. In this poem, we also can witness the mention of a soul’s rebirth.

The closeness and fellowship among the town dwellers is also highlighted in this poem as they share their happiness and grief side by side. T’ ey have a bonding among them which is fascinating.

Question 3.
In what way does the poet use the river as a metaphor in the poem?
Answer:
In this poem, the river is personified as it is said of having a soul. The river flows ceaselessly; it does not remain same or stagnant. Thus it is full of life and its flow is peaceful. The soul of the river is said to be immortal and as it flows through various lands, towns and other places, it is aware of the first drops of rain that touch the soil, the drought that occurs and the mists on mountaintops.

The poet says that the river knows the immortality of water as its presence is eternal. In this poem, actually, the poet contrasts the constancy of her town with the vibrant flow of the river water. Through the movement of the river water, the poet actually tries to describe the constancy of life.

Small Towns and the River Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
How does the speaker compare her hometown with small towns?
Answer:
By the phrase ‘small towns’ the speaker refers to those places which are devoid of the attachment of Nature. Naturally life here is suffocating. The speaker does not enjoy her existence here. Not only that, the place creates in her the impression of death. However, death here does not imply the absence of life; rather it stands for the absence of the joy of living.

Question 2.
What according to the poetess marks the days of childhood?
Answer:
According to the poetess happy incidents mark the days of childhood. It is at this time that the child creates a world of his own and does not allow the interference of any incident belonging to the outer world. Naturally a thing like political unrest though it exists in the society hardly affects the child.

Question 3.
Comment on the use of imagery in the poem.
Answer:
In this poem, the poet has used multiple rich, visual imageries that describe mainly Mother Nature. These images can be called as visual treat which are very much original and pleasing. The river is personified in this poem because it never stops flowing.

The cool bamboo symbolises human body and the sunlight symbolises human soul because just like a soul puts life into a body, so does the sunlight into a bamboo plant. These images are picturesque and worth-noticing.

Question 4.
Comment on the style of “Small Towns and the River.”
Answer:
In the poem, “Small Towns and the River”, has a lucid style of writing. Metaphorically, this poem talks about the issues of life, death and after-life. The poet has used several images which can be considered as very much original and appealing.

We can also witness an extensive use of personification which is a striking feature of this poem. The river, small towns, the cool bamboo and even the sun is personified in this poem. This poem also shows the consonant sounds like- “Just the other day some died.” (d- sound), “…dreadful silence we wept” (w- sound). This poem is deeply meaningful and carries an inner meaning.

Question 5.
“Just the other day someone died. In the dreadful silence we wept”- Elucidate.
Answer:
Here, the speaker then recalls the day when someone died in her hometown. She recalls how the town mourned the death in dreadful silence. She reflects on the transient nature of life. Only the mourning or weeping on death is constant, as the speaker says, “only the rituals are permanent”.

Small Towns and the River Poem Logic Base Questions

Complete the following sentences by providing a REASON for each:

Question 1.
The hometown of the poet “lies calmly amidst the trees because ………….
Answer:
She used to live in a small town.

Question 2.
Her hometown remains always the same “in summer or winter” because
Answer:
Life there is dull and monotonous.

Question 3.
“Only the rituals are permanent’’ because
Answer:
Life there has no change.

Question 4.
The poet says that the river “has a soul” because
Answer:
It flows ceaselessly and it “knows the immortality of water.”

Question 5.
Childhood is considered as the golden period of life because
Answer:
This is a happy period without any hint of sadness and worries.

Question 6.
In this poem, the river is presented as an immortal being because
Answer:
It never stops flowing.

Question 7.
When someone dies, dreadful silence occurs because
Answer:
Death stops everything.

Question 8.
The cool bamboo is placed under the sunlight because
Answer:
It symbolises life.

Question 9.
When the soul rises, “it will walk into the golden east” because
Answer:
It finds eternal peace.

Question 10.
The poet had used personification is his poem because
Answer:
He wanted to give richness to the poem.

Small Towns and the River Poem About the Poet Mamang dal

Mamang Dai is a celebrated Indian writer, journalist, and poet from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Born in 1959, in the village of Liromoba, in West Siang district of the state, Mamang has been writing since the 1980s. She has published several books in English, Hindi and her native language of Adi, including The Legends of Pensam (2008), The Black Hill (2013), and The Legends of Sela (2015). Mamang Dai’s works often focus on the traditional culture and folklore of her native Arunachal Pradesh.

Dai’s poetic world is one of river, forest and mountain, a limpid and lyrical reflection of the terrain of her home state. Nature here is mysterious, verdant with myth, dense with sacred memory. There is magic to be found everywhere: in the way lilies “navigating on a heartbeat… are shooting up like swordfish”, in the quiet equipoise of “cool bamboo,/ restored in sunlight”, in the “speechless ardour” of mountains. And there is no doubt whatsoever that “the river has a soul”.

She also often covers topics of social and political importance, such as women’s rights and environmental issues. She is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (2015) and the Padma Shri (2019), the fourth highest civilian award in India.

Mamang Dai is known for her unique style of writing, which combines poetry, prose, and oral storytelling. She is also a noted speaker, having delivered lectures at several universities, including the University of Cambridge and Harvard University. Mamang Dai has been an active member of the Indian literary community for decades, and her works are studied in universities across the world.

For all its simplicity, Dai’s poetry does not arrive at easy conclusions. There is no dishonest sense of anchor here, no blissful pastoral idyll. The poet describes her people as “foragers for a destiny” and her work is pervaded by a deep unease about erased histories and an uncertain future. And yet, implicit in Dai’s poetics is the refusal to divorce protest from love.

(An interview with her in which she eloquently articulates this view, accompanies this edition.) This seems to translate into a commitment to poetry of quiet surges and eddies rather than gritty textures and edges. It also translates into a voice that is never raised in rage or indignation; a tone that is hushed, wondering, thoughtful, reflective. The strength of this poetry is its unforced clarity, its ability to steer clear of easy flamboyance.

Small Towns and the River About the Poem

“Small Towns and the River”, is a small poem written by Mamang Dai. This poem belongs to Mamang Dai’s collection of River Poems that talks about life and mortality. This poem talks about the usual beliefs about the transience of life that is an afterlife and the permanent existence of human soul. The poet uses different metaphors to contrast the impermanence of human life with the permanence of nature. I

n this poem, the poet uses the scenes of her hometown to reflect the very theme of the poem. This poem opens up by enfolding a shocking truth. Through the line “Small towns always remind me of death” the poet gives a particular reference of his hometown, situated among trees. It seems her town is lifeless, always the same both in summer and winter.

People weep when any death happens and amidst “life and death, life and death, only the rituals are permanent.” But unlike human life, nature remains eternal, of which the river plays an important role. The river is also personified in this poem.

When we go further with this poem, we could see how the immortality of the human soul and the immortality of nature are entwined. The eternal flow of the river is also contrasted with the limited span of the human life in this poem.

Small Towns and the River Poem in Detail

The poem begins by mentioning the life in small towns which is unchanging, irrespective of the season. The life there is dull and monotonous. The environment there, reminds the poet “of death”. Whenever the news on someone’s death comes, all the people of the town mourn that indicates how close the people are with each other.

Life and death comes on goes but “the rituals are permanent.” In this poem, the river is personified by giving it a soul. Irrespective of seasons, the river flows ceaselessly. The river, in this poem, acts as a symbol of peace. This poem also talks about the childhood of human life which is a carefree period of innocence. In this period, humans remain free from every tension and troubles. But when they grow up, everything changes. The grown-ups represent the town and the “dead are placed pointing west.”

After death, when the soul rises, “it will walk into the golden east”. There is a mention of the rebirth of a soul which indicates immortality. According to the poet, life, though transient, is beautiful. The cool bamboo gets the warmth of sunlight and “life matters, like this.” As sunlight plays a major role for the growth of plants so is life important to keep the soul thriving.

Small Towns and the River Poem Line Wise Explanation

Small towns always remind me of death.
My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees,
it is always the same,
in summer or winter,
with the dust flying,
or the wind howling down the gorge.

The speaker begins by describing her hometown that lies calmly amidst the trees. This calm town situated amidst trees is symbolic of the ominous silence of death. The image of this small town brings back memories of the dead ones. To the speaker, the town seems unchanged as she says, “it is always the same, in summer or winter”.

This monotony or never-changing nature of her town is also characteristic of death which is an unavoidable truth. The wind is personified as howling down the gorge, and becomes a symbol for the valley of death.

Just the other day someone died.
In the dreadful silence we wept
looking at the sad wreath of tuberoses.
Life and death, life and death,
only the rituals are permanent.

In this stanza, the speaker then recalls the day when someone died in her hometown. She recalls how the town mourned the death in dreadful silence. She reflects on the transient nature of life. Only the mourning or weeping on death is constant, as the speaker says, “only the rituals are permanent”.

The river has a soul.
In the summer it cuts through the land
like a torrent of grief. Sometimes,
sometimes, I think it holds its breath
seeking a land of fish and stars

After personifying the wind in the first stanza, the poet now personifies the river. She says that like a human, the river has a soul. However, while the soul of a human is transient, the river has an eternal soul. The river cuts through the land like a torrent of grief means that the river makes its way through the land just like grief pierces into the human heart. This again reiterates the ideas of grief and death.
The river has a soul.

It knows, stretching past the town, from the first drop of rain to dry earth and mist on the mountaintops, the river knows the immortality of water. The River’s soul is eternal and immortal because it contains water. This is why the poet says that the river knows the immortality of water. It means that the constant flow of water makes the river live forever.

Also, by saying that “it knows”, the speaker means that the river flows through many areas and experiences different terrains of the plains and the mountains. It also witnesses everything from the first drop of rain to diy earth and mist on the mountaintops. It is as if the river gains wisdom and knowledge by flowing over such a long path. This makes the speaker reiterate that the river knows.

A shrine of happy pictures
marks the days of childhood.
Small towns grow with anxiety for the future
The dead are placed pointing west.
When the soul rises
it will walk into the golden east,
into the house of the sun.

The speaker then assumes a nostalgic tone remembering the happy pictures that mark the days of childhood. As the carefree phase of childhood passes, people become anxious about their futures. The worries of the future overwhelm their present lives.

According to the town’s ritual, the dead ones are placed in the direction pointing west. It is believed that the soul of the dead people rises from their bodies to ascend towards the Sun in the east. The Sun serves as a symbol of hope and afterlife.

In the cool bamboo,
restored in sunlight,
life matters, like this.
In small towns by the river
we all want to walk with the gods.

The poet ends by saying that though the dead ones leave, the life of the people in town is restored to normalcy after the mourning rituals end. After the gloomy picture of death presented in the previous stanzas, the final lines present hope in the thought of an afterlife as the poet concludes, “we all want to walk with the gods”.

The poem presents a contrast between the mortal humans and the immortal Nature. The human beings die but the river and the Sun continue to live. The permanent nature of the river’s flow is in contrast with the transient nature of human life. Death cannot be avoided and is destined to come to all humans. But there is still some hope for the human soul that can walk with the gods after the death.

Small Towns and the River Poem Theme

The theme of the poem “Small Towns and the River” is quiet simple. Through this poem, the poet expresses her idea of life and death. The poet writes, “life and death, life and death,only the rituals are permanent” which expresses the very fact that life follows death and after death, new life begins and this is an endless circle. Human life is non-permanent but the nature and its rituals are ceaseless.

The river, which is also ceaseless, is personified by giving it a soul. The life of the small towns by the river is expressed as dull and monotonous whereas the flow of the river water is pulsating with life. In this poem, we also can witness the mention of a soul’s rebirth.

The closeness and fellowship among the town dwellers is also highlighted in this poem as they share their happiness and grief side by side. They have a bonding among them which is fascinating.

Small Towns and the River Poem Word Meaning

Calmly — In a peaceful, .quiet way and without worry or extreme emotion
Amidst — In the middle of or surrounded by
Howling — Blowing hard and making a lot of noise
Dreadful — causing fear, shock, or suffering
Permanent — Lasting for a long time or forever
Torrent — A sudden large or too large amount, especially one that seems to be uncontrolled
Rituals — A way of doing something in which the same actions are done in the same way every time
Grief … Very great sadness, especially at the death of someone
Soul — The spiritual part of a person that some people believe continues to exist in some form after their body has died, or the part of a person that is not physical and experiences deep feelings and emotions
Seeking — To try to find or get something
Immortality — The quality of being able to Jive or last forever
Shrine — A place for worship that is holy because of a connection with a holy person or object
Anxiety — An uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future
Bamboo — A tall tropical grass with hard, hollow stems
Gorge — A narrow valley between hills or mountains
Tuberose — A Mexican plant with heavily scented white waxy flowers and a tuberous base

Small Towns and the River Poem Critical Appreciation

Mamang Dai’s works are illustrative. She received the Padma Shri award in 2011 from the Government of India. Her one of the famous works “Small towns and the River” is a poem of life and mortality. In this poem, the eternal flow of the river is being contrasted with the limited span of human life.

In this poem, the existence of human life, the eternal truth about death and the concept of the after-life is discussed. The poem opens up by mentioning the life in small towns which is stagnant, irrespective of the season.

The scenario does not change there as the life there is dull and monotonous. The environment there, reminds the poet “of death”. Whenever the news on someone’s death comes, all the people of the town stick together and mourn which shows how close the people are with each other. They share their grief, loss and pain. Life and death comes on goes but “the rituals are permanent.” In this poem, the river is personified by giving it a soul.

Irrespective of seasons, the river flows endlessly. The river, in this poem, acts as a symbol of peace. This poem also talks about the childhood of human life which is a carefree period of innocence. In this period, humans remain free from every tension and troubles.

But when they grow up, everything changes. The grown-ups represent the town and the “dead are placed pointing west.” After death, when the soul rises, “it will walk into the golden east”. There is also a mention of the rebirth of a soul which indicates immortality.

According to the poet, life, though non¬permanent, is beautiful. The cool bamboo gets the warmth of sunlight and “life matters, like this.” As sunlight plays a major role for the growth of plants so is life important to keep the soul thriving. This poem contains rich, visual imageries that describe mainly Mother Nature. These images can be called as visual treat which are very much original and pleasing. This poem has lucid language and simple fervor.

Small Towns and the River Poem Style

In the poem, “Small Towns and the River”, has a lucid style of writing. Metaphorically, this poem talks about the issues of life, death and after-life. The poet has used several images which can be considered as very much original and appealing.

We can also witness an extensive use of personification which is a striking feature of this poem. The river, small towns, the cool bamboo and even the sun is personified in this poem. This poem also shows the consonant sounds like- “Just the other day some died.” (d- sound), “…dreadful silence we wept” (w-sound). This poem is deeply meaningful and carries an inner meaning.

Small Towns and the River Poem MCQs

Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

Question 1.
Who is the narrator of the poem?
a. The villagers
b. Some other people
c. Mamang Dai
d. None of them
Answer:
c. Mamang Dai

Question 2.
What is the reminder of death according to the poem?
a. Small town
b. Small village
c. The villagers
d. The cemetery
Answer:
a. Small town

Question 3.
According to the poem which place is always the same?
a. The river
b. Poet’s town
c. The city
d. Some other place
Answer:
b. Poet’s town

Question 4.
What is “Tuberose”?
a. A flower
b. A place
c. Some kind of food
d. Some kind of emotion
Answer:
a. A flower

Question 5.
According to the poet what is permanent?
a. The person
b. The body
c. The emotion
d. The rituals
Answer:
d. The rituals

Question 6.
According to the poet, which natural thing has soul in the poem “Small Towns and the River”?
a. The land
b. The river
c. The House
d. None of them
Answer:
b. The river

Question 7.
Who knows the “Stretching past the town”?
a. The tree
b. The people
c. The narrator
d. The river
Answer:
d. The river

Question 8.
What is immortal according to the poet?
a. The river
b. The land
c. The water
d. The tree
Answer:
c. The water

Question 9.
Which thing grows the anxiety?
a. Small town
b. New city
c. The river
d. The people
Answer:
a. Small town

Question 10.
What kind of anxiety the narrator has?
a. About the death
b. For the future
c. For the destiny
d. None of these
Answer:
c. For the destiny

Question 11.
According to the poem in which direction the soul walks “when the soul rises?”
a. Golden west
b. Golden north
c. Golden south
d. Golden east
Answer:
d. Golden east

Question 12.
Who wrote the poem “Small Towns and the River”?
a. Mamang Dai
b. Rabindranath Tagore
c. William Shakespeare
d. Seamus Heaney
Answer:
a. Mamang Dai

Question 13.
In which year the poet received the Padma Shri?
a. 2012
b. 2010
c. 2011
d. 2009
Answer:
c. 2011

Question 14.
In which year the poet received the Sahitya Akademi Award?
a. 2007
b. 2010
c. 2011
d. 2017
Answer:
d. 2017

Question 15.
What kind of a poem is “Small Towns and the River”?
a. Sonnet
b. Allegorical poem
c. Prose type poem
d. None of these
Answer:
b. Allegorical poem

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers

Rhapsody Workbook Answers Poem 8 Beethoven

by
Poem 8 Beethoven

Rhapsody Workbook Answers Poem 8 Beethoven

Beethoven Poem Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Discuss the impact of Beethoven’s music and how it is described by the poet in reference to the poems.
Answer:
Beethoven was a genius. His music was unique and divine. The music of Beethoven hit the nervous system of the audience, like a fleet moving forward among firing cannon shells. Each and every smallest part of their bodies was hit by his music. His music overwhelmed them fully and they felt a pleasure. They had a sensation of divinity when they heard his music.

Each note of his would leave marks on each part of their body and make them yearn for one more such hit piece of music from him. For the music lovers, Beethoven became an addiction. These are the impact of Beethoven’s music on others. Beethoven’s musical scales were such as to take one to unprecedented heights like the heights of the Towers of Babylon.

The magic of his music was so divine that it could also turn the solar system into cymbals to crash together, causing comets to crash into one another. The sound of it is described so loud as to shake the constellations and make the stars begin to fall down. By hearing his music it seemed as if the whole universe had begun to cry. Thus the poet has used hyperbole to conceive the power and beauty of Beethoven’s music.

Question 2.
Why were the musicians confused about Beethoven? What did they have to admit?
Answer:
We know that Beethoven’s father was a very strict person and was never satisfied with Beethoven’s playing the piano. So as a boy Beethoven was always hit and abused by his father and whenever Beethoven played the piano, his father said it was “not good enough”.

This phrase haunted him and it left an indelible impression on his susceptible mind. So when later in his life, his symphonies were played by the other musicians he was never satisfied like his father and he too acted like his father. Whether the musicians played softly or slowly or loudly, according to him it was not good enough. This behaviour and the attitude of Beethoven irked the musicians.

So they tried to make fun of him by imitating his movements without playing any instrument. Beethoven thought that their notes were perfect as the deaf has an intimacy with silence. The musicians were confused. They did not know whether the man was mad or a genius. They could not decide what to call him and were baffled by the behaviour of Beethoven.

They realized that Beethoven’s musical scales were such as to touch the heights of the famous mythical Towers of Babylon, causing comets to collide, affecting even the heavenly constellations. The divine music of Beethoven was enough to cause confusion among the musicians, who ultimately deduced that the man “must be a genius.”

Beethoven Poem Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
How did Beethoven’s father treat him when he was a child?
Answer:
Beethoven’s father was a very stem and rigid person and he treated his son very harshly when he was a child. He was never satisfied with Beethoven, when he played the piano and if he failed to satisfy his father, he was badly treated and punished. His father beat him for even small mistakes.

Question 2.
What was Beethoven deprived of?
Answer:
Beethoven became deaf in his life and this was the biggest tragedy as auditory sensation is the biggest tool of a musician.

Question 3.
What do some of the parents do with their children in order to see them as geniuses?
Answer:
Some parents are so harsh and strict that they would brook no weaknesses or mistakes in their children. They expect their children to be perfect and want them to be geniuses. When they find their expectations fail and their dreams are shattered, either they beat their children as they lose their temper or in some cases, some parents even out of frustration start to drink.

Question 4.
How did the audience listen to his music?
Answer:
Beethoven’s music seemed to hit the nervous system of the audience, like a fleet moving forward among firing cannon shells. Each note of Beethoven seemed to leave track marks over every inch of their bodies, making them ache for again one more hit music of him. His music was unique and it also left the audiences with divine sensation. His music overpowered them fully and Beethoven became an addiction for the music lovers.

Question 5.
Beethoven was a self-respecting man. How does the poet prove the above line in the poem?
Answer:
Beethoven was an egotist and he was a very self – respecting man.In the poem Shane Koyczan says that Beethoven did not bow down before anyone not even before the king or the queen. This proves that Beethoven was a very egotist person.

Question 6.
Why did the other musicians made fun of him and how?
Answer:
When the other musicians played his symphonies on the orchestra, Beethoven was never satisfied. The musicians played slowly, but according to Beethoven it was not good enough. When they played softly, still it was not good enough, then they played strongly but the same phrase not good enough was repeated by Beethoven. So at last they copied his movements and made fun of him as they thought him to be mad at first. They held their bows above the strings without playing it and then it was perfect to him.

Beethoven Poem Logic Base Questions

Complete the following sentences by providing a REASON for each:

Question 1.
Beethoven was not happy at home because ………….
Answer:
He was physically and mentally abused by his father.

Question 2.
Beethoven’s father would often hit him because ………….
Answer:
He was never satisfied with Beethoven’s music.

Question 3.
Beethoven’s father was never satisfied with his music because ………….
Answer:
For him Beethoven was never perfect in playing piano. Whether he played softly or loudly, his father always found his music to be not good enough.

Question 4.
Beethoven never bowed down before anyone because ………….
Answer:
He was a very self-respecting and an egotist man.

Question 5.
The fingers of Beethoven turned as stiff as “gnarled roots of tree trunks” because ………….
Answer:
When his father being unsatisfied would ask him for more perfection, he would practice more and more until his fingers turned stiff and they ached.

Question 6.
The musicians copied Beethoven’s movements without playing the instrument because………….
Answer:
Beethoven was not satisfied with their playing of the orchestra. When they played his symphonies, Beethoven was not satisfied whether they played loudly or softly or slowly.

Question 7.
The audience who heard Beethoven’s music felt a pleasure of divinity because ………….
Answer:
His music was so enthralling and engrossing that it seemed that every part of their body reacted to it and they who heard it, would be overwhelmed completely.

Question 8.
He did not like the musician’s performance because ………….
Answer:
Everytime he heard them performing, his father’s words only haunted him and he was also unsatisfied and wanted them to perform more perfectly.

Question 9.
The other musicians became confused because ………….
Answer:
They also could not decide by Beethoven’s behaviour, whether he was a mad man or a genius.

Beethoven Poem About the Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson

Shane Koyczan,born 22 may 1976, is a Canadian poet and writer. He grew up in Penticton, British Columbia and received his education at Okanagan College. He is famous for writing about issues like bullying, cancer, death and eating disorders. His anti-bullying poem “To This Day” has over 25 million views on youtube.

He became the first Canadian to win the individual Championship title at the beach “National Poetry Slam.” He was a member of the group Tons Of Fun University. Koyczan has published several books including poetry collection Visiting Hours ‘Stuckboy, a novel in verse’, Our Deathbeds will be Thirsty’ etc. His ‘Visiting Hours’was selected as one of the Best Books of 2005 by the Guardian and Globe and Mail.

His autobiographical novel in verse Stick boy is being adapted for stage by Vancouver Opera. Koyczan performed his poem “ We Are More” at the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Shane Koyczan has received a BC Civil Liberties Award for the Arts.

Beethoven About the Poem

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. His composed works of classical music include dozens of symphonies, piano sonatas, string quartets, concertos and opera. He composes some of his most enduring works when he was losing his hearing power.

Through the poem “Beethoven” Shane Koyczan brings out Beethoven’s story. The poem “Beethoven” by Shane Koyczan is a descriptive poem that has used vivid imagery to explore the theme of love. Beethoven was unable to find love at home as he was treated badly by his father who perhaps wanted to see him as genius. He suffered from severe physical and emotional abuse.

Despite his best he would never received appreciation for his notes on piano. He remained in isolation as in his struggle to achieve excellence in his field he had no time or inclination to connect with others. So as a result the people began to misunderstand him.He was continuously laughed at and bullied because of his peculiar personality and madness. Musicians also wondered whether he was mad or genius, but they could not deny the fact that his music was something divine. Shane in his poem wants to highlight the story of Beethoven who had an exceptional ability to transform emotions into music.

Beethoven Poem in Summary

The poem “Beethoven” of Shane Koyczan starts with the word ‘Listen’. The poet by this word here means to say that the best way to know the man Beethoven is to listen to his music. He brings Beethoven’s story to life. The poet speaks how Beethoven’s father was a never satisfied man who expected Beethoven to create perfect notes.

So in his desperation to see Beethoven as a genius, he wanted Beethoven to be perfect and was not satisfied with him. Thus the poet says that Beethoven was unable to find love at home, and suffered from severe physical and emotional abuse. Beethoven as a young one had to hear that his music was” Not good enough”. His ears were pounded or bombarded by these words of his father.

Beethoven was a musician who was deprived of his eardrums, a musician’s precious tools. So he was not able to create proper rhythms for the symphonies that played in his mind. He was not even destined to hear the clapping of the audience, the love of the people and the whispering of the women sitting in the front row to hear his music.

But Beethoven was a genius as his music produced a divine sensation to the listeners. Beethoven’s music was a magical music in other words. He was like an addiction for the music lovers. Beethoven was a self-respecting and an egotist man. who didn’t bow before anyone even the King and the Queen.

He cut off the lees of his piano so that he could feel the vibrations of his tunes through the floor. So the man who did not get down on his kna anyone, got down on his knees for his music. He had solve or music.

Whenever the other musicians played his symphonies on the orchestra his father’s words “not good enough” haunted him. He could only hear the repeated words of his father. So he was also not satisfied with their playing, whether they played slowly or strongly.

Lastly they made fun of him by imitating his movements without playing any instruments and this was deemed to be perfect by Beethoven as he could hear nothing. The other musicians were baffled and could not understand whether Beethoven was mad or genius. They realized though, that his musical scales were such as to touch the heights of the famous mythical Towers of Babylon, causing the comets to collide, affecting even the heavenly solar system.

The music of him created such a loud crescendos that even shook the constellation until the stars began to fall from the sky. This heavenly music of Beethoven was enough to create confusion among the other musicians who ultimately inferred that he “must be genius”.

Beethoven was a musician who could change human emotions into music. Each note of his music was such as if love and hate were dancing together in a waltz with perfection and beauty. In order to understand Beethoven, it is not necessary to know his history or read his biography, but just to listen to his music of divinity.

Beethoven Poem Line Wise Explanation

Listen.
His father made a habit out of hitting him.
See, some men drink, some nien yell, some men
hit their children.
This man did it all because I guess all men want
their boys to be geniuses.

In the opening lines of the poem, Shane Koyczan asks us to listen to Beethoven’s music. He asks us to listen to his music as through this, we will be able to enjoy it and understand the greatness of Beethoven’s music in which he was a genius. It is said that Beethoven’s father was accustomed to beat him. This habit of his father was out of a general parental desire where all the parents want to turn their Sons into geniuses.

Many fathers are found to lose their temper and beat their children or some fathers out of frustration begin to drink. All these are results of their expectations and when they fail to come up to their expectations, they behave with their children in this way. Beethoven’s father was also one such man.

Beethoven.
Little boy living in a house where a name meant nothing.
Living in a house where mercy had to be earned throught each
perfect note tumbling
up through the roof to tickle the toes of angels
who’s harps couldn’t hold
half the passion that was held in the hands of a
young boy who was hard of hearing.

The poet then says of Beethoven’s childhood. As a little boy, he lived in an austere household where name meant nothing. It was a house where mercy was shown to him only when he would strike notes perfect as could please the angels, whose harps even could not create such
passionate flotes as Beethoven as a young boy did on his piano.

In a simple way it can be said that Beethoven was expected to create perfect divine notes. in spite of his auditory deprivation.

Beethoven.
Who heard his father’s anthem every time he put
finger to ivory it was not good enough.
So he played slowly.
Not good enough.
So he played softly.
Not good enough.
So he played strongly.
Not good enough.
And when he could play no more and his fingers
cramped up like the gnarled roots
of tree trunks
it was NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Whenever Beethoven played on his piano, his father seemed to be unsatisfied, and would comment by the word “it was not good enough.” Whether Beethoven played softly or loudly. he was told the same thing that it was not good enough and so he was asked to practise more and hard. He practised more and finally got exhausted. His fingers through practice got extremely tired and turned as stiff as ‘gnarled roots of tree trunks,” but still that same words of his father used to bombard in his ears.

The poet has used the word ‘anthem’ to describe the words of his father. This criticism had its bad effect on the vulnerable and susceptible mind of a little boy. So Beethoven craved for love from his father, but instead he received only jarring words accompanied with violent beating at times.

Beethoven.
A musician without his most precious tool: his
eardrums
could no longer pound out rhythms for the
symphonies playing in his mind
He couldn’t hear the audience’s clapping
couldn’t hear the people loving him
couldn’t hear the women in the front row whispering

Beethoven was a musician who was deprived of hearing. We know that the sense of hearing is very important in a musician’s life because it is one of the most essential tools for music. So since he couldn’t hear, he was unable to produce proper rhythms for the symphonies that rang in
his mind. Not only this, he was also not destined to hear the clapping of the audience, the whispering of the women who sat in the front row to listen to his musical pieces.

Beethoven.
As they let the music invade their nervous system
like an Armada
marching through firing canon balls detonating
every molecule
in their body into exploisons of heavenly sensation
Each note leaving track marks over every inch of that body
making them ache for
one
more
hit.
He was an addiction.

Beethoven was a genius and his music seemed to hit the nervous system of the audience like a fleet moving forward among firing cannon shells. His music was so enthralling and engrossing that it seemed as if every smallest part of their body reacted to it and erupted into divine sensation.

They felt a pleasure of divinity as his music would overwhelm them completely. Each note of his would leave marks on each part of their bodies. This made them yearn for one more such hit piece of music from him and they would wait with eagerness. His music became an addiction
for the music lovers.

And kings, Queens, it didn’t matter
The man got down on his knees for no one,
but amputated the legs of his piano
so he could feel the vibrations through the floor
The man got down on his knees for music.

Beethoven was a very prestigious and self-esteemed person. He would not bow down before anyone, not even the kings and the queens. But for his music, he bowed and surrendered. He cut off the legs of his piano so that he could feel the vibrations of tunes, through the floor, because
he knew he couldn’t hear. To him music was everything for which he could also kneel down.

And when the orchestra played his symphonies it
was the echoes
of his father’s anthem repeating itself
like a broken record,
a broken record
It was not good enough
So they played slowly.
Not good enough.
So they played softly.
Not good enough.
So they played strongly
NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

So they tried to mock the man, make fun of the madness by mimicking the movements, holding their bows a quarter of an inch above the strings not making a sound it was perfect.

Beethoven felt lonely and he could not relate his emptiness and hollowness which he felt in his mind, His father’s words “not good enough” always seemed to haunt him everywhere. When the orchestra played his symphonies, he could only hear the words of his father, as if coming from a broken record.

Whether the musicians played slowly or strongly, Beethoven was never satisfied and the same words of his father rang through him. So they tried to mock Beethoven and make fun of his insanity by copying his movements by holding their bows above the strings but not making any sound. This seemed to be perfect, as ironically, he could hear nothing.

You see the deaf have an intimacy with silence.
It’s there in their dreams.
Atad the musicians turn to one another not knowing
what to make of the man trying to calculate the distance
between madness atad genius, realizing that
Beethoven’s mucical measurements
could take you the distances reaching past the
Towers of Babyloti,
turning solar systems into cymbals that crash together,
causing comets to collide, creating crescendos that were so loud
they shook the constellations until the stars began
to fall from the sky
and it looked like the entire universe had begun
to cry,
Distance must be an illusion.
The man MUST be a genius.

The deaf people are accustomed to silence and so silence rules in their dreams also. The other musicians by this attitude and behaviour of Beethoven would become astounded and confused and they could not decide whether he was mad or genius. They only knew how his musical
strain could carry one to exceptional heights like the heights of the Towers of Babylon. Here the height reached by his music is being compared to the height of the Towers of Babylon.

His music possessed so much magical power that it could also turn the solar system into cymbals to crash together, thus causing comets to crash into one another . The sound would be so loud that it even could shake the constellations and thus would make the stars to fall down.
It seemed that the whole universe had begun to cry. The poet has used exaggeration to describe Beethoven’s music.

He has used hyperbole to conceive the power and beauty of Beethoven’s music. It made the musicians think the distance between madness and genius to be an illusion. So they concluded that Beethoven “must be a genius”.

Beethoven.
His thoughts moving at the speed of sound.
Transforming emotion into music.
………………………
And for a moment it was like joy was a tangible thing,
like you could touch it.
Like for the first time we could watch love and hate
dance together in a waltz of such precision and
beauty
that we finally understood that history wasn’t important
To know the man
all we ever had to do was
Listen.

He was Beethoven, the genius, whose thoughts moved at the speed of sound. It was his music which had the power to transform human emotions to music. The pleasure imparted by his music was so tangible that one could touch it or feel it. His note of his music was as if like love and hate, dancing together in a waltz of perfection and beauty. in order to understand him, we need no history of his to be read, but just listen to his divine music.

Beethoven Poem Theme

The theme of the poem “Beethoven” is love and how while in a childhood stage. many children are abused physically and mentally and how this torment leaves an indelible impression in the minds of the children. So when he grows up also, the scar remains, and hurts him throughout his life. He fails to connect with others in the world and thus cannot enjoy life also.

This was what had happened with Beethoven who in spite of being so famous in his career, could never forget his father’s treatment towards him. It also tells us how a genius man and a mad man resemble each other. Like a mad man, a genius man also thinks and lives abnormally. Both of their sayings are incomprehensible to most people and so a genius cannot be accepted by everyone and geniuses do not get recognitions for their works during their life times.

Beethoven Poem Word Meaning

Hitting — beating
Yell — shout
Tumbling — faIling down
Tickle the toes — to excite pleasurably
Harps — kinds of musical instruments
Passion — strong feeling
Cramped up — got tired and ached
Gnarled — twisted
Symphonies — elaborate musical composition
Invade — conquer:attack
Detonating — exploding or causing to explode
Pound out — produce
Addiction — craving or dedication
Armada — a large fleet
Cannon balls — cannon shells
Amputated — severed or separated
Got down on knees — bowed or surrendered
Echoes — reverberation
Mock — ridicule or make fun of
Mimicking — imitating
Intimacy — closeness; togetherness
Cymbals — a musical instrument consisting of two round plates to make sound
Crash — strike
Collide — bump into
Crescendos — the loudest point reached in a gradually increasing sound
Illusion — halucination;delusion
Transforming — changing
Tangible — concrete
Waltz — a kind of dance
Precision — perfection

Beethoven Poem Critical Appreciation

The poem “Beethoven” is being introduced to us with the word ‘Listen’ which prepares the listeners or the readers for the subject matter. Again we see that the poem also concludes with the same word ‘listen.’ The word in its conclusion says that we need no history to know Beethoven, we only need to listen to Beethoven’s music to know him. Because the poem is about the geniusness of Beethoven’s compositions, the word ‘listen’ is very appropriate and provokes the audience to find beauty in the poem.

Then in the first stanza of the poem, the poet uses the word “hit’ and ‘yell’. These are the words that suggest abuse. He chose these words because they give a violent feeling. Then the repetition of the phrase ‘it was not good enough’ can be found in this poem.

This was what Beethoven was probably told when he did not play something correctly. This is the phrase that haunted Beethoven as his father was never satisfied with his music or the way it was played. Through imagery the poet showed more conflicts. An example “when his fingers cramped… trunks”/ He would play so much to the point that his fingers cramped up. It might have been that he did not play the song perfectly.

The poet also uses the name Beethoven a number of times to remind the readers of who is he talking about and “not good enough” each time getting louder and clearer to show the intensity of Beethoven’s father’s expectations.

The poet has used imagery, dictions, metaphors and allusion to show the life of Beethoven and the effect his music had on others. He uses vivid descriptions and visual imagery so that the audience could see, hear and feel what is being said.

For instance, the powerful attack of his music on our senses is compared to the one by an Armada that marches through exploding cannon shells smashing every part of our body. There are also other imagery like Beethoven’s musical measurements. Could take Babylon / turning solar to collide. So in all, we can say that the poem attracts our attention through carefully structured rhythm and repetition of key words.

Beethoven Poem Style

The poem “Beethoven” is a ‘spoken word’ for which it has got a strong sound effect. It is a descriptive poem and does not follow any traditional, regular rhythm scheme and stanzas. The poet here uses enjambment to create suspense and also to emphasize some key words as Living in a house…………

Perfect not tumbling
Up through ………………. harps
Couldn’t hold
Half the passion.

The poet uses repetition of words and phrases like-so he played slowly/not good enough, so he played softly/not good enough etc. Other than repetition there are also uses of alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia etc. Some of the uses of onomatopoeia are pound out rhythms, cymbals that crash together etc. The alliterations in the poem are ‘causing comets to collide’ (use of k sound), ‘habit of hitting him’ (use of h sound) etc.

Beethoven Poem MCQs

Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

Question 1.
Beethoven’s father was …………..
a. hopeful
b. strict
c. polite
d. docile
Answer:
b. strict

Question 2.
What was ‘‘not good enough” according to Beethoven’s father?
a. Beethoven’s music
b. Beethoven’s attitude
c. Beethoven’s disobedience
d. none of the above
Answer:
a. Beethoven’s music

Question 3.
What kind of music did Beethoven create?
a. loud
b. slow
c. divine
d. folk
Answer:
c. divine

Question 4.
What was Beethoven deprived of ?
a. seeing
b. hearing
c. tasting
d. smelling
Answer:
b. hearing

Question 5.
Beethoven got down on his knees for …………..
a. king and the queen
b. father
c. music
d. none of the above
Answer:
c. music

Question 6.
Which word describes Beethoven the most …………..
a. foolish
b. clever
c. mad
d. genius
Answer:
d. genius

Question 7.
The musician made fun of him by …………..
a. laughing at him
b. ignoring his remarks
c. calling him mad
d. imitating his movements without playing on the instruments
Answer:
d. imitating his movements without playing on the instruments

Question 8.
The tired fingers of Beethoven through practice are described as …………..
a. gnarled roots
b. gnarled stems
c. gnarled tree trunks
d. none of the above
Answer:
a. gnarled roots

Question 9.
The word ‘ivory’ in the poem means …………..
a. harps
b. piano
c. cymbals
d. orchestra
Answer:
b. piano

Question 10.
What according to the poet is needed to know Beethoven?
a. by reading his biography
b. by listening to the audience
c. by listening to his music
d. by listening to the musicians
Answer:
c. by listening to his music

Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers