POEM:
1. ON KILLING A TREE
Q.1. Describe according to the poet how does a tree grow up?
How does a tree heal itself?
Ans. In the first stanza of the porm,”On Killing A Tree”,
Gieve Patel describes the growth of a tree. According to the poet, a tree grows
slowly by consuming the nutrients from the earth. The tree takes essential
nutrients from the earth’s upper crust and prepares its food. It also absorbs
sunlight, air, and water to produce food. This food reaches all parts of the
tree as a result of which the tree grows. Thus, taking in nutrients from the
earth and the atmosphere, the tree grows gradually. The poet describes the
growth of a tree to suggest its vivacity.
Q.2. Justify the appropriateness of the title
of the poem, “On Killing A Tree”?
Ans.
Gieve Patel’s On Killing A Tree” presents an ironic picture of man’s attitude
towards tree. A tree is a generous helper of man but the man is too foolish to
realize it. So, like a professional killer, man thinks of all possible ways to
kill the tree. The tree consumes nutrients from the earth and absorbs sunlight,
air and water for years. Thus the tree grows slowly. The tree is the greatest
friend of man and a generous helper of man. But in return, it has to suffer
much. It struggles hard for existence because of man’s cruelty. The poem
focuses on the irony of killing a benefactor by its beneficiary. Thus the poem,
from its beginning to ends, describes in detail the process and consequence of
killing a tree. so, the title is appropriate.
Q: 3 “And then it is done” – what is ‘it’ referred to here? When is ‘it’ done? How is it done?
Ans. Here ‘it’ refers to the process of destroying or
killing the tree completely.
>When
the root of a tree is pulled out of the earth after being tied with a rope, and
passes it some processes in the sun to kill the tree completely.
>After
uprooting entirely from the earth-cave, the tree passes through processes of
scorching, choking, browning, twisting, and withering in the presence of sun
and air. In this way, the killing of a tree is complete. This line highlights
man’s satisfaction in destroying nature. Ironically, it shows how man glorifies
his cruelty.
POEM:
2. “ASLEEP IN THE VELLEY”
Q.1. Justify the title of the poem, “Asleep
In The Valley”?
Ans.
Arthur Rimbaud’s “Asleep in The Valley”
is a fine poem. When we go through the poem, we come to know about a young
soldier. He is sleeping on the bed of soft green grass in the lap of loving
nature. He has a child like smiling face and is undisturbed by the humming
insects. But the real shock comes at the very ending line. There are two bullet
wounds in the side of the soldier. He is dead. The title suggests that the
soldier is asleep. But he will wake up no more. He is sleeping eternal sleep.
So the title is ironical.
Q:2 “The humming insects don’t disturb his rest”—who
rests and where? What makes him to rest? Why can’t the insects disturb his
rest?
Ans. A young soldier in “Asleep in The Valley” rests in
the green valley on soft green grass with a pillow of fern.
>There
are two red holes in the side of the soldier. Here two red holes suggest two
bullet wounds which have caused his death. That makes him to rest.
>The
soldier was sleeping on the soft green valley. There are fresh and beautiful
flowers under his feet. But actually the soldier is not sleeping. He is
brutally dead in the battlefield. He will never wake up again. So, the humming
insects can not disturb his rest.
Q.3 Write down the central idea /theme of the poem, “Asleep
in The Valley”?
OR,
Write critical analysis of the poem, “Asleep in The Valley”?
Ans. The poem, “Asleep in The Valley” by Arthur Rimbaud
presents a lovely natural scene. The poem introduces thereafter, a young
soldier who is lying dead in a green valley hit by two bloody bullet shots. He
is poor victim of war. He looks all innocent and pure, gentle and without
guile. The soldier, lying dead in the valley symbolizes for the thousands of
young men who trapped and killed in the war. Thus, the theme of the poem is
truck here which is all of the futility of war.
POEM:
3 “SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO SUMMER’S DAY”
Q 1 “So long lives this and this gives life to
thee”—what is ‘this’ referred to here? Who is referred
to ‘thee’? How can ‘this’ give life to thee?
Ans. Here ‘this’ is referred to the verse,’sonnet-18’,
which Shakespeare dedicates to his friend.
>The
word ‘thee’ is referred to the poet’s young friend.
>This
sonnet gives life to the poet’s young friend. The poet says that all beautiful
objects of nature are subjected to change and decay. But his love, his
beloved’s beauty and his poetic creation are immortal. He is quite confident in
saying that so long as man can see or breathe on this earth his verse will be
read. His friend’s summer will not fade because his verse will make it eternal.
Q.2. Justify the Title of the poem, “Shall
I Compare Thee to summer’s Day”?
Ans. “Shall I compare Thee To A Summer’s Day’, composed
by Shakespeare, is a sonnet. The poem celebrated the eternal beauty of the
poet’s friend. A summer’s day, according to the poet, may be beautiful and
charming but it lacks permanence. The poet also reveals that beauty is
fleeting, youth is evanescent and death is inevitable. But he strongly believes
that his friend’s beauty will never fade with the passing time because the poet
will immortalize his friend’s beauty forever. Thus the sonnet, a comparison between
the beauty of the poet’s friend and that of a summer’s day is appropriate and
meaningful.
Q 3 Discuss why Shakespeare has called his friend more
temperate than summer season?
Ans. Shakespeare in his sonnet 18 compares his friend’s
metaphorically with a glorious day of the summer season with a question. But
soon he negates and states that his friend is more temperate and lovelier than
a summer’s day. He says that the summer’s day has its extremes of too much heat
or being overcast. But the loveliness of the friend is constant and consistent.
The beauty of the nature in a summer’s day is often spoiled by the rough winds.
But his friend’s beauty has no such flow. Summer season is passed but the
friend’s beauty will be permanently embodied in the poem.
POEM:
4 THE POETRY OF EARTH
Q.1. How Does The Poet, Keats Describe That The
Poetry Of Earth Is Never Dead?
Ans. “The Poetry Of Earth” is a beautiful sonnet by John
Keats. According to Keats the poetry of earth never comes to an end because the
song of nature never stops. It goes on forever. Nature is vibrant with the song
of the singing birds and the music of insects, i.e. grasshopper and cricket.
The grasshopper sings merrily as he moves about from hedge to hedge in the
meadow. The cricket’s shrill cry breaks the silences of the winter evening.
Thus the pot believes that the poetry of earth never comes to an end.
Q. 2. What is the central idea of the poem, “The
Poetry Of Earth?”
Ans. Poetry i.e. muse in nature never stops. Nature is
full of music. Though the season changes, the music and the poetry of earth
never perish. Neither the hot sun of summer nor the frosty atmosphere of winter
can affect the continuity of the music of nature. Chirping of the Grasshopper
fills the void when all the song birds are exhausted by the heat of the sun. In
winter, the little cricket’s song triumphs over the silence produced by the
winter frost. Thus the whole poem shows the continuity of the songs of nature.
The poem appreciates the never ending music of nature and justifies the idea
that the poetry of earth is never dead.
Q.3. “………..he takes the lead…….”—who is ‘he’
referred to here? When does ‘he’ take
the lead? How does ‘he’ take the
lead?
Ans. Here ‘he’ refers to the grasshopper in the poem,
“the poetry of earth” by John Keats.
>He
takes the lead in summer luxury when all the singing birds faint with the hot
summer.
>After
the disappearance of the birds, the Grasshopper takes the lead in summer
season. He takes the lead by chirping merrily from hedge to hedge. Being tired
he takes rest in a pleasant weed. Thus the Grasshopper takes the lead as a poet
of summer and thus the poetry of earth continues even in the scorching summer.
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