10

Question:

1.                 "A slumber did my spirit seal," says the poet. That is, a deep sleep 'closed off his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one's death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great peace?

2.                 The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?

3.                 How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a 'heaven')? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?

Answer:

1.                 The poet's reaction to his loved one's death is not of grief that he could be shed out in the form of tears. On her death, he did not experience any human fears but he had regret that he took things for granted. He just looked at her and though t how she looked and what she would experience later on. Hen ce, it is difficult to say i f he is experienci ng grief or is in a peaceful state of m ind.

2.                 The lines of the poem that show that the passing of time will no longer affect her are as follows: "She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthy years."

3.                   The poet thinks that she is a part of nature. After her cremation, he imagines her inside the earth with other rocks, stones, and trees and rolling around with the earth in its daily rotation. The following lines express this idea-Rolled round in earth's diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.

9

Question I:

1.     What is the snake trying to escape from?

2.     Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?

3.     The poet finds the snake beautiful. Find the words he uses to convey its beau ty.

4.     What does the poet wish for the snake?

5.     Where was the snake before anyon e saw it and chased it away? Where does the snake disappea r?

Answer I:

1.                 The snake is trying to escape from a stick. He was afraid of the stick lest it should kill or hurt him.

2.                 No, it isn't a harmful snake. It is of a small size which and it is harmless even to the children. The snake is of green colour.

3.                 The poet uses the words "beautiful" and "graceful" to convey the snake's beau ty.

4.                 The poet wishes that nobody should harm the snake. He wants it to go over the water into the reeds and hide somewhere.

5.                 The snake was lying still on the sand unless someone saw it and again made it move away from there. The person chased it away and it disappea red into the ripples of the water among the green reeds to hide there.

Question II:

1.                 Fin d out as much as you can about different kinds of snakes (from books in the library, or from the Internet). Are they all poisonous? Find out the names of some poisonous snakes.

2.                 Look for information on how to find out whether a snake is harmful.

3.                 As you know, from the previous lesson you have just read, there are people in our country who have traditional knowledge about snakes, who even catch poisonous snakes with practically bare hands. Can you find out something more about them?

Answer II:

1.                 No, all snakes are not poisonous. Some of the poisonous snakes are Indian Cobra, King Cobra, Copperhead, Common Krait, Mamushi and Saw-scaled Viper.

2.                 All the snakes are not poiso nous. The water snakes are generally without poison but most of the desert snakes are poisonous. Information about a poisonous snake can only be known when its poison effects the body. The poison reach on us and effected our nervous system.

3.                 This is quite correct that SAPERAs catch the poisonous snakes with bare hands and the nearly mitigate the effect of poison using the herbs. In this area, the snakes are mostly visible during the monsoon. During this peri od the snake may bite a person. The victim is treated and saved with the help of local medicines and herbs.

8

Question I:

1.                 Can a "simple jab of the knife" kill a tree? Why not?

2.                 How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.

3.                 What is the meaning of "bleeding bark"? What makes it bleed?

4.                 The poet says "No" in the begin ning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?

5.                 What is the meaning of "anchoring earth" and "earth cave"?

6.                 What does he mean by "the strength of the tree exposed"?

7.                 What finally kills the tree?

Answer l:

1.                 N o, a simple jab of a knife cannot kill a tree because it takes a lot of years for a tree to grow and rise out of the earth. Moreover, only a chop cannot kill it because i t will slowly begin to rise again and grow to its original size.

2.                 The tree grows to its full size by absorbing years of sunlight, water, and air. It slowly grows out of the earth and sprouts leaves. The words suggestive of its life and activity are 'grown slowly consuming the earth', 'rising out of it', 'feed ing upon its crust', 'absorbing years of sunlight, air, water', and 'sprouting leaves'.

3.                 "Bleeding bark" is an indicative of the area on the tree trunk where it has been hit with the axe. The bleeding occurs because the wood cutter has wounded the tree by cutting and chopping it.

4.                 In the begin ning of the third stanza, the poet has said "No" to enlighten the fact that mere chopping of the tree would not kill it. The tree would grow again and retain its original size.

5.                 "Anchoring earth" refers to the roots that lie inside of the earth and play the role of an anchor for the tree to grow during its initial phase. They ensure the security of the tree as they nourish it with water and other nutrients. "Earth cave" refers to the ground soil on which the foundation of the tree is laid as it holds the roots and helps the tree stand tall and protects i t from all unpleasan t situations such as heavy rai nfall or storm.

6.                 The strength of the tree lies in its roots, which the poet asks to snap out in order to kill the tree. Thus, the phrase "the strength of the tree exposed" refers to the roots of the tree being exposed to sunlight and air.

7.                 The tree is ultimately killed by the uprooting of its roots. When the roots, which had strengthened it during its initial rising from the earth, lying hidden beneath the earth for years, were dug out, the tree's strength was exposed and this led to the death of the tree. It dried up after it had been uprooted.

6

Question I:

1.                  

(i) "Beneath all uniforms . .." What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?

(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?

2.                 In stanza 1,find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.

3.                 How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.

4.                 "...whenever we are told to hate our brothers..." When do you think this happens? Why? Who 'tells' us? Should we do as we are told at such times? What does the poet say?

Answer I:

1.                  

(a)             The poet is speaking about the uniforms which the soldiers wear at the time of war. The word "uniform" here can also mean the traditional dresses of a country.

(b)             Throughout the poem, the poet says that there is a similarity between all human beings. He says that though people may wear different dresses or uniforms, they all are same. Everyone walks, lives on the same earth, breathes in air, drinks water, eats food and is aware of the presence of all natural things. Everybody feeds on the crops grown on the earth and gets starved during an extended war. Our hands, the work we do, our eyes and even the fact that our strength can be won by love is similar. So, the poet suggests that nobody is foreign and no country is strange.

2.                 Words which suggest the five ways in which the poet draws similarity between all human beings are as follows:

(a)  "no men are strange"; "uniforms"; "single body breathes"; "land our brothers walk upon"; and "earth like this, in which we all shall lie".

3.                 There are five common features in stanza 2. These features are the sun, the air, the water, peaceful harvest, hands and the labour.

4.                 Usually, we are told to hate people belonging to other countries at the time of war. Political leaders and powerful people work for their personal profits, ask people also to do so. They use people for their own benefits. However, we should not become puppet in their hands and do as they say. Rather we should use our own brain and do what is right. We should understand that war is futile. We should not become ju dgemental but should analyse the situation before ju mping to conclusions. The poet asks us to rem ember that by hating other people, we are spreading hatred, betraya l and chaos amongst ourselves. When we stand against each other, we harm each other, our mother earth and the environmenT

5

Question I:

1.                 Which country or countries do you think "the Northla nd" refers to?

2.                 What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady's reaction?

3.                 How did he punish her?

4.                 How does the wood pecker get her food?

5.                 Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?

6.                 Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most importa nt?

7.                 What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?

8.                 Write the story of 'A Legend of the Northla nd' in about ten sentences.

Answer I:

1.                 "The N orthland" could  refer  to a very cold country  in  the  Earth's north  -pole region,  such as Greenland, the northern regions of Russia, Canada, Norway etc.

2.                 Saint Peter asked for a baked cake from the old lady to satisfy his hunger. The lady did not refuse and tried to bake a small cake for the saint.

3.                 He punished the old lady by changing her into a wood pecker that would build "as birds do" and gather scanty food by boring the holes in the "hard, dry wood" all day long.

4.                 The wood pecker gets her food by boring holes into trees.

5.                 No, had the old lady known Saint Peter prior she would not have been so ungenerous. Instead, she would have tried to please him with her cakes for the fulfilmen t of her greedy desires.

6.                 No, it is not a true story; it is a legend.

1.                 The point in the story where the old lady is changed into a woodpecker is the most importa nt. This is because the punishment she got teaches us the value of generosity and charity.

7.                 A 'legend' is a famous story from the past which is believed to be true by many but one cannot certainly prove whether it is actually true. It usually contains a message or a moral learning and is narrated to children.

2.                 The poet himsel f mention s that he doesn't believe this story to be true. This poem is called a 'legend' because it preaches generosity towards fellow beings.

8.                 Once Saint Peter stopped by an old lady's cottage because he was feeling very hungry and weak after a day's fasting. The lady was baking cakes on the hearth. Since he was exhausted because of fasting, he asked her for a baked cake from her store of cakes. The lady was very selfish and tried to bake small cakes but each time they seemed too big for her to give it away to the saint. Finally, she baked one that was as thin as a wafer. Unwilling to give away with the small one too, she put it on a shelf and did not give any cake to the Saint. Seeing her behaviou r Saint Peter became very angry and said that she was too selfish to live as a human being and have food, shelter and a fire to keep her warm. He punished her by changing her into a wood pecker that would have to build a nest on her own to live in, bore for food in the hard dry trunks of trees. Her clothes were burned and she was left with her scarlet cap on her head as she flew out through the chimney.

Question II:

1.                 Let's look at the words at the end of the second and fourth lines, viz., 'snows' and 'clothes', 'true' and 'you', 'below' and 'know.' We find that 'snows' rhymes with 'clothes', 'true' rhymes with 'you' and 'below' rhymes with 'know'.

Find more such rhyming words.

2.                 Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your own language. Tell the class these legends.

t:.Answer II:

1.                 The rhyming words are:

'Few' and 'through' 'Earth' and 'hearth' 'Done' and 'one' 'Lay' and 'away'

One' and 'done' 'Flat' and 'that' Myself and 'shelf 'Faint' and 'saint' 'Form' and 'wa rm' 'Food' and 'wood' 'Word' and 'bird' 'Same' and 'flame' 'Wood' and 'food'

2.        Shaun was a nymph who talked way too much. He was fond of having the last say in     everything. One day she spoke rudely to the great Albert, who punished him for this offence. Shaun was never use his voice again, unless to repea t what he had just heard, but since he was so very fond of last words, he might repeat the last words of others.

This was very embarrassing as it felt that Albert had changed him into a parrot. Shaun was very much ashamed, and hid himself in the forest. Max, a young man used to hunt in the forest where Shaun was hiding. While peeping out shyly from caves or from behind a tree, Shaun often saw Max, and he admired him very much. One day Max became separated from his friends, and hearing something rustle among the leaves, he called out, "Who's here?"

"Here," Answered  Shaun. "Here I am. Come!" said Max.

"I am coming," said Shaun; an d, as he spoke, he came out from among the trees.

When Max saw a Shaun and couldn't recognize him and took him as a stranger, instead of one of his friends as h e had expected, he looked surprised and walked quickly away.

After this, Shaun never came out and allowed himself to be seen again, and in time he faded away

till he became only a voice.

4

Question I:

1.       What kin d of place is lnnisfree? Think about:

(i)      the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);

(ii)     what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza I I);

(iii)    what he hears in his "heart's core" even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III). 2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beau ty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza II I.)

3. Do you think I nnisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of

his boyhood days?

Answer I:

1. Innisfree is a lake island. It is a peaceful place where the crickets sing. The poet wants to visit this place to enjoy peace during his childhood.

(i) The poet wanted to build a small beautiful cabin from clay and wattles.

•                     He also wanted to plant nine rows of beans

•                     He wanted keep the honey bee hive.

(ii)     He hears and sees the crickets singing. He also enjoy the purple rays of the sun in the noon.

 (iii)   He hears in the deep heart's core the low sounds of water flowing towards the shore when he is far away from lnnisfree.

2.       The poet contrasts the clay and wattle made cabin, bee loud glade, morning with dews and crickets songs, midnight with glimmer, noon with purple glow, evenings with linnet's songs lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore etc.

3.       Innisfree is poet's boyhood scare and it also represen ts his state of mind. The poet wishes to escape to Innisfree because it is much more peaceful than where he is residing now-th e city. Innisfree is representation of what the poet considers an ideally perfect place to live, which is deprived of the restless humdrum of his life.

Yes, the poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days. Even when he is away from Inn isfree, he remembers the sound of the lake water washing the shore.

Question II:

1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree

(i) bee- loud glade

(ii)     evenings full of the linnet's wings

(iii)    lake water lapping with low sounds

What pictures do these words create in your mind?

2. Look at these words;

... peace comes dropping slow

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings

What do these words mean to you? What do you think "comes dropping slow...from the veils of the morning"? What does "to where the cricket sings" mean?

Answer II:

1.

(i)      These words resemble the image of buzzing bees.

(ii)     These words bring up the image of linnets flying across an evening sky.

(iii)    These words evoke not only the image but also the soft sound of a lake's water washing the shore.

2. The given lines indicate that peaceful ness of mind can be slowly attained from the natural surroundings.

It is peace that "comes dropping slow...from the veils of the morning". The phrase "to where the cricket sings" indicates a peacef ul place where one can hear the vibrant sounds of nature and its creatures- sounds such as the songs of the crickets at the time of dawn.