ENGLISH- XII – POEMS’ ANSWERS 1

BY- PRATIK SIR

POEM – 2 The Quiet Life (A. Pope)

Q. - How does the poet describe a happy man?
Here in this poem the poet Alexander Pope describes and gives
out his ideas of a happy man. According to him such qualities of a
person can be justified him a happy man.
According to the poet the happy man lives contently in his own
motherland. He has his own piece of land in which he can grow his own
food. He has flocks of sheep by which he can manage his clothes. He
has cattle to give him milk and has trees which give him shades. More
over he passes his life without any worries and anxiety and has a
sound sleep at night and with sound body.
Thus Pope has described his happy man who is living simply but
with sign of satisfaction.

Q. – Compare the poet’s happy man to the modern man.

Here in this poem the poet Alexander Pope describes and gives
out his ideas of a happy man. According to him such qualities of a
person can be so ideal to the modern man.
The modern man is in the rat race with all the day he finds him
self in worries and anxieties only. He needs pills to have good sleep. He
has routine to visit the doctor. He has been surrounded with the
luxuries. While the poet’s happy man lives a very natural life having
sound body and sound sleep. He never needs to go to any for anything.
So the poet’s happy man is with purity of mind and body and
respecting the nature without disturbing it.
So the poet’s happy man is totally different than the modern
man who has nothing but selfishness and worries only.

POEM – 3 ThePotter’s Song (Longfellow)

Q. – Try to summaries the central idea of the poem.
In this poem “The Potter’s Song” we can find Longfellow’s deep
appreciation of life and his faith in the God. He has also faith in
universal brotherhood.
Here in the poem poet has represented the character of the
potter as the creator and the people as the pots, the potter’s (God’s)
creation. The potter addressing to the wheel says that the world is
connected with a chain and that everything has to be changed with the
passing of the time. For that he exemplifies the changing of nature
from monsoon to winter and to the summer. He also depicts human life
from childhood to youth and to the old age. He also says that
everything is going to die one day. For that he places the example of a
flower. First it was a bud and then a flower and with dieing of the day it
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will be withered. So he wants to say that life is another name of
change. The poet says that we all come from the dust and mix with it
at the end. So we all human beings are related with one other in any
way. It brings an idea of universal brotherhood.
So here we can find the poet’s appreciation of life and his faith in
the creator i.e. God and his idea of brotherhood.
Q. – Give three examples through which the poet tries to deduce change is
inevitable.
In this poem “The Potter’s Song” we can find Longfellow’s deep
appreciation of life and his faith in the God. He has also faith in
universal brotherhood.
Finally the poet seems to come to the point that change is
necessary in the life. The poet observed the nature and also finds the
natural significance blended with life. The poet supplies some of the
examples for the necessity of the change in the life. First, he gives the
example of the bud that grows into a leaf and then flower and dies at
the end. Second, he gives the example of the eggs in the robin’s nest
which gets wings, beaks and breast as it grows and flies away. Third,
he gives the example of the child that grows to a man then an old man
and passes away the life.
So the above mentioned three examples show the poet’s deep
understanding of the necessity of change in human life by representing
the nature itself.

POEM – 4 The Blind Boy (Colley Cibber)

Q. - How are the problems faced by the blind boy perceived by him and by
his friends who can see?
In the present poem “The Blind Boy” the poet Cibber has
described twin themes of sight and blindness by symbolizing the blind
boy’s character.
The blind boy is not able to see and the world is totally dark for
him. In the beginning of the poem we can see that the blind boy asking
about the light which can never be known to him. By this way he is
asking about the loss for not seeing the light. His day and night are
decided not with light but with his sleep and awake respectively. His
friends can feel sorrows for his inability to see. His friend laments and
sighs for the blind boy as he can not see and feel the light.
In this way we can see that the blind boy’s blindness worries his
friends and the blind boy tries to find out the loss that he has without
the light.

POEM – 5Character of a HappyLife (H. Wotton)

Q. – Compare this poem with “The Quiet Life” by Alexander Pope.
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In the present poem the poet Sir Henry Wotton puts stress on the
need for honesty and simplicity to live a happy and prosperous life.
The same idea has also been introduced by the poet
Alexander Pope with different tone. Pope’s happy man lives a very
natural life having sound body and sound sleep. He never needs to go
to any for anything as he has his own land, having cattle with full of
milk, and getting clothes from the flocks of his own. . So the poet’s
happy man is passing his life without tension and worries. So Pope’s
happy man lives a very natural life having sound body and sound
sleep.
While in this poem by Henry Wotton, his happy man is acting
according to his own will and his powerful weapons are honest thinking
and skill of truth. Wotton’s happy man is free from any passions,
desires and far from fame. Moreover he never envies anybody for
anything and never has any fears to feel. He has totally been free from
rumors and never comes into any flatters by any of his men.
So by estimating both poets’ ideas, we come to know that
Alexander’s happy man is a doer and follower of simplicities while
Wotton’s happy man is a psychological point to be considered.

POEM – 6 oh! What is that Sound? (W.H.Auden)

Q. – Who do you think are the two speakers of the poem? Give reasons.
Here in this poem the poet W.H.Auden has described the
atmosphere of war and its affect in the societies. He also has
presented the sudden change of the tone at the end of the poem.
In the poem the poet dramatically presents the dialogues
between the two figures, particularly in between a lover and his
beloved. The beloved asking the lover repeatedly about the different
actions performed by the army and the lover is replying her in every
possible manner. So here the poet presents two speakers, one is asking
and the other is replying. They are lovers and the beloved is asking.
Poet can successfully create the suspense and terror of war.
By this way the poet has gradually rises the terror of the war and
at the end it also separates the lovers as the man has to leave for his
duty.

Q. – Comment on the title of the poem.

Here in this poem the poet W.H.Auden has described the
atmosphere of war and its affect in the societies. He also has
presented the sudden change of the tone at the end of the poem. The

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title of the poem also significant as it supplies the sound of the terror
of the war.
The title of the poem is “Oh! What is that Sound?” represents
the actions that can be the effect on the society. The lady is asking the
question to her lover. It provides the rhythmic quality of the poem. The
poet also chose the question as the title of the poem as it may
gradually bring the theme of the poem the suspense and the terror of
the war. The word the ‘sound’ signifies the actions and its reflex ion
that is made by the soldiers. Besides at the end of the poem we can
see the separation of the lovers because of the war only that can also
be denoted with this title in good terms.
So the poet has used the perfect title to his poem which is quite
apt and proper fit to the poem and its theme.

POEM – 7 Before Anyone Comes (P.Mahakud)

Q. – What does the poetess want to become “Before anyone comes”?
In the poem ‘Before anyone comes’ the poetess Pravasini
presents the two contradictory idea a fantasy and reality together. By
that way she, with her desires and wishes, wants to mingle the nature
with human being.
The poetess in the beginning wants to become a garland of dew
drops and the light of the morning so that she can provide coolness to
the earth and also aware the world with the morning light. Further she
informs us to become the objects of the nature like voice of the birds,
river, and stream and that way she relates the nature. She further
wants to become a torch so that she can lighten the path and guide
the traveler. Further she narrates to become cocoon to grow the
butterfly, flower and fragrance in the petals. She also wants to become
a canvass so that the artist can fulfill his dream by painting on it.
In this way the poetess wants to become some fantasies and by
the same way she wants to soothe the life of human being by
becoming her wishes.

POEM – 8 October (Robert Frost)

Q. – Why does the poet ask October to ‘beguile’ him? Why is he ready to be
beguiled?
In the present poem Robert Frost has describe the October which
for him is very charming and mild.
The poet asks the October to beguile him because he is so much
attracted with the atmosphere and natural effect during the month of
October. He calls October’s morning is very silent and mild. He says
that the days are very short during October and it charms the people
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as it starts the day slowly. He says that in the October the trees release
a leaf in the morning, a leaf in the afternoon and it brings the charm to
the atmosphere. He also says that during October, there is the mist
which decreases the effect of the sun and thus the atmosphere
becomes very warm.
So in the poem the poet addresses the October and requests it to
be as charming as ever by changing the course of nature. So he wants
to be beguiled with the October.

POEM – 10 Sonnet No.148 (W. Shakespeare)

Q. – What are the two problems that the poet faces due to love?
In this Sonnet the poet William Shakespeare addresses an
unknown lady by presenting the contradictory elements of sight and
blindness with the feeling of love.
Here the poet faces two major problems due to love. They are
‘unable to see reality’ and ‘loses the senses of judgment. The poet tells
that in love, the lovers’ eyes are not true as they can not see the
reality as they are spell bound with the beauty and love and their eyes
are filled with only the tears. Their judgments are also false as they can
not approve others’ opinion under the spell of love.
In this way the poet faces inability to see reality and false
judgment as he has been surrounded with love which gives only tears
and sorrows.

POEM – 11 The Tomcat (Don Marquis)

Q. – Why does the poet say that tomcat ‘veils’ the brute in him?
In the poem “The Tomcat” the poet presents the nature of an
animal, wildness, which is always the part of anybody’s nature.
The poet presents dual behaviour of the animal the tomcat.
During day time he is behaving like a decent animal. But at night he is
veiling like a wild animal. So the poet wants to tell us that the tomcat
hides (veils) his inside brute of the night time when it is a day as he
appears as the very pat and domestic animal.
So the poet reflects his ideas of hiding of one’s wild nature under
the shows of good and decent manner.

Q. – Contrast the behaviour of the tomcat when he is wild and when he acts
tame.

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In the poem “The Tomcat” the poet presents the nature of an
animal, wildness, which is always the part of anybody’s nature.
Here in the poem poet presents two sides of the tomcat’s
behaviour. His wildness and his domestic, tame animal’s nature have
been pointed out. Here we can see the two sides of nature that is
highly contrast with each other. The tomcat is very tame animal in the
day time. At this time he lies on a rug and lick his silky fur. Besides he
plays very gently with any object or human beings. But when it turns
mid-night, it also brings changes of the behaviour of the tomcat. The
gentle tomcat turns into a wild brute. He wails and swings his snake-
like tail. His burning eyes look like coal of the Hell. He twists, crouches,
jumps and sings to the stars. He becomes a real brute at night time.
So the poet reflects his ideas of hiding of one’s wild nature under
the shows of good and decent manner.

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