Summary

Extra Questions And Answers of A Face in the Dark Class 9, 10 English Literature

English is a difficult subject for many people to learn. Some students may become frustrated and give up, but here’s Extra Questions And Answers of A Face in the Dark Class 9, 10 English Literature to help you maintain your momentum! This Extra Questions And Answers of A Face in the Dark will provide all necessary information needed in order to study ICSE class 9 and 10 English syllabus successfully at home or school; it includes detailed grammar rules with examples that were used during today’s class discussion on ICSE English Language Paper.

The extra questions from A Face In The Dark, ICSE Board Class 9, 10 makes it easier to understand the story. Understanding every detail of a story is important for scoring higher on an exam and expert writers have made sure that you know how everything flows together by summarizing perfectly!

Extra Questions

1. Who was Mr Oliver? What was his occupation?

~ Mr. Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher, who used to teach in a school, located 3 miles away from Shimla.

Mr. Oliver was a teacher by profession. He has been teaching in the school named ‘Eton of the East’ for several years.

2.What was the name of the school? Why was it called so?

The school where Mr. Oliver was a teacher, was named as ‘Eton of the East’.

The school had been running on an English public school line and the boys, most of them were from wealthy Indian families and were supposed to wear blazers, caps and ties. So, life magazine in a feature on India had declared the school as Eton of the East.

3. Where does Oliver go every evening?

Oliver being a bachelor used to spend his evening usually strolling in the town. He was a teacher in ‘Eton of the East’. After teaching in the school he used to go to the Simla Bazar in the evening and used to return in the night by taking a shortcut route, through the pine forest with a torch in his hand.

4.Why does Oliver take a shortcut on his way back to school?

Oliver always used to take shortcuts on his way back to school at night. He took the shortcut route because he was not a nervous or imaginative man who would think that the forest has supernatural things. He was not frightened. He always carried a torch with him.

5.Why do other people prefer the main road?

~ The other people avoided the shortcut road and took the main road as the shortcut road passed through the pine forest. There was something uneasy, at night the wind seemed to howl and the leaves rustled which created a frightening atmosphere.

6.What did Oliver see in the forest? What does he think?

While walking back to school one night, in the flickering light of his torch, he saw a boy wearing a school cap who was crying silently with his head hung down, sitting on a rock.

Initially, Oliver wants to identify the miscreant as the students were forbidden from venturing out after dark as per the school rules, and he thought it to be a schoolboy by seeing the school cap.

7.Why does Oliver’s anger change to concern?

Oliver was worried about the boy, seeing the boy crying so strangely in the dark all alone in the forest made him concerned. He asked the boy to look up and tell him what was troubling him, he tried to enquire. The boy was not responding to his questions at first but later he did.

8.What did Oliver encounter the very next? How did he react?

~After asking repeatedly, when the boy finally lifts up his face, Oliver’s light falls on his face and he sees that the boy has no face, ears, eyes, or nose. He was frightened.

Oliver gets the shock of his life. The torch falls from his hands and he runs blindly through the trees, calling for help.

9.What did he tell the watchman why was he so afraid?

~
Oliver told the watchman that he had seen a boy sitting in the forest and crying and so he wanted to help him. He asked the boy to lift up his face and tell him what was troubling him and when the boy looked up he was frightened. He said that the boy had no eyes, ears, nose, or mouth, was featureless.

10. What was strange about the watchmen?

~ When Oliver told the watchman what he saw in the forest, the watchman held the lantern in front of his face and asked whether the boy he saw in the forest looked like him. As the light fell on his face Oliver realized that the watchman too was featureless, had no eyes, no nose, no mouth, etc.

11.Character sketch of Oliver.

~ Mr. Oliver is a man of knowledge and skills. He was a teacher in a school named ‘Eton of the East’. He was a bachelor and was staying alone on the premises of the school. He was a courageous man and did not believe in supernatural elements, he used to take a shortcut through the pine forest on his way back to school. He was kind-hearted and helpful, he asked the boy to share his difficulties with him.

12.Discuss the theme: Supernatural elements.

~
Ruskin Bond uses scary techniques in the story ‘A face in the dark’. It has all the hues of the supernatural element. Oliver is described as a man who was not given to nervousness and imagination. He had been walking through the forest for ages but suddenly one night being lonely imagined a featureless boy and a watchman, something like a ghost. The cap must have been on the rock which he thought to be a boy. The story ends with a sense of ambiguity.

13. Discuss the meaning of the title ‘A face in the dark’ in different layer.

~ The story can be read as a paranormal one with a faceless boy and a watchman, haunting Oliver. Ruskin believes that no matter how rational a person is, there is always a supernatural element in the back of mind. Though Oliver is described not to be a nervous man he might be imagining strange things out of fear, loneliness. All he needs is a company and gets a faceless boy. Oliver might be looking for his friends, family, etc.

14.Is the title appropriate? Why so?

~ Yes, the title is apt.

Oliver the protagonist of the story, on his way back to school, encounters a boy sitting in the dark and crying. He enquires him the reason for his difficulties, but he didn’t respond. Later when the boy lifts up his face and the torchlight falls on it, he sees that the boy has no eyes, nose, mouth, etc. He ran for help and bumped to the watchmen. The watchman too was featureless like the boy. The whole story takes place in a forest, in the dark.

15. Is the story a perfect spooky story? What do you think?

~ Yes, the story seems to be spooky somehow.

The story has got various ghostly elements like the sound of the wind, the flickering light of the torch, the weeping of the boy, all these creates a frightening atmosphere. It has suspense, fear. The protagonist of the story encounters a featureless boy and a watchman. The complete story takes place in the dark, in a forest.

Critical Appreciation Of A Teenager’s Prayer by J.Morse Class 10 English Maharashtra Board

English is a difficult subject for many people to learn. Some students may become frustrated and give up, but here’s Critical Appreciation Of A Teenager’s Prayer by J.Morse Class 10 English Maharashtra Board to help you maintain your momentum! This Critical Appreciation Of A Teenager’s Prayer by J.Morse will provide all necessary information needed in order to study Maharashtra board class 10 English successfully at home or school; it includes detailed grammar rules with examples that were used during today’s class discussion on Maharashtra Board Exam English.

The Critical Appreciation Of A Teenager’s Prayer by J.Morse, English class 10 Maharashtra board makes it easier to understand the story. Understanding every detail of a story is important for scoring higher on an exam and expert writers have made sure that you know how everything flows together by summarizing perfectly!

About the poet

Horace J. Morse, born in Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio on December 30, 1838, was the thirteenth Adjutant General of the State of Connecticut. Morse parents were Charles Aldro Morse and Lauretta Cooledge Smith. When Horace J. Morse was younger he lived in Lockport, N.Y., where he received his main education, and then attended Cambridge University in England. He later moved to Hartford, Connecticut at the outbreak of the Civil War.

At the age of 22, Morse was appointed Quartermaster General on the staff of Governor Buckingham. Two years later Morse was appointed Connecticut Adjutant General serving until the close of the war.

In 1862 Morse married Frances E. Trask and they had one boy and one girl named Charles Lewis Morse and Alice L. Morse. In 1868 he became a partner in A.M. Kidder & Co. Amor M. Kidder, who founded the firm in 1865 and was succeeded as senior partner by Morse. Horace J. Morse was an organizer and former vice president of the People’s Trust Company of Brooklyn.

Horace J. Morse died at the age of 92 on March 18, 1930, in Brooklyn, N.Y. after being ill for two months.
About the poem

“In the poem “A teenager’s prayer”, the poet J Morse is taking the place of a teenager to talk about their inner feeling. The central idea of the poem is a teenager’s desire to be able to make the right decisions that lead to success in life. The teenager requests the Lord to help guide him in his journey in life and stay with him as he has to take important decisions on a daily basis.

Here the poet speaks as if he is a teenager and wants to tell the condition of the mind of a teenager at a very delicate time of his life. The poet begins by saying that each new day will bring new beginnings; and he/she will have to make decisions as to which road he/she must walk on.

Structure of the poem

Each day brings new beginnings,
Decisions I must make.
I am the only one to choose from.
The road that I will take.
I can choose to take the road of life,
That leads to great success
Or travel down the darkened road,
That leads to great distress.
Please open up my eyes dear Lord,
That I might clearly see
Help me stand for what is right,
Bring out the best in me.
Help Lord just say “no”
When Temptation comes my way,
That I might keep my body clean
And fit for life each day.
When my teenage years are over,
I know that I will see
That life is lived it’s very best
With you walking next to me.

The poem uses simple words along with the abcb rhyme scheme. There are five stanzas each consists of four lines. There is the use of metaphors to express the poet’s thoughts. This poem conveys a teenager’s inner feelings beautifully.

Line By Line Analysis Of The Poem

Each day brings new beginnings,
Decisions I must make.
I am the only one to choose from.
The road that I will take.

The poet says that each day is a new beginning and they have to firmly choose new decisions, irrespective of whether they are easy or difficult. They have to walk through the correct road.

I can choose to take the road of life,
That leads to great success
Or travel down the darkened road,
That leads to great distress.

The poet talks about two paths one path can lead them to great success while the other path leads to distress. He says about the teenager’s dilemma to choose one among them.

Please open up my eyes dear Lord,
That I might clearly see
Help me stand for what is right,
Bring out the best in me.

The third stanza is all about a teenager’s prayer to god. The teenager says to god to make him/her see things clearly. He/she says to make them wise enough to choose the correct path and also to give the strength to bring out the best in him/her.

Help Lord just say “no”
When Temptation comes my way,
That I might keep my body clean
And fit for life each day.

He/she prays to god to make them stay away from the temptations or stop them from the temptations which can make him/her weak. He/she prays to god to make him/her strong, both physically and mentally.

When my teenage years are over,
I know that I will see
That life is lived it’s very best
With you walking next to me.

In the last stanza, the teenager who is looking into the future and making prayer to God says that he/she will be happy due to the success they achieve in their life. It would be only possible for the God who showed them the right path by listening to all their prayers and request.

Literary Device

•Alliteration:-the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Travel down the darkened road.

•Metaphor:– a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

I can choose to take the road of life

•Inversion:-inversion is a reversal of normal word order, especially the placement of a verb ahead of the subject.

Decisions, I must make

•Apostrophe:–punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets.

Please open up my eyes, dear Lord

The Theme Of The Poem

The poem “A Teenager’s Prayer” focuses on the teenager’s desire to be able to make the right decisions that lead to success in life. The teenager prays to God to help guide him/her in the journey in life and stay with him as he has to take important decisions in life.

The teenager wants to choose the right path that helps him keep his mind clean and avoid all temptations or roads that lead to distress. It is a beautiful poem that shows how a teenager wants to do the right thing and needs the Lord’s help to ensure he does not stray from his morals.

Questions And Answers

What is the central idea of a teenager’s prayer?

The poem ‘A Teenager’s Prayer’ is written by J.Morse. The theme of the poem is a teenager’s desire to be able to make the right decisions in life which leads to success. The teenager in this poem prays to the Lord for guidance and help in his journey of life.

What is the rhyme scheme of a teenager’s prayer?

The rhyme scheme used in the poem is abcb.

What is the age group of the speaker in the poem answer?

The age group of the speaker is between 13 to 19 in the poem.

What does each new days fetch?

Each new day fetches new beginnings and decisions the speaker must take.

Why I like the poem the teenagers prayer?

He simply wants to choose the right path that helps him keep his mind clean and avoid all temptations or roads that lead to distress. It is a beautiful poem that shows how a teenager wants to do the right thing and needs the Lord’s help to ensure he does not stray from his morals.

Who is the guide according to the poet Why?

The almighty God is the guide, according to the poet because poet want God to show him the right path to the success. Poet wants his help to fight to bite the temptations.

What effect does the speaker wish to see in himself at the end of his teenage?

At the end of his teens, the speaker wishes to see that he has lived his life at its best.

The Professor By Nissim Ezekiel Analysis

In this, you are going to go through The Professor By Nissim Ezekiel Analysis. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line analysis. Let us find The Professor By Nissim Ezekiel Analysis.

About The Poet

Nissim Ezekiel

Born – 16 December 1924, Bombay, India

Died – 9 January 2004, Mumbai, India.

He was a poet, playwright, art critic, and editor.

He was one of the prominent writers in English in the post colonial period.

·
Notable works

i) The Discovery of India (1956)
ii) Hymns in Darkness (1976)
iii) Night of the Scorpion

Awards

i) Sahitya Akademi Award (1983)

About The Poem

“The Professor” is a work of satire to Indian society and Indian English. The poem is a one – way conversation between Professor and a student. After a long time, they met. The Professor boasts about his sound health, his sons who are well established and daughters who are married. He is happy to have 11 grandchildren. He talks about changing modern India. He at last he tells his student to come to his house. He lives at the backside of the opposite house.

A Poem Of Satire And Humour

The poem “The Professor” is a poem which presents humour through Satire-when he says that all of his children are settled in life, he goes on giving detail about them. One is bank manager and other is sales manager. This shows the typical view of an Indian about success. He begins with ‘remember me?” signifying that the professor remembers him and not his student remembers him.
When he says “Both have cars”, he shows his narrow thinking about success. Money and wealth is what the learned professor thinks as success. When he says about eleven grand children we become aware of a person whose thinking is orthodox, though he is a Professor. When he says ‘no blood pressure’ we feel to giggle for a man cannot be without blood pressure.

Typical Narrow Thinking

Here the speaker is the professor, a learned person with typical stereotype thinking. His sons are settled in life as Sales manager and Bank manager. To him this is only success. His daughters are happily married and having many children. To him his daughters are meant for only marriage and having children and not anything of their own, something worthwhile in life. Having cars is a symbol of being of the modern class and being wealthy. His one son is not doing well and he thinks that it is important to have someone in the family like him, ‘a black sheep. The names of his daughters ‘ Sarala and Tarala’ both are typical Indian way of name giving reflecting’ his way of thinking. Throughout the poem he does not allow his listener to speak much. He is boastful of himself, family and all achievements. A professor with this thinking shows his narrowness.

Mock To Indian English

‘The poem ‘‘The professor” is remarkable for its mocking of the use of Indian English. Like most other Indians, we find the professor to use present continuous tense more to express himself. We find him using ‘issue’ as plural which is odd. Then he says ‘progress is progressing’ which is odd and funny to hear. We find him saying ‘‘old values are going, new values are coming” reflecting the awkward habit of speaking. Then he says, ‘Everything is happening with ‘leaps and bounds’. The use of “leaps and bounds” reflect the unusual way of expression. We find extensive use of present continuous to reflect his feelings. He uses ‘price of the old age’ reflecting an awkward dual meaning. Then we find him stating ‘O.K.’ which is informal and only used in conversation. Then he states about ‘aches and pains which, though an example of Tautology is awkwardly used. After that, he states ‘no blood pressure’ meaning ridiculous. No one can live without blood pressure. Actually, he meant that his blood pressure is normal. His statement ‘no heart attack’ is also humorous as it is not a disease rather it is an occurrence. We find him with the instances of Indian English when we come across statements like ‘How is your health keeping?”, “man of weight and consequence”, “humble residence”, “opposite houses backside”.

A Poem Of Boasting

This poem from the alpha to omega talks about the boasting comments of the professor. The professor goes on to state how well her sons are successful and established and how the two daughters are married with good boys (!) and how he is happy about having eleven grandchildren. Then he goes on to talk about how he supports modern thinking and in support of family planning. He goes on boasting about this sound health and well being.

A Poem Of Monologue

A monologue is presented by a single speaker to express their thoughts and sometimes to address directly another character or a group of audience. Here in “The Professor” too we find a single speaker, the professor delivering his own thoughts about family, children, profession and health to another character and listener, his former student.

Structure Of The Poem

The poem is written in free verse and is a perfect piece of monologue. The poem is of 36 lines and devoid of any proper metrical pattern and rhyme scheme. The poem is a satire and evokes humour in readers.

Poetic Devices In Use

I) Anaphora – “one is ………………….
One is …………….”

ii) Alliteration – “whole world”, “In India”.

iii) Simile – “You were so this, like stick”

iv) Repetition – “No diabetes, no blood presume, no heart attack:, “other also doing well, though not so well

v) Antithesis – Old values are going, new values are coming”, “now and then”.

Questions And Answers

What type of poem The professor is?

The poem “The Professor” by Nissim Ezekiel is a satire on typical Professors of India. In this poem which is a Dramatic Monologue, a Professor namely Professor Seth meets a person who was once his student. The professor begins boasting about himself and about his sons and sons-in-law.

What is the message of the poem the professor by Nissim Ezekiel?

Nissim Ezekiel through his poem ” The Professor” explores the Urban thinking pattern of the Indians and is a satire on the typical Indian mentality, where success is measured on the basis of a person’s materialistic wealth, the age-old inequality of gender prevails, son’s success is measured by his managerial jobs.

What was the name of the professor in the poem the professor?

The poem begins with the professor’s question: “Remember me?” Then he himself gives the identity that he is Professor Sheth. It is clear from his speech that he is talking to one of his past students whom he taught geography.

Who is the black sheep in Professor family?

The term ‘black sheep’ refers to an odd member of a group who is generally regarded as a misfit, disgrace or cause of shame. The professor uses the term to talk about his third son who according to him has not been as successful as the other two sons.

The Merchant Of Venice ICSE Class 10 English

SCENE II: Belmont. A room in PORTIA’S house.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA

PORTIA

By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is aweary of this great world.

NERISSA

You would be, sweet madam, if your miseries were in the same abundance as your good fortunes are: and yet, for aught I see, they are as sick that surfeit with too much as they that starve with nothing. It is no mean happiness therefore, to be seated in the mean: superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer.

PORTIA

Good sentences and well pronounced.

NERISSA

They would be better, if well followed.

PORTIA

If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions: I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o’er a cold decree: such a hare is madness the youth, to skip o’er the meshes of good counsel the cripple. But this reasoning is not in the fashion to choose me a husband. O me, the word ‘choose!’ I may neither choose whom I would nor refuse whom I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?

NERISSA

Your father was ever virtuous; and holy men at their death have good inspirations: therefore the lottery, that he hath devised in these three chests of gold, silver and lead, whereof who chooses his meaning chooses you, will, no doubt, never be chosen by any rightly but one who shall rightly love. But what warmth is there in your affection towards any of these princely suitors that are already come?

PORTIA

I pray thee, over-name them; and as thou namest them, I will describe them; and, according to my description, level at my affection.

NERISSA

First, there is the Neapolitan prince.

PORTIA

Ay, that’s a colt indeed, for he doth nothing but talk of his horse; and he makes it a great appropriation to his own good parts, that he can shoe him himself. I am much afeard my lady his mother played false with a smith.

NERISSA

Then there is the County Palatine.

PORTIA

He doth nothing but frown, as who should say ‘If you will not have me, choose:’ he hears merry tales and smiles not: I fear he will prove the weeping philosopher when he grows old, being so full of unmannerly sadness in his youth. I had rather be married to a death’s-head with a bone in his mouth than to either of these. God defend me from these two!

NERISSA

How say you by the French lord, Monsieur Le Bon?

PORTIA

God made him, and therefore let him pass for a man. In truth, I know it is a sin to be a mocker: but, he! why, he hath a horse better than the Neapolitan’s, a better bad habit of frowning than the Count Palatine; he is every man in no man; if a throstle sing, he falls straight a capering: he will fence with his own shadow: if I should marry him, I should marry twenty husbands. If he would despise me I would forgive him, for if he love me to madness, I shall never requite him.

NERISSA

What say you, then, to Falconbridge, the young baron of England?

PORTIA

You know I say nothing to him, for he understands not me, nor I him: he hath neither Latin, French, nor Italian, and you will come into the court and swear that I have a poor pennyworth in the English. He is a proper man’s picture, but, alas, who can converse with a dumb-show? How oddly he is suited! I think he bought his doublet in Italy, his round hose in France, his bonnet in Germany and his behavior every where.

NERISSA

What think you of the Scottish lord, his neighbour?

PORTIA

That he hath a neighbourly charity in him, for he borrowed a box of the ear of the Englishman and swore he would pay him again when he was able: I think the Frenchman became his surety and sealed under for another.

NERISSA

How like you the young German, the Duke of Saxony’s nephew?

PORTIA

Very vilely in the morning, when he is sober, and most vilely in the afternoon, when he is drunk: when he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast: and the worst fall that ever fell, I hope I shall make shift to go without him.

NERISSA

If he should offer to choose, and choose the right casket, you should refuse to perform your father’s will, if you should refuse to accept him.

PORTIA

Therefore, for fear of the worst, I pray thee, set a deep glass of rhenish wine on the contrary casket, for if the devil be within and that temptation without, I know he will choose it. I will do any thing, Nerissa, ere I’ll be married to a sponge.

NERISSA

You need not fear, lady, the having any of these lords: they have acquainted me with their determinations; which is, indeed, to return to their home and to trouble you with no more suit, unless you may be won by some other sort than your father’s imposition depending on the caskets.

PORTIA

If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chaste as Diana, unless I be obtained by the manner of my father’s will. I am glad this parcel of wooers are so reasonable, for there is not one among them but I dote on his very absence, and I pray God grant them a fair departure.

NERISSA

Do you not remember, lady, in your father’s time, a Venetian, a scholar and a soldier, that came hither in company of the Marquis of Montferrat?

PORTIA

Yes, yes, it was Bassanio; as I think, he was so called.

NERISSA

True, madam: he, of all the men that ever my foolish eyes looked upon, was the best deserving a fair lady.

PORTIA

I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy praise. Enter a Serving-man How now! what news?

Servant

The four strangers seek for you, madam, to take their leave: and there is a forerunner come from a fifth, the Prince of Morocco, who brings word the prince his master will be here to-night.

PORTIA

If I could bid the fifth welcome with so good a heart as I can bid the other four farewell, I should be glad of his approach: if he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me. Come, Nerissa. Sirrah, go before. Whiles we shut the gates upon one wooer, another knocks at the door.

Critical Analysis And Line By Line Explanation Of The Twins By Henry Sambrooke Leigh Class 10 English Maharashtra Board

In this, you are going to go through Critical Analysis And Line By Line Explanation Of The Twins By Henry Sambrooke Leigh Class 10 English Maharashtra Board. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the Maharashtra board exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line analysis. Let us find Critical Analysis And Line By Line Explanation Of The Twins By Henry Sambrooke Leigh Class 10 English Maharashtra Board.

About the poet

Henry Sambrooke Leigh was a writer, a playwright, singer, french scholar, brilliant, etc. He was born on 29th March in London. At a very early age, he engaged himself in writing. His verses were very fluent and straightforward. He has translated many French Verses. For the theatre Royal, his theatrical essay was in collaboration. His “The Prince Methusalem” was a complete failure at Folies Dramatiques.

Henry Sambrooke Leigh’s collection of lyrics were at ‘Carols of Cockayne’, ‘Gillott and Goosequill’, ‘A Town Garland. He was prayed for his fluent verse but was also described as being of slender merit. Huge collections were published between 1860- 1880.

Henry’s poem “The Twins” has famous among all the students; they liked it. It was the kind of poetry that a parent would readout for their twins.

About the poem

In the poem “The Twins,” the poet Henry Sambrooke Leigh talks about how he is suffering the entire life because of his twin. He exclaims how he gets unfairly treated because of his brother’s foolishness, once he got punished for his brother. The poem talks about the twins in a light-hearted manner and with comedy. He also shows his part of tension if his wife would marry his brother out of confusion or what would happen if any one dies, who will help the people burry. The people weren’t so foolish to bury the other one, and he created a comedy element.

Throughout the poem, he exclaims his sorrow. He shows how the twins face problems. He was so annoyed with that situation that he started asking his readers “What would you do if you were me,

To prove that you were you?”.
Structure of the poem

In the form and the feature, face, and limb,
I grew so like my brother,
That folk got taking me for him,
And each for one another.
It puzzled all our kith and kin,
It reached a fearful pitch;
For one of us was born a twin,
Yet not a soul knew which.
One day, to make the matter worse,
Before our names were fixed,
As the nurse was washing us,
We got utterly mixed;
And thus, you see by fate’s decree,
Or rather a nurse’s whim.
My brother John got christened me,
And I got christened him.
This Fatal likeness even dogged
My footsteps, when at school,
And I was always getting flogged,
For John turned out a fool.
I put this Question, fruitlessly,
To everyone I knew,
‘What would you do, if you were me,
To prove that you were you?’
Our close resemblance turned the tide
Of my domestic life,
For somehow, my intended bride
Became my brother’s wife.
In fact, year after year the same
Absurd mistakes went on,
And when I died, the neighbours came
And buried John.

The poem consists of 4 stanzas, each with eight lines. The rhyme scheme, followed by the entire poem, is ababcdcd. The rhyming plan is used to make the stanza melodious. There is a perfect use of hyperbole, and humour are used to emphasize its main points.

Analysis Of The Poem

In the form and the feature, face, and limb,
I grew so like my brother,
That folk got taking me for him,
And each for one another.
It puzzled all our kith and kin,
It reached a fearful pitch;
For one of us was born a twin,
Yet not a soul knew which.

In the poem, the poet explains or says what sort of problems do twins face. The poet was one of the twins who faced many difficulties in the entire life due to similar features. He and his brother were identical in every aspect, like living style, look, etc. Others mind find it interesting, but it was tough for him to adjust. Every time others used to confuse them and this confusion lasted throughout life.

One day, to make the matter worse,
Before our names were fixed,
As a nurse was washing us,
We got utterly mixed;
And thus, you see by fate’s decree,
Or rather the nurse’s whim.
My brother John got christened me,
And I got christened him.

The poet says how worst they had to face. The worst part was during the naming ceremony. The nurse got confused as they both looked the same, and unfortunately, their names too got exchanged. He got the name of his brother, and his brother got the word which was for him.

This Fatal likeness even dogged
My footsteps, when at school,
And I was always getting flogged,
For John turned out a fool.
I put this Question, fruitlessly,
To everyone I knew,
‘What would you do if you were me,
To prove that you were you?’

The poet says that the same problem chased them in school too. Once, he was punished for the mischief of his brother. From then, the speaker got so annoyed that he went on asking everyone how can he prove his identity.

Our close resemblance turned the tide
Of my domestic life,
For somehow, my intended bride
Became my brother’s wife.
In fact, year after year the same
Absurd mistakes went on,
And when I died, the neighbours came
And buried John.

The poet says that a similar look may also cause an issue during marriage when his wife would marry his brother out of confusion. The entire life, he faced the same problem. Even after death, people would have disorder who died, whom to burry. They would like mistakenly burry the other one.

Literary Devices

•Alliteration:– the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Form and the feature
What would

•Hyperbole:- exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. It reached a fearful preach.

•Pun: -a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.

I grew so like my brother.

•Irony:– The speaker or the port shows how the confusion is created with his twins for the entire life. The confusion between two identical twins.

The Theme of the Poem

The theme of the poem “The Twins” is the physical appearance shared by identical twins: the problem or issue or the confusion created amongst other people. The problem is faced by all to identify the one because of their similar look.

The poet says how he faced problems throughout his life. Once, he got punished because of his brother’s foolishness. He was tensed about what would happen if anyone is dead, who will the people burry. He was also drawn and said that if his wife would marry his brother out of confusion.

He emphasizes and asks everyone how can he prove his identity to others. He was annoyed.

Questions And Answers

Who wrote the twins poem?

Born in Lancashire, England to a bank cashier and an heiress, poet Robert William Service moved to Scotland at the age of five, living with his grandfather and three aunts until his parents moved to Glasgow four years later and the family reunited.

What puzzled the kith and kin?

Kith and Kin were puzzled by the brother’s similarity.

What puzzled the kith and kin of the twins?

In form and feature, face and limb, I grew so like my brother, That folks got taking me for him, And each for one another. It puzzled all our kith and kin, It reach’d an awful pitch; For one of us was born a twin, Yet not a soul knew which.

My Own True Family Poem Questions And Answers Class 10 English West Bengal Board

In this, you are going to go through My Own True Family Poem Questions And Answers Class 10 English West Bengal Board. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the West Bengal Board exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line analysis. Let us find My Own True Family Poem Questions And Answers Class 10 English West Bengal Board.

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences :

a) Creeping in an oakwood, the poet was looking for a

i) goat

ii) rhinoceros

iii) stag

iv) buffalo

Answer:iii

b) whenever an Oak tree is felled, the number of trees the poet must plant is

i) two

ii) three

iii) four

iv) five

Answer:i

c) When the poet came out of the Oakwood, his heart was that of a

i) stag

ii) tree

iii) human child

iv) old women

Answer:ii

2. State whether the following sentences are true or false. Provide sentences/phrases/words in support of your answer :

a)The old woman held the poet’s secrets in her little bag

–true

Supporting statement – “I have your secret in my little bag”

b) The tree tribe said that the poet is bothered to see the chopping down of oak trees.

–false

Supporting statement :”we are chopped down,we are torn up, you do not blink an eye”.

c) The poet never came out of the oakwood.

–false

Supporting statement : “When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company “.

3. Answer the following questions :

a)When did the poet come twice awake?

-The poet came twice awake when the old woman whom he met in the oakwood opened the bag to show a magic.

b) What would happen to the poet if he failed to make the promise?

-The black oak tree would wrinkle over him and rooted him among the oak trees if the poet failed to make the promise and this way he would die.

c) What was it that altered the poet?

-The poet was altered by the dream about the ill fate of oak trees. He felt compassionate when he was awoke from his dream.

4. Change the following into indirect speech:

a)Rahul asked Dipa, ‘Will you go to school today? ‘

— Rahul asked Dipa that if she could go to school today.

b) Rita said to Ayesha,”Please give me a glass of water”

–Rita requested Ayesha for a glass of water.

c) The old man told the little girl, “May you be happy! “

–The old man prayed for the little girl to be happy.

5. Do as directed

a.Ranjan said,”who does not know the name of Rabindranath?”(change into an affirmative sentence)

–Ranjan told that everybody knows the name of Rabindranath.

b. Sangeeta runs faster than any other girl in her class.(Rewrite using the positive degree of faster)

-No other girl in the class can run as fast as Sangeeta.

c. Kaushiki blamed her friend for the trouble. (rewrite using the noun form of blamed)

-Kaushiki blames her friend for the trouble.

7. Letter Writing

Your school is going to organize the Inter-school District Sports Competition. Suppose you are the secretary of the Sports Club of your school. Write a notice (within 100 words) calling students to participate in the competition. Mention the time, date and venue of the competition. Your notice should be countersigned by the Headmaster/Headmistress of your school.

XYZ High School

Notice

11.09.20

This is to inform all of you as a secretary of the sports club that our school is going to organize a inter-school district sports competition on 1st to 7th of October this year. The competition will be arranged on our school premises. Many events will be there for everyone which will be announced later on by our sports teacher. It’s a request to all of you to take part in this competition and make our school feel proud. For further details contact with the games teacher.

Secretary

Countersigned by –

Sports club,

Headmistress.

Questions And Answers

What is the poem my own true family about?

“My Own True Family” tells the story of a young boy who is cursed by an old woman and dreams he is tied to a stake, surrounded by a ring of talking oak trees. … The boy emerges from this experience with “the walk of a human child, but [his] heart was a tree.”

Who wrote my own true family poem?

Ted Hughes, a famous English poet, wrote the poem.

What did the narrator realize in his dream my own true family?

Nnarrator dreams that his is then surrounded by a staring tribe of oak spirits who make him promise under the threat of death ,that when he sees an oak tree chooped down he will always plant two in its place.

Why were the oak trees angry with the poet?

If the poet failed to make the promise, the black oak tree would wrinkle over him and rooted him among the oak trees.

How did the oak trees threaten the poet?

The tribes were nothing but the oak trees and they said to the poet that they are his own true family. They expressed their unhappiness saying that human being chopped them down,they torn them up. They threatened the poet that they would kill him unless he made a promise to stop this.

What did the oak Tree complain?

The complaints of the Oak-trees were that though they were true family members of mankind, the human beings chop them down, torn them up indiscriminately.

Why does the poet twice awake in the poem my own true family?

The poet in “Our Own True Family” by Ted Hughes went to search for a stag in an oakwood. There he met a weak old lady who was “all knobbly stick and rag” with a little bag. She put spell on the poet by opening the bag and magically putting him to sleep. He started dreaming and thus came twice awake.

What did the old woman tell the child in the poem my own true family?

She said that he had my secret there in her little bag. They said , “We are the oak – trees and your own true family.”

Analysis Of We Are The Music Makers ISC Class 11, 12 English Literature

English is a difficult subject for many people to learn. Some students may become frustrated and give up, but here’s an Analysis Of We Are The Music Makers ISC Class 11, 12 English Literature to help you maintain your momentum! This Analysis Of We Are The Music Makers will provide all necessary information needed in order to study ISC Class 11, 12 English successfully at home or school; it includes detailed grammar rules with examples that were used during today’s class discussion on the ISC English literature exam.

The Analysis Of We Are The Music Makers in English Chapter 1, ISC English literature class 11, 12 makes it easier to understand the story. Understanding every detail of a story is important for scoring higher on an exam and expert writers have made sure that you know how everything flows together by summarizing perfectly!

About the Poet

Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy was a British poet of Irish descent who was born in London on March 14, 1844. He spent the outer portion of his minimal life of 36 years, from the age of seventeen, in the service of the library as a transcribed in the Natural History Department of the British Museum. A couple of years later, at the age of nineteen, he became a herpetologist( someone who specializes in the concise study of amphibians and reptiles).

However, his love for literature supplanted everything. His inner life is expressed in four volumes of verse- the ‘Epic of Women’(1870), ‘Lays of France’(1872), ‘Music and moonlight(1874) and ‘Songs of a Worker’ (published posthumously in 1881).

Arthur was associated with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and especially Charles Swinburne of Pre-Raphaelites. In a small comic limerick, which was posthumously published by Michael Rossetti, D. G Rossetti describes his friend O’Shaughnessy as:

“There’s the Irishman
Arthur O’Shaughnessy

On the chessboard of
poets as pawn is here:

Though bishop Or king
Would be rather the
thing.”

According to anthologist Francis Turner Palgrave, Arthur had “a haunting music all his own “ “We are the Music Makers” got published in 1873 under the famous title ‘Ode’. This poem portrays a universal appeal towards the contribution of the artists, musicians, writers, and others to the society. Finally, Edward Elgar quotes ‘ The mainspring of O’Shaughnessy’s Ode is the sense of progress, of never-ceasing change; it is the duty of the artist to see that this inevitable change is progress.”

About the Poem

The Ode, famously known by its very first line “
We are the Music Makers” is the first poem in the collection of O’Shaughnessy’s ‘Music and Moonlight’(1874). The line has been reflected in many different media:

a) Spoken by Willy Wonka in ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’.
b) Used in the Aphex Twin song, “We are the Music Makers” from the album Selected Ambient Works. The motif of O’Shaughnessy’s poem is the notion that the poets- the music makers and dreamers-are the true makers of history and of human civilization. Their dreams and their visions are the foreshadowings of what the rest of mankind arepredestined to work out in tireless conflict: to-day is the realisation of a dream of generations of past; to-morrow will bring forth the dream of today. This gives an indication of “The Good Morrow” of John Donne.

Structure of the poem

We are the music makers,

And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

And sitting by desolate streams;

World-losers and world-forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world for ever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties

We build up the world’s great cities,

And out of a fabulous story

We fashion an empire’s glory:

One man with a dream, at pleasure,

Shall go forth and conquer a crown;

And three with a new song’s measure

Can trample a kingdom down.

We, in the ages lying,

In the buried past of the earth,

Built Nineveh with our sighing,

And Babel itself in our mirth;

And o’erthrew them with prophesying

To the old of the new world’s worth;

For each age is a dream that is dying,

Or one that is coming to birth.

A breath of our inspiration

Is the life of each generation;

A wondrous thing of our dreaming

Unearthly, impossible seeming —

The soldier, the king, and the peasant

Are working together in one,

Till our dream shall become their present,

And their work in the world be done.

They had no vision amazing

Of the goodly house they are raising;

They had no divine foreshowing

Of the land to which they are going:

But on one man’s soul it hath broken,

A light that doth not depart;

And his look, or a word he hath spoken,

Wrought flame in another man’s heart.

The poem ‘We Are the Music Makers’ is an Ode. An ode is a serious and dignified composition. It is exalted in subject-matter and elevated in tone and style. The theme and its treatment cannot be trivial or undignified. The poem follows a rhyme scheme that adds to the musical note of the poem. According to anthologist Francis Turner Palgrave, O’Shaughnessy had “a haunting music all his own”. The poem was composed to chords in 1912 by Edward Elgar in his famous work entitled The Music Makers. It follows the rhyme scheme ABABABAB in the first stanza, followed by AABBCDCD in the second and lastly ABABABAB in the final stanza. The various rhyming words in the poem such as makers, breakers, movers, shakers, streams, ditties et al.add a rhythmic tone in the poem. The changing rhythm conveys the change in the tone of the poetic voice.

Poetic persona

Here, in the poem, the speaker should not be identified with the poet. Although it is obvious that the narrative of the poem is in the first person ‘we’- the collective voice of the artists which gives the poem its universal appeal. Thus, the speaker represents all the strata of creative personas- poets, musicians, painters, artists, etc. who are the harbinger of creative rebellion in the otherwise sombre society.

The theme of the poem

The leading theme of the poem is certainly an appreciation of art and bringing out its transformative power through the form of poetry. The poem discusses two things; the importance of arts and the pivotal role that artists play in this world to bring about a blissful change. Their timeless and immortal workpieces not only give positive vibes into society but also help people come out of the unimaginative, dull and monotonous existence. Thus, the poet puts them in the highest pedestal and calls them almost immortal beings. Though art does not cause any physical change, it acts as a goading cause for change. The artists don’t practically get involved in the prevailing social cacophony, their art makes them ‘movers’ and ‘shakers’. They plunge the society on the way of progress and growth in the realm of ideas by shaking it from its stagnation and slumber. The artists remain outside of the predestined societal norms and bring about desirable changes in the world. Shakespeare’s Theseus recognizes the power of the poet’s pen that “gives to airy nothing/A local habitation and a name”. O’Shaughnessy makes it clear in his poem that fantasies of the artist are not mere fantasies. Their fantasies, dreams, myths, and legends inspire civilizations. They are to be seen as revolutionaries:

Yet we are the
movers and shakers

Of the World forever,
it seems

Their world of imagination is conceived to be ‘Infinite and Eternal’ by William Blake, Percy.
Shelley, John Keats, in fact, all the Romantic poets in one way or the other.

In the third stanza, the poet has attributed saintly status to art by referring to biblical cities of Babel and Nineveh which designates them as both creators and destroyers of this human world through their angelic art form. Moreover, he has rejected the concept of Aestheticism, which glorifies the idea that an artist’s only the relationship is to his art itself, referring to the popular 19th-century movement of art for art’s sake and that created the artists as the harbinger of creative rebellions.

Questions And Answers

What is the main theme of the poem we are the music makers?

‘We are the Music Makers’ underlines the idea that art is not for art’s sake, rather it is for life’s sake. Art is a powerful vehicle for social change. It has great transformative power.

Why is We are the music makers an ode?

We Are The Music Makers is an ode to the ones who dream and create. It is a tribute to artists, poets, writers and musicians who shape the world through their art. … It doesn’t limit itself to a particular form of art but includes all the creative and artistic endeavors pursued by humans

Crossing The Bar By Alfred Lord Tennyson Analysis ISC Class 11, 12 English

In this, you are going to go through Crossing The Bar By Alfred Lord Tennyson Analysis ISC Class 11, 12 English. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the ISC exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical analysis of Crossing The Bar. Let us find Crossing The Bar By Alfred Lord Tennyson Analysis ISC Class 11, 12 English.

About The Poet

Alfred, Lord Tennyson is the most distinguished poet of the Victorian era. He has seemed the embodiment of his genre, both to his contemporaries and to the modern readers. Born at Somerset Rectory in Lincolnshire, England on the 6th of August, 1809, the son of the Reverend George Clayton Tennyson. Tennyson portrayed his literary skills quite early, and by the subtle age of fourteen had authored a drama in blank verse and 6000 lines epic poem.

In 1828, Tennyson got enrolled at the Trinity College, Cambridge. At the same year, he won the Chancellor’ Gold Medal for his poem Timbuctoo. In 1830, he released his first solo collection: Poems, Chiefly Lyrical. His poetry deals with various facets and expresses the spiritual unrest of his date.

Among his best-known poems are The Lady of Shallot, Lockley Hall, Morte d’Athur, and Ulysses. His career hit a high note with In Memoriam.

His voluminous works are known for his experiment with meters was selected to succeed William Wordsworth as England’s new Poet Laureate in 1880. Wordsworth penned him as “ the greatest of our living poets”.

He breathed last at Aldworth House, his home in Surrey, on 6th of October 1892, at the age of 83. He was consigned to the grave in the Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, and the copy of Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline was placed along.

About The Poem

Tennyson is surmised to have written the poem while on a voyage, crossing the Solent from Aldworth to visit the Aisle of Wright. Its vivid imagery and Romanization of death resemble Romantic-era literature. The poem was written three years before his demise. “ The words,” he said, “ came in a moment”. The poem has been very important for him as he had instructed that all of his poetry collections should end with “ Crossing the Bar”. Moreover, he had asked his son Hallam to recite this poem in his deathbed.

The poem focusses on the impermanency of life and the finality of death. The poem was published in the volume “Demeter and Other Poems” ( 1889). The poet uses the journey motif to express his views about his journey from life to death and beyond. The sixteen lines extended metaphor of Crossing the Bar embodies travelling placidly and securely from life to death.

The poem was published in the backdrop of the conflict between science and faith. Darwin’s theory of evolution and many other scientific discoveries shook the people’s faith in the scriptures and God himself. Tennyson strongly portrayed the cycle of rebirth and at last coming face to face with the Pilot in the day of judgement.

Structure Of The Poem

Sunset and evening
star, A
And
one clear call for me!B

And may there be no
moaning of the bar, A

When
I put out to sea, B

But
such a tide as moving seems asleep, C

Too
full for sound and foam, D

When that which drew
from out the boundless deep C

Turns
again home.D

Twilight
and evening bell, E
And
after that the dark!F

And may there be no
sadness of farewell, E

When
I embark; F

For
tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place G

The
flood may bear me far, A

I hope to see my Pilot
face to face G

When
I have crost the bar. A

‘ Crossing the Bar’ is an elegy of four lines and each of them is quatrains. It is narrated in the first persona. It is concerned with the notion of death, though its mood is far from sad or
sorrowful. He has used the classical rhyme scheme of abab. The structure is akin to that of a ballad form. The length of the lines varies according to the intended movement. The poem is interlinked with theme and conceit. It has a rhyme scheme as ABAB CDCD EFEF GAGA. There is a consistency about the third line of the poem that in all the four stanzas they have ten syllables. For example, And/ may/ there/ be/ no/ moa/ ning/ of/ the/bar .

Tennyson has extended one line in each of the first three stanzas into a single iambic pentameter line. The repeated usage of the word “ bar” is substantial as it is the divide between life and the afterlife. The pace slows down in the last line ‘ When I have crost the bar’ and sums up forcefully in an optimistic note ‘ to see” the awaited “ Pilot”.

Literary Devices In The Poem

The poem “ Crossing the Bar” has the following poetic devices:-

1. Metaphor
The poem has used several metaphors to convey the meaning. A metaphor is a direct comparison between two things but a not explicitly cited. Examples of metaphors in the poem are:

· Sunset and evening star, a
metaphor the end of life.

· Pilot,
a metaphorical reference to God.

· Bar,
I.e sandbar, a strong raised area between the harbour and the sea is a metaphor
for boundary between life and death.

2. Imagery

A reference to the various senses of the human
body. There are several imageries in the poem like

Sunset, the evening star and twilight ( visual imagery).

Moaning of the bar( auditory imagery).

3. Alliteration

Examples of alliteration are:

· Sunset and the evening star.

· And one clear call for me!

· When that which drew

· For tho’ from out our bourne

4. Personification

The figure of speech in which an inanimate object or animal is given human-like qualities.

“ And may there be no moaning of the bar”

“ But such a tide as moving seems asleep”.

5. Enjambment

“ I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crost the bar.”

Theme Of The Poem

Death and Acceptance

The theme of death and acceptance is the predominant theme of the poem “ Crossing the Bar”. It focuses on the necessity of life to accept the ups and downs of life with stoicism and honour.

The speaker correlates this the crossing of the bar which divides the element of life and death. The poem is a clear argument toward the acceptance of death and the assurance of God’s solace in eternity.

The poem begins with” one clear call” for the poet to which he resonates. He wants that there should be no moaning after his departure. The “ sunset and evening star” are symbolic of getting old and the “ call” refers to signal for impending cessation. This establishes the idea that God is behind the process of life and death. Approaching death is one of God’s
plan.

There is a certain sense of hope as the speaker wants no mournful departure. That is probably because he doesn’t see death as a true end. Also, when the tides classes at the shore they make a moaning sound. Here, the endorsement of imminent death calmly, without fear is implied. He hopes that when one disentangles oneself from the knot of life, he
may be set to a new destination without much sound. The going out to return to the “ boundless deep” from which all mortals come. He considers death as a trail through ups and downs from this finite world to a world of the afterlife. Where there will be no boundaries like the “ bar” between life and death and no restrictions of “ Time and Place”. The reason for death is not merely the end but a new beginning.

Questions And Answers

What is the message of the poem Crossing the Bar?

“Crossing the Bar” is a poem in which a speaker confronts the reality of imminent death and finds a kind of peace in the thought of dying. Rather than being scared by death, the speaker presents it as a mere transition into another kind of life (specifically, the Christian afterlife)

Is Crossing the Bar a metaphysical poem?

Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar is a highly charged spiritual discourse on the aftermath of life. It is a philosophic discourse on the subject of death. … The entire poem is deeply suggestive lesson of final journey of life towards death set forth in the metaphoric language of sea voyage.

What is the bar that the poet wants to cross?

The poet wishes to cross the sandbar, the only obstacle before he can set sail into the sea. Beyond him lies a vast sea with an unknown journey but known destination.

What do sunset evening stars mean?

The “sunset and evening star” are symbolic of getting old. As the evening star appears in the sky at the time of sunset when the day ends metaphorically it refers the end of the life of the speaker.

What metaphorical meaning has the moaning of the bar?

In this poem, Tennyson is using a sandbar as a metaphor to represent the line between life and death. Waves must crash against a sandbar in order to reach the shore, which makes a sound that Tennyson calls “the moaning of the bar.”

What does too full for sound and foam mean?

Through the poem, the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson compares his impending death to crossing a bar. Like a calm sea wave, which is ‘too full for sound and foam’ the speaker hopes that his death will be silent, smooth and quick, making no fuss. When that which drew from out the boundless deep.

What do you mean by crossing the bar has the poet used the journey motif in crossing the bar and to what purpose?

In ‘Crossing the Bar’ Tennyson anticipates his own death and gives vent to his feelings in metaphorical language. Thus, the poet uses the journey motif to express his belief that there is life beyond death. After death one goes on the final journey back to his real home (heaven) from where he once came.

How does Lord Tennyson see death as a homecoming in the poem Crossing the Bar?

The poet sees death as a homecoming, an event as natural, sure, and peaceful as the flowing of a river into the ocean that is its home. On its way to the ocean, a river takes with it the sediment that creates a sandbar (also called a bar).

The Dolphins By Carol Ann Duffy Critical Appreciation ISC Class 11, 12 English

In this, you are going to go through The Dolphins By Carol Ann Duffy Critical Appreciation ISC Class 11, 12 English. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the ISC exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line analysis. Let us find The Dolphins By Carol Ann Duffy Critical Appreciation ISC Class 11, 12 English.

About The Poet

Carol Ann Duffy is an award-winning Scottish poetess born in Glasgow, Scotland on 23rd December 1955, the first child of May and Frank Duffy. The “post-post-war England” poetess as referred to by Danette DeMarco in Mosaic explored a wide arena of subjects ranging from gender and oppression to raising societal cases and thereby expressing them in familiar, conversational language. She was the first woman to openly speak out on LGBT and also the first poet laureate of England.

Carol grew up attending convent schools and began writing poems from the tender age of 11. Subsequently, she published her first poetry at the age of 14. She later attended Liverpool University and after graduating with a degree in philosophy(1977), she set to achieve her dreams of writing by publishing several books, read and teach poetry. Duffy also served as a poetry critic for The Guardian from 1988 to 1989 and as an editor to the Ambit ( a poetry magazine).

A wide range of works are attributed to her. Several collections include Standing Female Nude (1985), The Other Country (1990), The World’s Wife (1999), and Rapture (2005). During the early 21st century, her books were written for children, including picture books like Underwater Farmyard (2002), The Tear Thief (2007). Dramatic characters mixed with narratives, voicing wittily being social critique, characterize Duffy’s early works.

She is lauded with several awards be it winning the Costa Book Awards twice (1993,2011) or T.S Eliot Prize in 2005.

About The Poem

The poem ‘The Dolphins’ is written in dramatic monologue – from the perspective of dolphins. It covers many themes of oppression, curtailment of freedom, tramping the voice of others. It also broaches ideas which have to do with animal welfare and treatment met out to the animals.

It presents the viewpoint of the trapped dolphin whose life has remained now confined to a mere water pool. The dolphin in agony tells us his happy anecdote of life in the ocean and their experience in the limited space of the water tank. This artificial life of theirs has no music “ We circle well-worn grooves/ of water on a single note”, no sunlight, no moon ( which is reduced to a “coloured ball”). Nothing is natural here and this hollowness makes their future seem bleak “…our mind knows we will die here.”

Form And Structure Of The Poem

World is what you swim in, or dance, it is simple.
We are in our element but we are not free.
Outside this world you cannot breathe for long.
The other has my shape. The other’s movement
forms my thoughts. And also mine. There is a man
and there are hoops. There is a constant flowing guilt.

We have found no truth in these waters,
no explanations tremble on our flesh.
We were blessed and now we are not blessed.
After travelling such space for days we began
to translate. It was the same space. It is
the same space always and above it is the man.
And now we are no longer blessed, for the world
will not deepen to dream in. The other knows
and out of love reflects me for myself.
We see our silver skin flash by like memory
of somewhere else. There is a coloured ball
we have to balance till the man has disappeared.

The moon has disappeared. We circle well-worn grooves
of water on a single note. Music of loss forever
from the other’s heart which turns my own to stone.
There is a plastic toy. There is no hope. We sink
to the limits of this pool until the whistle blows.
There is a man and our mind knows we will die here.

The poem is divided into four stanzas, each having six lines. Although no definite rhyme scheme is followed, there are instances in the text where we find internal rhyme like at the end of line three of 4th stanza, “ own” and “ stone” rhyme. The use of words is simple and the form of is nearly curated. Simplicity juxtaposed with ambiguity makes an impression on the readers.

Message: The poem aims at giving voice to other suffering creatures who are oppressed in the same way or other daily. We are exhorted implicitly to do something against the needless confinement of innocent beings. Protection and conservation of wildlife should be undertaken on a vigorous scale and awareness should be made for the same.

Literary Devices Of The Poem

There are various poetic devices of the poem. They include:

1. Simile

The example of simile is :

· “We see our silver skin flash by like a memory”.

2. Alliteration

It is the close repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Examples of alliteration in the poem include:

· World is what you swim in

· Will not deepen to dream in.

· Out of love reflects me for myself.

· We circle well-worn grooves.

3. Repetition

The purposeful use of words and phrases, again and again, to put emphasis and create a smooth flow.

Examples of repetition in the poem are:

· “The other has my shape. The other’s movement

….The other knows

And out of love reflects me for myself.”

·After travelling such space for days we began to translate. It was the same space. It is the same space always and above it is the man.”

4. Enjambment

It refers to the continuation of a sentence to the next without a pause. In the poem, the examples of enjambment are:

· “The other has my shape. The other’s movement

Forms my thoughts. And also mine. There is a man

And there are hoops. There is a constant flowing guilt.”

5. Metaphor

Examples of metaphors includes:

· ‘constant flowing guilt’ a metaphor for the water pumped through the tank, or the sensitivity on the part of the dolphins who are aware of abuse.

· ‘ no truth in these waters’.

6. Anaphora

‘The other’, ‘There is’, ‘We were blessed and now we are not blessed.’

Theme

Human greed and oppression meted out to animals is one of the key themes of the poem The Dolphins. Man has been always exploiting animals. Every day we hear about the cruelty imparted on the innocent anima. Such instances are many as Kerala’s bursting of cracker-filled pineapple in a pregnant elephant’s mouth or illegal poaching of feline ( lions, tigers), animal slaughter, chicken being revealed or disturbing the natural migration process of Siberian falcons( also called Amur falcons) in Nagaland to several others.

Such cruelty and human greed is clearly brought out through Carol Ann Duffy’s The Dolphins. The dolphins are confined in an aquarium which lacks the depth and richness of their ocean life. Man for his monetary needs forces them to perform acrobatics like balancing on them a ‘coloured ball’ failing which they are tortured or isolated.

The Dolphins brings the idea that we should never abuse the wildlife and exploit them. The dolphin in the poem, includes all other dolphins in it position, makes it clear that they long for freedom:

“ World is what you swim in, or dance, it is simple.
We are in our own element but we are not free.”

To succinct, The Dolphins pinpoint the psychological effects of isolation and dislocation. The dolphins here gives a voice to the feelings of all isolated and dislocated creatures. The poet wants to make us aware of it, as we know only of human isolation and is dislocation. We need to actively take up these facets and accordingly work for betterment.

Birches Poem Line By Line Explanation ISC Class 11, 12 English Literature

In this, you are going to go through Birches Poem Line By Line Explanation ISC Class 11, 12 English Literature. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the ISC exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line explanation. Let us find Birches Poem Line By Line Explanation ISC Class 11, 12 English Literature.

Line (1-5)

When I see birches bend to left and right

Across the lines of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.

But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay

As ice storms do. Often you must have seen them

The poem Birches by Robert Frost opens in a simple, easy and colloquial style. The speaker oversees the bend birches and subsequently imagines that some boy has been swinging them, resulting in their bending down in such away. But soon the reality strikes and then the birches can’t be bent down permanently by swinging as they are done by the ice- storms. In other words, it is not the boy but only the ice- storm that can bend birches forever. “ But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay”. He brings forth the opposite of reality and fancy, which continues in other parts of the poem.

Line (5-13)

As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them

Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning

After a rain. They click upon themselves

As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored

As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shells

Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—

Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away

You’d think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.

Here the reader is addressed and says that he must have witnessed the birches full of ice on a sunny winter morning after the rain. The blowing of wind makes the birches swing up and down with a clicking sound. The eyes on the birches shine and bring out many colours as the rays of Sun are refracted in passing through it. Soon the warmth of Sun increases and the eyes on the birches is shaken and breaks down like a piece of glass. Here, the breaking of eyes has been compared to shattering crystal and glass that falls like an avalanche. This is the first clue of destruction in the poem.

Line (14-20)

They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,

And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed

So low for long, they never right themselves:

You may see their trunks arching in the woods

Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground

Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair

The burden of ice on the birches cause them to bend down very low, almost touching the ground, but they still do not break. It is said that their trunks lie arched in the forest for several years and they keep their leaves trailing on the ground just like girls sitting on their hands and knees, spreading their hair over their heads to dry in the sun.

A beautiful example of a simile is observed in these lines as the poet compares the bending down of the birches to the girls on their knees, spreading their hair over their heads to dry them. This brings out the fragility and the vulnerability of the birches.

Line (21-27)

Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.

But I was going to say when Truth broke in

With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm

I should prefer to have some boy bend them

As he went out and in to fetch the cows—

Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,

Whose only play was what he found himself,

Even though the speaker knows about the reality of the bending down of birches but once again we see to his fancy of the birches having bend down only by swinging by some boy. Taking the imagination further, he thinks of the boy, looking after his cows and living far away from the town to learn baseball, who devised a game for himself that is swinging.

The word river is very important here as the poet rejected the narrow limitations of the outside world but still, these must have their limits. Likewise, the boy is separated from other players and has to play alone.

Line (28-35)

Summer or winter, and could play alone.

One by one he subdued his father’s trees

By riding them down over and over again

Until he took the stiffness out of them,

And not one but hung limp, not one was left

For him to conquer. He learned all there was

To learn about not launching out too soon

And so not carrying the tree away

Now we find that the speaker rejects the reason behind the bending of the trees to an ice storm, instead, he denotes it to be the work of the boy, even though he knows the boy’s limitations. The boy “subdues” his father’s trees “ riding them” until he takes away their “ stiffness”. This makes him victorious over the trees: “ not one was left for him to conquer.” This closer analysis of the boy’s skill suggests that the speaker himself has been a swinger of the birches in his boyhood.

Line (35-40)

And so not carrying the tree away

Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise

To the top branches, climbing carefully

With the same pains you use to fill a cup

Up to the brim, and even above the brim.

Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,

These lines are composed of a description of the boy’s technique for climbing and bending the birches. His climbing of the tree is compared to the metaphorical filling of the cup to the brim or even above the brim. “Ge always kept his poise… carefully” indicates the same care taken up by the poet in the construction of the poem.

Line (41-47)

Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.

So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It’s when I’m weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

In a pleasant, the speaker recalls his boyhood days when he was “swinger of birches”. When life becomes full of chaos, thoughtless, lifeless, full of confusion and uncertainties, he would wish to escape from this world and transcend to the next world of imagination.

Line (48-53)

From a twig’s having lashed across it open.

I’d like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate willfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth’s the right place for love:

These lines reflect the crux of the poem where the poet makes his thematic statement. He says that he would like to go up as an escape from tensions and worries, but only for a while that is temporary:

“ I’d like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back and begin over.”

The message of the poem is clear: balance your earthly duties with your spiritual aspirations.

Line (54-59)

I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.

I’d like to go by climbing a birch tree,

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
The speaker climbs up the tree to reach “ heaven”. It suggests we to grab an opportunity to “ get away from the earth” for a while but again come back to real-world as stated by the tree remaining grounded. “That would be good both going and coming back”. Limits lay the existence of real-world and that the leap of imagination must also check to the conditions of certainty.

Critical Analysis Of Desiderata Poem ISC Class 11, 12 English Poem

In this, you are going to go through Critical Analysis Of Desiderata Poem ISC Class 11, 12 English Poem. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the ISC exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line analysis. Let us find Critical Analysis Of Desiderata Poem ISC Class 11, 12 English Poem.

About The Poet

Max Ehrmann (September 26, 1872- September 9, 1945) was a recognized poet, attorney born in Terre Haute, Indiana to German parents. In 1894, he graduated from De Pauw University, Greencastle. Later, he went on to study philosophy at Harvard University.

After practising as a lawyer for several years, he attempted his family business. Within a span of 10 years, he devoted all his time in literary works.

He in his lifetime has contributed great thoughts to our literary lexicons, giving birth to a new gamut of words and wisdom of his own provided with worthy observations.

His works majorly concerned with social issues, philosophical search for social truth, peace, spiritualism and various other trails of life. Poems such as Complacent Women, 1918, and Washington, D.C, 1924 as such as that they are relevant even today. Two of his most prominent poems are– Desiderata (1927) and A Prayer (1906). Other works comprise – A Farrago (1898), Scarlet Women etc. Max Ehrmann’s legacy is lauded with several accolades ranging from Doctor of Letters from D P University in 1937 to his life-sized bronze statue by sculptor Bill Wolfe in 2010.

He died at the age of 73 and is buried in Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute.

About the poem

Desiderata ( Latin: Desired things) is a didactic prose poem written in 1927. It offers a simple positive credo of life encapsulating wisdom, positivity and some timeless truths. The poem by its name focuses on the things we should desire or aim at.

The poem’s grace lies in its power to help one realize and rise above uncomfortable facts about human presence. The nuanced approach of the poem towards life is commendable. It encourages one to celebrate goodness. Note of positivity in the poem gives rise to its rhythmic sequence. Brushing through the themes of love, compassion, dignity, honestly towards life, it retains the power of optimism with wise ratings and gentle guidance.

Through the poem, Ehrmann has advised us to find hope in this world full of treachery, chaos, fraud, hypocrisy and loneliness and inspire people to change their perception. It opens with the most relevant message in our time of troubles :

“ Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what
peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible,
without surrender,
be on good terms with
all persons.”

The poem’s wisdom can be correlated to Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem ‘ If–’. Ehrmann said about Desiderata “ because it counsels those virtues I felt myself most in need of”.

Structure Of The Poem

Go placidly amid
the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in
silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and
aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser
persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in
your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing
fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue
there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and
disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the
counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in
sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark
imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the
universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it
should.

Therefore be at peace
with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with
your soul.

With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.

The philosophical poem is split up into eight unequal stanzas of varying length. The undue embellishment in tone and rhythm is absent. It does not fulfil a definite metrical pattern and it moreover reads like a sentence with occasional breaks to structure it as a poem. It has verbs and adverbs with adds to the instructional element of the poem. The poem is full of suggestions to deal with and avoid distressing situations and values the views of others, be it ‘ dull’ or ‘ignorant’.

Is it a poem in true sense? :

Historically it is regarded as a didactic poem but a modern critic is sure to challenge the categorization of Desiderata. It seems to be a more compendium of maxims clubbed together in a poetic form. No significant figure if speech. Through its inspirational nature seek the qualities of a poem. Moreover, the adverbs used at the beginning placidly, quickly and clearly provides a kind of rhyme and repetition heightening its calmness.

Literary Devices In The Poem

There are several figures of speech that we come across in the poem. These includes:

1. Simile

The figure of speech in which a likeness between two different things is stated explicitly.

Examples in the poem include:

‘ it is perennial as the grass’.

“ Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.”

2. Alliteration

– The figure of speech includes the close repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of the words.

If you compare yourself with others.’

Especially do not feign affecting’.

Nurture strength of the spirit to
shield you in sudden misfortune.’

‘But do not distress yourself with
dark imaginings.’

·
‘Many fears are born of fatigue
and loneliness.’

3. Metonymy

Substitution of the name of one of the attributes of a thing for the name of the thing itself. Examples of metonymy in the poem: Take kindly the counsel of the years.

Theme Of The Poem

Positive outlook towards one’s life– Positivity/ Optimism is the pivotal theme of the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. The poet inspires us to be calm and hopeful in any dire situation. In a simple yet powerful manner, it lays out the pillars for living a happy life and keeping peace in oneself. Abraham Lincoln has rightly said, “ most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be”. It advises us to remain focused on ourselves and not just sit in judgement over others and the world around us. Ehrmann has given practical suggestions for inner peace by way of maintaining the friendship, being truthful and honest and even respect and listen to the ‘dull’ and ‘ignorant’. He suggested:

“ If you compare
yourself with others,

you may become vain
or bitter,

for always there be greater
or lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your
achievements as well as your plans.”

However, the poet is not unaware of the malicious world. There are those who are cynical about love and others who are disenchanted with everything under the sun along with ‘ loud and aggressive persons. Whatever be the chaos yet his poem brings out the themes of love, compassion, hope, optimism that will help us to cross this drowning boat of mankind.
“ And whatever your
labours and aspirations, in the noisy
confusion of life, keep peace in your soul”.