Line By Line Analysis Of The Poem Geography Lesson CBSE English Class 8
In this, you are going to go through Line By Line Analysis Of The Poem Geography Lesson CBSE English Class 8. Understanding a text meticulously in its totality is very important for a learner for scoring better in the CBSE English exam. Experts made ample to ensure a thorough critical and line-by-line analysis. Let us find Line By Line Analysis Of The Poem Geography Lesson CBSE English Class 8.
About the Poet:
Zulfikar Ghose was born in 1935 on March 23. He was born in Sialkot, Punjab, British India. He is a poet and novelist and lives in Texas. His arena of work is mainly “magical realism”. This concept is formed from a blend of harsh reality and fantasy elements. The poet was born to a business Khwaja Mohammed Ghose, who moved to Mumbai, India along with the whole family during the Second World War in 1942. Ghosh also taught in the University of Texas, Austin.
“The Violent West, A Memory of Asia and Selected Poems” is his collection of poetry. Some of his notables works include: “Statement Against Corpses” (1964), “Crump’s Terms” (1975), “A New History of Torments” (1982), “Veronica and the Góngora Passion: Stories, Fictions, Tales and One Fable” (1998), “The Fiction of Reality” (1983), “Geography Lesson” (1969), “Decomposition” (2015) and a lot more.
About the Poem:
The poem has used the subject Geography not to give us a lesson on the subject per se, but if we study the poem well, we would understand the true essence of the poem. It is ore about the oneness and unity of the earth and the way it was created by God as one unit. We, humans, divided it into cities and countries for our own settlements.
Structure of the Poem:
“When the jet sprang into the sky,
it was clear why the city
had developed the way it had,
seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.
There seemed an inevitability
about what on ground had looked haphazard,
unplanned and without style
When the jet sprang into the sky.
When the jet reached ten thousand feet,
it was clear why the country
had cities where the rivers ran
and why the valleys were populated.
The logic of geography —
that land and water attracted man —
was clearly delineated
When the jet reached ten thousand feet.
When the jet rose six miles high,
it was clear the earth was round
and that it had more sea than land.
But it was difficult to understand
that the men on the earth found
causes to hate each other, to build
walls across cities and to kill.
From that height, it was not clear why.”
There is no specific rhyming pattern.
Line by line analysis of the Poem:
Lines 1- 4:
“When the jet sprang into the sky,
it was clear why the city
had developed the way it had,
seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.”
The poet says in the first stanza that it becomes clear when the jet flies above as to why the earth has become the way it is now. The cities are unplanned and there are walls and boundaries all over.
Lines 5- 8:
“There seemed an inevitability
about what on ground had looked haphazard,
unplanned and without style
When the jet sprang into the sky.”
The places where humans have inhabited have been built haphazardly without a proper plan and style. The poet could realise this from up above the sky from the jet that was flying so high.
Lines 9- 12:
“When the jet reached ten thousand feet,
it was clear why the country
had cities where the rivers ran
and why the valleys were populated.”
The areas which are habitable become more describable When the jet reaches an altitude of ten thousand feet. The valleys and countries and cities become more prominent. The poet saw that there are unplanned cities instead of free-flowing rivers.
Lines 13- 16:
“The logic of geography —
that land and water attracted man —
was clearly delineated
When the jet reached ten thousand feet.”
When the jet reaches the altitude of ten thousand feet, the physical features of the earth that had attracted men, becomes clear.
Lines 17- 19:
“When the jet rose six miles high,
it was clear the earth was round
and that it had more sea than land.”
The poet could understand that the earth was spherical with no boundaries from such a height. The oneness of the earth has been portrayed through its spherical nature. Also, there are more water bodies than land. The poet has mentioned this because technically it is impossible to divide water, although there are maritime divisions.
Lines 20- 24:
“But it was difficult to understand
that the men on the earth found
causes to hate each other, to build
walls across cities and to kill.
From that height, it was not clear why.”
In the last stanza, the poet is saying that he is unclear of the reason as to why humans living on earth hate each other and want to kill each other. The poet is clueless as to why there are so much hatred and mercilessness in humanity. He also questions why humans build walls and want to get divided. Even from such a height, from a bird’s view, it is unclear to the poet.
Figures of speech used in the Poem:
Alliteration:
This is a figure of speech where closely associated words or corresponding words begin with the same alphabet in a sentence.
“seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.”
“it was clear why the country
had cities where the rivers ran
Important Word Meanings:
Inevitable: Something that cannot be avoided.
Haphazard: Chaotic/ Without a proper plan.
Delineated: Described.
The Theme of the Poem:
God has created the earth has one unit. We have made physical divisions including cities and countries. We have built boundaries and walls. The poet has used the subject Geography to describe how the planet was built in a way and how we have transformed it into something else. But in the end, the poet is still clueless about the wars and hatred that we feel for one another.
Questions And Answers
What is the poem geography lesson about?
The poem Geography Lesson describes the poet’s opinion of the land below when viewed from the sky. He finds the earth the least attractive from above and continues going higher up. As the poet moves higher, he realizes that the country is full of cities and valleys.
What is the theme of the poem geography?
The poem is about the way earth looks from different altitudes. It is divided into three parts. When the jet takes off and starts to climb up in the sky, you can have full height view of the city. The city grew as per its necessity and did not grow as per proper planning.
What are the poetic devices used in the poem geography lesson?
The poet mainly uses imagery and alliteration in the poem.