हिंदी

Notice the Use of the Word ‘Turn’ in the First Line, “I Think I Could Turn and Live with Animals…”. What is the Poet Turning From?

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प्रश्न

Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, “I think I could turn and live with animals…”. What is the poet turning from?

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उत्तर

In this line here, the poet wants to turn from human into an animal. This turning is symbolic of the poet’s detachment from human beings and their nature and his appreciation of the animal kind.

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Animals
  क्या इस प्रश्न या उत्तर में कोई त्रुटि है?

संबंधित प्रश्न

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
              so placid and self-contain’d
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
                  the mania of owning things.
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
                  lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
                   them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

(A1) Complete the following sentences with the help of the poem.
(a) The poet wishes he could.............................
(b) Animals do not complain about............................
(c) Animals do not merely discuss.............................
(d) Animals are not crazy about .............................

(A2) The qualities of animals that highlighted by the poet in the poem are

.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................

(A3) Name and explain the figures of speech.
“I stand and look at them long and long.’’


Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this in groups.


At times, especially when you are frustrated, you wish you were an animal/a bird/a fish/a butterfly and not a human being.
Say which of the above you would choose to transform to and give 3 or 4 reasons for your choice.

I wish I could be a ............................................


We come across many animals in our vicinity. We have also read about different animals in books. Make a list of all animals that fall under various categories. One is given for you.

Amphibians Mammals Wild Animals Aquatic Animals Pet Animals
frog cow lion octopus cat

Animals do not complain about ______.


Animals do not merely discuss ______.


Animals are not crazy about ______.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

Animals are self-reliant.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

Animals quarrel for their possessions.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

Animals suffer humiliation.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

The poet has retained all his natural virtues.


With the help of the poem find the differences between animals and human beings.

Human beings Animals
Always complain about their condition Never complain about anything

Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:

Animals

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-containe’d 
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition, 
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things. 
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop
them?
                                                             - Walt Whitman

You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem.

  1. The title and the poet of the poem     [1]
  2. Rhyme scheme     [1]
  3. Figures of speech     [1]
  4. Central Idea/Theme     [2]

Read the following extract and do the given activities.

A1. Match the words from cloud 'A' with cloud 'B':  (2)

Cloud 'A' Cloud 'B'
(a) Stand and look (i) Not one is demented
(b) Not one is dissatisfied (ii) long and long
(c) They do not sweat (iii) over the whole earth
(d) Not one is unhappy (iv) about their condition

 

I think I could tum and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain'd
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things.
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

-Walt Whitman

A2. Why does Walt Whitman feel more at home with animals?  (2)

A3. Name and explain the figure of speech in the given sentence.  (1)

'They bring me tokens of myself'.  


Why does the poet wish to 'turn' and live with animals?


Mention any two reasons why Walt Whitman appreciates animals more than humans.


'They do not sweat and whine about their condition.' What human traits does the poet condemn in these lines?


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