हिंदी

The title, 'Refugee Blues' encapsulates the theme of the poem. Comment. - English Elective - NCERT

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प्रश्न

What is the poetic technique used by the poet to convey the plaintive theme of the poem?

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उत्तर

Refugee Blues is a Blue Ballad. A form that defines his character. Ballads were popular in Ireland and Britain till the 18th century while Blues were popular in African-Americans that originated at the end of the 19th century. Auden, a British migrated to the USA, blends the two techniques to bring out this beauty that sings the sorrows and sufferings of Jewish Refugees. The metre used in the poem is the same he used in his poem 'Calypso', written around the same time, the 1930s. While Ballads were popular medieval forms of narrative verse while Blue is an African-American music genre that has a rigid pattern concerning the use of repetitions and a simple rhyme scheme. In the poem, the first two lines of every stanza rhyme with each other, a tercet, while the third line draws a repetitive pattern, with the phrase “my dear” being repeated in every third line giving a unique uniformity to the poem. It is interesting to note that the first word of every stanza is a verb. The poem is a first-person narrative, in a colloquial and informal language.

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अध्याय 2.09: Refugee Blues - Understanding the Poem [पृष्ठ १३१]

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एनसीईआरटी English (Elective) - Woven Words
अध्याय 2.09 Refugee Blues
Understanding the Poem | Q 2 | पृष्ठ १३१

संबंधित प्रश्न

A1. Order
Arrange the following sentences in the chronological order as they appear in the passage:
(i) On celebrations, parents can invest Rs. 200 and plant a sapling of a tree representing the child’s birth star.
(ii) He wants to create Brihat Panchvati.
(iii) He has been able to increase the areas of the Pavitra VanaVana.
(iv) Plans are afoot to create a Saptaswara forest.

Today, Reddy is one of the most well - known environment specialists in India. With his influence, he has been able to increase the areas of the Pavitra Vana and has plans to bring about awareness of Puranic trees and flowers for the knowledge of the Indian citizen.
He wants to create near the Pavitra Vana, a Brihat Panchavati so that parents can show their children the forest where Shakuntala lived or Sita spent her final days. There will also be a hillock where people can meditate. Plans are also afoot create a Saptaswara forest, pertaining to different ragas in music. Scientists have found that certain plants react in a particular way to different ragas. So in such a forest, when a musician performs certain ragas, the plants will reach in such a manner that it will benefit the audience, the musician and the whole environment. The other idea is an ecopark for children. On celebrations, like birthdays, parents can invest Rs. 200 and plant a sapling of a tree representing the child's birth star. The plant will also carry the child's name. The Pavitra Vana also houses a garden of Prophet Mohammed, which has some plants mentioned in the Holy Quran. There is the date plant - sacred to Islam - and the Mimosops elengi, the latter a highly fragrant variety. There is also the garden of Eden for housing plants sacred to Christianity, but the Pavitra Vana authorities have to procure most of them in the new sections.

A2. Find specialities
Write down the specialities of the following:
(i) Brihat Panchavati: ........................ ..... . .
(ii) Saptaswara Forest: ..................... ..... .............. . .
(iii) Eco-park: ..................................... . .
(iv) A garden of Prophet Mohammed:

A3. Antonyms Find antonyms for the following words from the passage:
(i) same
(ii) decrease
(iii) destroy
(iv) lost

A4. Language study
(i) He wants to create near the Pavitra Vana, a Brihat Panchavati. [Pick out an infinitive from the given line and use it in your own sentence]
(ii) Reddy is one of the most well-known environment specialists in India. [Begin with: Very few ………]

A5. Personal Response
Do you think one person alone can create an awareness towards environment conservation ? Support, your answer with appropriate reasons.


What were Watson's observations on the stick left behind by Dr. Mortimer? How far did Sherlock Holmes prove him wrong? (in about 125 words)


Answer the following in 120-150 words : 

Within a few days of his arrival in Iping, people became suspicious of Griffin. Why?


Answer the following question in 200-250 words:
How did Kitty help Anne overcome her loneliness?


Answer the following question in 150-200 words: 
Why did Anne like her father more than she liked her mother?


Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

  • the thought was almost revolting

  • an expanse of pure white serenity

  • a turning-point

  • accepted her seclusion with resignation

  • a veritable bedlam of chirrupings

  • frivolous rebukes

  • the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum


Notice these expression in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
manoeuvres


Why has he compared the three passions to great winds?


How does the ‘assortment of remarks’ compiled by the author give us an understanding of the ways of science and poetry?


Discuss in pairs or in small groups
'Our daily life reflects a double allegiance to 'the life in time' and 'the life by values'.


Read the following statement and mark those that apply to you.

I have a small group of close friends and have no wish to interact with anyone else.


Pick out words from the poem to fill in the web diagram. They should be related to the theme in the web.


Answer in your own words.

Why did she decide to keep her new knowledge ‘a secret’?


Compare and contrast the two opposing human feelings as expressed by the poet.


Behrman did not know anything about the last leaf on the ivy.


Answer the following question in short.

What do you learn about Pundits of Vijaynagar?


Read the description of the Kabaddi match and do the following:

Write, in your own words, what happened in the second half.


Read the following sentence carefully and choose the correct meaning.

Fine feathers don’t make fine birds.


Discuss in groups and think about it.

List a few occasions on which you had become angry. What do you do when you are angry?


Define drama.


Name the type of fabric closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Why did Gandhiji want all of us to use this fabric?


State whether the following statement is True or False:

Both Demetrius and Lysander fight for Hermia.


Explain the following statement with reference to the context.

From now on The Herald shall be my artillery.


Discuss the following question after you have seen a presentation of the ‘ad’.

What would happen if you never ate Krispy Krunchy?


Write a useful ‘ad’ for the importance of games, drinking enough water, your own school.


Start a collection of new and interesting words. Write the words in colored ink on cards of equal size and arrange them in alphabetical order. Try to use the words in your writing or conversation from time to time.


Find pairs of rhyming words from the poem.


We find the following in the script of a skit or play. Rearrange these steps in the proper order and write them down in the form of a flow chart.


List the names of body parts used in the passage.


Using the information given in the passage, write a short note on the following in your mother tongue.

Gond art


Write your own impressions about the news items given in (a), (b), (c), and (d) in the table below. 

News item Good news Bad news Reliable Unreliable Interesting Uninteresting Boring Others
(a)        
(b)        
(c)        
(d)        

Rohan and Muk entered the garden at midnight ______.


An announcement can be made in every class, orally. Or, it can be put up on the school notice-board. Discuss and decide what method should be used for the announcement given here.

Oral aanouncement


Find out how the following game is played.

Lawn Tennis


What did Anshuman’s father compare bad habits to? 


Why does the poet say that the dewdrops greet the dawn? 


What mistake did the man in the moon make?


Read the following line from the poem and answer the question that follow.

In the dim past, nor holding back in fear From what the future veils; but with a whole And happy heart, that pays its toll To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer.

  1. What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘in the dim past’?
  2. Is the poet afraid of future?
  3. How can one travel on with cheer?

What did the narrator think the unusual sound was?


Why was the narrator sorry to have paid attention to the footsteps?


The author left the ties in the taxi.


Pick out the words which rhyme with the given words and write similar rhyming words on your own.

1. far    
2. fear    
3. low    
4. kind    
5. remain    
6. they    

He always had lunch with his family.


Which mode of transport did Fogg choose?


Read the following lines and answer the questions.

It’s part of his hours, his days and his years, 

Back of his smiles and behind his tears.

What does ‘tears’ mean?


Name the vegetables harvested in the vegetation hab.


How do we keep our integrity?


How does it welcome all?


Match the following.

1. garden very small
2. trash can hungry and tired
3. old man well maintained
4. hut earthen pot
5. gruel wasted food

Write the rhyming word.

Nature - ______.


Welcome guests to win everyone’s _____ in life’s race.


What will you do if someone ensnares birds?


Circle and write the adverbs.

We will leave today. ______


What are things that we can save? Why should we save them?


Recite any 4 lines of the poem with intonation.


What did Rani want to become?


Senthil bought a ______ from his savings.


The king gave______ seeds.


The merchant paid______ to the boatman.


Now, read the following biographical extract on Sujatha Rangarajan, a Sciencefiction writer, and answer the questions that follow.

  1. Sujatha is the allonym of the Tamil author S. Rangarajan and it is this name that is recognised at once by the Tamil SciFi reading community. You might have seen the Tamil movie ‘Endiran’ where the robot Chitti exhibits extraordinary talents in an incredible manner. The robot could excel a human being in any act, beyond one’s imagination. Jeeno, a robotic dog which appeared in Sujatha’s science fiction novel “En Iniya Iyandhira” (My Dear Robot) formed the basis of Chitti’s character. Like Chitti, Jeeno was an allrounder who could cook, clean and fight. High-tech computer technology terms are used in the story. Jeeno, a pet robot, plays an important role throughout the story. As the story proceeds, it behaves and starts to think on its own like a human and instructs Nila, a human being, on how to proceed further in her crises.
  2. In the preface of ‘En Iniya Iyandhira’, the writer states the reason for his attraction to the genre: “Science gives us the wonderful freedom to analyse thousands and thousands of alternative possibilities. While using it, and while playing with its new games, a writer needs to be cautious only about one thing. The story should draw some parallels or association from the emotions and desires of the present humankind. Only then it becomes interesting. Jeeno, the robot dog, was intelligent. But the character became popular only because of the robot’s frequently displayed human tendencies.” It is no wonder that all his works echo these words and will remain etched in the minds of the readers who enjoy reading his novels to have a wonderful lifetime experience.
  3. It was Sujatha, who set the trend for sci-fi stories. He had tracked the origin from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to his short stories. He has written 50 sci-fi short stories and these were published in various Tamil magazines. His stories have inspired many readers to extend their reading to English sci-fi writers like Isaac Asimov. The themes were bold, even if there was a dependence on a very well-established characterization of English fiction. Sujatha opened up a new world to us with his writings on holograms, computers and works like ‘En Iniya Iyanthira’ inspire many to study computer science.
  4. He has been one of the greatest writers for more than four decades. He combined reasoning and science in his writings. Being a multifaceted hi-fi and sci-fi humanistic author, he expressed his views distinctively. He was the one who took Tamil novels to the next level. As an MIT alumnus and an engineer at BHEL, he was very good at technology. He could narrate sci-fi stories impressively. His readers always enjoyed reading all his detective and sci-fi novels which featured the most famous duo ‘Ganesh’ and ‘Vasanth’.
  5. Sujatha has played a crucial role as a playwright for various Tamil movies which have fascinated movie lovers. Hence, it is fathomable that the writer’s perspective of future India enthuses every reader and paves a new way to reading sci-fi stories in English.

A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

  1. How was Jeeno different from other robots?
  2. What precaution should one take while writing Science fiction stories?
  3. What inspired Sujatha’s themes?
  4. Why were Sujatha’s sci-fi stories impressive?

B. Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following.

  1. difficult to believe (para 1)
  2. a style or category of art, music or literature (para 2)
  3. having many sides (para 4)
  4. capable of being understood (para 5)

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