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प्रश्न
Why does the poet wish to 'turn' and live with animals?
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उत्तर
The poet Walt Whitman expresses his wish that he can identify himself better with the animals, of their qualities of serenity and calm composure. So he intends to turn towards them, away from his human companions, since they have better values than those of the humans.
APPEARS IN
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.
Put the following attributes/ abilities given below in the proper circles.
(a) self-control
(b) communicates
(c) love and care
(d) cooks
(e) good manners
(f) has 360° vision
(g) shows gratitude
(h) lives for more than 150 years
(i) swims
(j) learns computing
(k) worships god
(l) sleeps in standing position
(m) stands up immediately after birth
(n) brings up children
(o) belongs to various species

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 to you.
| Amphibians | Mammals | Wild Animals | Aquatic Animals | Pet Animals |
| frog | cow | lion | octopus | cat |
Encourage students to read/use reference material to complete the activity.
Match the words given in table A with their meanings in table B.
| No |
A Words |
B Meaning |
|
| (i) | whine | (a) | an offence against the religious or moral law |
| (ii) | sin | (b) | complain in an annoying way |
| (iii) | evince | (c) | craze |
| (iv) | mania | (d) | failing to take proper care |
| (v) | negligent | (e) | show |
Complete the following.
Animals are not crazy about ________________.
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.
With the help of the poem find the differences between animals and human beings.
|
Animals I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d -Walt Whitman |
| Human beings | Animals |
|
|
Read the text again, and complete the web, highlighting the good values/habits which we can learn from animals.

Read the poem again and write an appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format with the help of given points.
Points
- Title
- Poet
- Rhyme scheme
- Favourite line
- Theme/Central idea
- Figures of speech
- Special features - Type of the poem, language, tone, implied meaning, etc.
- Why I like/dislike the poem.
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 |
You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem.
- The title and the poet of the poem (01)
- Rhyme scheme (01)
- Figures of speech (01)
- Central Idea/Theme (02)
Justify how ‘Animals’ by Walt Whitman is a criticism of mankind and its ways.
Mention any two reasons why Walt Whitman appreciates animals more than humans.
List any two things that animals do and humans don't.
Walt Whitman speaks of the human race with a tinge of sarcasm. Which are the two reasons that you agree with?
