Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:        
Far far from gusty waves these children's faces.  
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor;
The tall girl with her weighed-down head.
(a) Who are these children?
(b) Which figure of speech has been used in the first two lines?
(c) Why is the tall girl's head weighed down?
(d) What does the word, 'pallor' mean? 

Answer 1

(a) The poet is talking about the children who go to the elementary school in a slum.

(b) The two figures of speech used in the two lines are:

      Alliteration – 'Far from gusty waves'

      Simile – 'Like rootless weeds'

(c) The head of the tall girl is weighed down because she is ill and exhausted.

(d) The word 'pallor' describes the pale and unhealthy appearance of the slum children.