Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
Read the following extract from H.W. Longfellow’s poem, ‘Haunted Houses' and answer the questions that follow:
| The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear. |
- What makes the poet-narrator different from the stranger at his fireside? [3]
- What, according to the poet, turns a house into a ‘haunted’ house? [3]
- Where is one likely to meet the ‘phantoms’ in a haunted house? [3]
- What are the poet-narrator’s views on owning property? [3]
- How do the poet’s views of ghosts differ from the traditional perception of ghosts? How would you describe the mood that the poem evokes? Give ONE reason for your answer. [4]
Advertisements
उत्तर
- He can see and hear what others cannot see or hear. The stranger senses 'what is' (the present), while the narrator perceives everything that 'has been' (the past).
- Haunted houses are believed to be haunted by the spirits of individuals who lived and died there.
- In entrances, staircases, passageways, and hallways.
- The living cannot claim ownership of their homes or property, nor can prior owners or inhabitants who are now deceased make a claim from beyond the grave.
- Typically, ghosts are perceived as eerie, supernatural beings that manifest from the afterlife to interact with or haunt the living. Longfellow presents ghosts not as fearsome supernatural entities but as memories and past experiences that linger in the mind. The "ghosts" are metaphorical, representing the remnants of past lives and events that the poet can see and hear, even if they are invisible and silent to others.
This mood is caused by Longfellow's focus on the past as something clear and visible to him, unlike to the stranger by the fireside.
In conclusion, Longfellow redefines the concept of ghosts from spectral hauntings to a haunting by memories and the past, changing the way these elements interact with the present. The poem evokes a mood of quiet reflection, colored by the enduring presence of what has been.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Thinking about the text :
Tick the right answer.
(Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Thinking about the Poem
What does the poet like to do when it rains?
What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere Why does he say that he is also back?
Answer these question in one or two sentences. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answer.)
Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised?
Read these sentences from the story.
1. We will go to the old man.
2. Iwillopenmyhands.
3. It will flyaway.
4. I will crush the butterfly.
The modal will is used to talk about a temporary event in progress at some
point in future.
Will is used to denote _________ time.
Did you know?
There are different constructions in English which can be used to refer to
future time.
1. Use of the simple present tense.
a. The IPL begins on 20th April.
b. If the newly introduced vaccine works, AIDS can be cured.
2. Use of shall/will
Will/shall is used to make a prediction about future events, in
advertisements, posters etc.
e.g. a. You will win the 1st prize.
b. The Nano car will be on the roads soon.
c. You shall lead a happy life.
3. Use of going to
Going to is normally used to refer to future events in two cases
(a) If there is a present indication of the future event.
e.g. India is going to emerge as a Super Power in 2020.
(b) to express intention
e.g. Smitha is going to marry Akshay.
4. Use of present continuous tense (be+ verb+ ing)
Present continuous tense is used to refer to future events that have been
already planned.
e.g. a. I'm meeting the Project Manger this evening.
b. I'm sorry I can't meet you tomorrow. I'm visiting my friend.
5. Use of be + about to + infinitive.
e.g. The train is about to leave.
6. Useofbe+to+v
e.g. Obama is to visit India in October.
He looked at me very blankly and tiredly, and then said, having to share his worry with someone, “The cat will be all right, I am sure. There is no need to be unquiet about the cat. But the others. Now what do you think about the others?”
“Why they’ll probably come through it all right.”
“You think so?”
“Why not,” I said, watching the far bank where now there were no carts.
“But what will they do under the artillery when I was told to leave because of the artillery?”
“Did you leave the dove cage unlocked?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then they’ll fly.”
“Yes, certainly they’ll fly. But the others. It’s better not to think about the others,” he said.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
How does the soldier console the old man? Does it affect the old man in a positive way?
“Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it ?”
“Look, look; see for yourself !”The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It rained. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Describe the rain and its effect on life on Venus.
How does a tree prove to be beneficial during Summers?
The little man kept his word. But there was one glitch. What was it?
In groups of four, discuss the following lines and their meanings.
But only words can free a thought
From its prison behind your eyes
