Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

The bullock-carts are overturned, and horses line the roadside; But Bhisma Lochan, unconcerned, goes booming out his broadside. The wretched brutes resent the blare the hour they hear it sounded, They whine and stare with feet in air or wonder quite confounded.

1. In what way does the poet describe the impact of loud jarring music? (Analysis)
2. What happens to bullock-carts and horses? What literary device is used by the poet in describing the event? (Understanding and Analysis)
3. Who are wretched brutes? Why do they behave abnormally? (Understanding)
4. Explain the last two lines. (Analysis)
5. Even fishes in the lake are affected by Bhisma’s singing? What do they do? How do you react to the description? (Understanding and Analysis)

Answer 1

1. The poet describes the impact of Bhisma’s loud and jarring music through humorous exaggeration. His singing creates chaos everywhere, affecting people, animals, birds, and even nature, making the poem highly comic.
2. The bullock-carts are overturned, and the horses stand by the roadside whining, staring, and raising their feet in distress. The poet uses hyperbole (exaggeration) to create a humorous picture of the extraordinary effects of Bhisma’s singing.
3. The wretched brutes are the horses. They behave abnormally because Bhisma’s loud and unpleasant singing frightens and disturbs them, causing them to whine, stare, and act strangely.
4. The last two lines describe the horses’ unusual behaviour. They whine, stare in confusion, and lift their feet into the air, showing how disturbed they are by the unbearable noise. This exaggerated description adds humour to the poem.
5. The fishes are said to dive deep into the lake to escape Bhisma’s singing. This is an exaggerated and imaginary description that creates a comic effect. It makes the reader laugh by showing that even aquatic creatures cannot bear his terrible voice.