Question

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

The spirit-world around this world of sense Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense A vital breath of more ethereal air.

1. Why does the poet describe all houses as haunted earlier in the context? (Recall)
2. How have the ghosts been described by the poet? (Understanding)
3. What can the speaker see or hear? (Understanding)
4. What kind of the world of spirits is it? How does the poet describe the spirit- world? (Understanding and Analysis)
5. What crosses through earthly mists and vapours? (Analysis)

Answer 1

1. Earlier in the poem, the poet says that all houses are haunted because people have lived and died in them. Their peaceful spirits still move quietly through the house without harming anyone.
2. The poet describes the ghosts as peaceful and harmless spirits. They cannot be seen or touched, remain quiet and silent, and are the spirits of the people who once lived in the house and still feel connected to it.
3. The speaker can see and hear the spirits of the past and remember everything that has happened before. A stranger cannot do this and can only see the present.
4. The poet describes the world of spirits as light, peaceful, and delicate. He says it quietly surrounds our world and mixes with it like a gentle breath of fresh air, even though we cannot see it.
5. The poet says that the spirit world sends a gentle and life-giving breath through our world. This shows that the spirit world quietly exists around us and its presence can be felt even though we cannot see it.