Question

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

Again we cry, ‘We’re going to die, oh won’t you stop your singing?’ But Bhisma’s soared beyond our reach, howe’er we plead and grumble; The welkin weeps to hear his screech, and mighty mansions tumble.

1. Who are ‘we’? Why have they to plead repeatedly with Bhisma to stop singing? (Understanding and Analysis)
2. Who are badly affected by Bhisma’s singing? (Understanding)
3. What is personified in this extract? What is the purpose? (Analysis)
4. In what way are you affected when you read about the fate of humans, animals and even non-living things impacted by unpleasant voice of the singer? (Analysis)
5. What kind of poem is ‘The Power of Music’? Which literary device is used by the poet to achieve his purpose, and how? (Analysis and Evaluation)

Answer 1

1. ‘We’ refers to the people who are listening to Bhisma’s singing. They repeatedly plead with him to stop because his loud and discordant singing causes them great discomfort, but Bhisma stubbornly continues to sing without paying attention to their requests.
2. Bhisma’s singing affects people, horses, fishes, birds, trees, buildings, and even the sky. The poet humorously shows that almost everything in nature suffers because of his unpleasant voice.
3. The welkin (sky) is personified in the line “The welkin weeps to hear his screech.” It is given the human quality of weeping. This personification emphasizes, in a humorous way, how unbearable Bhisma’s singing is.
4. The exaggerated descriptions make me laugh rather than feel sad. The impossible events, such as birds turning upside down and buildings collapsing, create a comic picture that entertains the reader while highlighting the unpleasantness of Bhisma’s singing.
5. ‘The Power of Music’ is a light-hearted humorous poem. The poet mainly uses hyperbole (exaggeration) to achieve his purpose. By describing impossible effects of Bhisma’s singing, such as trees collapsing and birds turning upside down, he creates humour and satirizes loud, unpleasant singing.