English

Justify how ‘Animals’ by Walt Whitman is a criticism of mankind and its ways.

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Question

Justify how ‘Animals’ by Walt Whitman is a criticism of mankind and its ways.

Short/Brief Note
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Solution

  • human beings seem to have dropped/ shed their values/virtues/attributes.
  • human society is blemished by ego, hypocrisy, hatred, materialism, fake display.
  • the profusion of complaints, race for greed and lack of contentment.
  • the poet wishes to leave the human world and join animals as he finds them better than humans (a testimony).
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Notes

Guidance:

The question indicates that the examiner knows that the poet appreciates the animals for the display of virtues and hence that requires no elaboration.
The question requires an explanation of criticism of mankind and evidence to justify the same.

Content -

Award 1 mark for a full explanation of the two strands-criticism & evidence.
Award ½ mark for a partial explanation.

Expression -

1 mark when both aspects included

✓ Answer organised effectively

✓ usage of words supporting explanation & justification (that’s why, because, therefore etc.)

½ mark when either aspect is missing.

Deduct ½ mark from the overall score if the error density is high (more than a total of 2 spellings and grammatical errors).

Animals
  Is there an error in this question or solution?
2021-2022 (March) Term 2 Sample

RELATED QUESTIONS

Put the following attributes/abilities.

  1. self-control
  2. communicates
  3. love and care
  4. cooks
  5. good manners
  6. has 360° vision
  7. shows gratitude
  8. lives for more than 150 years
  9. swims
  10. learns computing
  11. worships god
  12. sleeps in standing position
  13. stands up immediately after birth
  14. brings up children
  15. belongs to various species


At times, especially when you are frustrated, you wish you were an animal/a bird/a fish/a butterfly and not a human being.
Say which of the above you would choose to transform to and give 3 or 4 reasons for your choice.

I wish I could be a ............................................


We come across many animals in our vicinity. We have also read about different animals in books. Make a list of all animals that fall under various categories. One is given for you.

Amphibians Mammals Wild Animals Aquatic Animals Pet Animals
frog cow lion octopus cat

Match the words given in table A with their meanings in table B.

No A
Words
  B
Meaning
(i) whine (a) an offence against religious or moral law
(ii) sin (b) complain in an annoying way
(iii) evince (c) craze
(iv) mania (d) failing to take proper care
(v) negligent (e) show

Find adjectives from the poem which refer to positive and negative thinking.

Positive Negative
1. ................... 1. ...................
2. ................... 2. ...................
3. ................... 3. ...................

Animals do not complain about ______.


Animals are not crazy about ______.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

Humans have given up many good qualities.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

Animals suffer humiliation.


Read the text again, and complete the web, highlighting the good values/habits which we can learn from animals.


Read the poem again and write an appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format with the help of given points.

Points 

  • Title
  • Poet
  • Rhyme scheme
  • Favourite line
  • Theme/Central idea
  • Figures of speech
  • Special features - Type of the poem, language, tone, implied meaning, etc.
  • Why I like/dislike the poem.

Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:

Animals

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-containe’d 
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition, 
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things. 
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop
them?
                                                             - Walt Whitman

You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem.

  1. The title and the poet of the poem     [1]
  2. Rhyme scheme     [1]
  3. Figures of speech     [1]
  4. Central Idea/Theme     [2]

Read the following extract and do the given activities.

A1. Match the words from cloud 'A' with cloud 'B':  (2)

Cloud 'A' Cloud 'B'
(a) Stand and look (i) Not one is demented
(b) Not one is dissatisfied (ii) long and long
(c) They do not sweat (iii) over the whole earth
(d) Not one is unhappy (iv) about their condition

 

I think I could tum and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain'd
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things.
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

-Walt Whitman

A2. Why does Walt Whitman feel more at home with animals?  (2)

A3. Name and explain the figure of speech in the given sentence.  (1)

'They bring me tokens of myself'.  


Mention any two reasons why Walt Whitman appreciates animals more than humans.


What two attributes of the Animals please the poet?


'They do not sweat and whine about their condition.' What human traits does the poet condemn in these lines?


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