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Question
Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, “I think I could turn and live with animals…”. What is the poet turning from?
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Solution
In this line here, the poet wants to turn from human into an animal. This turning is symbolic of the poet’s detachment from human beings and their nature and his appreciation of the animal kind.
RELATED QUESTIONS
I think I could turn 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?
(A1) Complete the following sentences with the help of the poem.
(a) The poet wishes he could.............................
(b) Animals do not complain about............................
(c) Animals do not merely discuss.............................
(d) Animals are not crazy about .............................
(A2) The qualities of animals that highlighted by the poet in the poem are
.............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
(A3) Name and explain the figures of speech.
“I stand and look at them long and long.’’
What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class .
(Hint Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and Wordsworth,which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature.
What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose to ignore or deny?)
Get into pairs and attempt the following :
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”- Mark Twain. - Discuss with your partner what Mark Twain means from the above quote. Write in your own words.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Put the following attributes/ abilities given below in the proper circles.
(a) self-control
(b) communicates
(c) love and care
(d) cooks
(e) good manners
(f) has 360° vision
(g) shows gratitude
(h) lives for more than 150 years
(i) swims
(j) learns computing
(k) worships god
(l) sleeps in standing position
(m) stands up immediately after birth
(n) brings up children
(o) 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 to you.
| Amphibians | Mammals | Wild Animals | Aquatic Animals | Pet Animals |
| frog | cow | lion | octopus | cat |
Encourage students to read/use reference material to complete the activity.
Find adjectives from the poem which refer to positive and negative thinking.
| Positive | Negative |
| 1. ____________________ | 1. ____________________ |
| 2. ____________________ | 2. ____________________ |
| 3. ____________________ | 3. ____________________ |
Complete the following.
Animals are not crazy about ________________.
State whether the following statement is true or false.
Animals do not worship other animals.
With the help of the poem find the differences between animals and human beings.
|
Animals I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d -Walt Whitman |
| Human beings | Animals |
|
|
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 |
You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem.
- The title and the poet of the poem (01)
- Rhyme scheme (01)
- Figures of speech (01)
- Central Idea/Theme (02)
Read the following extract and do the given activities.
A1. State whether the following statements are true or false: (2)
- Animals show their relations to us.
- Humans have given up many good qualities.
- Animals sweat and whine about their condition.
- Animals are placid and self-contained.
| I think I could turn 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? |
A2. Answer the following question with the help of the given extract: (2)
(i) What craze do animals never display? Why?
A3. Pick out one example of Rhetorical question from the extract. (1)
Why does the poet wish to 'turn' and live with animals?
Mention any two reasons why Walt Whitman appreciates animals more than humans.
List any two things that animals do and humans don't.
Walt Whitman speaks of the human race with a tinge of sarcasm. Which are the two reasons that you agree with?
What two attributes of the Animals please the poet?
