Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Our captain was brave and we were true
Advertisements
Solution
- Reference: This line is from Edwin Muir’s poem “The Castle”.
- Context and Explanation: The narrator feels disgraced that their strong castle was overtaken without a groan. There was no fight. They were helpless because under the cover of darkness, they were sold for gold by the aged warder. It was a shameful and treacherous act of betrayal. The castle had fallen due to the greed of an aged warder. The narrator is hesitant to disclose the shameful betrayal to outsiders.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Who is the narrator in the poem?
Where were the enemies?
Why does the narrator say that the enemy was no threat at all?
Bring out the contrasting picture of the castle as depicted in stanzas 3 and 5.
Our only enemy was gold
Underline the alliterated word in the following line.
The wizened warder let them through.
Identify the figure of speech used in the following line.
Our only enemy was gold,
Identify the figure of speech used in each of the extract given below and write down the answer in the space given below.
“A gray baboon sits statue-like alone’’
“And they have their exits and their entrances” - What do the words ‘exits’ and ‘entrances’ mean?
What is the first stage of a human’s life?
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following lines from the poem.
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”
- “All the world's a stage”
- “And all the men and women merely players”
- “And shining morning face, creeping like snail”
- “Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,”
- “Seeking the bubble reputation”
- “His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide”
- “and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble”
Pick out the word in ‘alliteration’ in the following line.
“And one man in his time plays many parts”
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
- Which stage of life is being referred to here by the poet?
- What are the characteristics of this stage?
- How does the boy go to school?
- Which figure of speech has been employed in the second line?
Complete the table based on your understanding of the poem.
| Stage | Characteristic |
| crying | |
| judge | |
| soldier | |
| unhappy | |
| second childhood | |
| whining | |
| old man |
Introduction
The poem ‘Ulysses’ is a dramatic monologue that contains 70 lines of blank verse. Ulysses, the King of Ithaca, gathers his men together to prepare for the journey and exhorts them not to waste their time left on earth. Ulysses has grown old, having experienced many adventures at the battle of Troy and in the seas. After returning to Ithaca, he desires to embark upon his next voyage. His inquisitive spirit is always looking forward to more and more of such adventures.
‘As tho’ to breathe were life!’ – From the given line what do you understand of Ulysses’ attitude to life?
Why did Ulysses want to hand over the kingdom to his son?
Identify the figure of speech employed in the following line.
There lies the port the vessel puffs her sail
Read the set of line from the poem and answer the question that follow.
……for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
- What was Ulysses’ purpose in life?
- How long would his venture last?
Explain with reference to the context the following line.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
How would the poet’s advice help his son who is at the threshold of the manhood?
‘A tough will counts.’ Explain.
Here are a few poetic device used in the poem.
Repetition- It is a figure of speech.
How according to the poet is it possible for his son to bring changes into a world that resents change?
Have you played chess or watched the game carefully?
Now identify the chess pieces and complete the table below. Discuss the role of each piece in the game.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Why was the rider in a hurry?
Literary Devices
Mark the rhyme scheme of the poem. The rhyme scheme for the first stanza is as follows.
| With neck out-thrust, you fancy how, | a |
| Legs wide, arms locked behind, | b |
| As if to balance the prone brow | a |
| Oppressive with its mind. | b |
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
Then off there flung in smiling joy, And held himself erect
