Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
The poetic effect is achieved in the poem through understatement and asides. Discuss this with examples.
Advertisements
Solution
The effect that an understatement or an aside creates is the vivid visual imagery that descends in the reader's mind while reading the poem. It brings the reader in resonance with the poet's mood while composing. The reader is overwhelmed with the setting through which the poet captivates the reader's mind. Thus, the work of these adjectives is to not just beautify but to create the image of the plot. The details of the background and other surroundings, the details about the characters that infuse the mind of the reader so that it all appears lucid to imagine and feel what the poet probably felt or is trying to convey through her/his creation.
When the poet details the environment like “on a broken window pane” and the rest, an image is imparted of the house the characters live in. The emotional effect is created when the narrator recalls “the man she loves who happened to be me” amidst the argument, it makes it clear that no matter how many debates or discussions happen the bond between a husband and wife is eternal and can not be challenged. The poet does not forget the little one around and his body language, he describes keenly. How with “his small legs well apart” he demanded his mother with dinner. The little boy is growing up, his body language reflects his attitude; “his crescent-moon-like chin uplifted eyes hard and cold” display his determination. These all draw images cascading in the mind along while one reads the poem.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
We know that chimps are intelligent because
(a) crushing/destructive (pars 1)
(b) used to (pare 2)
(c) searching (pare 4)
Read the following passage carefully and do the given activities:
A.1) True or False:
Write the statements and state whether they are true or false:
(i) Those who choose to live well must help others.
(ii) If neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily improve the quality.
(iii) The farmer grew award-winning corn.
(iv) The reporter discovered that the farmer didn’t share his seed corn with his neighbors.
There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his sweet corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.
“Why sir”, said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.” He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves. So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.
The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.
A.2) Consequences:
Write the consequences:
(i) The farmer shares the corn.
(ii) The farmer doesn’t share the corn.
A.3) Antonyms:
Find out the words opposite in meaning from the passage:
(i) superior x _______
(ii) lost x _______
(iii) improve x _______
(iv) inconstantly x _______
A.4) Language study:
(i) We must help our neighbors. (Replace the modal auxiliary showing advice).
(ii) The wind picks up pollen from ripening corn and swirls it field to field. (Use “not only…….. but also” and rewrite)
A.5) Personal Response:
What do you learn from the story? Suggest a suitable title.
Read the following passage and do the given activities:
A.1) True or False
State whether the following statements are true or false:
(i) The patient stirred and looked about in cheerful anticipation
(ii) The patient’s wife wanted to know the truth …………
The lady went away to the kitchen. She felt restless. She felt she must know the truth whatever it was. Why was the great man so evasive? The suspense was unbearable. Perhaps he could not speak so near the patient’s bed. She beckoned to him from the kitchen doorway.
The doctor rose and went over. She asked, “What about him now? How is he?” The doctor bit his lips and replied, looking at the floor, “Don’t get excited. Unless you must know about it, don’t ask now.” Her eyes opened wide in terror. She clasped her hands together and implored, “Tell me the truth.” The doctor replied, “I would rather not talk to you now.” He turned around and went back to his chair. terrible wailing shot through the still house; the patient stirred and looked about in bewilderment. The doctor got up again, went over to the kitchen door, drew it in securely and shut off the wail.
A.2) Give reasons for the following:
(i) Her eyes opened wide in terror.
(ii) The lady went away to the kitchen.
A.3) How, according to you, should the nature of the doctor be?
Give reasons for the following statement.
The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.
Nouveau riche and bourgeoise are French words. Collect from newspapers, magazines, and other sources some more French words or expressions that are commonly used in English.
We 'draw up a deed'. Complete the following phrase with an appropriate word.
________a deaf ear to
'New Literature' is a misnomer for the wealth of the Indian Literary tradition. How does G. N. Devy explain this?
Explain the phrase.
Time's fool
Comment on the subtlety with which the poet captures the general pattern of communication within a family.
'Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say'– what does the poet imply by this line?
Say where the image from nature given in the poem exists.
AIR / LAND / WATER
beneath the boughs
Expand the idea inherent in the following proverb :
If winter comes, can spring be far behind? - Shelley
Your friend fell down learning to ride a bicycle and now has given it up altogether. What do you think will be the poet’s advice? Write it down.
Write a sentence each about three of your friends. Each time you should say what your friend cannot do, and yet, pay a compliment to your friend.
The description of the character is given below. Identify the character from the play. Find some sentences which support your choice.
He is the centre of the play.
Write a short monologue using one of the following ideas. Write down the monologue and present it in the class.
Yonamine’s father worrying about getting her married.
Who erected the first known veterinary hospitals in the world?
Find two examples of the word made by using the following suffix.
-ness
Bassanio borrowed money from Shylock in Antonio’s name.
Write a short note on the following:
Sujata’s offering
Try to write interesting time tables for imaginary people or creatures.
Write one or two sentences about something beautiful, using your own experience or imagination. Then rearrange the words in the sentences in a poetic form. You may write about a beautiful day, a beautiful night, a stream, a crop standing in a field, a graceful bird or animal, etc.
Think and answer:
Are the boys and girls happy that it is raining?
Find and read other poems of R. L. Stevenson using the internet. Find other rhythmic poems about trains, in English, or other languages.
Complete the following diagram.

Rewrite in your own words.
One event from the story.
Read the following pieces from the story and suggest a title for each as shown in the 1st one.
| From | Up to | Title | |
| 1. | It was a hot afternoon ______ | ______ said the aunt weakly. | ‘Children Pester their Aunt’ |
| 2. | The smaller girl created a diversion ______ | ______ likely to lose his bet. | ______ |
| 3. | In a low confidential voice ______ | ______ it was so stupid,” said Cyril. | ______ |
| 4. | She (Bertha) did all that she was told ______ | ______ must be an extra good child. | ______ |
| 5. | The storyteller paused to let ______ | ______ popular tunes of the day. | ______ |
| 6. | Bertha was trembling very much ______ | ______ the three medals for goodness ______ | ______ |
Who said the following, to whom, and when?
“He dwells within a cave of Himalaya.”
What did Gopal Bhand want to tell the husband and wife?
Guess the meaning of the following word.
water-logged
Was it right for the youngest brother to ask for a share in the money? Why?
Think about what you do and you must learn to do when you speak. Make a list of such 'Do's' and Don'ts' for yourself.
List the polite expressions we use such as ‘Pardon’.
Discuss how you will measure the worth of a friend.
Write how the travellers crossed the second gulf.
____________ raised a dreadful storm.
What was Ariel ordered to do with the people on the ship?
Give two reasons why Miranda was so concerned about Ferdinand.
Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.
| And so it were wisest to keep our feet From wandering into Complaining Street; |
- What is the wisest thing that the poet suggests?
- What does the phrase ‘to keep our feet from wandering’ refer to?
Write the name of the toys against each picture.

Rearrange the jumbled sentences and write them in the correct order.
- But Hamid bought a pair of tongs.
- Granny Ameena felt proud of her grandson.
- Hamid’s friends bought different toys of their choice.
- Hamid proudly compared his tongs with a brave tiger.
- Hamid had less money than his friends.
- Granny Ameena was worried as he had to go to the Eidgah alone.
The wind hurried and passed through the ______
Identify the speaker/character.
He'll have to be given artificial respiration and kept warm.
When the author returned from England to Dehradun, he found Grandfather's dream had come true because the______.
Describe the beauty of the blue mountain.
The war between the two kingdoms ended in peace.
We get water by burning _______.
Match the planet with its feature.
| 1. | Mars | blue ice giant |
| 2. | Saturn | red storm |
| 3. | Jupiter | red planet |
| 4. | Neptune | ring and moons |
Amuthan locked the door behind him.
What will you do if someone ensnares birds?
Name the character or speaker.
“Believe yourself.”
Take out the correct rhyming pair from the poem and match with the given word.
| 1. | tall | |
| 2. | light | |
| 3. | might |
Number the pictures in the correct order of the story.

List the things that humans should save.
The grandmother had kept the plate in memory of her ______.
What is the main idea of the story?
What does the poem tell us to do?
The rabbit had
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow
Humans have long been fascinated by fiction. We experience excitement in assigning supernatural power to imaginary characters in fictional stories – and so we have Spider man, Batman, He–man, Titans and many more. The ‘Cyborg’ was an offshoot of such wild imagination of humans to invest our species with superhuman powers. Today, the Cyborg is no more an imaginary organism. We are living in a world where a sizeable population of humans have merged their bodies with technological implants. The term ‘Cyborg’, short for ‘cybernetic organism’, was coined to describe a man, whose body is implanted with technological devices to supplement and substitute body functions.
Cyborgs include people with cardiac pacemakers, contact lenses, bionic ears and eyes, prosthetics and so on. In other words, a cyborg is partly human and partly machine. The technological innovations in the field of medicine and healthcare augment humans with machines, producing a beta version of the human body. The advent of brain machine interfaces is certain to blur the boundary between humans and machines. Scientists are working hard to find a technique for age reversal too. People do not want to die, so mankind is striving to get to the final frontier, which is development of machines and devices that would accord man immortality.
The needs of humans are not limited. As time passes, food habits change, thinking patterns change, and even appearances change. We are about to travel by driverless, fully automated vehicles. Computers and smart phones have become our masters. The more we depend and merge with technological advancements, the more the humanness in us slowly erodes. Intelligence is sought to be infused into machines and robotics are designed in such a way to give man a virtual human companion. The field of artificial intelligence is overtaking the human brain and many fear that it could even harm the human race. Despite certain limitations and potential threats, many believe that cyborgs will be the next step in the evolution of mankind. The amalgamation of man and machine is sure to add a new dimension to the life of mankind and this will prove to be the ‘biggest evolution in Biology’ since the emergence of life, four billion years ago.
Questions:
a) Account for the popularity of characters with supernatural powers.
b) Who is referred to as a ‘Cyborg’?
c) What is expected to happen with the advent of the brain machine interface?
d) The needs of humans are not limited. How is this statement elaborated in the passage?
e) How can a machine turn into a virtual companion for humans?
f) Explain the flipside of the rapid technological advancement.
g) Identify the word in para 1 which means ‘everlasting life’.
h) Which of the following words is synonymous with ‘amalgamation’?
- recreation
- integration
- exploration
- proposition
i) Which of the following options is the antonym of the word ‘advent’?
- drawback
- dispute
- departure
- danger
j) Find out the word which is the antonym of ‘natural’ in para 3.
