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Question
Read the lines given below and answer the question that follow.
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there…
- What did the poet notice about the twigs?
- What was the poet’s thought about then?
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Solution
- The budding twigs spread out their fan to catch the breezy air.
- The poet thought the twigs were experiencing the joy of their contact with the breezy air.
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Listening Activity
Some phrases have been left out in the poem below. First, read the poem. Then, fill in the missing words on listening to the reading or the recording of it in full. You may listen again, if required
To Autumn
O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my ______, there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my ______;
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the ______of fruits and flowers.
“The ______opens her beauties to
The sun, and love runs in her ______;
Blossoms hang round the brows of morning and
Flourish down the ______of modest eve,
Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
And ______strew flowers round her head.
The spirits of the air live on the smells
Of fruit; and joy, with ______, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.”
Thus sang the ______as he sat,
Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight; but left his ______.
William Blake
What scene in nature gives you pleasure? Talk for a minute describing a natural scene that gave you a lot of joy. What did you see, hear, smell or feel, that gave you joy?
Where can you encounter Macavity?
Why does the poet say Macavity is ‘outwardly’ respectable?
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
- How is the cat described in this line?
- Explain the phrase ‘monster of depravity’.
Identify the following personalities and their fields of achievement.
| Name | Field | |
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- Mention a remarkable achievement of any of these personalities.
- What quality do you admire the most in each of these achievers?
- What are the qualities that you may share with them?
- Name a few more popular personalities who have made our nation proud.
- ______.
- ______.
- ______.
- ______.
Who are the ‘deserving ones’?
The historical background:
The poem is an extract from William Shakespeare’s play King Richard the Second. The play is based on true events that occurred towards the end of the 14th century.
Richard II was crowned the King of England in the year 1367. He continued to be the British Monarch until 1399, when he was deposed by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who crowned himself King Henry the Fourth in the same year. Shakespeare’s play is a dramatic rendition of the last two years of King Richard II’s life. In this brief span of time, he was ousted from his royal position and sent to prison, where he died in captivity.
The following extract is set in the Coast of Wales. King Richard and some of his followers awaited the arrival of the Welsh army [after facing defeat at the hands of his cousin, Bolingbroke], of about 10000 warriors. But to their shock and surprise, they received the message that the army was not coming to their rescue. His followers tried to boost their King’s courage against the news, only in vain. When Richard came face to face with the reality of his terrible fate, he spoke the following verse, famously known as the “Hollow Crown” speech in theatrical circles. In it, King Richard is reminded of the power of Death that overshadows everything else, including the power of rulers, and renders them as powerless as any commoner at a moment’s notice.
Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:
The fortress was ______and could not be conquered by the enemies.
Complete the passage given below, with suitable words from the box:
Lima, a (a)______and (b)______woman, kept (c)______at her colleagues and went on taxing them with hard labour. Though they were (d) ______to her, she being their head, they were offended and filled with (e)______. It so happened, that Lima was (f)______from her high position due to a serious blunder she had committed. Lima, having lost all her (g)______and glory, realized how arrogant she had been. She gave up her pride and with (h)______sought an apology from everyone. She thus turned over a new leaf and bid (i)______to them.
| farewell | ceremonious | deposed |
| reverence | vain | pomp |
| conceited | sorrow | scoffing |
Who is Bolingbroke? Is he a friend or foe?
What does the crown of rulers stand for?
What does ‘flesh’ mean here?
How does the king establish that he and his subjects are equal in the end?
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,…”
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:
“Our lands, our lives, and all, are Bolingbroke’s,…”
Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:
“And tell sad stories of the death of kings:”
Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
Who does the future generations remember easily - the victor or the vanquished? Give reasons. Also, cite relevant references from King Richard’s speech.
