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Question
Read the set of line from the poem and answer the question that follow.
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
- Though made weak by time and fate, the hearts are heroic. Explain.
- Pick out the words in alliteration in the above lines.
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Solution
- Ulysses and his compatriots have visited many strange places in their previous voyages and enjoyed misfortunes and glorious triumphs with the same heroic temperament. They might have become old and may not have the same strength they had in youth. But they still share the thirst for travel and pursuit of knowledge in the unexplored world. Their bravery and spiritual strength are intact.
- Strive, seek, heroic, hearts are the words that alliterate.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Fill in the following empty boxes.
| Name | Location |
| Fort St. George | Chennai |
| Gingee Fort | ______ |
| Golconda Fort | ______ |
| Red Fort | ______ |
Who is the narrator in the poem?
Why did the narrator feel helpless?
Read the given line and answer the question that follow in a line or two.
Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
So smooth and high, no man could win.
- How safe was the castle?
- What was the firm belief of the soldiers?
Name the bird that sings in the poet’s garden.
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech,…
Identify the figure of speech used in each of the extract given below and write down the answer in the space given below.
“ LIKE a huge Python, winding round and round
The rugged trunk indented deep with scars”,
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’’
Identify the figure of speech used in each of the extract given below and write down the answer in the space given below.
“ What is that dirge-like murmur that I hear Like the sea breaking on a shingle -beach?
Explain the following line briefly with reference to the context.
“Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation”.“They have their exits and their entrances;
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”
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?
How would Telemachus transform the subjects?
Identify the figure of speech employed in the following line.
And drunk delight of battle with my peers;
Read the set of line from the poem and answer the question that follow.
This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle Well-loved of me,
- Who does Ulysses entrust his kingdom to, in his absence?
- Bring out the significance of the ‘sceptre’.
Explain with reference to the context the following line.
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.
Explain with reference to the context the following line.
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
List the roles and responsibilities Ulysses assigns to his son Telemachus, while he is away.
What is Ulysses’ clarion call to his sailors? How does he inspire them?
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
“Life is a soft loam; be gentle; go easy.” And this too might serve him.
- Why does the poet suggest to take life easy?
- Identify the figure of speech in the above line.
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
Tell him solitude is creative if he is strong and the final decisions are made in silent rooms.
- Can being in solitude help a strong human being? How?
- Identify the figure of speech in the above line.
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
Tell him to be a fool ever so often
and to have no shame over having been a fool
yet learning something out of every folly
hoping to repeat none of the cheap follies
- Is it a shame to be a fool at times?
- What does one learn from every folly?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
and guide him among sudden betrayals
and tighten him for slack moments.
Fill in the blanks choosing the words from the box given and complete the summary of the poem.
The poet Robert Browning narrates an incident at the French Camp in the war of 1809 between France and Austria, in a (a)______version. He describes the brave action of a (b)______soldier, whose heroic devotion to duty and his (c) ______ in it is inspiring and worthy of (d) ______. During the attack of the French army on Ratisbon, Napoleon was anxious about the (e) ______. Austrians were defending Ratisbon with great (f) ______and courage. Napoleon was watching the war standing on a (g) ______near the battlefield.
All of a sudden a rider appeared from the closed smoke and dust. Riding at great speed, jumping and leaping, he approached the mound where Napoleon stood. As he came closer, the narrator noticed that the rider, a young boy, was severely wounded. But the rider showed no sign of pain and smiling in joy, jumped off the horse and gave the happy news of (h) ______to the emperor.
He exclaimed with pride that the French had (i) ______Ratisbon and he himself had hoisted the flag of France. When Napoleon heard the news, his plans (j) ______up like fire. His eyes (k) ______when he saw that the soldier was severely wounded. Like a caring mother eagle, the emperor asked if he was wounded. The (l) ______soldier replied proudly that he was killed and died heroically.
| determination | result | dramatic |
| pride | admiration | softened |
| wounded | mound | victory |
| conquered | soared | valiant |
What does the phrase ‘full galloping’ suggest?
What did the rider do when he reached Napoleon?
When did the narrator find that the boy was badly wounded?
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
‘You’re wounded!’ ‘Nay’, his soldier’s pride Touched to the quick, he said:
- Why did the boy contradict Napoleon’s words?
- Why was his pride touched?
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
A film the mother eagles eye When her bruised eaglet breathes
- Who is compared to the mother eagle in the above lines?
- Explain the comparison.
