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Question
The poet does not wish to exchange places with the athletes. How does he justify his view?
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Solution
In the very first stanza, the poet admits that right from his boyhood days, he was glad to watch others play all kinds of games including boxing. He was glad that he was not one of them. His limp and bashful spirit feeds on the heroism of other players. He watches with a palpitating heart when ‘A’ runs ninety yards to bag a medal. He watches with obvious alarm when ‘B’ knocks another boxer down cracking his vertebrae and spines. The players maim each other. His ego would never be pleased to swap places with such popular players. He listens to the mention of prudence/common sense and refrains from hurting himself or others by not participating in any game whatsoever. Thus he justifies his view to continue as a spectator.
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