Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear.

1. How is the speaker’s perception different from that of the stranger? (Understanding)
2. Who is ‘I’ in the above stanza, and who Is referred to as ‘he’ in the third line of the stanza? Who is the present occupant of the house? (Understanding)
3. Why does the poet feel that all houses are haunted? (Understanding)
4. Give any three characteristic features of the phantoms as mentioned in the poem ‘Haunted Houses’. (Analysts)
5. ‘Where in the house do we meet these phantoms? (Understanding)

Answer 1

1. The speaker’s way of seeing is different because he can see and hear the spirits and remember the past. The stranger can see only the present. The speaker feels a deep connection with the people and memories of the past.
2. ‘I’ refers to the speaker of the poem, who can feel the presence of the spirits. ‘He’ refers to the stranger sitting by the speaker’s fireside. The speaker has a strong connection with the house and its past, while the stranger can only see what is present.
3. The poet believes that all houses are haunted because people have lived and died in them. Their peaceful spirits or memories remain in the house. These are not scary ghosts but harmless spirits of the people who once lived there.
4. Three characteristic features of the phantoms are:
   1. They are harmless and inoffensive.
   2. They move silently, with feet that make no sound.
   3. They are impalpable, like impressions on the air, rather than solid forms.
5. We meet these phantoms at the doorway, on the stair, along the passages, and even at the dining table in the illuminated hall.