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Question
'They do not sweat and whine about their condition.' What human traits does the poet condemn in these lines?
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Solution
The poet is rather taken aback by the fact that animals do not lament their plight and weep as people do. They have nothing to worry about as they eat and sleep comfortably. The animals are pure, and they don't implore God to grant their wishes or seek forgiveness.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain’d
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things.
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
(A1) Complete the following sentences with the help of the poem.
(a) The poet wishes he could.............................
(b) Animals do not complain about............................
(c) Animals do not merely discuss.............................
(d) Animals are not crazy about .............................
(A2) The qualities of animals that highlighted by the poet in the poem are
.............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
(A3) Name and explain the figures of speech.
“I stand and look at them long and long.’’
Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.
Get into pairs and attempt the following:
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” - Mark Twain.
Discuss with your partner what Mark Twain means from the above quote. Write in your own words.
Put the following attributes/abilities.
- self-control
- communicates
- love and care
- cooks
- good manners
- has 360° vision
- shows gratitude
- lives for more than 150 years
- swims
- learns computing
- worships god
- sleeps in standing position
- stands up immediately after birth
- brings up children
- belongs to various species
At times, especially when you are frustrated, you wish you were an animal/a bird/a fish/a butterfly and not a human being.
Say which of the above you would choose to transform to and give 3 or 4 reasons for your choice.
I wish I could be a ............................................
The poet wishes he could ______.
Animals do not merely discuss ______.
State whether the following statement is true or false.
Animals quarrel for their possessions.
State whether the following statement is true or false.
Animals suffer humiliation.
State whether the following statement is true or false.
The poet has retained all his natural virtues.
Read the poem again and write an appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format with the help of given points.
Points
- Title
- Poet
- Rhyme scheme
- Favourite line
- Theme/Central idea
- Figures of speech
- Special features - Type of the poem, language, tone, implied meaning, etc.
- Why I like/dislike the poem.
Read the following extract and do the given activities.
A1. Match the words from cloud 'A' with cloud 'B': (2)
| Cloud 'A' | Cloud 'B' |
| (a) Stand and look | (i) Not one is demented |
| (b) Not one is dissatisfied | (ii) long and long |
| (c) They do not sweat | (iii) over the whole earth |
| (d) Not one is unhappy | (iv) about their condition |
|
I think I could tum and live with animals, they are -Walt Whitman |
A2. Why does Walt Whitman feel more at home with animals? (2)
A3. Name and explain the figure of speech in the given sentence. (1)
'They bring me tokens of myself'.
Why does the poet wish to 'turn' and live with animals?
Mention any two reasons why Walt Whitman appreciates animals more than humans.
List any two things that animals do and humans don't.
Walt Whitman speaks of the human race with a tinge of sarcasm. Which are the two reasons that you agree with?
