English

What Are the ‘Tokens’ that the Poet Says He May Have Dropped Long Ago, and Which the Animals Have Kept for Him? Discuss this in Class . - English - Language and Literature

Advertisements
Advertisements

Question

What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class .
(Hint Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and Wordsworth,which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature.
What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose to ignore or deny?)

Advertisements

Solution

The tokens mentioned in the poem mean the symbols of the true nature of human beings. These tokens are actually tokens of virtue such as containment, honesty, innocence and the likes of it.

 
shaalaa.com
Animals
  Is there an error in this question or solution?

RELATED QUESTIONS

Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.


Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this in groups.


Put the following attributes/ abilities given below in the proper circles.

(a) self-control
(b) communicates
(c) love and care
(d) cooks
(e) good manners
(f) has 360° vision
(g) shows gratitude 
(h) lives for more than 150 years
(i) swims
(j) learns computing
(k) worships god
(l) sleeps in standing position
(m) stands up immediately after birth
(n) brings up children
(o) 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 ______________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________


We come across many animals in our vicinity. We have also read about different animals in books. Make a list of all animals that fall under various categories. One is given to you.

Amphibians Mammals Wild Animals Aquatic Animals Pet Animals
frog cow lion octopus cat

Encourage students to read/use reference material to complete the activity.


Match the words given in table A with their meanings in table B.

No

A

Words

 

B

Meaning

(i) whine (a) an offence against the religious or moral law
(ii) sin (b) complain in an annoying way
(iii) evince (c) craze
(iv) mania (d) failing to take proper care
(v) negligent (e) show

Complete the following.

The poet wishes he could _____________.


Complete the following.

Animals do not complain about _________________.


Complete the following.

Animals are not crazy about ________________.


State whether the following statement is true or false.

Animals suffer humiliation.


With the help of the poem find the differences between animals and human beings.

Animals

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?

-Walt Whitman

Human beings Animals
  • Always complain about their condition _________________
  • Never complain about anything
    ________________________

Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:

Animals

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
     so placid and self-containe'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?
                                                             - Walt Whitman

You can use the following points while appreciating the given poem.

  1. The title and the poet of the poem   (01)
  2. Rhyme scheme   (01)
  3. Figures of speech   (01)
  4. Central Idea/Theme   (02)

Why does the poet wish to 'turn' and live with animals?


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?


'They do not sweat and whine about their condition.' What human traits does the poet condemn in these lines?


Share
Notifications

Englishहिंदीमराठी


      Forgot password?
Use app×