Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
What does the poet refer to ‘meadow houses’?
Advertisements
Solution
The houses of birds i.e. nests beneath the tall grass, the dwellings of rabbits, i.e. holes in the ground and mounds for the ants are called as ‘meadow houses’ by the poet.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s did?
1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
- the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
- what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
- what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).
2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III).
3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?
After having read the story, you realise the anguish of the illiterate adults. You want to make your friends aware of it and contribute something in bringing about a change in the lives of the illiterate adults. Deliver a speech in the morning assembly at your school about the Importance of Adult Education and ways to implement it.
Read the following to make your speech effective:
The introduction of a speech is like the nose of an airplane. The nose sets the course and leads the plane off in a specific direction. A good introduction sets the direction of your speech by
- getting the attention of your audience
- introducing your topic
- stating your central idea or purpose
- briefly identifying the main points
- making your audience eager to hear what you have to say
Before you read "Keeping It From Harold", the teacher will encourage you to answer or discuss the following.
- What are the different weight categories in Boxing?
- Have you ever heard the song whose lyrics go like...."He floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee"? Who does 'he' refer to? He is also known as 'The Greatest' boxer of all times. What was his original name? How many times did he win the World Heavyweight Belt?
- Find out from your friend if he /she watches WWE and who is his/her favourite wrestler. Also find out why he/she likes this wrestler.
- Discuss with your friend as to why these wrestlers have such a large fan following. Has the perception of the people changed over the century with respect to those who fight in the ring?
The poem is about a brook. A dictionary would define a brook, as a stream or a
small river. Read the poem silently first. After the first reading, the teacher will
make you listen to a recording of the poem. What do you think the poem is all
about?
I come from haunts of coot and hern;
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Till last by Philip's farm I flow
10 To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
15 I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
20 With willow-weed and mallow.
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
25 I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling,
And here and there a foamy flake
30 Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel,
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river
35 For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
40 That grow for happy lovers.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
45 I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;
And out again I curve and flow
50 To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
About the Poet
Lord Tennyson (1809-92) was born in Lincolnshire. Poet Laureate for over 40 years, Tennyson is representative of the Victorian age. His skilled craftsmanship and noble ideals retained a large audience for poetry in an age when the novel was engrossing more and more readers. Tennyson's real contribution lies in his shorter poems like The Lady of Shallot, The Princess, Ulysses, The Palace of Art etc. His fame rests on his perfect control of sound, the synthesis of sound and meaning, and the union of visual and musical.
JUST THINK
In line 35, the poet has misspelt the word 'amalgum'. Why do you think she has
done that? Discuss.
(The teacher should point out the use of 'me' instead of 'my' and other linguistic
variations that make the poem enjoyable.)
The next man looking 'cross the way
Saw one not of his church
And Couldn't bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes.
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
of the wealth he had in store
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy shiftless poor.
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.
Why did the rich man refuse to use his stick of wood?
Discuss the following topic in groups.
What problems are you likely to face if you keep ants as pets?
How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
Complete the sentence below by appropriately using anyone of the following
if you want to/if you don’t want to/if you want him to
Please use my pen_____________________.
How did Mr Gessler found that the boot was not comfortable for author?
What was customary for the mongoose?
Use the word ‘shade’ in a sentence of your own.
Make noun from the word given below by adding –ness, ity, ty or y
calm ___________.
How does the kite look like in the sky?
What is the mystery about the child’s school teacher? How does it plan to discover the truth?
Write True or False against the following statement.
When Serbjit gets angry he shouts at people.
The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.
(i) She has a lovely ____________. (face)
(ii) India ____________ a number of problems these days.
Find out the different kinds of work done by the people in your neighbourhood. Make different cards for different kinds of work. You can make the card colourful with pictures of the persons doing the work.
What did the dog do to lead the farmer to the hidden gold?
