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Question
What was the ‘shameful act’?
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Solution
Being sold to an enemy and losing the castle without a heroic fight is a ‘shameful act’.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Read the poem again and complete the summary using the words given in box.
Stanzas 1–3
‘The Castle’ by Edwin Muir is a moving poem on the (1)______ of a well guarded (2)______ The soldiers of the castle were totally stress-free and relaxed. They were (3)______ of their castle’s physical strength. Through the turrets they were able to watch the mowers and no enemy was found up to the distance of (4)______ and so they seemed no threat to the castle. They had (5)______ of weapons to protect them and a large quantity of (6)______ in stock to take care of the well-being of the soldiers inside the castle. The soldiers stood one above the other on the towering battlements (7)______ to shoot the enemy at sight. They believed that the castle was absolutely safe because their captain was (8)______ and the soldiers were loyal.
| half-a-mile | watching |
| castle | brave |
| ration | capture |
| plenty | confident |
Stanzas 4–6
Even by a trick no one but the birds could enter. The enemy could not use a (9)______ for their entry inside the castle. But there was a wicket gate guarded by a (10) ______ He (11)______ in the enemies inside the famous citadel that had been known for its secret gallery and intricate path. The strong castle became(12)______ and thin because of the greedy disloyal warder. The (13)______ was captured by the enemies for (14)______ The narrator (15)______ over the (16)______ of the useless warder and also decided not to disclose this (17)______ story to anyone. He was (18)______ and wondered how he would keep this truth to himself. He regretted not finding any (19)______ to fight with the (20)______ called ‘gold’.
| lamented | shameful |
| wicked guard | bait |
| let | gold |
| weapon | citadel |
| weak | disloyalty |
| helpless | enemy |
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Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
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Grew thin and treacherous as air.
Identify the figure of speech used in the following line.
Our only enemy was gold,
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“and all the men and women merely players”
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To follow knowledge like a sinking star.
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……for my purpose holds
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Of all the western stars, until I die.
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One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
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He works his work, I mine.
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To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
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Repetition- It is a figure of speech.
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Tell him time as a stuff can be wasted.
Tell him to be a fool every so often
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and guide him among sudden betrayals
and tighten him for slack moments.
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Brutes have been gentled where lashes failed.
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Why was the rider in a hurry?
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A film the mother eagles eye When her bruised eaglet breathes
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Then off there flung in smiling joy, And held himself erect
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
To see your flag-bird flap his vans Where I, to heart’s desire, Perched him!’
