Question

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

Where the Mind is Without Fear... Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by Thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. – Rabindranath Tagore

Points:

• Title   (1/2)
• The poet   (1/2)
• Rhyme scheme   (1)
• Figures of speech   (1)
• Central Idea/Theme   (2)

Answer 1

The poem “Where the Mind is Without Fear” is written by Rabindranath Tagore. It is composed in free verse, as the poet does not follow any fixed rhyme scheme. Throughout the poem, Tagore effectively uses metaphor, imagery, and repetition. The poem is in the form of a prayer to God, in which the poet seeks freedom for his country from fear, discrimination, irrational thinking, and superstition. He wishes his countrymen to be truthful, hardworking, and broad-minded so that the nation may achieve true progress.