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Question
Which path should we follow in life?
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Solution
We should follow the path of dignity and honor. We should never stoop before others for any ‘gains’.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
What pleasantries does the poet use to fake cordiality?
Fill in the blanks choosing the words from the box given and complete the summary of the poem:
The poet Okara in this narrative monologue painfully condemns the (a)______ displayed by adults, both in their words and actions. Here, a father laments to his son about the negative changes that creep into the attitude and behaviour of humans, when they grow into (b)______. He says that people used to be (c)______ when they laugh and the honesty would be reflected in their eyes. But, people of modern times laugh (d)______. Their handshakes used to be warm and happy conveying a sense of togetherness, but nowadays the handshakes have become a mere (e)______. He warns his son that people are not trust-worthy and have become so selfish that they are concerned only about their own (f)______benefits. People utter words of welcome and exchange (g)______, but those words come only from the tip of their tongues and not from the depth of their hearts. Humans have learnt the art of changing their (h)______ expressions according to situations merely to ensure social acceptance. They wear(i)______ and exhibit multiple faces. The narrator admits that he has also changed into a hypocrite. However, he tells his son that though he (j)______ his expressions, he does all these against his will. He says he wants to become a (k)______ again and laugh genuinely. He wants to (l)______ the unreal things and (m)______how to laugh as he had done once upon a time. When he laughs before the (n)______, he sees no expression. His teeth are bare like that of the (o)______of a snake. So, he asks his son to show him how to laugh the way he used to laugh when he was a kid like him.
| relearn | adults | facial |
| personal | fangs | child |
| fakes | superficially | duplicity |
| genuine | unlearn | falsity |
| masks | mirror | pleasantries |
Explain the following lines with reference to the context.
Once upon a time, son They used to laugh with their eyes:
This poem is nothing but a criticism of modern life. Justify this statement.
‘Face is the index of the mind.’ Does this adage concur with the views of the poet?
Do you think the narrator is heroic? Why?
The poet does not wish to exchange places with the athletes. How does he justify his view?
Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow in a sentence or two.
With all my heart I do admire
Athletes who sweat for fun or hire
- Whom does the poet admire?
- For what reasons do the athletes sweat?
Read the given line and answer the question that follow in a sentence or two
When snaps the knee and cracks the wrist….
Identify and explain the use of the literary device in this line.
You are the School Pupil Leader. Mention some qualities that can be drawn from the field of sports to improve your leadership skills.
Do you go for leisurely walks? If you are a city-dweller, what or who would you expect to see on your way?
Find words from the poem that convey the following ideas:
- connected together
- spread over the surface of the ground in a straggling manner
- make out or understand
- slender woody shoots growing from branches or stems of trees
The poem is set in a ______.
The poem speaks of ______.
Listening Activity
Some phrases have been left out in the poem below. First, read the poem. Then, fill in the missing words on listening to the reading or the recording of it in full. You may listen again, if required
To Autumn
O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my ______, there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my ______;
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the ______of fruits and flowers.
“The ______opens her beauties to
The sun, and love runs in her ______;
Blossoms hang round the brows of morning and
Flourish down the ______of modest eve,
Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
And ______strew flowers round her head.
The spirits of the air live on the smells
Of fruit; and joy, with ______, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.”
Thus sang the ______as he sat,
Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight; but left his ______.
William Blake
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare
Which quality does the speaker wish to nourish? What is his mission?
Why does the speaker say ‘Everest is not the only peak’?
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Defeat we repel, courage our fort;
- How do we react to defeat?
- Which is considered as our stronghold?
Who is Bolingbroke? Is he a friend or foe?
What does the crown of rulers stand for?
What hides within the crown and laughs at the king’s grandeur?
What does ‘flesh’ mean here?
Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:
“Our lands, our lives, and all are Bolingbroke’s,
And nothing can we call our own but death;”
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,…”
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:
“Our lands, our lives, and all, are Bolingbroke’s,…”
