Corona Says

Summary

The poem “Corona Says” is written by a Nepali poet Vishnu S. Rai who was educated in India, Nepal and UK. He is a retired professor of TU who taught English Language Education. In this poem the poet has taught about a pandemic (Covid-19) which has its devastating impact on human life.

This poem is written about the current issue of the Corona world crisis and its devastating impact on human life. This is a subtle satire about human behavior and attitudes. This poem considers Covid-19 as a by-product of human treatment of nature.

The speaker asks man not to cry and curses him for the damage. He claimed that the irrational behavior of humans had invited him (corona) and he had no choice but to let people suffer and die. For speakers, the number of deaths caused by war is higher than that of a pandemic. The so-called superiority of man over other creatures is criticized in the poem.

The pandemic questions us about our indifference to the living organisms that fly in the sky, live in the oceans and crawl on land, and the trees that provide oxygen. These organisms are considered as slaves. As per our wish, we will either kill them or sell them.

The poem mentions the positive effects of the disease too. During the pandemic, the sky is clear without dust and smoke because there is no human activity. People feel like animals locked up in a zoo. The pandemic has allowed the earth to rest.

The speaker wants humans to know themselves at first even if they claim to have control over everything. He says people should realize that the earth is a common home for all creatures. The speaker raised us by saying that the disease can be eradicated, and at the same time reminded us that there are still many other diseases that we can suffer from. It warns us that if we continue our immoral activities, we may incur irreparable harm and our civilization may be in danger.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions:

a. Who is the speaker in the poem?

The speaker in the poem is Corona.

b. Who claims that they are superior to all?

The humans of this modern world claim that they are superior to all.

c. Why has the speaker come to the Earth?

The speaker has come to Earth as a result of the abuse of nature by people.

d. What positive changes have occurred on Earth after the speaker’s visit?

After the speaker’s visit, the sky has been clean without dust and smoke. People have felt like caged animals do in a zoo. The disease has allowed the earth to have a little rest.

Reference to the context

a. What does the speaker mean when he says:

But have you ever counted

How many have died so far

Because of you and your wars?

In the given lines, the speaker blames that the human beings themselves are responsible for wars and loss of their lives. The consequences and effects caused by wars is more terrible than the pandemic has done. Wars are the result of disputes over resources and land, or of a government’s will to increase its influence, power and authority. The parties or government involving in wars never think of the consequences people have to face. Millions of people have lost their lives and properties because of wars. Aftereffects of wars is also causing them to suffer physically and psychologically.

b. Explain the following:

I will depart one day.

But remember

There’re many others like me.

They’ll come too.

If you don’t get rid of your inflated ego,

You’ll be back to your cave time

That you endured

Long, long, long ago …

In the given extract, the speaker warns us to terminate our egoistic behaviour. No matter who we are, we have to preserve the nature and shouldn’t go against the law of nature. By saying the above line the poet awares us that the pandemic can be controlled but they may suffer from other fatal diseases due to their own behaviours, and finally they can be the cause of the extinction of human civilization.

c. What does the speaker mean in the following lines? Explain.

The earth is not your property alone –

It’s as much ours as yours.

In the given lines, the speaker denotes that the earth is the common habitat of all the living creatures. All of them have an equal right to use the resources available on earth, to sustain their lives. But we human beings are ruling over others thinking ourselves as superior and depriving them of using resources. The speaker is worried about growing human pressure on natural world. They have controlled all the natural resources for their own benefits though the earth is the common home for all the living organisms. In the name of development and progress, humans are destroying the sources of food and habitats of other creatures. In this way, slowly and slowly entire ecosystem is being destroyed.

Reference beyond the text

a. What human behaviours are responsible for suffering in people’s lives?

The human behaviours are the main cause behind all these sufferings of the people. Due to human egos, their greediness and bad deeds, the present world is facing a lot of crisis. Many people have lost their lives during this critical period. Due to their selfish nature, the earth have faced numerous problems of diseases. Their so-called egos and wars have snatched the lives of many people. Hence, human beings themselves are responsible for suffering in people’s lives.

b. How does an epidemic differ from a pandemic? Briefly explain the impact of Corona Virus on human life and environment.

An epidemic is a widespread disease that affects many people in a population whereas pandemic is a disease that affects a wide geographical area and a large proportion of the population. Epidemics occurs when an agent and susceptible hosts are present in adequate number and the agent can be effectively conveyed from a source to the susceptible hosts.

Coronavirus is one of the greatest threat of the twenty-first century. This disease has taken away the lives of numerous number of people. People in the world are panic-stricken and living their life in mental fear. Businesses are down and economic crisis is seen all over the world. Many peoples are jobless, homeless and due to the scarcity of food also many peoples are dying. But due to the impact of Corona Virus, environment is clean and pollution free than before. As peoples are caged inside their houses, many of the industries are closed and the numbers of vehicles on the road is also decreased. Due to this the environment is cleaner and fresher than before.

A Red Red Rose

Summary

“A Red, Red Rose” begins by describing the speaker`s love for a beloved with images that are beautiful but not necessarily long-lasting.

The speaker begins with an image of the beloved that emphasizes her youth and beauty, suggesting a love that is enthusiastic but likely to fade with time. Meanwhile, saying that the speaker`s love for her is like a new rose implies that this is a new relationship, with all the freshness and excitement of a developing romance. If the speaker`s love is just like a new rose, maybe it won`t last very long.

The speaker then says this love is like “a melody / That`s sweetly played in tune”. But again, instruments can go out of tune, just as flowers can fade. Then, however, the speaker goes on to emphasize how long this love will last. The speaker uses three images to measure how long these feelings of love will last: the seas going dry, the rocks melting, and the sands of life running out. It seems now that the speaker`s love, far from lasting only as long as a flower, will actually endure longer than human life.

In the final stanza, the speaker bids farewell to the beloved, as if the speaker is planning to leave on a journey. This promise implies that, just as long stretches of time could not exhaust the speaker`s love for the beloved, a long stretch of distance cannot keep the speaker from her. And the length of this journey now seems short—just “awhile”—compared to the near-infinite time the speaker`s love will last. It seems, then, that love like the speaker’s is powerful enough to make earthly obstacles (like physical distance) feel insignificant. The moment of farewell in the final stanza highlights the speaker’s core argument: love that lasts forever is also love that allows for change over time.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. To which two things does the speaker compare his love in the first stanza?

The two things to which the speaker compares his love in the first stanza are red rose and melody (music).

b. What does the speaker promise in the second and third stanzas?

The speaker promises to love his beloved until the earthly seas have become dry, rocks have melted by the heat of the sun and human life has ended in the second and third stanzas.

c. What imagery does he use in his promise, and why do you think he uses such language?

He uses the imagery of dry seas, melted rocks, ended human life in the second and third stanza and an image of a long journey in the fourth stanza. I think he uses such language because his love is so deep and true for his beloved.

d. In the last stanza, what event is about to happen by mentioning the number of miles?

In the last stanza, the event of reconciliation is about to happen by mentioning the number of miles.

e. Which image in the poem do you find the most memorable or surprising and why?

The most memorable or surprising image I find in the poem is of the dry seas throughout the world, because the speaker’s promise is managed in a very interesting way.

Reference to the context

a. What can you infer about the speaker’s devotion to his beloved from the following lines?

And I will come again, my love, Tho’ it were ten thousand mile!

This beautiful promising line has been taken from Robert Burns love poem ‘ A Red, Red Rose. We find this line at the end of the fourth stanza. Here, the speaker is in deep love with his beloved. He is making a promise with his beloved by saying that no matter how long the journey is he will return to her life.

b. What is the theme of the poem?

The overriding theme of “A Red, Red Rose” is the power of love. In this poem, the speaker wishes to emphasize not just the love he has for his beloved, but the strength of that love and its power to endure in the most trying of circumstances. The speaker is so deeply in love with his “bonnie lass”—or beautiful young woman—that he pledges his love to her from now until the seas run dry.

c. Paraphrase the whole poem into simple prose form.

The poem ‘A Red, Red Rose’ is the poem that describes the speaker’s deep love for his beloved and promises that this love will last longer than human life.

The beloved of the speaker is as beautiful as the red rose and as sweet as the music. He wants to express that he is in deep and pure love with his beloved. The poet will love her till the seas are dried and rocks are melted by the heat of the sun. He promises to meet her even if he has to walk ten thousand mile. He expresses his true love and deep feeling towards his beloved.

d. Literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also help the readers understand those more profound meanings. Analyze the poem in terms of the literary devices such as simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance.

The poet employs several literary devices like simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance to show the beauty of his beloved and the power of his love.

The first literary tool used in the poem is simile. It is an expression which is used to compare an object or a person with something else to make its meaning clean to the readers. There are two similes used in this poem. They are used when the speaker compares his beloved with a red rose and sweet melody.

Symbolism is another literary device which is used to signify ideas and qualities giving them symbolic meaning. Here the poet has used ‘rose’ as a symbol of love.

Imagery is a distinct representation of something that can be understand through five senses. Robert has used visual imagery in the poem such as a red rose. There is a visual picture of a red rose in our mind when the speaker compares his beloved with a red rose. When he equates her to the sweet melody, auditory imagery is used. To convey the intensity of his affection, he then switches to hyperbolic images, by expressing that he will love her until the seas become dry and the rocks melt in the sun. We can view the world of dry seas and melted rocks in our mind.

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as /l/ and /r/ in “O my Love is Like a red, red rose.”

Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of vowel sounds occurs in the same line. In the line ‘And I will love thee still, my dear’, the vowel sound /i/ is repeated.

e. What is hyperbole? Explain its purpose citing examples of hyperbole used in the poem.

Hyperbole is a literary technique which is used to exaggerate a statement for the sake of emphasis. The poet has used hyperbola in the last line of the second stanza, “Till a’ the seas gang dry”. He says that his love will flow even when the seas dries up. The second one is in the third stanza where the speaker claimed, “And the rocks melt wi’ the sun”. Here, the speaker seems to be exaggerating his emotions in these lines to illustrate his desire to love her forever.

f. What is refrain? Why is it used in the poem? Explain citing an example from the poem.

Refrain is a poetic device in poetry that focuses only on repeated lines at a certain distance. It is used to reinforce the main them on point of a poem. It is also used to emphasize something and to produce rhythm in the poem as well. We find a refrain here in this poem in the second, third, and fourth stanzas and they are as follows:

– And I will love thee still, my dear

– Till a’ the seas gang dry

– And fare thee weel

Reference beyond the text

a. What kind of love is expressed in "A Red, Red Rose"?

In this poem, A Red, Red Rose, the poet has expressed his romantic and inestimable love for his beloved. He promises to love his beloved until the earthly seas have become dry, rocks have melted by the heat of the sun and human life has ended and makes it clear that he will love her till his last breath.

b. Do you think that love has power? Why do the poets compose poems addressing their beloved?

Yes, I think that love has power. In fact I consider love as a most powerful thing that exists in the entire universe. Love is the thing that bounds people and keep them together. Love can sometimes lead people towards perfection whereas it may bring destructive results too. Most of the poets compose their poems addressing their beloved because poem is the beautiful and best medium to express the feeling of a person. Expressing love in poem adds more beauty to the story than in another form. Thus the poets compose poems addressing their beloved.

c. Poetry is the expression of feeling and emotions. Explain.

Most of the literary works of extraordinary merit have been written through the means of poetry. Poetry is the representation of thoughts and feelings that enables people to express themselves in writing. Poetry is a perfect way to express love, emotions, imagination, and exchange ideas and thoughts with others. Poetry holds power to explain those intimate moments of the life of human beings. It’s not only a joy that poets can relate to their verses, but also grief, despair, grief, pain, doubt, hatred, love, compassion, desire, praise, faith, respect, and hope. Therefore, poetry can be taken as the expression of feelings and emotions.

Full exercise of All the Worlds a Stage : Summary and Question Answers | Literature | Class 11 English Notes SBN ONLINE SCHOOL

All The Worlds A Stage

Summary

Shakespeare seems to have the impression, in the poem, that human life is not real. What we see and hear isn’t a reality. Human life is a play of make-believe. Here Shakespeare traces human life through the famous seven ages – the infant in arms, the schoolboy, the lover, the soldier, the justice, the retired man, and the worn-out senior, sinking back into dissolution. The whole world’s a stage. We‘re only actors. We enter the stage and we go off it again. One man in his lifetime plays a lot of roles. At first, he plays the part of the infant, crying and throwing milk in the arms of the nurse.

Then he plays the part of a schoolboy who is not willing to go to school. With his shining face of the morning, he trudges at the pace of the snail. Then there comes the lover. He sighs like a furnace, and writes pitiful verses, addressing his mistress. He plays the role of a soldier. It’s stocked with all the violent oaths. He’s wearing a wonderful beard. In a quarrel, he is too sensitive and fast and hasty. He is willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of unsubstantial glory. Then he will play the role of judge. He’s a bulging belly man, with severe eyes. He’s a very wise man.

Then Shakespeare describes his old age. It’s pretty funny. The old man is in slippers, wearing glasses. His mannish voice once more turns into a child’s shrill tone. The last role is the second child. It’s so full of forgetfulness. It’s without teeth, without eyes, without taste, without everything.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Why does the poet compare the world with a stage?

The poet compares the world to a stage because he considers all men and women like the actors performing their different roles here in this stage. By stage he means the world.

b. What is the first stage in a human’s life? In what sense can it be a troubling stage?

The first stage in a human’s life is childhood. It can be a troubling stage in the sense that this stage is a fully dependent stage and the infant can cry and even vomit anytime in mother’s arms.

c. Describe the second stage of life based on the poem.

The second stage of life is the stage of boyhood. In this stage, the boy is a school going student. He complains all the time. His face is like shinning morning. He carries his bag and reluctantly goes to school as slowly as a snail.

d. Why is the last stage called second childhood?

The last stage is called second childhood because in this stage the man loses his senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste and behaves as like a child.

e. In what sense are we the players in the world stage?

We are the players in the world stage as we appear on the world stage when we get birth and leave it when we die like the actors do on the stage in a theater.

Reference to the context

a. Explain the following lines:

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players

In the given lines, the poet has compared the whole world with a stage where men and women are the actors. After birth, every person perform their roles here in this worldly stage and finally, leave this stage moving towards their final destination called death.

b. Explain the following lines briefly with Reference to the context.

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

The given lines are taken from the poem ‘All the world’s a stage’, composed by William Shakespeare. These lines express similarity between the roles the actors play on the stage and humans in their lives.

Here, the poet has said that the people arrive here in this worldly stage through birth and leave this stage through death. Like the actors in a drama, we are assigned various roles to be performed. When we get our roles completed we quit the stage of our life. The poet wants us to realize the fact that human life is like the stage of a theatre. A man is fated to act several roles in his life.

c. Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow.

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school.

i. Which stage of life is being referred to here by the poet?

The childhood stage of life is being referred to here by the poet.

ii. Which figure of speech has been employed in the second line?

In the second line, simile, a figure of speech has been employed where the boy has been compared with snail using like.

iii. Who is compared to the snail?

The school-going boy is compared to the snail.

iv. Does the boy go to the school willingly?

No, the boy doesn’t go to the school willingly. His unwillingness can easily be the motion of snail towards his school.

d. Simile and metaphor are the two major poetic devices used in this poem. Explain citing examples of each.

Here in this poem, we find major poetic devices as simile and metaphor. The poet has used these poetic devices a lot. The examples of simile and metaphor of this poem are as follows:

a) "All the world’s a stage" – Metaphor

b) "And all the men and women merely players" – Metaphor

c) "And shining morning face, creeping like a snail" – Simile

d) "Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard," – Simile

e) "Seeking the bubble reputation" – Metaphor

f) "His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide" – Metaphor.

g) "and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble" – Metaphor.

e. Which style does the poet use to express his emotions about how he thinks that the world is a stage and all the people living in it are mere players?

The poem is written in blank verse with regular metrical but unrhymed lines. The style of the poem is narrative. In this poem he has expressed his innermost emotions about how he thinks that the world is a stage and all the people living in it are mere players or characters. These characters go through seven different phases in their lives. He has explained the real aspects of human life for all readers to understand the reality of life.

f. What is the theme of this poem?

In ‘All the world’s a stage’ Shakespeare discusses the futility of humanity’s place in the world. He explores themes of time, aging, memory, and the purpose of life. Through the monologue’s central conceit, that everyone is simply a player in a larger game that they have no control over, he brings the themes together. Shakespeare takes the reader through the stages of life, starting with infancy and childhood and ending up with an old man who’s been a lover, a soldier, and a judge. The “man” dies after reverting back to a state that’s close to childhood and infancy.

Reference beyond the text

a. Describe the various stages of human life picturised in the poem "All the world’s a stage."

According to Shakespeare, the world is a stage and everyone is a player. He says that every man has seven stages during his lifetime. The first stage of a man is childhood. He plays in the arms of his mother. He often vomits and cries in this stage. In his second stage, the man is an unwilling school going student. He becomes a lover in his third stage. He is very busy composing ballads for his beloved and yearns for her attention. In the fourth stage, he is aggressive and ambitious. He seeks reputation in all that he does. He is ready to guard his country and becomes a soldier. In his fifth stage, he becomes a fair judge with maturity and wisdom. In the sixth stage, he is seen with loose pantaloons and spectacles. His manly voice changes into a childish treble. The last stage of all is his second childhood. Slowly, he loses his faculties of sight, hearing, smell and taste and exits from the roles of his life. Thus, Shakespeare has presented the pictures of the seven stages of a man’s life in the poem ‘All the World’s a Stage.’

b. Is Shakespeare’s comparison of human’s life with a drama stage apt? How?

Shakespeare has compared human life to a play or drama played by every man and woman. He has described seven stages of life, which are like the seven acts of a play.

The comparison of the world to a stage and people to actors goes before Shakespeare. We find such comparisons made in many philosophical books too.

But, even if nobody had written about it, it is by a simple observation of life around us we find the same thing happening. Everybody takes birth, grows, and with every growth, man’s life changes. He works, fulfils duties and responsibilities according to age, and finally leaves the world.

This simple observation tells us Shakespeare’s comparison of human life with a drama is very apt.

Who Are You Little I?

Summary

“Who are you, little i” is a very short poem written by E.E. Cummings in the twentieth century. Cummings was a poet, playwright, and a novelist born in Cambridge. In this poem he is reminiscing about his childhood and his adult years. The speaker had a carefree life in his childhood. As a child, he had a lot of fun. He likes different nature activities. His childhood has many memories which are reflected in his adulthood. Currently, as an adult, he can no longer enjoy the moments as he did as a child.

The speaker stands by the window in the poem. He wonders “Who are you, little i?” because it had been a long time since he had felt this childish magic. He looked out the window at night and watched the sun set at the end of the day. This very incident reminds the poet of his childhood days. As a boy, he assumed the setting sun as the golden sun and enjoyed looking at the beauty of the setting sun.

Then he talks about the very reality of life i.e. sufferings of human being which is inevitable in everybody`s life. As an adult man, the speaker`s days are turning into night. This means that he can no longer stay being suffered but rather accepts the death happily. This shows how death can be a solution to a painful life.

As an adult, he has no choice but to remember his childhood happiness. Now, he cannot enjoy to the fullest as a child due to his maturity and various worries about his adult life. So that the speaker feels nostalgic for not being able to bring back the good times full of happiness. The speaker brought a lot of fresh memories related to nature. Therefore, this poem reflects the poet’s strong relationship with nature and its influence on him.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Who can be the speaker of this poem?

The speaker of this poem is the poet himself. Here in this poem, he has presented himself as a little boy recalling his childhood experience connected with nature.

b. What is “little i” doing?

‘Little i’ is looking the beautiful and golden scene of sunset from a window and feeling about the beautiful way of transforming the day into the night.

c. What can be the relationship between “little i” and the speaker of the poem?

The “little i” is the childhood of the speaker himself, and the speaker is the child grown-up. So we can say that the “little i” is the child version of the speaker.

d. What is the speaker remembering from his childhood days in the poem?

The speaker is remembering an extremely beautiful scene of nature from his childhood days in the poem. He is remembering himself as a little boy who used to enjoy the beautiful golden sunset and its transformation.

e. What attitude does the speaker seem to have toward the child in the poem?

The speaker seems to have a positive, nostalgic attitude towards the child. He feels a youthful presence in himself still now, who inspires him now to look out and enjoy the nature outside.

Reference to the context

a. Why do you think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window and at?

I think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window to provide a break in the long sentence while keeping the thought flowing. In such situations a semicolon works stronger than a comma as in the present sentence structure.

b. If the speaker is the child grown up, why does he ask, “who are you”?

There is no doubt that the speaker is the child grown up. Still he puts the question “who are you”. It may be because he is struggling to recall the wonderment of his youthful days. Or maybe, it’s his incredulity that there is still a youthful presence in himself enjoying the nature.

c. In this poem, an adult reflects on the childhood experience. Based on that, what might be the theme of the lines:

“(and feeling: that if day / has to become night / this is a beautiful way)”?

Here, in these lines, we find the boy’s feeling about the beautiful scene of November’s golden sunset. He feels about wonderful transition of nature i.e day to night. Thus, the theme of these lines might refer to death. It is a touchy way to describe an unwelcome transition from the joyful youth to the end of life.

d. What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem?

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza. The rhyme scheme used in the poem is ABAB and CDCD.

e. Explain the pun in “little i” that is related to what he is doing.

A pun is the clever use of a word that has more than one meaning or a word that have different meanings but sounds the same. The pun in ‘little i’ indicates both a specific aspect of the poet’s personality, the childlike feeling of wonder, and seeing the world through the ‘eye’ of a child.

f. How does Cummings’s use of lowercase letters affect your understanding of the poem? Explain.

Cummings’s use of lowercase letters affect my understanding of the poem. He uses lowercase letters to emphasize his inferior feelings in regard to his experience. He used to enjoy nature in his childhood full of happiness but now his adulthood worries have suppressed his joys and pleasures.

Reference beyond the text

a. How does nature inspire the speaker in “who are you, little i”? Explain.

Nature inspires the speaker a lot in “who are you, little i”. The beauty of nature has made him to go back into his beautiful childhood experience. He finds himself as a little boy of five or six years old in his childhood. He used to look at the beautiful golden sunset and feels for the beautiful way of the transition of the day into the night.

b. Recall a childhood moment when you felt closely connected with nature. Describe the time and place as well as your feelings and thoughts about it.

I was born and raised in the busy city of Kathmandu. My father works there. I grew up in the midst of the city, with little connection to nature. As I was about to take my school graduation exams my father announced that we would go to our native village in the long vacation. My happiness knew no bound. It was like a dream coming true. Finally I was in my native village. It was so different. Opposite to the hustle and bustle of the busy city, it was so calm and tranquil. It was first time I saw a milking cow. Otherwise I used to think that all produce come from super markets or dairies. The next morning my grand pa took me to our paddy field. I was surprised to see the vast stretch of greenery. It was so different from the concrete jungle of the place where I live. The chirping of birds in mango groves was so sweet. It was not like a caged bird. I never knew before that winds can play so delightfully. There I learnt how to connect with nature. I enjoyed sun rises and sunsets, which were always covered by the big buildings of my city. We stayed there for about a month. But I shall never forget my first introduction with nature.

c. Interpret the poem in any way you like.

This little poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue where he addresses his own childhood. It opens with in a nostalgic mood. Watching sunset through his window one evening, the speaker suddenly goes in flashback when in his childhood he used to enjoy such natural scenes.

He asks his “little i” who he is. No doubt, the ‘little i’ is his childhood version (his childhood). It shows that although the worries of his childhood have kept suppressed his childhood pleasures, it is still there in some corner of his heart. That is the happiest thing.

As the poem proceeds, the mood changes from nostalgic to sad pensive one, when he talks about the the passing days, indicating ‘death’. Here we find an unwelcome transition (change) from pleasing childhood to approaching death. But here again, he finds a beautiful way of approaching a dreaded finale (that is, fear of death).

By putting “i” with “little” he deemphasizes (minimizes the importance of) the self and promotes time.

The Gift in Wartime Exercise : Summary and Question Answers

Full exercise of The Gift in Wartime : Summary and Question Answers | Literature | Class 11 English Notes SBN ONLINE SCHOOL

The Gift In Wartime

Summary

The first stanza of this poem begins with the speaker offering someone—an unnamed “you”—roses and a wedding gown. In the second stanza, this “you” replies by giving the speaker medals, silver stars, and a badge. These items appear to be less meaningful and personal than the items that the speaker offers.

This pattern—where the speaker gives away much more than the “you”—continues throughout the poem. In the third stanza, the speaker offers their youth. In return, the “you” gives them the “smell of blood.” Indeed, as the poem unfolds, it appears as if the speaker’s offerings become more abstract, while the offerings of the “you” become more violent and indifferent.

In the fifth stanza, the speaker gives the “you” clouds and a sacrifice. They sacrifice their pleasant “springtime” for the harshness of “cold winters.” Yet the “you” remains unmoved by these offerings. The “you” gives the speaker “lips with no smile” and “arms without tenderness.” dead.

In the final stanza, the violence of the “you” is further clarified when the speaker mentions the “shrapnel”—that is, bomb fragments—that the “you” has given them.

Taking this summary into consideration, it seems that Tran Mong Tu’s poem is mainly telling about all of the things that a victim of war is forced to give up. Perhaps the “you” in the poem is war itself. That might be why the “you” reacts to the speaker’s offerings with a mix of violence and indifference.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Who is the speaker addressing and why can that person not hear or understand what she is saying?

The speaker is addressing her husband. He cannot hear or understand what she is saying because he is dead.

b. What can you infer about the speaker’s feelings for the person addressed as “you”?

Her feelings for that person she addresses as “you” is full of love, affection and devotion. She has gifted him all the pleasures of life. She is saddened by his demise. Although he is no more in the world, she is still hopeful to meet him in their next life.

c. What is the speaker’s attitude toward war?

The speaker has bitter attitude towards war as she has lost her husband.

d. In what ways do you think this person’s fate has affected the speaker?

This person’s fate was to die in war because he was a soldier. The speaker’s happiness and youth ended with his death. Thus, the ill-fate of the person has made her helpless, loveless and miserable.

e. What does the speaker promise at the end of the poem? Why do you think the speaker does this?

At the end of the poem, the speaker promises to meet her lovable person in their next life. She wants to take shrapnel as a proof to show him the reason behind his death and their separation. I think the speaker does this because of her love for the absent person is so deep and she wants to be in love with him again and again.

Reference to the context

a. What is the theme of the poem?

The theme of the poem is the cruelty and inhumanity of the war and its negative impacts over humans. The poem talks about the tragedy caused by war. One life ends but many others are affected. After the untimely death of the soldier, his family and dear ones will suffer. Life is priceless, so there is no compensation for this great loss.

b. What imagery from the poem made the greatest impression on you? Why?

The poet has used several powerful images in this poem. Among them all, I liked the shrapnel image the most. It made it very clear what gift a war can give to human beings. The shrapnel does not only mean that it shattered the body of the soldier, but also shattered the life of the beloved. That is the deadly gift of the war.

c. Which figurative language is used in the poem? Explain with examples.

Figurative language is phrasing that the goes beyond the literal meaning of words to get a message. We find the use of irony, apostrophe, anaphora, and metaphor as the figurative language here in this poem.

Irony takes place when the poet talks about the gift which is not a real gift but of grief and loss. A grave and shrapnel as tokens of remembrance are the examples of it.

The poet uses imagery when roses are offered in her beloved’s grave, and her husband is described as a corpse with lips with no smile and eyes with no sight. The red roses traditionally symbolize love.

The next figure of speech is anaphora, which is the repetition of the same words at the beginning of a line. In the first, third and fifth stanzas, the poet repeats “I offer you” and coming to the sixth stanza where the speaker repeats “you give me” three times in a row. These are the examples of anaphora used in this poem.

The poem also utilizes the apostrophe literary technique that is addressed directly to a non-present person or an inanimate object. Like in the poem, the speaker confronts the dead corpse of her spouse.

d. What does the speaker “offer” in this poem? What does the person addressed as “you” give in return?

The speaker offers various things like roses, her wedding gown, her youth, clouds, cold winters etc. to her lovable person. The person addressed as “you” gives her the medals with shining stars, badge with yellow pips, the smell of blood from wardress, lips without a smile, arms without tenderness, eyes without sight, and body without motion.

e. An apostrophe is a literary device in which a writer or speaker addresses an absent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and can understand. Discuss the poem in relation to apostrophe.

An apostrophe is a literary device in which a writer or speaker addresses an absent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and can understand. Here in the poem, we can see the use of an apostrophe when the speaker addresses the dead body as if he can understand her. She offers him red roses and her wedding gown at his grave. Her youth has ended with his death. His badge, bravery medals and the blood from his dress make her sad. Her eyes are full like summer clouds and her life has changed from spring to winter. She wants to prove her deep love and respect for her husband by showing her sacrifice. Thus, this poem has shown the bitterness of war on behalf of the speaker using the apostrophe.

Reference beyond the text

a. One way to get relief from grief is to write or talk about it. In your opinion, how might the speaker in this poem have benefitted from saying what she did? Explain.

One way to get relief from grief is to write or talk about it. Grief is caused by loss. In emotional situation a person can get relief by talking with dear one. We can share our pain to other by writing poem, stories, etc. or sharing our experiences with other. The speaker in this poem has also chosen the same path. She has become able to reduce her pain and suffering by talking with her dead husband.

Happiness and pain are an inevitable part of human life. In our life, we must experience both sides of life. We must find a way to cope with the grief and move on with our life. The speaker is talking to her husband who was killed in war. She offers him red roses and her wedding gown at his grave. Her youth has ended with his death. His badge, bravery medals and the blood from his dress make her sad. Her eyes are full like summer clouds. Her life is changed from spring to winter. She wants to prove her deep love and respect for her husband by showing her sacrifice. In this way, the speaker becomes able to cope with her deep pain by talking with her dead husband.

b. Write an essay on the effects of war.

Effects of War

The effects of war are widely spread and can be long term or short term. Soldiers experience war differently than civilians, although either suffer in times of war, and women and children suffer unspeakable atrocities in particular. In the past decade, up to two million of those killed in armed conflicts were children. The widespread trauma caused by these atrocities and suffering of the civilian population is another legacy of these conflicts, the following creates extensive emotional and psychological stress. Present-day internal wars generally take a larger toll on civilians than state wars. This is due to the increasing trend where combatants have made targeting civilians a strategic objective. A state conflict is an armed conflict that occurs with the use of armed force between two parties, of which one is the government of a state. “The three problems posed by intra‐state conflict are the willingness of UN members, particularly the strongest member, to intervene; the structural ability of the UN to respond; and whether the traditional principles of peacekeeping should be applied to intra‐state conflict”. Effects of war also include mass destruction of cities and have long lasting effects on a country’s economy. Armed conflict has important indirect negative consequences on infrastructure, public health provision, and social order. These indirect consequences are often overlooked and unappreciated.