A Thing of Beauty (Endymion)
Short Ans.-type Qs (30-40 words)
Q1. List the things of beauty mentioned in the
poem.
Ans. The poet
mentions the following objects of beauty: the sun, the moon, the young and the
old trees, the daffodils, clear rills, musk roses and lovely tales we have
often heard of. All these beautiful objects perform their duty in different
ways.
Q2. List the things that cause suffering and
pain.
Ans. There are many things which cause suffering
and pain to human beings. The poet mentions some of them, like depression, lack
of noble qualities in us, evil and mysterious ways of the world. It is very
difficult for us as to why all these bad things happen in this world.
Q3.What does the line-‘Therefore are we
wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest to you?
Ans. Human beings on the earth experience both,
happiness and sufferings. It has beautiful objects to make us happy so that we
may bear the burden of these sorrows. These objects of beauty are symbolical of
beautiful flowers bound in a wreathing (garland)
. Actually, we bind ourselves to the attraction of these beauties to bear
the burden of life.
Q4. What makes human beings to love life in
spite of troubles and sufferings?
Ans. It is a hard fact that the world is full of
sufferings and pains. There are different kinds of tensions and worries for
human beings. The presence of beautiful things in the world makes it worth
living. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to live.
Q5. Why is ‘grandeur’ (greatness) associated
with the mighty dead?
Ans. Some brave and powerful people of the world
would be rewarded by God on the Day of Judgment for their great achievement. So
grandeur has been associated with the mighty dead.
Q6. Do we experience things of beauty only for
short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?
Ans. The impact of beautiful things on us is not
for a short time. It is long lasting. The beautiful objects keep on haunting
our minds forever. If we are sad, these beautiful objects of Nature make us
happy and refreshed. The sad thoughts are removed at once from our mind.
Q7. What image does the poet use to describe
the beautiful bounty of the earth?
Ans.
Q8. Explain the lines: “...a beautiful thing never ‘pass into
nothingness.”
Ans. A beautiful
object never becomes useless for us. It always keeps on refreshing our mind. The
more we watch a beautiful object, the more the colour is added to the beautiful
object by our imagination.
Q9. Explain: ‘a
bower quiet for us’
Ans.:
A thing of beauty is like a quiet bower. A bower (a group of shady trees)
always gives us peace of mind and relaxation. There is no disturbance in it.
Q9. Explain: ‘o’er-darkened ways’?
Ans. It means mysterious ways which are beyond
man’s understanding.
Q10. What does all refer to in the phrase ‘in
spite of all’?
Ans. Here “all’ refers to the darkness (gloom) and
sadness in human life.
Q11. Explain: ‘a sprinkling of fair musk rose’
Ans. The white
rose are growing scattered (here and there=in less number) in the forest brake
(marshy land)
Q12. Explain: ‘an endless fountain of immortal
drink?
Ans.
It means all the beautiful things on the earth are like fountain of immortal
drink.
Extract 1
A thing of beauty
is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Qs.
1.
Explain the line: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy
for ever’
2.
Why does a beautiful thing never ‘pass into
nothingness’?
3.
What does the poet mean by ‘a bower quiet for
us’
4.
How does a thing of beauty remain a joy for
us?
5.
Mention any two source of joy which a thing of
beauty provides to us?
Explanation:
John Keats says that a thing of beauty is a
permanent source of enjoyment. It always remains fresh and lovely in our
imagination. Its beauty never decreases with the passage of time. Rather it
keeps on increasing because our imagination always adds new colours to it. A
bower (group of shady trees) is a quiet and pleasant place for us. It gives
peace and shade from the heat of the sun.
If a person is tired, he or she can take rest and even enjoy a peaceful
sleep in the cool shade of a bower. In the same way, a thing of beauty makes us
peaceful, quiet and healthy. When we are tired of the worries and tension of
life, we can remember any beautiful object of nature and forget about any
bitter reality. The beautiful object makes us feel comfortable and we may have
a sound sleep. In this way it also makes us healthy.
Extract 2.
Therefore, on
every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth .
The
earth has both happiness and sufferings. It has beautiful objects to make us
happy so that we may bear the burden of these sorrows. These objects of beauty
are symbolical of beautiful flowers bound in a wreathing (garland) . Actually, we bind ourselves to the attraction
of these beauties to bear the burden of life.
Qs. What are the
flowery bands that bind us to the earth?
1.
What message do the above lines convey?
Stanza: Of all the unhealthy and
o'er-darkn'd ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
Of noble natures, of the gloomy
days,
Qs
1.
What
does the poet mean by ‘o’er-darkened ways’?
2.
What
does ‘all’ refer to in the phrase ‘in spite of all’?
3.
What
does some shape of beauty do?
4.
What
idea does the poet want to convey to us by the above lines?
Explanation: In these lines the poet tells us about
the role of beauty in our life. He says that life is full of much tension and
many types of worries. Sometimes we become sad and gloomy in our life. There is
depression and dejection (misery) in this world. Many a time, we do not
understand how events take worse turn. But in spite of all these sad moments,
we continue living in this world. This is all possible due to beautiful objects
which keep us bound to life. Beauty is like a flowery band that binds us to the
earth. It is beauty that removes the pall (dark covering) of sadness from human
heart. It makes us love
life despite the things that make us sad and dampen our spirits.
Extract 3.Such the sun, the
moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a
shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in
Qs.
1. What does the poet say about the sun and the moon?
2.
What
do the trees do?
3.
Where
do daffodils live?
4.
What
is the common point about the things the poet has mentioned in the above lines?
Stanza:
and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert
make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
Qs. What do clear rills do?
1.
What
protects rills from the hot season?
2.
What
is the forest brake rich with?
3.
Explain:’a
sprinkling of fair musk rose’
Difficult words:
1. sprouting:
producing, coming out 2. rich with: full of 3. boon: a blessing, 4. daffodils: flowers,
5. rills: small streams, brooks or streams 7. covert: hidden areas in jungle such as
bushes, 8. brake: hindrances like
marshy land in a jungle 9. sprinkling: less number,10. fair
musk-rose: a kind of white rose, 11. blooms: flowers
Explanation: In this stanza, the poet gives
examples of some beautiful objects. He says that the sun, the moon, trees small or big, old and young are all
source of happiness for us. These are a blessing for the animals like sheep and
many more that find shelter under their green shade. The beautiful springs
(rills) full of clear water make a shadow of bushes and many small trees and
plants over themselves. They save themselves from the heat of the sun in this
way. There is undergrowth or bushes which protect many flowers like beautiful
musk rose from the heat of the sun. Usually such bushes are found in marshy
land of a jungle.
Extract 4.
And such too is the grandeur of the
dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
Qs
What have we imagined for the mighty dead?
1.
What
lovely tales does the poet talk of?
2.
What
does the poet call ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink?
3.
What
pictures has the poet drawn in the last two lines?
Word-meanings: doom: God’s final judgment on human
beings, mighty: powerful; immortal drink: a drink called nectar (Amrit drunk by
gods); heaven’s brink: the edge of heaven
Explanation:
The poet tells us that sometimes we think of
the great and powerful persons of the world. They are lying in their graves
now. We think of their achievements and also pray for great reward given to
them by God the Almighty on the day of their judgment. We derive (get) a lot of
pleasure out of this. We have also another source of happiness on the earth.
God has created so many beautiful objects on the earth for all human beings.
The Poet calls them ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’. It means that all
beautiful objects of nature are endless and permanent source for our happiness.
They are on the earth like nectar (a drink of gods) which gives heavenly joy to
us.
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment