FIRE AND ICE BY ROBERT FROST

 2. Fire and Ice BY ROBERT FROST (Notes Prepared bY Shish Pal Chauhan)

                                                           Short Summary To be increased

   In this poem, the poet, Robert Frost uses symbols of fire and ice as the causes of the world’s destruction. Fire stands for desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance. Ice stands for cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred. Both causes would surely lead to the end of the whole world.

                                                    Questions & Answers

Q1. What for ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ in the poem ‘Fire and Ice?

Ans. Fire stands for desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance.

Q2. Why do some people say that the world would end in fire?

Ans. Some people hold the religious view that the world would end.

Q3. Why do some people say that the world would end in ice?

Ans. Some people hold the scientific view that the world would end by ice.

Q4. Describe the two symbols used in the poem Fire and Ice?

Ans. Fire symbolises desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance. Ice symbolises cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred.

Q5. How will the world end by fire?

Ans. Growing materialism is the cause of desire. It further gives birth to passions like greed, anger and intolerance. These passions may become the cause of world war. In that case, the world would be destroyed.

Q7. How will the world end with hatred?

Ans. Hatred breeds intolerance, anger and cruelty. It causes insensitivity in the human heart. All of these negative feelings might become the cause of nuclear war in the world. That would be the end of the world.

Q8. What does ‘ice’ symbolise?

Ans. Ice symbolises cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred.

Q9. What does ‘Fire’ symbolise?

Ans. Fire symbolises desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance.

Stanza 1

Lines: “Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.”

Q1. Name the poet and the poem.

Ans. The poem is ‘Fire and Ice’ and the poet is Robert Frost.

Q2. What do people think about the end of the world?

Ans Some people say that the world would end in fire. Some say it would end in ice.

Q3. Which idea does the poet favour?

Ans. The poet favours the idea of fire.

Q4. Find the words from the stanza which mean the same as: (a) agree (b) take the side of

Ans. (a) hold (b) favour

Stanza 2

But if it had to perish twice, (a)

I think I know enough of hate (b)

To say that for destruction ice (a)

Is also great (b)

And would suffice.” (a)

 Q1. Name the poet and the poem.

Ans. The poem is ‘Fire and Ice’ and the poet is Robert Frost.

Q2. What does the poet know enough about?

Ans. It is about ‘hate’.

Q3. How is ‘ice’ sufficient for destruction?

Ans. Some people hold the scientific view that the world would end by ice.

Q4. What is the deeper meaning of ‘ice’ here?

Ans. Ice symbolises cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred.

Q5. What is the rhyme scheme in the stanza?

Ans. ababa

 

Lines: “Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.”

Word-meanings:

Explanation: This is a small poem written by Robert Frost. It is about a question that always occurred in people’s minds from time to time. The question is how the world would end.

    Robert Frost writes in this poem that some people say that the world would be consumed by fire. There are also some people who believe that the end of the world would be caused by ice. The poet adds that his experience of life says that the fire of passion dominates the world. People have lost control over their emotions of greed, anger and intolerance. There is always a danger of nuclear war in the world. That will surely destroy all.

Lines: “But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.”

Word meanings: 1. Perish: get destroyed   2. Suffice: convince/ be sufficient

Explanation: The poet says that he is confident that there is enough hate in the world. He has experienced that human beings show a lot of insensitivity, indifference and hatred towards others. If he were to select between the two causes of the world’s destruction, he would favour the second. It would be great and convincing if the world ends up by ice.

Short Summary

    Fire and Ice is about two causes that might prove fatal for the human race. Either of these two causes might destroy the whole world. The poet uses symbols of fire and ice as the causes of the world’s destruction. Fire stands for desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance. Ice stands for cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred. Both causes would surely lead to the end of the whole world.

 Questions & Answers

Q1. What for ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ in the poem ‘Fire and Ice’?

Ans. Fire stands for desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance.

Q2. Why do some people say that the world would end in fire?

Ans. Some people hold the religious view that the world would end.

Q3. Why do some people say that the world would end in ice?

Ans. Some people hold the scientific view that the world would end by ice.

Q4. Describe the two symbols used in the poem Fire and Ice?

Ans. Fire symbolises desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance. Ice symbolises cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred.

Q5. What is the main idea of the poem ‘Fire and Ice?

Ans. The poet seems to hint at two causes that would lead to the end of the world. The first cause of the world’s end might be desirable. It is the very root of so many conflicts in the world. It leads to greed, anger and intolerance. It would further push the world towards destruction. Secondly, the poet might be thinking about the ice age. It would also prove destructive for the world. Human beings are responsible for both the causes of the destruction of the world.

Q6. How will the world end by fire?

Ans. Growing materialism is the cause of desire. It further gives birth to passions like greed, anger and intolerance. These passions may become the cause of world war. In that case, the world would be destroyed.

Q7. How will the world end with hatred?

Ans. Hatred breeds intolerance, anger and cruelty. It causes insensitivity in the human heart. All of these negative feelings might become the cause of nuclear war in the world. That would be the end of the world.

Q8. What does ‘ice’ symbolise?

Ans. Ice symbolises cruelty, intolerance, stubbornness, insensitivity, indifference and hatred.

Q9. What does ‘Fire’ symbolise?

Ans. Fire symbolises desire and emotions like greed, anger and intolerance.

 

 

 

 

Animals by Walt Whitman

 The Poem: Animals by Walt Whitman

The theme of the Poem

The poet loves animals for their qualities. They are peaceful and self-reliant. They do not commit any sin like human beings. They do not have to lie awake and weep over their sins. Humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago. They make their idols, posters, etc, and worship them by kneeling their heads. They do not discuss their duty to God. They are satisfied. They do not flatter each other. They do not forget if affection is shown to them. They are not selfish like human beings.

Questions & Answers

Q1. Mention two things that humans do and animals don’t.

Ans. Humans lie awake and weep over their sins at night. They also bore others by discussing their duty to God. The animals don’t do these acts.

Q2. Do Humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago?

Ans. Yes, humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago. They make their idols, posters, etc, and worship them by kneeling their heads.

Q3. What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago and which the animals have kept for him?

Ans. The tokens are the feelings of love, affection, sympathy, and kindness to others. The poet dropped them a long time ago. But the animals keep these with them.

Q4. What does the poet observe about the animals?

       Or why does the poet admire animals?

Ans. The poet observes that the animals are innocent. Time has not changed their nature. They are what they are from the inside. They are peaceful, satisfied, and self-reliant. But humans hide their real feelings. They are selfish.

Q5 How are animals different from human beings?

 Ans. The poet observes that the animals are innocent. Time has not changed their nature. They are what they are from the inside. They are peaceful, satisfied, and self-reliant. But humans hide their real feelings. They are selfish.

Q6. How do humans make the poet sick?

Ans. Humans make the poet sick by discussing their duty towards God.

Q7. Why are human beings unhappy and dissatisfied?

Ans. Human beings are greedy about possessing material things. Their desires are unlimited. So they are dissatisfied and unhappy.

7. Animals: Stanzas for Comprehension

Stanza 1

I think I could turn and live with animals,

they are so placid and self-contained,

I stand and look at them long and long.

Meaning: 1. Turn: change 2. Placid: peaceful self-contained: self-reliant

Questions:

1. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The poem is ‘Animals’ and the poet is Walt Whitman.

2. Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?

Ans. ‘I’ is the poet.

3. Mention two qualities of the animals shown in the above stanza.

Ans. The animals are peaceful and self-reliant.

4. Why does the poet stand and look at them for long?

Ans. The poet is very much impressed by the animals. So he stands and looks at them for a long.

5. Why does the poet wish to live with them?

Ans. The poet loves the qualities of animals. So he wishes to live with them.

6. What does the poet wish in the above lines?

     Ans. The poet wishes to become an animal and start living with them.

  7. Why does the poet wish to live with animals?

 Ans. …because they are peaceful and independent.

8. Find out from the stanza the word that means the following: (i) peaceful (ii) self-reliant and independent

Ans. (i) placid (ii) self-contained

Stanza 2

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Questions:

1. Name the poet and its poet.

Ans. The poem is ‘Animals’ and the poet is Walt Whitman.

2. Who does the word ‘they’ refer to?

Ans. It refers to animals.

3. What do ‘they’ not do at night?

Ans. They do not lie awake and weep over their sins.

4. How do they not make the poet sick?

Ans. They do not make the poet sick by discussing their duty to God.

5. What do ‘they’ not do about their condition?

Ans. They do not complain about their condition.

6. What do human beings do about their sins at night?

Ans. They lie awake and weep over their sins at night.

7. What is the meaning of ‘sweat and whine’?

Ans. It means to make a complaint.

Stanza 3

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,/ Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,/ Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

Word meanings: 1. demented: crazy 2. Kneels: bends

1. Name the poet and its poet.

Ans. The poem is ‘Animals’ and the poet is Walt Whitman.

2. Write about only two qualities of the animals mentioned in the above stanza.

Ans. The animals are not dissatisfied and crazy about owning things.

3. Who are crazy about owning things: human beings or animals?

Ans. Human beings are crazy about owning things.

4. Who is unhappy over the whole earth?

Ans. Human beings are unhappy over the whole earth.

 5. Find from the above stanza the word that means: crazy

Ans. demented

Stanza 4

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,

They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession I wonder where they get those tokens,

Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

1. Name the poet and its poet.

Ans. The poem is ‘Animals’ and the poet is Walt Whitman. 

2. Who shows their relation to the poet?

Ans. The animals show their relation to the poet.

3. What are the tokens mentioned in the above stanza?

Ans. These are the feelings of affection and love.

4. What had the poet dropped negligently?

Ans. The poet dropped the feelings of love and affection to the animals negligently.

5. What wonders the poet?

Ans. The poet wonders about the memory of the animals about their relationship with the poet.

6. Find out from the stanza the words that mean the following:

Show b. clearly  c. carelessly

Ans. a. evince b. plainly  c. negligently

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Trees by Adrienne Rich: Questions-Answers

 Poem 8: The Trees by Adrienne Rich: Short Answer-type Qs (30-35 words)

Summary of Trees

In this poem, trees are symbols of women. Forests are symbols of men. Forests are incomplete without trees. In the same way, our society is not complete without women. Society is not complete without the active role of women. Women have equal rights as are enjoyed by men. They should not be kept as prisoners in the four walls of the houses. If it is done by men, they will break the walls of their prisons.

Q1. Which kinds of trees are described in this poem? Why are they not useful for birds or insects?

Ans. The poet describes the trees which are planted in the houses. They are not big in size because they are planted for decoration. They are not useful for birds and insects. They cannot sit and hide in them.

Q2. How does the poetess describe the night? What is she doing?

Ans. The night is fresh and cloudless. The moon is full and it is shining brightly. The poetess is sitting inside her room. The doors of the room are open on the veranda. She is writing long letters.

Q3. What message does the poetess convey through the poem ‘The Trees’?

Ans. In this poem, trees are symbols of women. Forests are symbols of men. Forests are incomplete without trees. In the same way, our society is not complete without women. Both are important. Women should not be confined (imprisoned) in the four walls of their houses.

Q4. Do you think Adrienne Rich’s poem ‘The trees’ is about decorative trees?

Ans. The poem is not merely about decorative trees. Trees inside the house are ornamental, but they are symbols of women. Men keep women imprisoned in their houses like decorative trees.

Q5. Where are the trees in the poem ‘The Trees’? Where are they going? What does it signify?

Ans. Trees are inside the house in the poem. They are going to the forest. At the symbolical level, trees are women. Forest is the symbol of society. Only men are allowed to move about in society. But now, women seem to break the prison of their houses to move freely in society.

Q6.What does the poetess mean by the line “the trees are moving out into the forests”?

Ans. The line means that women are breaking the prison of the houses in which they are kept as prisoners by men.

Q7. What is the theme of the poem ‘The Trees’?

Ans. In this poem, trees are symbols of women. Forests are symbols of men. Forests are incomplete without trees. In the same way, our society is not complete without women. Society is not complete without the active role of women. Women have equal rights as are enjoyed by men. They should not be kept as prisoners in the four walls of the houses. If it is done by men, they will break the walls of their prisons.