Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda-Explanation

The Importance of Introspection:

Keeping Quiet: A Poem by Pablo Neruda

The Importance of Inward Self:

Introspection can only be achieved when we are completely

 still.

What is the Inward Self?

Introspection is the mental activity in which we reflect on our thoughts, feelings, and how we act towards others. Introspection helps us to correct our errors and change our behaviour. We become better people by doing introspection on a daily basis.

How to achieve the state of introspection?

1.    The poet says that we need to count up to twelve only in order to reach the state of mind when introspection becomes possible. It is possible when we are quiet.

2.    So by counting up to twelve we are able to examine our inner self. The poet says that we will count up to twelve and remain motionless. We will not do any physical activity during that time.

3.    The poet seems to suggest that people of the whole world should remain quiet together and should not speak any word in any of their languages. They should neither speak nor do any physical activity even for a single second.

4.    If they do so, they would have strange and wonderful experience in which there would be no hurry to finish any activity.

5.    When the people of the whole world would remain quiet at the same time, the people doing different activities in different parts of the world would stop their activities. It would be so strange and wonderful experience on this earth.

6.    The workers working at machines would stop their engines. The fishermen catching fish would stop catching fish and whales. They would stop harming whales for some seconds. After introspection, their thought would be purified of all cruelty and unsympathetic attitude. They would catch as much fish as they require for their survival.

7.    The man who is gathering salt, would also feel changed after introspection. He would get rid of his greed and stop collecting salt. The line ‘… would see his hurt hands’ suggests his sudden awareness about his mistake of collecting salt more than his need.

8.    The people who prepare fatal weapons for wars would also be made sober by the process of introspection. They would evaluate their activities and realise their mistake of being cruel to human beings. They would no longer use chemical gas, gun powder and even they may stop wars. They would no longer rejoice in the victory that is the result of bloodshed.

9.    They would put on clean clothes means their mind and conscience would be guiltless and clean. Since they would be without any feeling of enmity towards others, they would consider themselves their brothers and walk together with them enjoying the shade of the trees. The shade of trees may suggest the feeling of universal brotherhood.

Lines 21 to36

‘What I want should not be confused

With total inactivity…..

And you keep quiet and I will go

10.                       The poet says that we should not get confused with the word ‘total in activity’. It does not mean that we would stop all activities while doing introspection by remaining quiet. Of course, we would stop physical activities, but mental activity will continue in introspection. Activity is the very synonym of life and inactivity is the very synonym of death. If we are active, we are full of life, and inactivity makes us passive. The poet does not want any relation with death.

11.                       In the next lines ‘If we were not single minded…’ the poet stresses the need to be focused on our tasks of life to keep our life progressing and moving forward.

12.                       If we become passive, lazy, and inactive in life, we will cause trouble for ourselves. We would be sad and may not come out of the vicious circle of poverty and deficiency of all we need for our survival. When we are sad, we would not be able to introspect properly. Consequently, we would not be able to understand our own thoughts and feelings. That situation would be like that of death.

13.                       Only introspection may take us out of such a critical situation.

“Perhaps the earth can teach us…….

The poet’s contention (argument) is that we should not take the word

 ‘total inactivity’ in a limited sense finds more clarification here.

 When

 the person is sitting motionless in introspection, he seems to be

 doing no activity.

14.                       The truth is that several thoughts are running in his mind and he is analysing them in a rational way. Similar is the case with the earth. In the winter season, the surface of the earth seems to do nothing. We see no sprouting from seeds, no new leaves, and no flowering. But after the winter season, the surface of the earth is full of so many activities. It is again full of life.

15.                       Similarly, after introspection, we can restart our all

 activities with a freshness of mind.

Explanation of Pablo Neruda's poem "Keeping Quiet"

Explanation of Pablo Neruda's poem "Keeping Quiet":

Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still. For once on the face of the earth let's not speak in any language, let's stop for one second, and not move our arms so much.

The poem begins with an invitation to count to twelve and remain silent. The speaker suggests that, for a moment, everyone should refrain from speaking. The intention is to create a rare occurrence where people set aside their differences and unify in silence. By not speaking in any language, they transcend linguistic barriers and communicate through their shared act of stillness. The mention of not moving their arms too much can be seen as a metaphor for not engaging in excessive actions or gestures, but rather finding a calm and peaceful state.

It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines, we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.

The poet describes this moment as "exotic" because it is out of the ordinary. In this moment of stillness, there would be no rush, no noisy engines, and people would find themselves united in a sudden sense of unfamiliarity. The aim is to break away from the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life and experience a new kind of togetherness.

Fishermen in the cold sea would not harm whales and the man gathering salt would not look at his hurt hands.

The poem presents examples of how this silence and stillness can bring about positive changes. It suggests that in this moment of collective quiet, fishermen would not harm whales, symbolizing a cessation of destructive actions. Similarly, the person gathering salt, who might normally be preoccupied with their injured hands, would be relieved of their pain as they pause from their work. These examples illustrate the potential for empathy (understanding/sympathy) and the avoidance of harm when people come together in stillness.

Those who prepare green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire, victories with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers in the shade, doing nothing.

The poem continues by highlighting the impact of stillness on those involved in preparing for wars and conflicts. These individuals, who plan destructive battles using weapons such as gas and fire, would momentarily abandon their plans. They would wear clean clothes, symbolizing a temporary purification or cleansing of their intentions, and peacefully walk alongside their fellow humans in the shade. This imagery depicts a temporary cessation of violence and the opportunity for unity among all people.

What I want should not be confused with total inactivity. Life is what it is about; I want no truck with death.

The speaker clarifies that their call for stillness and silence should not be mistaken for total inactivity or a desire for death. Life, according to the poet, is about taking action and being engaged. The intention is not to withdraw from life but rather to take a momentary pause from the chaos and reflect on our actions and their consequences. It is a plea for peace and understanding, rather than a renunciation of life's responsibilities.

If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing, perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves and of threatening ourselves with death.

The poet suggests that if humans were not so consumed by their constant pursuit of progress and self-interest, and if they could collectively embrace stillness and inaction, a profound silence might emerge. This silence, he believes, has the power to interrupt the pervasive sadness and lack of self-understanding that plague humanity. By momentarily setting aside our relentless activities, we can create space for introspection, and self-reflection, and ultimately find a path away from self-destructive tendencies

 

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