A THING OF BEAUTY

Q.1:- What kind of joy does a beautiful thing provide?

A.1:- A thing of beauty provides eternal and everlasting joy to us because it leaves an
everlasting imprint in our mind.
Q.2:- Explain "Its loveliness increases".
A.2:- Joy multiplies with every beautiful thought. Likewise the Loveliness of a beautiful thing
increases manifold each time we visualize it on our mind screen.
Q.3:- Explain "sleep, full of sweet dreams".
A.3:- The joy of beauty gives us a kin to the joy of a blissful sleet full of pleasant dreams.
Q.4:- What does 'quiet breathing' imply?
A.4:- The reference implies to the sense of peace and serenity that one experiences on
seeing beautiful things. Beautiful sights act like nutrition for a healthy mind and thus refresh
and relax us driving away aggression and restlessness.
Q.5:- Explain 'wreathing a flowery band to bind us to the earth'.
A.5:- Keats, as a worshipper of beauty, felt that life on earth would not be worth living
without its treat of beauty. In this expression he expresses a similar feeling as he feels that
every morning we weave a beautiful string of flowers or memories which help us to support
overshoes on earth.
Q.6:- Explain 'unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways'.
A.6:- The trials and tribulations one encounters in this journey of life.
Q.7:- What does the reference 'simple sleep' symbolize?
A.7:- Lamb and sheep are envisioned as the embodiments of innocent and serene beauty.
Jesus Christ, as an apostle of peace was a shepherd. Sheep is a symbol of divine beauty.
Q.8:- Explain 'With the green world they live in'.
A.8:- Nature's beauty is at its best in the lush green surrounding of meadows and pastures
which provide the life support to all plants animals.
Q.9- What does 'Clear rills' refer to?
A.9:- `Clear rills' refers to the rivers and streams which are the natural source of water, the
elixir of life.
Q.10:- What does 'grandeur of the dooms' imply?
A.10:- Growth and decay march hand in hand in nature and thus are the two vital aspects
of life The poet sees beauty in the magnificent decay and death of these beautiful creations
of nature.
Q.11:- Who are the 'mighty dead'?
A.11:- The `mighty dead' refers to those great man and warriors who glorified death by
embracing it most gracefully and magnificently.
Q.12:- What `lovely tales have we heard or read'?

A.12:- A glorified and magnificent death gets recorded in the leaves of history, leaving an
indelible imprint on it. It remains an everlasting source of motivation to all those who read or
hear about such great men who achieved glory in death.

Q.13:- Explain 'Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink'.

A.13:- Beauty is the greatest gift of God to man which has been showered upon us from the
heaven above. This beauty is eternal and everlasting, in whose glory men on earth bask and
derive their perennial source of joy and happiness.
Q.14:- List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem?
A.14:- The poet sees shades and colors of beauty in the sun, the moon, the trees, the
innocence of the sheep, the blossoming of the daffodils, the rivers and streams, mass of ferns,
blooming musk-roses and in every aspect of this green world we live in.
Q.15:- Why is 'grandeur' associated with the 'mighty dead'?
A.15:- A magnificent death of a warrior, or a selfless sacrifice, has its own grandeur. Thus,
the poet associates grandeur with the mighty dead because he saw spiritual and intellectual
beauty in their grand and magnificent death. A brave and grand death makes one immortal.

MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

Q.1:- Explain "wan, pale as a late winter's moon".
A.1:- In this simile, the poet compares the mother's pale and withered face with the winter's
moon. The moon seems to lose its brightness in the winter season as it is veiled behind fog
and mist. The mother's face also seemed to have lost its radiance which was now misted by
age. Winter symbolizes death and the waning moon symbolizes decay.
Q.2:- What 'familiar ache' did the poet feel?
A.2:- The 'familiar ache' refers to the poet's painful realization that she has not cared and
cannot care for her ageing mother. It is an ache of helplessness. It is also a fear of separation
from the mother or the mother's death.
Q.3:- Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of
their homes'?
A.3:- The poet sees merry children spilling out of their homes when she looks out of the car.
The image presents a sharp contrast to the poet's old and dozing mother. Both the images are
symbolic of ageing and decay. The children symbolize the beginning of life and the old
women's pale and ashen face symbolizes her imminent death. The active and zeal full life of
children are contrasted with the passive and inactive life of the aged mother.
Q.4:- Why has the mother been compared to the "late winter's moon"?
A.4:- The poet has compared her mother to the "late winter's moon" to convey the idea of
her old age. The winter is a traditional symbol of death and moon, particularly the pale one is
associated with decay and mood swings. The mother's pale, bloodless and wrinkly face
together with her grey hair give her the look of a "late winter's moon".
Q.5:- What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

A.5:- The poet's parting words are expressive of the dilemma and confusion in her mind
while her elongated smile is superficial and expresses her helplessness. Both the words and
the smile not only hide her anxiety and fear about her mother's rather frail health but also a
faint hope that the old woman would survive long enough for the two to meet again.
Q.6:- How does the poet describes the old age of her mother?
A.6:- The poet describes her mother's age as late winter's moon. Her pale, bloodless and
wrinkly face resembles that of a corpse. She has no vigour and energy left in her. She looks
wan and pale.

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM

Q.1:- Which children are referred to here? What is peculiar about their faces?
A.1:- The children of the slums are referred to here. Their pale faces are deprived of the
cheerfulness and enthusiasm which mark the childhood days. Instead of bubbling with life
they seem to be worn out and exhausted with its burden.
Q.2:- What does the expression `Far far from gusty waves' signify?
A.2:- The above given expression signifies that instead of enjoying their childhood in lap of
nature, frisking freely in the open grounds or beaches, their childhood is confined to the dark
and dingy walls of the slums.
Q.3:- Explain: "Reciting a father's gnarled disease".
A.3:- The slum children, like the paper seeming boy inherit the disease and despair of their
parents and thus become carriers of their father's disease and poverty. They appear to be as
sick as their parents.
Q.4:- What is the comparison drawn with squirrels' game?
A.4:- Just as the squirrel frisks and frolics around in its tree house, likewise the eyes of the
dreamers frisk and frolic with hopes for the future.
Q.5:- Why does the poet Stephen Spender call the map a bad example?
A.5:- The map of the world in the classroom is symbolic of hopes and aspirations; for a look
as it motivates the children to explore the world beyond, the world which has been awarded
to us by God with all its bounties. But the world for these children comprises the filthy slums.
The map is made by the rich and dominant where the territories of the poor not lies. Their
hopes for a better world may just never be fulfill; this is the reason why map is the bad
example.
Q.6:- Explain : Skins peeped through by bones?
A.6:- The expression refers to the weak and worn out looks of the slum children. These
children being under-nourished look more like skeleton, their bones literally peeping out of
their thin skin cover.
Q.7:- Explain : Shut upon their lives like catacombs'?
A.7:- The slum children are denied the bounties of the world beyond their slums. Their lives
are shut up in the cemeteries of these slums where they slither and slog to make both ends
meet.

Q.8:- Explain: Let their tongues run naked into books.

A.8:- The poet strongly feels that the lives of these children will be very miserable and
unfulfilled unless they are educated. Thus he wishes that these children be exposed to the
world of books. They should be educated so that they can break themselves free from the
confines of the slums.
Q.9:- The walls of the classroom are decorated with the picture of 'Shakespeare',
'Buildings of domes', 'world maps' and 'beautiful valleys'. How do these contrasts
with the world of these children?
A.9:- "Shakespeare" stands for the study of classical literature, 'building with domes'
symbolizes power and wealth while 'World map' represent the world outside the classroom
and 'beautiful valleys' represent the beauty of nature. They are in sharp contrast with the
world of these children which is full of monotony, dullness, hopelessness and hunger.

KEEPING QUIET
Q.1:- What does count to twelve imply?
A.1:- The poet through this expression commences the session of introspection and
meditation.
Q.2:- Explain 'without rush, engines'.
A.2:- The expression are symbol of the Hubbub of the modern life. In the modern competitive
world of advancement, there is a rat-race to outshine others. Life can be peaceful only if this
thoughtless advancement' can be stopped.
Q.3:- Explain 'sudden- strangeness'.
A.3:- The exotic moment of introspection will build a sudden and strange feeling of universal
brotherhood.
Q.4:- What is fisherman symbolic of?
A.4:- The fisherman symbolizes man's indiscriminate exploitation of nature for his vested
interests.
Q.5:- Whom does 'Those' refer to here?
A.5:- Those' refers to the politicians, the statesmen and the scientists who are involved in
initiating and aggravating wars.
Q.6:- Explain 'green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire'.
A.6:- The expression refers to the chemical wars which man is waging against man and
against nature. Man's activities are polluting the nature and the chemical and nuclear
weapons created by him have brought mankind to its dead end.
Q.7:- What does the poet mean by 'victory with no survivors'?
A.7:- Man's activities are indeed heading him he is getting victorious but the war which a

man is waging will soon turn the 'living planet' into a dead one and the war may be the
victory of man's scientific knowledge but there would be no survivors to celebrate this victory.
Q.8:- What does 'total inactivity' imply?
A.8:- 'Total Inactivity' implies a phase of complete stagnation when no destructive activity is
taking place.
Q.9:- What is life 'all about'?
A.9:- 'Life is an ongoing process and thus is all about being up and doing'. Life cannot come
to standstill under any circumstances.
Q.10:- Explain "I want no truck with death".
A.10:- The poet does not believe inactivity. Life is 'on going process' and so he does not want
to associate it with death, or bring it to a dead end.
Q.11:- What is man single minded about?
A.11:- Man has targeted himself single mindedly towards scientific progress and
advancement. He has so focused himself that pays no heed to the pros and cons of reckless
progress and moves ahead without reflecting on the consequences.
Q.12:- What can Earth teach us?
A.12:- The Earth can teach us the lesson of preserving and resurrecting life. Earth teaches us
how new life emerges from ashes of the dead remains.
Q.13:- Explain 'You keep quiet and I will go'.
A.13:- The poet asks men to keep quiet and experience the ecstatic moment of silence
which create a rejuvenation of thoughts and a transition of mindset. He himself quietly
departs leaving the meditator in this exotic moment.
Q.14:- Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
A.14:- No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity. Admitting life to be an ongoing
process he wants that man's activities should be positively channelized. Men should end his
destructive activities.

AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGER

Q.1:- What ideology does the poem "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" propound?
A.1:- The poem "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" is clearly a feminist poem which is critical of the
male world for terrifying and oppressing the likes of 'Aunt Jennifer'. Her isolation and her
exploitation compel her to create an alternate world of freedom in the world of her art.
Q.2:- How do 'denizens' and 'chivalric' add to our understanding of the tigers
attitudes?
A.2:- Denizens means inhabitants and, chivalric means gallant and fearless. Tigers are
territorial by nature and take pleasure in being the masters of their domain. They are proud
of their identity and position. The poet attributes similar traits of character and attitude to
men who like the tigers, love to be the masters of their domain.

Q.3:- Explain 'massive weight of uncle wedding band'.

A.3:- The expression is symbolic of male authority and power. Matrimony binds the woman
physically as well as mentally. Likewise Aunt Jennifer is trapped in gender oppression and feds
herself burdened by the authority of her husband.
Q.4:- What does 'ringed with ordeals' imply?
A.4:- Aunt Jennifer has been so victimized in her life that even after death she remains
trapped in the struggles of the spirit. Though we do not know what terrors Aunt Jennifer had
to live with and why her friends and relatives did not step in if she was so terrified. We find
her a victim of racial, social and gender injustice and oppression.
Q.5:- Explain "The tigers in the panel will go on prancing, proud and unafraid".
A.5:- The expression is symbolic of the dispassionate and unconcerned attitude of the male
towards the desire for freedom among women. Aunt Jennifer dreams of her escape in her art,
but lands up producing the very image of her suppression. As an expression of the spirit Aunt
Jennifer's art will survive long after her death, but the social milieu remains unaffected,
arrogant and ferocious. The Poem is clearly a feminist poem and resolves around the themes
of Male chauvinism and gender conflicts. The title also suggests the 'Tiger like terror' Aunt's
husband was. She was in constant fear of him and felt trapped and suffocated in marriage.