Ch-11 You Are Old, Father William

1.(NOTE:-Draw and colour /sketch a picture related to this poem in your English Lit. copy)

2.(NOTE:-Write the Explanation of the poem from a NEW PAGE)

Explanation Of The Poem

STANZA 1

The poem is a conversation between a young man and Father William in which the youth questions
the old man about his odd behaviour. The young man brings up Father William's old age and says
that his hair has grown white. Though Father William does not act his age. Instead, he prefers
standing on his head. Standing on one's head is connected with child's play. Yet Father William does
so despite having outgrown such a stage in his life long ago. This leads the young man to ask
whether Father William considers standing is an appropriate activity for his age.

STANZA 2

Father William replies to the young man's question that he had been afraid to stand on his head
while he was young, thinking it might injure his brain. Father William then assures him that he has
no brain to be worried about. Therefore, to compensate for not being able to stand on his head in
his youth, he performs this action repeatedly in his old age.

STANZA 3

The young man reminds Father William of his advanced age. He adds to this by saying that Father
William has also gained a lot of weight. Finally, the young man comes to his question, and asks why
Father William has turned a back-somersault.

STANZA 4

Father William speaks of his youth again. He tells the young man that he has managed to keep his
arms and legs very flexible by using an ointment that comes at the cheap rate of one shilling per box.
He even attempts to sell two boxes of the ointment to the young man also.

STANZA 5

Again, the young man mentions that Father William has grown old, and says that Father William's
jaws are not strong enough to consume anything other than raw beef or mutton fat. On the
contrary, Father William has been able to consume an entire duck, complete with both its bones and
its beaks. So, the young man asks how Father William managed to do it.

STANZA 6

Father William replies to this question humorously. He recalls the days of his youth. He is reminded
particularly of the time he had arguments with his wife. He proclaims that those arguments in his
youth have safeguarded his jaws against decay and have remained strong throughout his life.

STANZA 7

The young man again reiterates about Father Williams old age. He even mentions that everyone
expects his vision to be decaying with the passing age and to even balance an eel on the end of his
nose and wonders what makes him so clever.

STANZA 8

Father William refuses to reply to this question. Instead, he feels that he has answered enough
questions. He warns the young man to stop imagining that he has all the time in the world to answer
these ridiculous questions. Lastly, he threatens to knock the young man off the stairs if he doesn't
get out of Father William's sight at once.

3.(NOTE:-Write the Q/ans from a NEW PAGE)

A.Answer these questions.

Q1
Ans . The answer to the young man's first query proves that Father William had a great sense of
humour. The young man was amazed at Father William's ability to stand on his head and wanted to
know whether it was good for him at that age. The witty old man answered that when he was young
he was afraid that such antics might damage his brain but now that he was convinced that he had
none, he repeats this quite fearlessly.

Q2.

Ans. We understand that Father William enjoyed good health from several clues provided in the
poem. He could stand on his head without any difficulty and despite his obese form he could carry
out back somersault. He had a hearty appetite and could eat a whole goose with bones and beak
and had the steadiness of body to balance an eel on the end of his nose. He also had good eyesight
and strong jaws.

Q3.

Ans. Very humorously Father William explained why he continued to have strong jaws. He explained
that when he was young he 'took to the law' and argued each case with his wife. His jaw muscles
grew strong and he continued to enjoy the benefits of this.

Yes, he was a lawyer by profession.

Q4.

Ans. The young man had many queries regarding Father William's good health. At one point, he
wanted to know how he acquired the ability to balance an eel on the end of his nose. It required
immense dexterity and balance and tremendous fitness. The young man wanted to know how
Father William could do such clever things. It was to this question that Father William refused to
answer.

He said that he had already answered three questions and would not answer any more. He had no
wish to listen to ‘such stuff’ all day long.

Q5.

Ans. The young man is very curious and also a bit amused by Father William's fitness and abilities.
But he does come across as a bit pompous and brash. There are times when he sounds disrespectful
particularly when he keeps repeating—'you are old'.

Q6.

Ans. Firstly, Father William is a fit 'old' man. He has the ability to use his body in way that many
young folks would never dare to do. His fitness of body and agility of mind makes him different from
most Old men. He can stand on his head and somersault. He is also witty, and does not take offence
at the young man's rather disrespectful approach. He is also very sure and confident which many
other men of his age might lose.

4.(NOTE:-Write the Reference to the context from a NEW PAGE)

B. Answer these questions with reference to the context

1.

Q a.

Ans. Here 'uncommonly fat' suggests that Father William had grown very fat.

Q b.

Ans. Despite being fat, his body is agile enough to do a back-somersault. He is able to stand on his
head.This requires tremendous fitness, flexibility of body and muscular strength.

Q c.
Ans. Father William stated that during his youth he kept all his limbs supple by applying an ointment
priced at one shilling a box. Years of application had ensured the flexibility and suppleness that his
body now exhibited.

2.

Q a.

Ans. A word or a phrase that could replace the word 'pray' is 'please state'.

Qb

Ans. As one grows old the jaw, bones and muscles weaken and one loses the ability to eat hard food
items. However, Father William could eat a goose, bone and all without any apparent difficulty.

Qc

Ans. The person stated that years of arguing with his wife had toughened his jaw muscles and
strengthened it so effectively that he continued to enjoy the benefits of it even as an old man.

Q a.

Ans. Father William said this to the young man who was asking him many questions about his
strange abilities.

By 'air' he meant an annoyingly pretentious and condescending manner.

Q b.

Ans. The young man had been asking many a question. Initially Father William had answered all
questions with wit and patience. However, the young man's sometimes disrespectful tone and
condescending manner started to irritate Father William. When the man asked how he could
balance an eel on his nose, Father William said these words.

Qc.

Ans. The speaker threatened to kick him down the stairs.