12th

English All Appreciations

2.1 Song of the Open Road
'Song of the Open Road' by American poet Walt Whitman is an
extract from his book 'Leaves of Grass'. It is about optimism,
energy and confidence. The road here signifies mobility and
freedom. The poem is in free verse. This gave the poet great
freedom in choosing words that convey the traveller's feelings
more aptly. There is no regular metre or rhyme scheme, but there
are many other poetic devices and figures of speech like
Repetition. Transferred Epithet, Paradox, etc.

Whitman does not believe in staying in one place for long. He tells
us indirectly to be self-confident and reliant, and explore the
world using our abilities and the available opportunities. There
should be no complaints, criticisms or excuses for one's inaction.

The road in the poem does not mean only a road to travel. It is a
metaphor for the road of life, along which we must travel happily.
leaving the past behind but not forgetting it. I like the poem as it
inspires me to be positive, to go ahead in my life with interest and
enthusiasm, without complaints or expectations of help.

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2.2 Indian Weavers (Textbook page 100)

Ans. Sarojini Naidu was an important figure in India's struggle for

Independence. Her short poem 'Indian Weavers' gives us a brief
glimpse into the work of India's famous handloom craftsmen.

The theme is the cycle of life. The three stanzas mark the three
stages of life itself. The weavers weave three types of garments at
three particular times of the day. They reply to questions about
why they are weaving that particular piece of cloth, of a particular
colour. at a specific time of day.

Each stanza of the poem represents an important event of human

life birth, adulthood and death. The colours mentioned in the
stanzas are very significant as they indicate the moods related to
the events. The conversational tone gives a smooth flow, one stage
moving into the next.

The poem is a metaphor for the cycle of life birth-dawn.

adulthood-dusk and death-night. There are various other figures
of speech like Simile, Alliteration. Interrogation.

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2.3 The Inchcape Rock

Ans. The ballad "The Inchcape Rock is by Robert Southey.

Inchcape was a stretch of treacherous rocks near the Scottish
coast. The benevolent Abbot of Aberbrothok had installed a
warning bell on the rock. However, a pirate Sir Ralph the Rover in
a fit of wickedness cut the warning bell and sank it into the sea.
Many months later. when the pirate was sailing towards Scotland
in stormy weather, his boat struck the very same rock and sank, as
there was no bell to warn him. Ralph realized to his despair that he
had brought this ruin onto himself.

The poem is a ballad. The story is told in easy language in stanzas

of four lines. The rhyme scheme is 'aabb'. The poet uses many Old
English words like 'blest'. 'Quoth' and 'canst'.

The poem begins with a bright day and ends on a dark note. Some
of the figures of speech are Inversion. Alliteration, Onomatopoeia.
etc. They add beauty to the poem.

The poem is a didactic one with a clear message and moral those
who do wrong things will meet with due punishment. I like the
poem as it is in the form of a story and easy to understand. The
imagery too is very good. I agree with the message delivered by
the poet.

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2.4 Have you Earned your Tomorrow

Ans. The poem, "Have you Earned your Tomorrow", is a thought-

provoking one. The poet Edgar Guest makes us ponder and find
out whether we have done something useful on a particular day.
He urges the readers to be thoughtful about the people around
them. The inspirational poem is simple and the tone of writing is
optimistic. The poet asks the readers whether they have done
anything to improve the life of another human being or not, and
based on the answer, whether their existence for another day is
justified. The poem is full of questions, forcing the reader to stop
and think.

There are four stanzas of four lines each. The rhyme scheme is
'aabb' The poet has used different poetic devices like Alliteration
and Interrogation to give beauty to the poem. The clear message
of the poem is: One's life is meaningful only if it is useful for
humanity at large. It is an uplifting poem. We can take the
message and begin implementing it in our life immediately and
every day.

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2.5 Father Returning Home (July '22) (Textbook pages 116-117)

Ans. The poem 'Father Returning Home, by Dilip Chitre - a

bilingual poet is about a lonely old man, who is coming home from
a long day at work.

The poet draws a word portrait of a suburban commuter and his

silent and lonely journey in a crowded Mumbai local train. His
existence is dull and monotonous. He has to eat stale food when he
reaches home and he lacks company. His children don't speak to
him and won't share any part of their lives. This loneliness is a
symbol of man's isolation from the materialistic man-made world.

The poet uses informal, simple language and an easy style of

writing. There are various figures of speech like Simile. Metaphor.
Transferred Epithet and Synecdoche. The poem is in free verse and
there is no rhyme scheme. The poet has made vivid use of
imagery. and a beautiful picture of the lonely old man forms in the
reader's mind. Ultimately, the reader feels sorry for the old man.

The poem gives out a clear message about how the elderly are
used by their own children but neglected when they need care. It
indirectly tells us how we should not behave towards persons who
are in the autumn of their life. I liked the poem but found it
depressing: it also conveys a bad picture of the younger
generation.

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2.6 Money

Ans. W. H. Davies was a Welsh poet and writer. In his poem 'Money'
he speaks of the times when he had money and when he did not.

The theme of the poem is the effect of money on the behaviour of

people. False friends are plenty when a man has money. However.
when one is poor one may have fewer friends, but they are real
friends. The poet has also noted that the lack of money does not
mean lack of happiness. The poor man is able to laugh while a rich
man frowns; the poor man's wife is happily busy in her work.

There are many figures of speech like Simile. Antithesis.

Onomatopoeia, etc. in the poem. The rhyme scheme is 'abcb'.
Repetition of the word 'money' emphasizes the way man gives
money too much importance when actually it takes away our
happiness. The message is that money does not bring happiness.
The poor are cheerful while the rich are worried. I liked the poem,
but do not agree with it completely. I feel that the poor today are
not necessarily as happy as the poet seems to think. They too have
their own problems and difficulties.

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2.7 She Walks in Beauty

Ans. Lord Byron's poem opens with the same words that form the
title: "She walks in beauty." These four simple words quickly
create an atmosphere of admiration and mystery.

It is a short eighteen-line poem having three sestets (six lines) in

praise of an unnamed woman. The poet uses several poetic
devices to express the undefinable beauty of the woman.

There are several themes. One is, of course, beauty. Each feature
of the woman her eyes. her black (raven) tresses, her soft cheek.

her calm brow and the lovely colour of skin is praised. The poet
speaks of harmony. He speaks of the perfect blend of day and
night. of light and dark. The other theme is the inner beauty which
is what brings out the outer beauty. If a person lives in 'goodness'
his/her mind is pure and calm. There is no evil lurking in her mind
and the innocence manifests itself as the outer beauty. And that
beauty is indescribable.

The poet uses simile 'like the night... alliteration climes', 'starry
skies'. He uses metaphor personification antithesis. 'cloudless
raven tress, and 'smiles that win'. There are many examples of

The poem is lyrical, has a steady rhythm and the language is rich
with poetic devices. There are three stanzas in the poem with six
lines each, having 'ababab' rhyme scheme.

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The message is about the importance of inner beauty, that will.

in turn, bring forth external beauty.

I feel the poem makes us realize that one should look deeper than
just outward appearance. One should appreciate beauty in its
entirety. *

2.8 Small Towns and Rivers (Textbook page 130)

Ans. The poem 'Small Towns and Rivers written by Mamang Dai is
a beautiful word-picture. It is also a lament of the poet about her
beautiful native land of Arunachal Pradesh.

This theme shows in the way she begins the poem that small
towns remind her of death. It is shocking. She implies the town is
unchanging in all weathers, but development comes along and
changes everything. There is irony in that the cycle of life and
death shows that life is not permanent, but the rituals are
permanent.

She uses metaphor that the rivers are not only alive like us
humans, but actually immortal. She personifies the river by saying
the river 'holds its breath' because it is choking. It is flowing in
search of a place where it will flow clean and clear. The poet uses
metaphor of the water-cycle to illustrate the river has a soul and
its waters are immortal.

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The poet builds a climax with 'shrine of happy childhood
memories. Then she speaks of how the dead are placed the feet
pointing west so the soul can ascend directly into the sun's golden
home in the east. This tells us about the traditions of her region.

The poem is in free verse and the poet uses easy language.
However, we realize the full depth of meaning only after reading it
more than once.

The poem is a lament about the destruction of nature for

development. We all feel the sorrow of the poet when we read
about how Nature's beauty is damaged for man's greed, which is
euphemistically called 'progress'