(1) Std.

X - English

CRITICAL APPRECIATION (5 MARKS)

Q. Write a Critical Appreciation of the poems using the following points: [5 marks]
1. Title 2. Poet
3. Rhyme Scheme 4. Figures of Speech
5. Central Idea / Theme

1.1 Where the Mind is Without Fear

The poem ‘Where the mind is without fear’ has been written by the radical and progressive
poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature. He is the author of the Indian as well as the Bangladeshi national anthem. The
poem was titled ‘Prarthana’ in its original Bengali composition and was translated into English
by Tagore himself and published in his work ‘Gitanjali’. The poem has been written in free
verse and does not have a rhyme scheme. Apostrophe is the prime Figure of Speech used by
the poet as the entire poem is written in the form of a prayer to God. The poet uses Apostrophe
by directly addressing God, who is not actually present before him. The description of an ideal
and free nation in the form of a prayer to the Almighty forms the central idea of the poem. The
poem defines freedom as not merely a political ideology but as an intellectual and social
awakening. Apostrophe is a figure of speech used by the poet as the entire poem is written in
the form of a prayer to God. The poet uses Apostrophe by directly addressing God, who is not
actually present before him.

1.4 All the World’s a Stage

The poem “All the World’s a Stage” is a monologue taken from Shakespeare’s play “As You Like
It”. William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest authors of the English language.
His plays have been translated in almost all the major languages and his works have been
adapted into various forms across the world. The poem is written in free verse. It does not
have a rhyme scheme. The dominant figure of speech used is Metaphor as the entire poem is
an extended metaphor and directly compares the world to a stage, and men and women to
players of a play. The central idea of the poem is the comparison of the world to a stage and all
humans to actors. The poem describes the seven stages of human life as seven acts of a play
and puts forward the idea that at the end every human has to leave the world without anything.
It elaborates the theme that all human beings are here in this world only for a brief period of
time and do not have any individual significance or powers as such. It describes the circular
nature of life that begins with infancy and ends with the old person back to a dependent
infantile state.

2.1 Animals
The poem Animals has been composed by American poet Walt Whitman, who is known as the
father of free verse. The poem has no rhyme scheme. It has been written in free verse.
The figures of speech Repetition and Alliteration have been used skillfully to give a poetic
effect. The poem ends with Interrogation, in a rhetorical question, making the reader think
over the thoughts put forward in the entire poem. The poem revolves around the central idea
that animals are better than humans and lead a more satisfying life. The poet elaborates how
humans have moved away from their natural selves in an attempt to civilise themselves and
have in fact degraded in terms of values and well-being.
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2.4 The Pulley

The poem ‘The Pulley’ is a metaphysical poem written by the Welsh poet George Herbert. The
poem is in the form of a monologue. The rhyme scheme ‘ababa’ gives a beautiful poetic textureto
the poem. The poem is laced with many figures of speech like Pun, Paradox, Extended Metaphor,
Synecdoche. The entire poem is an extended Metaphor as the feeling of anxiety has been
compared to a pulley. The poem also compares rest, beauty, wisdom, honour and pleasure to
the riches of this world (jewel). The comparison of the feeling of restlessness in human beings
to that of a pulley is the central idea of the poem. The poet says that God uses anxiety to keep
humans under control and to pull them towards him just like a pulley is used to make it
easier to pull heavy objects in a direction opposite to gravity.

3.1 Night of the Scorpion

The ‘Night of the Scorpion’ is a narrative poem by the Indian Jewish writer Nissim Ezekiel. He
was one of the pioneers of Indian English writing of the post-colonial era and was known for
his experimentation with form and language. The poem does not have a rhyme scheme. It has
been written in free verse. The poet employs various figures of speech like Simile, Metaphor,
Personification and Transferred Epithet. Many Onomatopoeic sounds like buzzing, clicking,
groaning have been used in the poem. The poem describes the typical setting of a rural
household in India. Through an incident of a scorpion biting the poet’s mother on a rainy
night, the poem describes the belief in superstitions, the lack of scientific knowledge and the
unavailability of medical facilities in an Indian village. Towards the end, the poem highlights
the theme of selfless love of a mother, whose only concern is the safety and well-being of her
children.

3.4 The Will to Win

The poem ‘The Will to Win’ has been written by Berton Braley, one of the most widely read
American poets. He is known for his motivational and inspiring poems like ‘Start where you
Stand’ and ‘Success’. The poem has no rhyme scheme. It is written in free verse. Antithesis,
Tautology, Repetition and Alliteration are the figures of speech used in the poem. Climax has
been used by arranging time, peace and sleep as also capacity, strength and sagacity, faith,
hope and confidence and stern pertinacity in ascending order. It gives a dramatic effect to the
poem. ‘The Will to Win’ is a motivational and inspiring poem that states that a person is bound
to have victory if one has a strong and unshaken desire to have it. The central idea of the poem
is that nothing is impossible in this world to achieve, provided your will is firm.

4.1 A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever

The poem ‘A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever’ is written by the English poet John Keats. The
poem is the first stanza of the bigger poem – ‘Endymion: A Poetic Romance’. The poem is
written in rhyming couplets. Hence, the rhyme scheme follows the aabb pattern. An Epigram,
a short, witty statement giving a universal truth has been used in the very first line - “A thing
of beauty is a joy forever”. The poet uses many Metaphors to symbolise things of beauty. He
uses ‘simple sheep’ to symbolise humans. Also, beauty has been compared to the fountain of
elixir (immortal drink). The bower refers to the feeling of peace and calm that a beautiful thing
provides. The poem celebrates the importance of beauty – both physical and spiritual beauty,
in providing happiness amidst the harsh realities of life. It states that beauty can be found
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everywhere and has the ability to cure and heal troubled minds. This forms the central idea of
the poem. It glorifies beauty as something that has the ability to transform life.

4.4 The Height of the Ridiculous

The ‘The Height of the Ridiculous’ is a humorous poem written by the American poet Oliver
Wendell Holmes Sr. He was one of the Fireside Poets and was famous as a comic lyricist. The
rhyme scheme of each stanza of the poem is abcb. The main figure of speech used is Irony to
create humour, including the very title of the poem. The poet uses Hyperbole like the devil
paying, waistband splitting, five buttons bursting off, and being wretched for ten days and
nights. The poet’s ridicule about how he decided to never write a humorous poem again because
he was extremely funny is the central idea of the poem. His attempt to write one proved to be
outrageous as it was so funny that his servant laughed for almost ten days after reading it.

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