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Poem 1
Poetic Devices
1. Face ashen like a corpse - Simile (dull face of mother is compared with a dead body)
Wan, pale as a late winter's moon ~Simile
(Mother's Face is indicative of her declining health and approaching death and looks
like the hazy winter moon)
2. Young Trees Sprinting - Personification
3. Merry children spilling out of their homes - Metaphor, Imagery
4. Smile and Smile and Smile - Repetition
(Desperate effort to hide her fear of losing her mother)
5. Contrast between the scenes outside the car
(Life and Energy) and inside the car (Death and Decay)

Poetic Devices
Following literary devices/figures of speech have been used in the poem Keeping Quiet:
1. Alliteration: It is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. e.g.
―we will
count, ―sudden strangeness, ―stop for one second, ―his hurt hands, ―clean clothes.
2. Anaphora: Two consecutive lines starting with the word, Let’s. let’s not speak
in any language, let’s stop for one second
3. Repetition: It is the repetition of phrases in the poem for poetic effect. e.g. ―without
rush, without engines.
4. Symbolism: The poet uses various symbols in the poem. e.g. ―counting to twelve
symbolises time, ―Brothers symbolise mankind, ―green wars refer to deforestation/new
techniques of waging war, ―wars
with gas refers to pollution, ―clean clothes symbolise change of perspective,
―shade‖ symbolises protection etc.
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5. Antithesis: It is the juxtaposition of opposing or contrasting ideas. e.g., ―count to

twelve and
we will all keep still. Here counting and keeping still are contrasting activities and
are put together.
6. Personification: it is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human
things and animals. e.g., ―Earth can teach us.
7. Metaphor: It is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike
but do have
something in common. e.g. ―shade refers to protection.
8. Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence to the next line/stanza. In the poem,
many sentences continue to multiple lines. e.g.
i) ―Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.,
ii) ―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.
iii) Perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding
ourselves and of threatening ourselves with death. etc.
9. Irony: When everything seems dead, later proves to be alive
10.Transferred epithet: A transferred epithet is when an epithet is transferred from the
thing it actually describes to something else in the sentence.
'Fishermen in the cold sea' is a transferred epithet. Here, the poet refers to fishermen as cold-
hearted for damaging other species for their selfish needs. So, the word cold in fact describes
the fishermen and not the sea. Thus, it is an example of a transferred epithet.

A THING OF BEAUTY (by John Keats)

THEME: Nature is an endless treasure of beauty and a perpetual source of joy
Main Points: Based on a Greek legend, the poem is an excerpt from ‘Endymion.’
According to the poet, a beautiful thing is a constant source of joy. Its loveliness
only increases.
It gives sweet dreams and peaceful sleep, fine breathing and good health. Hence,
it is a boon toall.
We are surrounded by jealousy and disappointment.
The ignoble qualities make our lives gloomy and miserable, resulting in suffering
and pain. A thing of beauty removes the gloom (sadness) from our spirits.
The sight of nature, such as clear streams of water, daffodils (a flower), musk-rose and
forest thickets -makes our lives sweet, soothing and happy
This beauty is also experienced in the grandeur of the dooms that we have imagined
for our powerful dead forefathers - Doom refers to the ruins of the great deeds of
legendary heroes. Lovelier than lovely tales, the incessant beauty of nature is pouring
unto us like an immortal drink through an endless fountain from heaven. This
means that nature’s beauty acts as
An elixir for humanity.
Major Features:
Rhyme Scheme: aa bb cc
Alliteration:
Noble Nature, Some shape, cooling covert, Band to bind
Metaphor:
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Heaven’s brink, Bower quiet, Sweet dreams, Flowery band, Unhealthy and over
darkened ways, The pall, Dark spirits, Endless fountain of immortal drink.

Transferred Epithet
Unhealthy and over-darkened ways, Gloomy days
Personification
Some shape of beauty removes the pall
Images: bower, fountain

A ROADSIDE STAND (by Robert Frost)

GIST
The poem “A Roadside Stand”, composed by Robert Frost, is about a farmer who
puts a little new shed in front of his house on the edge of a road. Several thousands
of cars speed past it. He wants to sell wild berries, squash, and other products. He
does not like charity. He tries to sell his products for money. He believes that money
can improve his lifestyle, as seen in the movies. However, his hopes are never
fulfilled. People in cars go past without a cursory look at his stall. And if few of them
happen to look at it, they see how the letters N and S had been turned wrong. They
believe that such badly painted signs spoil the beauty of the countryside.
Nevertheless, a few cars did stop. One of them desired to take a U-turn. It came into
the farmer’s yard and spoiled the grass. Another car stopped to know the way. And
one of them stopped as it needed petrol, though it was quite evident that the farmer
did not sell petrol. The poor village people had little earnings. They have not seen
much money. They lead a life of poverty. It is known that some good-doers plan to
remove their poverty. They aimed to buy their property on the roadside to build theatres
and stores. They plan to shift the villagers into the village, which is huddled together.
They wished to teach them the ways that could change their life. They even aimed to
teach them to sleep during day time. The ‘greedy good-doers’ and ‘beneficent beasts
of prey’ desired to force the benefits on the poor village people and befool them.
KEY POINTS
● Roadside stands are crude constructions by the roadside, selling petty things
to the commuters.
● The poet speaks of a shed, which was constructed by the roadside, as an
extension of an old house. It stood beside a road on which traffic sped at great
speed.
● The seller, sitting at the roadside stand, expected some sympathy from the
traffic. He did not beg for a loaf of bread but for some hard cash which could
support his poor life.
● The traffic sped with a single-minded focus on some destination which lay ahead.
● The traffic never stopped to express any interest in the items displayed for sale.
● At times, a vehicle would stop at the roadside stand, and the prospective
customer would only express disgust at the way the sign boards mar the beauty of
the countryside.
● The stand offered wild berries and golden squash for sale.
● At times, the commuters behave in a mean manner toward the sellers.
● The sellers say that they don’t like to promote their business at the
cost of humiliation.
● They explain that they have set up their stand conveniently from the
city.
● They expect only to get some cash to expand their lives and
enable them to aspire to the phenomenal life depicted in films.
● A piece of news claims these people are expected to be
rehabilitated.
● They are to be accommodated near the theatre and the store in the
city.
● The rehabilitation claim that these poor people do not have
to think for themselves any more.
● The industrial routine will teach them to sleep all day and destroy
their sleep all night.
● The poet experiences tremendous pain, looking at the
awesome expectations of the sellers.
● They sit at their window, looking out with expectant air
for some prospective customers.
● At times a car would stop only to inquire what the prices of the
things are.
Another would stop to turn his car around or to ask for directions.
● Sometimes, a stray traveller would stop to ask for a gallon of fuel.
These self-absorbed city dwellers have the money but do not want
to part with it. They have bought the poor and collected them to live
near the theatre and store, not for their benefit but as a distraction
that removes them from reality. Frost refers to the politicians and
other social agencies as ‘greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of
prey’ as they drain the very life out of the poor. Like flies, they
swarm over their lives to cheat them for selfish gains. They teach
them ‘how to sleep’ and lull them into complacency, and in the
process rob them of their peace.

AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS (by Adrienne Rich)

GIST
The poet expresses the inner feelings of a woman – Aunt Jennifer. The aunt
embroiders a motif comprising energetic, fearless tigers moving freely around
the bright greenery. She is living a life of submissiveness to her husband’s
command. He dominates her life, and she fears him constantly. This pattern of
the free and fearless tigers reflects her inner desire to live a free and fearless life.
The tigers are graceful, elegant, and bright. Aunt Jennifer’s fingers tremble as she
embroiders. She does not enjoy the freedom to do anything as she wishes. She
is scared of doing the embroidery, too, and fears his wrath. Since the day she got
married, she has been fulfilling the demands of her husband. The wedding ring
on her hand is a constant reminder
that she belongs to her husband. The burden of the demanding marriage has
exhausted her. The torment will not end until her death. Even after her death, the
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ring will remain on her hand, and she will never be free. On the other hand, the
tigers that she is embroidering will continue to move around freely forever. Her
desire for freedom and fearlessness will live on through her tigers

Points to Remember
● Aunt Jennifer's tigers symbolize the spirit of freedom which she herself is
bereft of.
● The tigers are the dwellers of the green forest and are fearless and
ferocious. This is in stark contrast to the suppressed womanhood in Aunt's
personality.
● Uncle made her life very burdensome; the expression 'massive weight
of uncle's wedding band' symbolizes male dominance.
● 'Ringed' refers to the confines, constraints, and demands of marriage
that bind a woman, within the vicious grip of her unhappy married life.
● Even after her death she would feel terrified by the trauma she faced
due to her dominating husband /male-dominated society.
● Aunt Jennifer's tigers will survive even after her death. The tigers she
knitted on the panel will remain fearless, brave, and majestic.
● The aunt herself will remain alive through her art.
POETIC DEVICES
Alliteration- ‘fingers fluttering’, ‘prancing proud’, Imagery- bright topaz denizens
Symbolism-Tigers-freedom of spirit
Anaphora: use of the same word in two consecutive lines (they do not … and they
pace in…) Metaphor: Use of topaz to describe the yellow colour of tigers (Bright
topaz)

SYMBOLS
• Tigers: are fearless, bold, courageous and confident. They are a reflection of
Aunt Jennifer's inner self.
• Ring & Uncle's wedding band: shows the power of her husband on her,
bondage, and the burden of marriage. The band has become metaphorically too
heavy to break for Aunt Jennifer.