12th HSC Board English Appreciation of Poem

 12th HSC Board

 English 

Appreciation Of POEM

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INDEX

            Chapter                                             Poet

Song of the Open Road                                     Walt Whitman 

Indian Weavers (Weaver)                                 Sarojini Naidu

Inchcape Rock                                                   Robert Southey

Have You Earned Tomorrow                           Edgar Guest - Inspirational Poem

Father Returning Home                                   Dilip Chitre 

Money                                                                 W.H. Davies

She Walks in Beauty                                          Lord Byron

Small Towns and Rivers                                    Mamang Dai

TRÊCK TO LEARN: 

 >Title: Song of the Open Road 

 >Poet : Walt Whitman 

 >Significance : Countless Opportunities 

 >Poetic Style : Free Verse 

 > Figure of Speech : Alliteration , Metaphor,Repetition , Inversion 

 > Theme or Central Idea :Metaphor of the Road life 

 >Opinion: Leaving Worries Behind.

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 exXcuses for one's inaction. The road in the poem does not mean only a road to travel. It is a mnetaphor 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.  

TRICK TO LEARN: 

 ºTitle: Indian Weavers (Weaver) 

 Poet: Sarojini Naidu 

 ºAbout: 1st Volume -TheGolden Threshold 

 Figure of Speech : Metaphor, Simile,Alliteration,Repetition etc 

 º Feature : Imagery 

 Rhyme Scheme : aabb

Indian Weavers 

 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 stagemoving 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, etc. The rhyme scheme is 'aabb'.The poem is dedicated to the talented weavers and salutes them. I like the poem and find it beautiful, colourful and full of imagery.

TRÊCK TO LEARN : 

 >Title: Inchcape Rock 

 >Poet: Robert Southey 

 >Rhyme Scheme : aabb 

 > Figure of Speech: Inversion, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia. etc 

 >Theme or Central Idea : Wrong things will meet with due punishment 

 >Feature: Imagery.

THE INCHCAPE ROOCK 

 The ballad The Inchcape Rock' is by Robert Southey. 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 who do wrong things will meet with due punishnent. 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.

TRiCK TO LEARN: 

 >Title: Have You Earned Tomorrow 

 > Poet : Edgar Guest - Inspirational Poem 

 >Rhyme Scheme: aabb 

 >Theme: Importance of Living 

 > Figure of Speech: Alliteration ,Interrogation ,etc 

 > Language : Simple + Straight Forward  

Have You Earned Tomorrow 

 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.

TRICK TO LEARN: 

 >Title : Father Returning Home ( father + Children ) 

 >Poet: Dilip Chitre 

 >Language : Informal + Simple Language 

 >Poetic Style: Free Verse 

 > Figure of Speech: Simile. Metaphor, Transferred Epithet 

 > Feature : Imagery

Father Returning Home 

 The poem Father Returning Home', by Dilip Chitre 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 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.

TRICK TO LEARN: 

 >Title : Money 

 >Poet : W.H DAVIES 

 Theme: Effects of Money 

 Figure of Speech : Simile, Antithesis. Onomatopoeia, etc. 

 > Rhyme Scheme : abcb 

 >Message : Money Doesnot bring happiness

Money 

 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 firiends. 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.

TRÊCK TO LEARN: 

 Title : She Walks in Beauty 

>Poet : Lord Byron 

 >Rhyme Scheme : ababab 

 >Figure of Speech :,Metaphor,Personification Antithesis , etc 

 Theme or Central Idea : Inner Beauty & External Beauty 

 >Message : Inner Beauty

She Walks in Beauty 

 Lord Byron's poem opens with the same words that form the title: "She walks in beauty" It is a short eighteen-ine poem having three sestets (six lines) imprecise 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 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 -'cloudless climes', 'starry skies'. He uses metaphor raven tress, and personification 'smiles that win'. There are many examples of antithesis. The poem is lyrical, has a steady rhythm and the languages rich with poetic devices. There are three stanzas in the poem with six lines each, having 'ababab' rhyme scheme. The message is about the importance of inner beauty, that willin 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.

TRICK TO LEARN: 

 >Title :Small Towns and Rivers 

 >Poet: Mamang Dai 

 >Rhymne Scheme : free Verse + Simple LANGUAGE 

>Theme or Central Idea: The poem is a lament about the destruction of nature for development

Small Towns and Rivers 

 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 stall towns remind her of death. It is shocking She implies the town is unchanging in all weathers, but development comes along an 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 tis waters are immortal./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 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!