XII - Appreciation of All Poems (Maharashtra State Board)

 

XII - Appreciation of All Poems (Maharashtra State Board)

Q3. B. Write a poetic appreciation of the poem with the help of the following points                                                                                                                        04 marks

About the poem/ the poet / the title The theme Poetic style, language / poetic devices

Special features Message, values, morals in the poem Your opinion about the poem

 

2.1 Song of the Open Road

     ’Song of the Open Road ' is an inspirational poem written by Walt Whitman. He was an American poet, known as ' The Father of Free Verse '. The title of the poem is metaphorical and suggests freedom. Freedom, joy, optimism are the major themes of the poem.

          The poem is written in free verse without rhyme or rhythm. The poet encourages the readers to continue their journey despite troubles in life. He inspires the readers to be true to themselves and live a free life.

           The language of the poem is simple but effective with the poetic devices such as paradox, Transferred epithet, Repetition and Metaphor.

          The poem is a dramatic monologue. The poem inspires us to explore the world using our abilities. Comfort, criticism, complaints and fate are not excuses for one's inaction. The poet advises us to be happy, be positive and continue the journey of life. It is an inspirational poem with a positive attitude towards life.

2.2 Indian weavers

Indian weavers is a poem written by Sarojini Naidu. She is more spiritual & philosophical in her thoughts in this poem where she talks about profound thoughts of life & death.

     The poem is divided into three quatrains i.e. three stanzas. Each consists of four lines. In each stanza, the poet mentions three different kinds of attire that weavers are weaving at three specific times of the day - morning (break of the day), evening (fall of night), and night (chilly moonlight). 

     The first stanza tells us about the weavers making garments for a new born baby. The poet is curious to know why the weavers have chosen the break of the day. The early morning time is chosen because the beginning of the day is symbolic of the start of life. The blue coloured garment made for the child is as vibrant as the childhood of human beings. He or she is like a free bird with no responsibility just like a halcyon bird   (a kingfisher).

       The second stanza deals with the second stage of life i.e. youth and adulthood. Human beings are quite active at this stage & get themselves ready to face the challenges of life. The weavers are making delicate veils for the marriage of the queen. Here the colours are used purple & green like the feathers of a peacock. Purple may signify the gorgeous life which a young person desires for. The mentioned marriage veil may indicate the stepping of youth into adulthood, ready for taking responsibilities.  Green may stand for hope. So, here man is prepared for happiness & struggle. 

     In the third stanza, the weavers are busy working at night. The night is quite cold. They are looking sad to make the white cloth to cover the body of the dead person. Night is the symbol of eternal quietness.  This stanza talks about the last stage of life which is inevitable i.e. death the body is lifeless and also it is as light as feather. White cloud may indicate that the soul of a deceased person has reached the domain of god. 

      So, every human being has to go through this cycle of life. The various stages of human life are portrayed beautifully through metaphors, similes, imageries and symbols. The colours are symbols expressing various moods at different parts of life. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ' aabb'

        Rhythm, philosophy, symbolism, imagery are the special features of the poem. This poem has been used to describe three stages of human life, from birth to death, just as the weavers weave from dawn to night. 

Question answer method used in the poem is very effective. The words are simple & musical.

2.3     The Inchcape Rock 

               The Inchcape Rock, a ballad is written by Robert Southey. He was poet Laureate of England. Robert Southey was inspired by the story of a pirate who cut the bell which was placed on The Inchcape Rock by the Abbot of Aberbrothok. The title of the poem is very suitable because the rock is a central point of the whole poem.

                 The central theme of the poem runs around the proverb ' As you sow, so shall you reap '. It is about the evil feeling of jealousy. It is about an attempt by the Abbot of Aberbrothok to install a warning bell on the Inchcape Rock and removal by a pirate, Ralph, but finally the pirate became the victim of The Inchcape Rock.

                   The poem is a ballad means a narrative poem. It contains total 17 stanzas of four lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is aabb. Poetic devices such as Alliteration, Antithesis, Apostrophe, Inversion, Metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, Repetition are effectively used.

                     The Inchcape Rock provides a fine verbal image of the calm atmosphere of the sea, the sun. The poet has used description and narrative techniques to enhance the effect of the poem. The poem is didactic in nature, meaning that it conveys a moral.

                      The poem gives us a message that those who do wrong things will meet with due punishment. The values will remain forever.

                    I like this poem very much because of the message it conveys and its all-time relevance.

2.4 Have You Earned Your Tomorrow 

                 The poem ' Have You Earned Your Tomorrow ' is an inspirational poem of the well-known British American poet Edgar Guest. Edgar Guest is known as a people's poet for his simple style and optimistic tone of writing.

                 The theme or the central idea of the poem is the importance of living each day by being kind, helpful towards other and by making small contributions to improve their lives, as the good deeds done by us today will earn us our tomorrow.

                The poet is known for his simple style of writing. The poem has four stanzas of four lines each with rhyme scheme aabb. Poetic devices like Alliteration, synecdoche and Interrogation are used.

               The special feature of the poem is the pattern of rhetorical questions, simple language and the great message that enable us to think.

              The poet has conveyed a clear message that even the smallest good deed of one's part is enough to guarantee a better tomorrow for oneself. We should realise our responsibility for the society we live in.

              I like this poem very much as it contributes to improve the lives of others. It is an inspirational poem.

2.5   Father Returning Home

           The poem Father Returning Home is written by Dilip Chitre. He was a well-known bilingual poet and translator with remarkable work in Marathi & English. This poem is taken from his famous work ' Travelling in a cage '. It draws a portrait of the dull and monotonous life of a suburban commuter / father / an old man.

            The main theme of the poem is Alienation and isolation. The poet shows the loneliness and isolated life of an old man in modern society. 

            This two stanza poem is written in a free verse, so it has no meter or rhyme scheme. The lack of rhythm is symbolic of the poet's father's monotonous and dull life. The language of the poem is simple and informal but full of many imagery and poetic devices like simile, Alliteration and onomatopoeia.

              The poem is full of symbolic expressions. It is expressed from the perspective of a child through observation of a father.

                The message conveyed in the poem is that old people are neglected and not cared for in modern society. The generation gap has created disrespect for the elders in modern society.

                   Though I feel very sad about the father / an old man shown in the poem,

I like overall the poem for its today's relevance.

2.6     Money

Money’ is a reflective poem written by W.H. Davies. He was a Welsh poet, known as the ‘Tramp poet’.  Through this poem, the Poet has showcased his self-experienced philosophy about money and personal happiness.

The poem consists of five stanzas of four lines each. It has a simple narrative style. Alliteration, Antithesis, Inversion, Simile, Onomatopoeia and Repetition are the figure of speech used in this poem. The poet has made use of vivid imagery. For example, ‘wives hum, like bees’ or ‘came knocking all day at my door’ and ‘Then felt I like a child that holds / A trumpet that he must not blow’, these lines effectively present the visuals. The rhyme scheme of the first four stanzas is abcb and of the last stanza is abab.

The theme of the poem is the dual aspect of money. A rich man has many false friends and he lacks true happiness. Whereas a poor man has few friends who are true and real. Thus, he is enriched with goodness and happiness.

The message of the poem is that to experience true joy and happiness one need not be rich and wealthy. It is not necessary for the poor to become rich as necessary it is for the rich to become poor. One can actually enjoy true happiness when one becomes poor.

I like this poem because it reveals the real worth of money. It also clarifies the false and fake beliefs about the rich and the poor. Understanding the real worth of people, true happiness and value of money at an early age is actually a blessing. This poem certainly teaches a valuable life-lesson to all.

2.7 She Walks In Beauty 

She walks in a beauty is a short lyrical poem written by Lord Byron. He celebrates female beauty and describes an unnamed woman who is exceptionally striking. He describes not only her external beauty but also inner goodness.

 The title of the poem is very captivating as it makes her beauty less personal and more ethereal. The language of the poem is very figurative making the use of Simile, Metaphor Alliteration and Antithesis. The use of the images such as starry skies, nameless grace, best of dark and bright etc. add the captivating element to the poem. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ababab.

The poet makes the use of unique imageries to describe the beauty of the woman. She walks in the beauty like the starry skies and cloudless night. The poet brings light and darkness together in harmony to describe her beauty. She is beautiful with wavy and dark hair, dark and bright Eyes, Serene and sweet face, soft, calm and eloquent smile. But her mind is equally beautiful.

            The poet means to say that physical beauty depends on her goodness. The message of the poem is that the perfect beauty is the combination of external look and inner beauty.

 Really it is a wonderful, convincing lyrical short poem with the moral message. The poem is rich in imagery.

2.8 Small Towns and Rivers

 'Small Towns and Rivers' is a poem written in a free verse by Mamang Dai. The title of the poem gives us the idea about the theme that the poem is about towns and rivers. She speaks about the river and nature around her hometown and the eternity of natural elements. She implies that the towns have prospered when nature has been destroyed. She is anxious about the existence of the natural beauty of her town in the future.

    The use of Repetition, Metaphor Personification and Antithesis adds the charm to the beauty of the poem. The language, images used in the poem are a bit complicated to understand and full of symbolism. The tone of the poem suggests the anxiety in her mind regarding nature.

    ‘The river has a soul ' and 'Immortality of water', these expressions are appealing. The belief of the tribal people from the North East that the souls of beloved ones always continue to dwell in the natural elements around is a very striking idea. The poet suggests us that it is the need of the time to conserve the nature

Really it's a wonderful and meaningful poem.