‘The Inchcape Rock’ is a ballad. It’s the story of the 14th century attempt by the Abbot of Aberbrothok to install a warning bell. The poem is written by a well known English writer Robert Southey. The title shows that the Inchcape rock is one of the most important elements of the poem.
The theme of the story is about the legendary story of an Abbot and a pirate. The Abbot placed the bell to warn ships of the terrible Inchcape rock. People would blessed Abbot for saving their life.
But Sir Ralph the Rover didn't like that and cut the bell to trouble Abbot. At last, the Rover's ship wrecked and he died.
The poem is a ballad. The story is told in the stanzas of four lines. The rhyme scheme of the poem isaabb. The poem is written in easy language. The poet uses descriptive technique. He also uses many old English words.
The poem is rich in imagery and poet uses many poetic devices to create an impact on readers. He uses Metaphor, Alliteration, Repetition etc.
The poem is didactic and it gives a message that those who do wrong things will meet with due punishment.
Indian weavers is a short poem written by an Indian poetess Sarojini Naidu. She was poet, Political activist and feminist. She was also famous as the nightingale of India. Three stanzas of the poem express three stages of life.The weavers reply to the poet’s questions that why they are weaving particular piece of clothes at particular time of day. The title and the poem is dedicated to the Indian weavers.
The cycle of life is the theme of the poem. It also highlights the craft and skill of Indian weavers. Poem explains three important events of life: birth,marriage and death. Different clothes and colours indicate different moods.
There are three stanzas of four lines. The poem is written in the form of question and answer. Poem has a conversational tone.The rhyme scheme of all three stanzas is ‘aabb’. Poet has used Simile,Imagery,Alliteration and Metaphor in the poem.
The poem is written in very simple and effective language. Which is easy to understand and it creates an impact. The poem is dedicated to the talented weavers and their fabric. The poem has rich imagery like break of the day, fall of night, solemn and still... moonlight chill. Poet sums up the life of human being in three main stages by using symbols like cloth and times of the day.Through this poem, Poet salutes the weavers of India.
I think that the poem seems to portray skill,talent and hard working nature of Indian weavers. Poem also admires the weaver’s knowledge of colour according to the ocassion.
(A1) (i) Discuss with your partner and find out the different ways in which Soapy
tried to get arrested. The first one is given.
(a) Tried to enter a luxurious cafe.
(b) Took a stone and dashed it through a glass window and stood still there to get arrested.
(c) Ate heartily at a restaurant and said that he had no money.
(d) shouted and howled and raved and danced on the sidewalk.
(e) Stole an umbrella and walked in a very relaxed manner.
(ii) Describe the atmosphere when Soapy reached near the Church.
(a) A soft light glowed through the violet-stained window.
(b)The church was quaint and rambling and gabled.
(c)Sweet music drifted out of the church.
(d)The moon was full and radiant.
(e) Vehicles and pedestrians were few.
(f) Sparrows twittered sleepily in the eaves.
(A2) (i) Read the story and match the incidents given in Column A with the consequences given in Column B.
(1) Soapy tried to enter a cafe. - Strong and ready hands of the head
waiter turned him around.
(2) Soapy broke a glass window. - The cop ran after another man.
(3) Two waiters pitched Soapy on the callous pavement. - He stood up slowly beating the dust
from his clothes.
(4) Soapy heard the anthem being played in the Church. - Suddenly a wonderful change came in
his heart
(5) Cop arrests Soapy for hanging around. - Dream of turning around in life was
shattered.
(ii) Give reasons and complete the following :
(a) Soapy had confidence in himself because...
Ans- He was shaven and his coat was trim and he had his neat, black bow . The portion of him that would show above the table would raise no doubt in the waiter’s mind.
(b) The head waiter of the luxurious cafe did not allow Soapy to enter because...
Ans- head-waiter’s eye fell upon his tattered trousers and decadent shoes and so they guessed that he would not have money to pay.
(c) The cop did not arrest Soapy for breaking the glass window because
Ans- Sopy was talking to the cop calmly. The cop felt that the men who smash glass windows do not remain to chat with the police.
(d) The cop did not arrest Soapy for shouting and dancing because...
Ans- The cop thought that Sopy was one of the Yale Students who were celebrating the victory. The cop also said that those students were noisy but harmless and he was instructed to let them be.
(iii) Pick out the lines from the text which show that :
(a) Soapy wants to enter the cafe for two reasons.
1) A roasted mallard duck, thought Soapy,
would be about the thing with a bottle of wine and then some cheese, a cup of coffee and a cigar.
2)the meat would leave him filled and happy for the journey to his winter island.
(b) Soapy was afraid that he won't be able to enter the prison.
1) It seemed that his route to the coveted island was not to be an easy one. Some other way of entering the limbo must be devised.
(c) Soapy was not caught by the cop for throwing stones at the glass.
1)The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
2)The policeman saw a man half-way down the block running to catch a car
(d) Soapy actually did not want the umbrella.
1) Soapy stepped inside, grabbed the umbrella and sauntered off with it slowly.
2)He hurled the umbrella angrily into an excavation.
(e) Listening to the anthem, Soapy remembered his good old days.
1) He had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.
(iv) ‘He would make a man of himself again’ – The word ‘man’ in the sentence means a responsible and worthy human being with self esteem.
(v) Soapy’s earlier life was much different from his present life. Complete the table to show this contrast.
* Earlier life * Present life
(a) Contained friends and roses (a) Unworthy desires
(b) eager ambitions (b) dead hopes, degraded days
(c) clean thoughts and cloths (c) wrecked faculties and base motives
(vi) After listening to the sweet and solemn organ notes, Soapy decides to :
(a) pull himself out of the mire and would make a man of himself again; he would conquer the evil that had enslaved him.
(b) resurrect his old eager ambitions and pursue them without faltering.
(c) go into the roaring downtown district and find work.
(vii) Write an incident in which you did something wrong and repented for it later. Give reasons.
Ans- My Mathematics used to yell at me every time because I never completed my homework. Once when he started scolding me, I got angry and insulted him with harsh words. I later came to know that my words hurt my teacher badly and I felt very sorry for my mistake. I repented for what I had done. Then I went to my teacher and said sorry to my teacher.
(A3) (i) O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words.
(1) the island, Arcadia
(ii) Find out the words used for the 'degraded state of Soapy'.
Ans- the pit into which he had tumbled the degraded days, unworthy desires, dead hopes, wrecked faculties and base motives, mire, evil that had enslaved him.
(iii) The specific meaning of word 'anthem' in the content of the story is.......
1) a rousing or uplifting song
(A4) (i) Convert the following sentences into negative without changing their meanings. (हा topic तुम्हाला लवकरच youtube वर NilSan Educareद्वारे शिकवल्या जाईल.)
(a) The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
Ans- The policeman didn't accept soapy even as a clue.
(b) Soapy drifted along twice unsuccessful.
Ans- Soapy drifted along twice not successful.
(c) Soapy stopped his unavailing racket.
Ans- Soapy stopped his racket which was not successful.
(d) The island seemed very far away.
Ans- The island seemed not at all near.
(e) The island seemed an unattainable Arcadia.
Ans- The island seemed an Arcadia which was not attainable.
(ii) Convert the following sentences into affirmative without changing their meanings.
(हा topic तुम्हाला लवकरच youtube वर NilSan Educareद्वारे शिकवल्या जाईल.)
(a) Men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police.
Ans- Main who smash windows refrain from remaining to chat with the police.
(b) Why don’t you call a cop?
Ans- Please call a cop.
(c) On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant of no great pretensions.
Ans- On the opposite side of the street was a very ordinary restaurant
(d) Noisy; but no harm.
Ans- Noisy; but harmless.
(e) They seemed to regard him as a King who could do no wrong.
Ans- They seemed to regard him as a King who was always right.
