POEM – 4 HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS
Thinking about the Poem
1. Does ‘Dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
A. No, ‘Dyin’ does not rhyme with ‘lion’. If we change the pronunciation of lion by speaking it as ‘lying’ then it may rhyme with the word ‘dying’.
2. How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so according to him?
A. A lion is a large and tawny beast. A Bengal Tiger has black stripes on its yellow coat. A lion roars when it falls upon its prey, while a tiger attack silently. We can identify the two while roaming in the jungle.
3. Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
A. The words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ are not spelt correctly. The poet has spelt them like this in order to maintain the rhythm of the poem. The correct spelling of the words, ‘lept’ is leapt and ‘lep’ is leap. The poet has intentionally spelt them incorrectly to create a sense of humor.
4. Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? It’s a friendly and strong hug-such as bears are thought to give, as they attack you! Again, hyenas are thought to laugh and crocodiles to weep (‘crocodile tears’) as they swallow their victims. Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your own languages?
A. A bearhug is when the bear hugs his prey tightly with both hands and presses him to death.
There are indeed similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in every language. For example, in Hindi, we say ‘Magarmach ke aansu aaana’ (Crocodile tears) ‘Haathi ke daant dikhane ke aur, khane ke aur’, ‘Ab pachtaye hot kya jab chidiya chug gai khet’, ‘Girgit ke tarah rang badalna’.
5. Look at the line ‘A novice might nonplus.’ How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?
A. The line “A novice might nonplus” can be written correctly as “A novice might be nonplussed”. However, the poet’s incorrect line is better in the poem as it maintains the rhyme scheme of the poem. By writing it incorrectly, ‘nonplus’ rhymes with ‘thus’.
6. Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language, either in English or in your own language? Can you find examples of humorous poems in your own languages?
A. One can find plenty of examples in poetry where poets take liberties with language. This is called ‘poetic license’. Poets take such liberties in order to create proper rhyming and rhythm. For example, in the following lines the word ‘prest’ is used instead of ‘pressed’ so that it may rhyme with ‘breast’.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest against the earth’s sweat flowing breast.
7. Much of the humor in the poem arises from the way language is used. Although the ideas are funny as well. If there are particular lines in the poem that you especially like, share these lines with the class, speaking briefly about what it is about the ideas or the language that you like or find funny.
A. The way the poet has used language and ideas in the poem is indeed humorous. The lines from the poem that appears to be funny are “A noble wild beast greets you”. The idea that a wild beast is going to welcome you is quite funny. The language in the line, “He’ll only lep and lep again” is also very humorous. The concept of ‘lep’ from the word ‘leopard’ generates humor.
POEM – 5 THE BALL POEM
Thinking about the Poem
1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?
A. The poet says, “I would not intrude on him” because he does not want to intervene in the natural process of learning. He wants the boy to learn the meaning of loss on his own. He also doesn’t offer him money to buy another ball because that would be worthless. He wants the boy to learn the lesson of responsibility.
2. “ …. staring down All his young days into the harbor where His ball went…. “Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?
A. Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time. When it bounced into the water, all his memories of the days of childhood flashed in front of him. This led to a realization that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls and can similarly create new moments, but those that are gone would not return.
3. What does “in the world of possessions” mean?
A. “In the world of possessions” means that the world is full of materialistic things. Here everything and every action is made to possess something, whether it is the possession of land, property, money, or any other thing. The poet suggests that losing a ball, which is a very small thing, would make the boy understand what it is like to lose something that one possessed.
4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the Words that suggest the answer.
A. No, it seems that the boy had not lost anything earlier. The words that suggest so are ‘He senses first responsibility in a world of possessions’.
5. What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.
A. The poet says that the boy is learning to cope up with the loss of the ball. He is experiencing grief and learning to grow up in this world of possessions. He learns that there are so many things in life that are lost and cannot be brought back. He is sensing his first responsibility as he has lost the ball. The boy will learn how to stand up and leave the losses behind as he would have understood the true meaning and nature of loss.
