The Daffodils- Poem by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth: The Daffodils                  

 

About the poet : William Wordsworth was born on 7 April, 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, located in the lake District of England. He died on 23 April, 1850 in Royal Mount, Westmoreland. 

William Wordsworth is the founder of English Romanticism. "The Lyrical Ballads" a joint publication with Samual Taylor Coleridge in the year 1780,initiated the age of Romanticism.

In  the "preface" to the "Lyrical Ballads" Wordsworth describes poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings", which is the characteristics of Romanticism in literature. 

In the poems of Wordsworth the subject matter is always on nature and the theme is always on the relationship of human being with nature. 

 He establishes nature as a spiritual guide in the growth and development of human mind. His poem "The Prelude" is the example of such a poem. The poem is about the growth of the onepoet's mind. 

Wordsworth was the poet of nature.In his poem "Tintern Abbey" he writes, "Nature never did betray the heart that loved her".Wordsworth was the keen lover of nature. 

Wordsworth became a Poet Laureate in 1843,untill the year of his death 1850.He died in 23 April, 1850 Royal Mount, Westmoreland, England. 

About the poem:

The poem is a memory of an experience, which he recalled later on in a solitary state of mind. Wordsworth, in writing this poem,was influenced by his sister Dorothy's "Grasmere  Journal",unpublished,where she wrote about her experiences of walking  with her brother William Wordsworth around Glencoyne Bay, Ullswater, in the Lake District of England about the description of daffodils. On 15th April,1802.wordsworth walked with his sister Dorothy and came across a "long belt" Of daffodils while wandering in the Glencoyne Bay,in the Lake District of England. The poem was written some time between 1804 and 1807(wordsworth own account, 1804).It was first published in 1807 in "Poems, in  Two Volumes", and a revised version was published in 1815.A hand written manuscript of the poem (1802) is preserved in the British Library. 

At the time he wrote the poem, William Wordsworth was living with his wife Mary Hutchinson and with sister Dorothy in Dove Cottage, England. 

                

Mary herself added two famous lines in the poem:

"They flash upon that inward eye/Which is the bliss of solitude;"

Summary of the poem:  

Stanza 1                                         

The poet was wandering lonely in a vacant mood in the vally of daffodils . The poet felt lonely and sad because the poet had lost his creative mind for a while. . He was struggling to recover himself from depression and unproductivity. He himself states about his mental state as"alone" and aimless. He compared his mind with a 'cloud' as it floated over hills and vails forced by the wind. The poet's mind and the cloud were in the same state, couldn't go in definite direction. 

The poet saw suddenly a huge number of golden daffodils under the bright sun in an open vally, cheerfully fluttering and dancing in the breeze.They  welcomed  the poet like a benevolent host.The poet's heart and mind was filled with joy at experiencing the amazing beauty of golden daffodils. 

Stanza 2

The daffodils are like stars, continuously shining and twinkling, as the stars on the milky Way. The poet saw, the daffodils are more beautiful than the sparkling waves of the lake.The daffodils were stretching in miles by the side of the Lake in a never-ending row. The poet became cheerful in seeing thousands of daffodils tossing their heads to and fro by the wind and looked at them constantly. The poet says,he became happy at that moment but no serious thought came  his mind. But later on he realised the significance of that amazing experience.The poet says, whenever was in low spirit and whenever he suffers from  the  vacant and the pensive mood or the lake of creativity in mind, the remembrance of that experience enliven his dark soul and his creative spirit revives. The memory of that experience could transform his dull, unproductive mind to a highly creative one. The poet, ever remembered  that experience and found himself high in creative spirit. So, the poet says, the experience of daffodils had brought to him a great wealth, which is for his mind and spirit.  

Stanza 3

The waves in the lake water is sparkling under the yellow sun as if they are also dancing with joy but the sparkling beauty of the golden daffodils surpasses the beauty of all. 

A poet like Wordsworth couldn't resist himself not to be glad in such a 'jocund" Company". 

The whole sight was so appealing that he couldn't resist his mind and looked at the daffodils constantly. The poet was amazed by the beauty of the golden daffodils.The poet's heart was then filled with happiness. 

Stanza 4

That experiences of walking in the valley of golden daffodils  spreading over miles, dancing with the breezes, remained  evergreen in his mind. Whenever the poet was in dull mood or whenever he felt spiritually weak, the remembrance of that vision  

recovered him quickly from that dark depression. 

The poet says that the memory of the thousands of blooming daffodils could transform his dark, gloomy soul into a happy soul.It can open up his mind's eye and could revive him spiritually.Which the poet calls a blessing from nature to a dark and sad soul like him. Every time he recalls that scene in a quiet,solitary moment he found his heart filled with joy and his mind starts dancing with the pleasure of cheerful daffodils. That means the poet could be able to revive his poetic spirit through the remembrance of that experience and become spiritually alive to create anything  as a poet. 

Theme of the poem:

The theme of the poem is, the experience and memory,  the inseparable relationship of human being with nature. According to Wordsworth, nature may be a great guide to human being in the growth and development of human mind. 

In the poem "The Daffodils" The poet recollect the experience of walking in the valley,an open vast field, where thousands of golden daffodils were blooming and dancing under the bright sun-shine,continuously twinkling and blazing like the stars in the milky way. The poet realised how he was impressed by the cheerful company of golden daffodils which welcomed him like a 'host'. The 'show' or the vision enters into his mind and took out all his painful thought from his sad soul at once. The poet was 'lonely' and unproductive before he had seen the golden daffodils. But the poet couldn't resist himself not to became cheerful and bright after seeing the daffodils. The daffodils were the representative of nature. So nature can be a great healer and a great guide to the human being. 

The poet confesses, whenever he suffers from a painful and thoughtlessness of mind, the recollection of that vision of daffodils filled his mind with joy and he becomes spiritually alive.It has opened up his inward eye,rejuvenate his painful self with a new hope.The poet says it is a kind of bliss from nature. The poet considers it as a great wealth which could make him rich spiritually. 

The poetic devices used in the poem:

Figure of speech:The poet uses the 'figure of speeches' to enhance the rhetoric effect of the poem.Figure of speech in creative writing means the meaningful language, which can imply various level of interpretations. There are various types of figure of speeches. They are simile, alliteration, personification, hyperbole and metaphor. 

Simile:Simile is a comparison between two object bearing  similar qualities. In the first stanza:"lonely as a crowd", the poet compares his lonely and unstable mind with the floating cloud which sails to any direction by the wind.

In the second stanza the poet compares the daffodils with the 'twinkling' and 'continuously shining' stars in the milky Way. 

Secondly, the poet uses Alliteration as a poetic technique to enhance the language of the poem. In the    stanza the repetition of the word 'gazed' is an alliteration. It suggests the constant look of the poet, which means the poet was amazed by the beauty of the golden daffodils. 

Thirdly, the poet uses hyperbole as a poetic device to input the depth of meaning in the poem. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement. In the poem the exaggerated statements are:

"When all at once I saw a crowd," 

"Ten thousand saw I at a glance"

"They stretched in never-ending line"

Fourthly, the poet uses personification as a poetic technique to creat a magnitude of meaning. In personification the non-living things are described as human beings. For example :

"Fluttering and dancing the breeze. "

"Tossing their heads in sprightly dance."

"Outside the sparkling waves in glee:"

Here in  these statements the daffodils and the waves are considered as human beings. 

In the fifth, the poet uses the poetical device of 'metaphor'. Metaphor is a comparison with dissimilar objects. For example:

"They flash upon that inward eye"

Here inward eye refers to the poets mind's eye which reflects his spiritual self. 

Lastly, the poet uses  the figure of speech to creat an imagery. For example:

"lonely as a cloud" -refers to the poet's state of mind. 

"never-ending line"-refers to the countless number of daffodils. 

"Jocund company"-refers to the cheerful company of the happy daffodils. 

These are the poetic devices the poet uses in his poem  "The daffodils".

Question and answers:

1.what do you understand when says daffodils? 

Ans:Daffodils are scientifically named as Narcissus, spring flowering perennial plants, commonly  known as narcissus, daffodils and Jonquil.In most cultures Narcissus are celebrated as a symbol of hope and joy.

 In mediaeval times Europeans believed that if a Narcissus flower dropped as you looked at it was an omen of death.

In China daffodils are used as the official symbol for the beginning of the new year. 

2.when the poet says 'ten thousand daffodils saw I at a glance', what do you understand by it? 

Ans:The poet says about a huge number of daffodils he saw in one vision. 

3.The poet says that a 'poet could not be but gay/In such a jocund company!'.Is he happy or unhappy in such a company? 

Ans: The poet says that he could not resist not to be happy but to be gay. The poet became happy as he was welcomed by the thousands of golden daffodils dancing in quite cheerfulness with the blowing winds. 

4.The poet says'I wandered lonely as a cloud'. What was the condition of the poet's  mind? 

Ans:The poet's mind  was quite shrink and dark by some painful thought from some of his personal life issues. He was walking aimlessly in that vally, comparing himself as a cloud which was also floating without a definite direction. The poet's mind was also not completely the mind of him. 

5.What does the poet mean when he says that he gazed-and gazed-but little thought/What wealth the show to me had brought!'? How does the scene benefit him either materially or emotionally? Give reasons. 

Ans: The poet looked at the daffodils constantly enchanted by the beauty of the daffodils. But at that moment no thought came to his mind.The poet later on realised what a wealth that sight of daffodils had brought to him. Whenever the poet felt lonely, sad, and unproductive, the remembrance of that visual recovered him quickly from his "vacant and pensive" mood.The poet was spiritually awakened.That liveliness of his mind and spirit is like a great wealth for him. poet says whenever he often remembers the daffodils when he was in a solitary state and he became spiritually alive and which supported him to be more productive. 

6.What does "vacant and pensive Mood" mean? 

Ans:The vacant and pensive mood means the thoughtlessness state of mind which makes the poet suffer because he had lost his creative spirit. But the remembrance of the cheerful golden daffodils recover him quickly from that dark suffering and 

7.What does the 'inward eye' mean? What is it that flashes upon this eye? Do you think the poet is affected by it in anyway? Give reasons for your answer. 

Ans:The 'inward eye' metaphorically suggests the mind's eye of the poet. 

 Whenever the poet feels lonely and weak in spirit ,he recalls the 'show' or the memory of golden daffodils creats a quick flash which opens up his mind's eye and the poet becomes spiritually active. 

The  poet becomes very happy and hopeful which is perfectly expressed by the last two lines of the poet, 'And then my heart with pleasure fills, /And dances with the daffodils.'

8.Why has the poet described solitude as being blissful? 

Ans:The poet described solitude as being blissful, as the poet could discover the significance the experience in the later period of his life.The simple experience of walking  besides the golden daffodils creats a deep impression in his mind. Not a single thought had come to his mind at that moment when he was walking by enjoying the daffodils. 

But later on whenever he recalls them in his lonely and painful moment that cheerful vision of golden daffodils turns to be a bliss to him as it could transform his dark, painful spirit into an active spirit.

poetic Technique:

1.What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? 

Ans:The poem contains four stanzas of six lines. The rhyme scheme of the poem is- a, b, a, b, c, c. The ending two lines is in rhyming couplet, expresses an independent meaning in itself. Example from the first stanza:

I wandered lonely as a cloud  a

   That floats on high o'er vales and hills, b

When all at once I saw a crowd, a

A host, of golden daffodils, b

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, c

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. C

All the four stanzas repeating the same rhyme scheme of a b a b c c. 

The  last two lines are called the rhyming couplet. They expresses individual meaning. 

Structure of the poem daffodils:

Each line of the poem is structured in iambic tetrameter. The iambic tetrameter is a meter in poetry which refers to the four "iambs" or feet in each sentence of a poem. .In each "iambs" or feet means there is one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. In each line in poetry there is four(tetra) "iambs", so it is called iambic tetrameter. 

Wordsworth wrote his poems and sonnets in iambic tetrameter.

 Example of iambic tetrameter from the 1st stanza of the poem:

"I/ wan/ derd/ lone/ ly/ as/ a/cloud

That/floats/on/high/o'er/vales/and/ hills,"

The first three stanza describes the experiences of Wordsworth enjoying the beauty of golden daffodils. And the last stanza is the memory of that experience. 

The main theme of the poem is the role of nature in human life. According to wordsworth nature's beauty can be a great spiritual guide to human being.

 

Questions on reference to the context. 

1."Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky Way, 

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance." 

a.What does "they"refer to? 

b. Why have they been compared to the Milky Way? 

c. Pick out an example of personification from these lines. What is the picture created by this description? 

d. Find an example of a rhyming couplet from these lines. 

Answers:

a. The term "They" refer to the daffodils. 

b. The poet saw daffodils were blooming in countless numbers, appeared sparkling golden in hue, under the bright sunshine. So the poet compares the daffodils with the continuously twinkling stars in countless numbers in the milky Way. 

c. The poet describes the daffodils as "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance". Here the poet uses the poetic device of 'personification' by giving human qualities to the daffodil flowers as they are dancing in happiness. 

d. In this stanza the last two lines are rhyming couplet. The ending word 'glance' is rhymed with 'dance'. The two lines have an individual meaning in itself. 

 

 

'The Landscape of the Soul' by Nathalie Trouveroy

The landscape of The Soul

Nathalie Trouveroy was born on 2nd February, 1975 in Buenos Aires in Argentina.

She was the wife of a Belgium ambassador, Guy Trouveroy, who was appointed to India,Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives during the year 1999 to 20003.She travelled  many countries along with her husband. 

Nathalie Trouveroy had her Masters in the history of art and archeology, with a specialization in Japanese Art, form Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. 

Nathalie Trouveroy had learnt calligraphy from Yu Quilling, direct descendent of a seventh century royal calligrapher of China, when she was with her husband in China. 

Nathalie Trouveroy was an accomplished translator. She had translated many catalogues and art work from Dutch into different European languages, as she had worked as a translator in major museums in Belgium.Natalie had a special interest in Asian Art. She was inspired by Indian artists from North to South and she worked to combine her talent as an art historian and archeologist. She had been interested by the artwork of M. F. Hussain, a natural artist in India.

 

Guy Trouveroy was the husband of Natalie Trouveroy who was the ambassador to India during the year 1999 to 2003.

In India Nathalie Trouveroy and Agnes Montanari, a trained lawer and a photographer met in a Delhi based French School where their daughters studied. Their growing friendship became a great event for the Indians. Both of them read the book "City of Djinns"a book on a travell account of India by the author William Dalrymple, a gifted writer who came to India as a correspondent of a London based newspaper " The Spectator".The travel based book "City of Djinns"was a must read book by all foreigners who visited India and it is the best contemporary work on Modern India. 

Both Nathalie and Agnes developed a zeal to transform the William Dalrymple's book " City of Djinns"into a photo album. Agnes had the preference for balack and white photograph as she says"Colours can distract the eyes from the essence of the subject especially in an country like India".

The two ladies worked jointly and completed with 49 photograph based on William Dalrymple's book "City of Djinns", translated and published as a book "City of Djinns:A Year in Delhi" (la Cite' des Djinns) . 

Both the ladies after completion of their work affected by a sense of despair, "The people of Delhi don't have a sense of belonging, they don't appreciate their rich heritage, a number of forts and havelis are lying in ruins", says Agnes. 

About the Essay - The Landscape of the Soul

   Chinese landscape painting

Nathalie worte this essay to present it in India's International  center for Art. 

The essay presents the two contrasting form of Art, which are Chinese Art and European Art.

Nathalie Trouveroy describes the two contrasting forms of Art with the help of two stories which  were very popular in teaching the classical Art form. 

The Chinese painter Wu Daozi :

A story about him was very popular in Chinese classical education because it helps the student to learn about the basic characteristics of the Chinese painting.

The story of Wu Dauozi

Wo Dauozi was a Chinese painter of the eight century. He was commissioned by the Chinese emperor Xuangzong to draw a landscape painting to decorate the palace wall. 

When Daozi completed his painting he had hidden his work behind a screen so that the emperor would be the first visitor to see it. The emperor saw the painting and appreciated the forests, high mountains,clouds floating in an immense sky, men on hilly path and birds in flight. But at this point, the artist interrupted him and said, "look Sire, in this cave, at the foot of the mountain, dwells a spirit. " The painter then clapped his hand, and the door of the cave opened. The painter entered the cave and the entrance closed behind him.. The emperor was astonished  but before the emperor could move or utter a word the painting and the painter had gone vanished from the wall without leaving a single trace of Wo Daozi's brush. The painter was never seen again in this visible world. This story has played an important part in China's classical education.

The books of Confucius and Zhuanzi are full of such anecdotes.Such stories reveals the deeper meaning of Chinese painting and helps the student to understand the Chinese art form perfectly.

The Chinese view of art:

1.he Chinese landscape is not a real landscape, it is a conceptual space and an inner spiritual one. 

The emperor appreciated the outer beauties of the landscape painting but the painter interrupted him and directed him to look into his painting by entering into it spiritually as the painter entered into his painting through a cave. 

2.The Chinese landscape is not a real landscape. The Chinese painter doesn't want to reproduce an actual view of a landscape. 

3.To understand a Chinese painting a viewer has to enter into the landscape both physically and mentally at any point with as much as dimension of time it needed to discover it's meaning. 

4.The Chinese painter doesn't want to produce a single viewpoint. One can give various dimension of meaning of a Chinese landscape. 

5.The Chinese landscape is a spiritual landscape. It has the inner meaning in it. 

6.The Chinese landscape is shanshui landscape. The word shanshui literally means mountain water.It is Daozi's view of the universe.

 According to Daozi there are two universal aspects of energy which interacts with each other in the Middle Void. The Middle Void is considered as the third element. "Yang", which is the mountain, represents the masculine aspects of universal energy, is vertical,active, warm and stable. "Yin", which is water,represents the feminin aspects of universal energy,is horizontal, moist, fluid and cool is the receptor. The mountain and water together represents the Chinese landscape. 

Yang and Yin are not the contradictory elements, but are the two complementary poles. Their interactions takes place in the Middle Void, which is the white, unpainted space in the Chinese landscape. 

The third element, which is the Middle Void, cannot be ignored because interactions between the two elements - Yang and Yin occurred in the Middle Void.Where man's role is fundamental in that space between Heaven and Earth. Man becomes the conduit of communication between the both poles  of the universe. 

Man's role in the Chinese landscape is also important.His presence is essential.Without man the landscape painting becomes meaningless. He is in Francois Cheng's wonderful expression "the eye of the landscape".

In the Chinese landscape painting the artist creates a path or a method to enter into his landscape. A viewer may enter at any point both physically and mentally into a Chinese landscape.To understand a Chinese painting one has to enter into the mind of the artist but not to borrow the eyes of the artist. 

Quinten Metsys story vs Wu Daozi's story:

The story represents a contrast to the Chinese view of art. The painter didn't draw the eye of the dragon, for fear that it would fly out of the painting if the eye was drawn. Western painting is figurative , reproduces the actual view in art. 

The story of Quinten Metsys of Antwarp:

In the fifteenth century in Antwarp, there was a master blacksmith , Quinten Metsys, who fell in love with a daughter of a famous painter of that time. But the painter didn't want his daughter to marry with a blacksmith. Then oneday Quinten Secretly entered in the painter's chamber and draw a fly in his latest panel. When the painter entered in his chamber and saw the fly in his panel he tried to swat it away. But he realised that it was a painted fly. Then he immediately appointed that Quinten as his apprentice and allow his daughter to marry him. 

Both the story actually represents the true essence of the European painting. 

The features of the European painting:

1.The European artists tries to reproduces the actual view of the painting. The fly of Quinten Metsys created a kind of illusionistic likeness that it looked so life like and real that the famous artists tried it to drive away. 

2. European artists creates an illusionistic likeness to  reproduces an actual view of the painting. So the European painting is based on delicate realism. Metsys's fly looked so lifelike and real that the famous painter tried to swat it away. But he realised his mistake and immediately appointed Quinten Metsys as his apprentice painter. 

3.The European artists chooses to show a single viewpoint from a specific angle.To understand a European painting one has to borrow the painter's eye and need to learn what the painter actually wants his viewer to see  through his painting. 

4.western painting is figurative painting and the artist tries to reproduce  the actual view in art. 

5.European painter wants his viewer to borrow his eyes and look at a particular landscape exactly as he saw it, from a specific angle. 

2nd part of the "Landscape of the soul" is "Getting Inside the Outsider Art".

It is an another gner of art, which was recognised as the Outsider Art Or the Art Brute. 

Nathalie Trouveroy mentions this excerpt  from an article written by Brinda Suri, published in Hindustan Times, 28 August 2005.

The concept of the Outsider Art was first popularised by a French painter Jean Dabuffet in the year 1940 as "art brut".The " art brut" means  the art work of some artists who have "no right" to be artists as they have received formal training, yet show talent and artistic insight. They are untrained visionaries and have minorities of interest. 

The notion of the Art Brut or the Outsider Art:

The notion of 'art brut' or 'raw art' is the works of art in raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences. The outsider artists have no academic training so their art is not considered equal to the contemporary fine arts. 

Nek Chand is the biggest contributor of outsider artist of India. 

Nek Chand's Rock Garden at Chandigarh

In India such an untutored genius who created, by clearing a little patch of jungle, a garden, with sculpted stone and recycled materials some human figures which is known to the world as the Rock Garden at Chandigarh. His name is Nek Chand, an 80 years old creator and director who is now considered as the greatest contributor of the outside art. 

The Raw Vision, a Uk based magazine, pioneer in outsider art, in it's fiftieth issue(Spring 2005,anniversary issue's cover) highlights Nek Chand's Rock Garden sculptures as "women by waterfall".

Nek Chand considered, to him,is the greatest reward when one will walk through his garden.

 

Questions and answers:

1.Contrasting features of Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.

Answer:Chinese view of art is quite different from the European view of art.

 A classical Chinese artist doesn't want to reproduce an actual view of the landscape. Whereas the European artist creates an illusionistic likeness and it is based on delicate realism. 

The Chinese emperor could appreciated the physical appearance of the landscape only, the artists showed him the way to look within. 

The painter entered into the drawn cave and door closed behind him. The painting was vanished with the painter. 

The emperor could understand the inner meaning of the painting after that. The physical landscape was gone vanished and the spiritual landscape was unfolded to the emperor. 

The painted 'fly' of Quinten

 Metsys was creating an illusion that the painter thought it was a real fly and tried to drive it away. The European artists tries to reproduce the actual view of the painting. A viewer has to borrow the artist's eyes to understand his painting from a specific angle. But the Chinese artist only shows the path to go inside the landscape to understand the inner meaning of the landscape. Chinese artist doesn't choose a single  viewpoint. 

Asian Art tries to capture the essence of inner life and spirit. Contrast to this, the European art tries to achieve a perfect, illusionistic likeness.

 

2.Explain the concept of 'shanshui'. 

Ans:The Chinese landscape is 'shanshui' landscape. According to Wo Daozi there are two universal element, Yang and Yin. That is the Daoist philosophy of universe. Yang is mountain and represents the masculin aspects of energy which is stable, warm and vertical. Yin is the water and represents the feminine aspects of energy which is moist, fluide and cool, horizontally rests on earth. 

The interaction of Yin, the receptive and feminine with the counterpart of Yang, active and masculine is the fundamental notion of Daoism. 

The interaction of Yang and Yin takes place in the Middle Void which is considered as the third element. The white unpainted space of the Chinese landscape represents the Middle Void.

The man plays a fundamental role in the Chinese landscape.The man is in Francoise Cheng's Words 'the eye of the landscape'. Man becomes the connector between the two spaces- the Heaven and Earth. 

 

Father to son by Elizabeth Jennings

"Father and son, we both must live /On the same globe and the same land,"

A line from the poem :

Father to Son -by Elizabeth Jennings

A glorious future,  the time would bring to mankind, when the parents and child would go hand in hand and live in the same globe and  the same land. 

About the poet

Elizabeth Jennings was an English poet. She was born on 18 July, 1926,Boston, United

Kingdom.

 She died on 26 October,2001,Bampton, United Kingdom. 

Elizabeth Jennings was the only woman in a group of poets dedicated in a trend of anti-romantic aesthetic in poetry which was  known as The Movement. The other poets were with her, Philip Larkin, Kingsley, Amis and Jhon Gunn. Jennings was a lyric poet and excelled in simplicity in metre and rhyme  in her traditional,objective  and plainspoken  style of poems. 

Elizabeth Jennings had her education at Oxford High School and St. Anne's College, Oxford. 

She had published 26 books on poetry in her life-time. Jennings was not secured with financial position and suffered from severe psychological problems from her very childhood.In her literary work there is an intense shadow of her personal suffering though not explicitly of autobiographical.

Jennings had to undergo severe difficulties in keeping balance between her practical career of life and her well being of health and mind. In 1992 when she was invited to accept the honour from the Queen, she wore a knitted hat, duffle Coat and canvass shoes, and she was named as bag- lady of the sonnets. 

Elizabeth Jennings was the prominent poet of the second half of the twentieth century of England. 

 Due to her immense poverty she had suffered a lot, for which she was nick-named as bag-lady, colloquially. 

Her poems were published in various journals such as in Oxford Poetry, New English Weekly, The Spectator, Outposts and Poetry Review. 

She was influenced by the poets like, Hopkins, Auden, Graves and Muir. 

Jennings second book was published in 1992 "A Way of Looking", won Somerset Maugham award, which was a turning point in her life. The prize-money enabled her to live in Rome for three months. 

Jennings was a devout Roman Catholic.Jennings was awarded an Honorary  Doctorate of Divinity from Darham University shortly before her death. she died in October of 2001.

 

Summary of the poem"Father to Son"

Stanza 1

"I do not understand this child".

The child is like a stranger for the father:

The poem is written in a subjective mood, explaining by a father, his deep love and anguish for his son whose world, now is different from him.Though the father and son are living in the same house under the same roof for years both they are unable to converse and understand each other. So the father says that he speaks with his son like a stranger. 

Father is expressing his helplessness. 

The  father is expressing his extreme helplessness because in their relationship something is lacking that they can't communicate with each other normally and so there exists minimal interactions between them. He lives mentally in a different world with his own interests and ideologies which the father couldn't accept or compromise with. The son doesn't want to walk along with father because he has no understanding with his father.Therefore a is gap occurs in their relationships. Both the father and son suffers for that. 

"I know nothing of him, "

Both the father and son lives in two different world with their own whims and interests. Father don't want to compromise with his son  ways of living which is influenced by modern age.  The son is influenced by thoughts and cultures of the modern times. The son develops a different attitude towards his life rather than developing a resemblance with his father. 

The father is confessing:

"Yet have I killed"

The father is constantly trying to build up a relationship with his son like the relationship which they both enjoyed in the past when his son was a small kid. But the father is failed because he can't accept his son's likes and dislikes. Therefore a gap Or vaccum is created in their relationship because both they are unable to understand each other's world. 

The son, after becoming an adult developed to be a seperate individual with individual interest and thoughts. He is unable to go hand in hand with his father in some matters, as the time has brought changes to various things. 

Stanza 2

"The seed I spent or sown it where

The land is his and none of mine? "

The poet here inputs the image of a gardener as an effective poetic device to bring out the father's helplessness in more clear way. 

The father had invested all his love and support in upbringing his child as a individual like him. The 'seed' here implies the father's sacrifices, love and support in upbringing hs child to a man like him. 

"The land is his and none of mine? "

The son doesn't resemble to his father by character. He develops to be a different  individual.Because his thoughts and ideals doesn't align to his father. His son has created a seperate land by his own individualistic character. He can't compromise his own ideals with his father.

 So the father confesses that both of them speaks like a stranger because in their relationship. There  is no mutual understanding and mutual respect for each other's opinions and views. 

"there is no sign of understanding in the air."

There is no environment of mutual understanding and mutual respect for each other in that home. 

"This child is built to my design

Yet what he loves I cannot share." 

The father says he has brought up his child with his own culture. Like an architect designes a house or a plant the father has brought up his son according to his own desire to see him grow like him. But after becoming an adult the son developed different cultures from his father. The father neither loves nor shares anything with his son's cultures. The father is unable to acknowledge his son's thoughts and his ways of living. And the son has no respect for his father's thoughts and ideals. It is, because of the lack of understanding between the two , there arises a huge vaccum in their relationship. 

Stanza 3

"Silence surrounds us."

The father and the son, both are unable to talk and share any emotion with each other. Both they are living in the two seperate world with their own egos, respectively. 

"I would have Him prodigal, "

The father here considers his son as the Prodigal  Son, which is one of the parables (Luke :15-11-32) from Bible, is important for Jesus's teaching to his disciples. 

Meaning :Prodigal

A person who spends money recklessly, 

spending money in a wasteful way, Spendthrift, 

spending money extravagantly. 

The Parable of the Prodigal Son:

According to the Bible (Luke 15:11-32) a man has two sons.The younger son asks his father for his inheritance. Father agreed to share him his part, as an heir. The son moved out from his father and spend all the money extravagantly, and became penniless at last. At last he realised his fault and returned to his father and asked him to forgive his sin. The father welcomed him by forgiving him and accepted him to live with him as before. 

     

Significance of the Biblical reference of the prodigal son:

It is an important parable in the Gospel of Luke(15:11-32) for Jesus's teaching of His mercy, grace and His desire for relationship. 

The father in the poem wants to forgive his son like the prodigal son. 

The father doesn't want his son to move and make his different world. 

Like Jesus the Father, the father in this poem loves his son unconditionally. Like Jesus's mercy and grace the father in the poem would forgive his son when he would come to him with repentance. 

"Shaping from sorrow a new love"

The father is eagerly waiting to renew his relationship with his son and wishes his son would come to him with repentance.

Shaping -to rebuild or reunion

Sorrow-repentance, confession

new love-new relationship. 

Stanza 4

In this stanza, the father is very assertive that with his son they must live in the same world by following the same ideology. The father is insisting "On the same globe" and "the same land", which is a positive faith of the father regarding his ability to renew his relationship with his son as well as his eagerness in forgiving his son and in accepting his son as he is now. 

But, the father expresses his utmost grief that he is unable to understand what his son speaks to him. The poet is expressing the father's helplessness in a vivid way that the father's shortcomings in character which prevents him to understand and accept his son in his own ways. 

Father's impracticability to compromise with son makes him sad. On the other hand his son also speaks turns to be impractical. Because in both of their approach something is lacking that is their mutual understanding and mutual respect. 

"We each put out an empty hand, 

Longing for something to forgive. "

Both the father and son are eager to come into close to compromise, but both they are stretching an empty hand, for which they fails. 

"Longing for something"

Both the father and son are searching for some excuse to forgive each other. 

But the scene continues. The poet ends her poem in a sense of open ending. 

Theme of the poem:

The poet deals with the theme of a general one, which is universal also,is the theme of generation gap between two generations and it's reasons and the ways to eliminate it .

The poet presents us a father who is in deep anguish, because he has no communication with his son in that sense that he can't understand his son's ways of thinking and his ways of living his life. 

The father is in deep agony that he had brought up his son with all his love and values but his son develops to be a different one from him in thoughts and values.

 

The father is unable to accept his son naturally , who develops his character influenced by the values of modern times. The father is also confessing his fault in character. 

The father and son both are realising their drawbacks in their character that they have no mutual respect and understanding for each other. They are approaching with their empty hands and they fails to  come closer and the gap continues to last. 

The poetic devices used in the poem:

The poet uses certain poetic devices to create a deeper sense of meaning.

 

Metaphor:

In this poem certain comparisons are made on the basis of the sense or quality. 

In the first stanza the word "killed" Is used to mean the destruction of a relationship which is alike the killing a life. 

In the stanza 2 the application of certain words in lines:seed, spent, sown are used as metaphor. "Seed" here compares with the values and ideals. The word "spent"is compared with the sacrifices a father does in upbringing a child. The word "swon" Is metaphorically means giving value learning in upbringing his child. 

Alliteration:

In the second stanza the repetition of consonant in these words-"seed that I spent or swon. "

Speak like strangers

Silence Surrounds us

Simile:

"We speak like strangers"

The conversations of father and son is like the conversations like strangers. 

The rhyme scheme of the poem:

The poem has a consistent rhyme scheme. In each six line stanzas a particular rhyme- scheme is followed in four stanzas. The rhyme -scheme of the poem is abba, ba is followed in four stanzas. 

The rhyme-scheme in stanza 1-(the rhyming words of the each line) 

                child-a

                 now-b

                 Know-b

                 build-a

                 how-b

                 killed-a

The same rhyme scheme is continuing in the last three stanzas. 

Major questions:

1.Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal? 

Answer:The poet talks of an exclusively personal experience though it has an universal appeal. The father's deep anguish and mental seperation with his prodigal son, his willing to forgive his fault and his desire to build a strong relationship with his son are common in all parents of the world and will occur in every coming generation. 

The problem of generation gap occurs commonly in all the parents due to their inability to accept the changes brought by modern times naturally to their son's character though, quite against their cultures and ideologies

Elizabeth's poem relates about a father who is stoic in nature and remains static in a particular point. The father is indulgent, though forgiving and merciful, his stoicism doesn't help him to recover his pungent relationship with his son. 

The son is the product of the modern times though he is not developing a character of accepting his father, who is representing the elder generation, as naturally as what he is. 

Both the father and son lacks something for which both of them are stretching their empty hand in vain and the problem of the generation gap continues to exist.

 

2.Identify the phrases and lines that indicate the distance between father and son. 

Answer:The father's helplessness are brought out in many phrases throughout the poem.

 In the stanza 1

"I do not understand this child"

"Yet have I killed"

In the stanza 2

"The land is his.... none of mine? "

"We speak like strangers, "

"This child is built to my design

Yet what he loves I cannot share. "

In the stanza 3

"Silence surrounds us"

"I would have Him prodigal"

"I would forgive him too, "

In the stanza 4

"He speaks:I cannot understand

Myself, why grows from grief." 

"Longing for something to forgive. "

3.How is the father's helplessness brought out in the poem? 

Answer:In the poem "Father to Son" the father's helplessness are brought out in a very vivid way. 

In the stanza 1 the father mentions his son as "this child" Which is extremely pathetic. Thought he father and son lives together in the same house for many years the father "knows nothing of him".The father is pathetically expresses his wish to renew his relationship with his son as it was in his childhood days. 

In the stanza 2 the father says that they are now speaking like strangers. The father expresses his deep anguish that his son whom he had brought up by investing his love and cultures, now becomes a individual different in views and ideologies from him. There is a generation gap occues in between them. They are unable to understand each other. The father had brought up his child according to his desire but his desires is being discarded by his son and he develops a new land for him. 

In thestanza 3 the silence gripped in their environment as the father and son is unable to talk and share any emotion. The father feels helpless and wants his prodigal son to return to  his home which he knows well and he is ready to forgive him . The father desires to rebuild a relationship with his son,by turning his repentance to a confession. 

In the stanza 4 the father cries out helplessly for his own inability to understand his son and to extend his hand to build up a new relation with his son. The father is helpless as he says, "Father and son, we both must live On the same globe and the same land. " Both the father and son are wishing each other to forgive but they are looking for an excuse to go ahead. 

4.Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme? 

Answer:The poem has a consistent rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme is abba, ba, which is followed in four stanzas of the poem. 

                                    

 

 

The portrait of a lady -by Khushwant Singh

About the author:

Khushwant singh is an Indian author,novelist, lawyer, diplomate journalist and politician. His famous literary contribution is'Train to Pakistan', in 1956,most well-known novel relates his experience in 1947 partition of India. 

He was born on 2nd February, 1915,Hadali in Punjab which is gone under Pakistan government on February 2nd, 1915. He died on 20March, 2014,Sujan Singh Park in New Delhi. 

The name of his spouse is Kanwal Malik, 1939-2001.

He studied at Delhi Modern School from1930 to 1932.He completed intermediate of arts from St. Stephen's College in Delhi in 1934.He received ll. B. from King's College and from the university of London. 

He was the editor of some well- known newspapers, periodicals and magazines:

The Hindustan Times

The National Herald

The illustrated  weekly of India

'The portrait  of a lady' is an autobiographical episode included in his book of Collected Stories published in the year 2013,is a collection of stories which revealed khushwant Singh's literary skill as a modest, restrained, well-crafted story teller in a wonderfully peculiar descriptive style. 

Summary of the story:

Khushwant Singh draws the pen-picture of his grandmother in his story 'The Portrait of a Lady'. In this story the author describes his relation with his grandmother from his very childhood to his adulthood and also describes how the passege of time has an gradual impact in their close relationship and in their affection for each other. 

The reader's involvement:

He starts telling the story of his grandmother in a wonderfully peculiar narrative style. He involves his readers by saying 'like everyone's grandmother' and starts  drawing his grandmother's portrait in everyone's mind through his vivid description of his grand mother's personality.  

 

The style of his description:

His grandmother was like everyone's grandmother. His grandfather's portrait was also hung above the Chimneys in the wall of the drawing room. His grandfather didn't only look like hundred years old but he looked like the husband of many wives and had many grandchildren. His long beard covered almost the best part of his chest. 

The grandmother's physical features:

Khushwant Singh's grandmother was an old lady and her face bore  too many criss cross of wrinkles  and for which she looked terribly old. She was short and slightly bent forward in her posture. In her one hand she always carried  a wooden bead of rosery which she was counting silently.Another hand was seen rested on her back to balance Her stoop. Her lips was seen moved in an inaudible prayer. She was seen hobbled about her house in her spotless white clothes with her grey hair scattered on her shoulder. 

Difficult for the author to believe:

People said, which khushwant Singh also heard, that his grandmother was once a pretty young lady.For him it was hard to believe as he had seen her terribly old with so many criss-cross of wrinkles since his very childhood till he became an adult.

Physical appearance:

 She was fat, short and slightly bent.She always carried a wooden beads of rosery  which she counted in a silent way.Her another hand was always rested on her waist only to balance her stoop. Her silvery grey hair was scattered on her pale puckered face.

Devine qualities

She always wore spotless white clothes and walked slowly from one room to another room exerting  an environment of peace and contentment. The author compared her appearance with the white serenity  of the wide expanse of snow covered mountain landscape.

Noble qualities of the grandmother:

According to the author, his grandmother, though looked not pretty, she looked beautiful. Her noble qualities and her devine appearance made her looked beautiful. 

At the village home:Khushwant Singh's parents left him with his grandmother, as they had to go to the city to establish and settled properly in the city.

Early education:

 Khushwant Singh's early education started at the village school which was not so far from his grand mother's home. His grandmother accompanied him to his school with great satisfaction. The village school was attached to a temple. While her grandson read alphabets in the verandah of the school she sat inside the temple and read scriptures. The village prist taught them alphabets. 

The author and the grandmother are good friends:

At the village home the author had a close relationship with his grandmother.Both they were good friends because they were constantly with each other.

Motherly care:

 His grandmother took every responsibilities of him like a mother. She wake him up in the morning, bathed him, and get him ready for the school. She collected all his needs such as the slate, pencil, and inkpot, tie them in a bundle  to go for school. While she bathed him she sang her prayer monotonously as if she wished him to learn them by heart. But khushwant sing had paid no attention to it.

 

Grandmother served him breakfast and accompany to school:

She served him breakfast with stale chapattis, a small butter and sugar spread on it. 

The grandmother liked to go with her grandson to the village school as because the school was attached to a temple. She liked to read holy scriptures inside the temple. 

Grandmother's love for animals:

She also packed some chapattis with them and took them with her to feed the village dogs while they were returning to home. She threw it to them and the dogs followed them to their home hauling and growling for the chapattis. The grand mother had a great love for animals. 

Grandmother amused her grandson:

The grandmother used to entertain him by telling him about the games which she used to play in her childhood,which  the author found quite insignificant. 

At the city home:

Khushwant Singh's patents were well settled in the city and they sent for the author and the grandmother to live with them in the city. 

A turning point :

A turning point came into their relationship:

The author and the grandmother went to live  in the city with his parents. In the city home they were given a room to share with each other. But the author had less time to spent with his grandmother. Their closeness of their relationship had gone.Because they saw less each other and had less time to spent with each other.

 The time had changed their attachment.

 Khushwant Singh was admitted in an English school which was far away from his city home. The grand mother couldn't accompany her grandson to the school  as the author went to the school by motor bus. 

Grandmother  became less responsible: 

The grandmother's responsibilities to her grandson were reduced. She began to feel lonely. As there was his mother to take care of him. 

Grandmother's behaviour changed at the town home:

. In the city home the grand mother had no opportunity to feed the dogs. So she used to feed the sparrows. She made herself busy with her spinning wheel to pass her times. 

Grandmother became lonely:

Sometimes the grandmother wake him up on the morning as she did it before.  But she couldn't accompany her grandson to his school and couldn't help him in his studies as she didn't know english. Sometimes she asked him about his studies. But when she  had learnt that her grandson had lessons on science and maths and lessons on music also she became very upset.she was most upset when she had learnt that there was no learning on God and scriptures.In the city home she had no other work to do except to take care of herself. 

 

Grandmother, a religious and conservative lady:

She was a religious conservative lady and she had a wrong notion about learning. She was quite upset when she had learnt that he had lessons on music in that school she became silent.she had a wrong notion about the learning on music that learning on music was not for gentleman but for the baggers and harlots.

Grandmother accepted her seclusion silently:

 From then she stopped asking anything to the author because the grandmother didn't want to be bothered by new information from her grandson.

she silently accepted her resignation to a life of seclusion. 

Grandmother became more busy with her spinning wheel:

She used to pass her time with her spinning wheel more than before. From sunrise to sunset she was busy with her spinning wheel and only in the afternoon she took some rest and sat in the backyard to feed the sparrows. 

Grandmother's love for sparrows:

Hundreds of birds came and accepted their breadcrumbs thrown to them by the grandmother. The sparrows were so confident with the grandmother's company . Some of them took their feed from the grandmother's hand and some of then sat on her shoulder and amused  her with confidence. 

At the university:

Khushwant Singh went to the university for higher studies. Then he had given a room for himself. The common link of their friendship had gone. Both they were given separate room because the author had to busy himself with studies more then before. 

Time had changed their attachment but not their affection for each other. 

Grandmother's  strong personality:

When khushwant decided to go abroad for higher studies for five years.He thought his grandmother might be upset and worried. But to his surprise nothing such happened. The grandmother neither became upset nor showed any emotional reaction. She had the strength to restrain her emotion and went to the railway station to see off her grandson and kissed on his forehead by praying for his safe return. 

Responsible grandmother:

The kiss on his forehead  was ever memorable for the author as he thought that moist imprint of her kiss might be the last sign of the physical contact between them. Because his grandmother was so old at that time and perhaps he wouldn't see her alive after five years again. 

The grandmother's responsibilities and her affection to her grandson remained as same as before. Their relationship didn't change a bit. 

After five years:

When khushwant Singh returned from his higher studies from abroad he met his grandmother at the railway station. She welcomed her grandson with a warm embrace. 

His grandmother was over excited :

The grandmother, to celebrate her grandson's home-coming, invited some of her neighbouring women and that evening she started singing with them by beating a drum continuously for hours. They sang the songs of home-coming of warriors.

 

Grandmother fell I'll:

The authors family tried to prevent her from doing that as they thought that due to overstrain she might fell I'll. But she didn't listened to anybody. 

That day was an exceptional day to her that she forgot to pray and in the afternoon she feed the sparrows with some frivolous rebukes. 

Grandmother was a religious lady: 

At last she fell ill. The doctors came and declared that it was a mild fever. The grandmother was lying in her bed in praying and counting her beads of rosery. She told to the author's family that her end was near so that she requested them to leave her alone. Suddenly the rosery fell from her hand and her lips stopped moving and she died. 

The sparrows came to show their tribute:

Her dead body was lying down to the ground and covered with a red shroud. 

The last ray of sunshine entered. Suddenly the thousands of sparrows appeared and they gathered around her shrouded body silently. They were not creating any noise. The author's mother threw some breadcrumbs like the grandmother but the birds gave no notice at them. After spending sometime around the covered body  in silent way they flew away again silently.As if it was their tribute to the grandmother they loved. 

The author's mother had cleaned the breadcrumbs away in the next morning. 

Questions and answers:

1.Mention the three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad. 

Ans:The three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother was:

At the village

At the village home both the author and the grandmother were enjoyed a very close relationship. Because both of them were constantly with each other. The author was left with the grandmother at the village home because his parents had to settle properly in the city. 

In absence of the mother the grandmother took every care of the small kid who was the author. She entertained him by telling stories of some games she used to play in her childhood. But for the author they were quite absurd and insignificant. 

The grandmother woke him up in the morning, bathed him and get him ready for the school. She served him breakfast with stale chapattis with little butter spread on it. She also accompanied her grandson to the village school which was attached to a temple. 

At the city home

At the city home both the grandmother and grandson were given to share the same room. Though they shared the same room the closeness of their relationship had gone. The author had less time to spend with his grandmother. The grandmother's responsibilities had been reduced. She begun to feel lonely. She occaisonally woke him up in the morning and asked him  about his learning The author had to go to school by motor bus far away from the city home. The grandmother neither accompany him to school nor could she help him in his studies. The grandmother stopped talking with her grandson when she had learnt that her grandson had lessons on science, maths and music in his new english school. She was highly upset to know that there was no learning on God and scriptures. The grandmother had no good opinions on music lessons. For her music should be learnt  by  baggers amd harlots. It was not the subject to be learnt by gentle people. She remained silent in quite disapproval. 

She stopped asking more to her grandson about his learning at the  new school because she didn't want to be bothered by new things. 

 

At the university

The author and the grandmother were seperated as khushwant Singh was given a seperate room to live in. The common link which was the common room they enjoyed had gone. Because khushwant Singh had to study more as he get admitted in the university. The grandmother became more lonely then before. She made herself busy in spinning wheel and in feeding the sparrows . Time had changed their relationship physically but the affection and responsibility of the grandmother to her grandson never changed. 

The grandmother went to see off her grandson to the railway station for abroad  with a warm kiss on his forehead and with a prayer for his safe return.she wouldn't be able to see her grandson for five years which couldn't make her sad Or emotional but made her more responsible. The grandmother showed her affection and responsibility even at that time also. 

2.Mention the three reasons why the author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school. 

Ans:-The author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school for three reasons. 

First, khushwant Singh was admitted in a English School in the city. The grandmother couldn't accompany her grandson to the school as he went to the school by motor bus because of the distance of the school from the city home. The grandmother couldn't help him in his studies as she didn't know English words. 

Second, the grandmother was highly upset by her grandson's learning at that  English school as he was taught science, maths and music. There was no learning on God and scriptures which upset his grandmother most. 

Thirdly, the grandmother's opinion on music lessons was not good. For her music is not for the civilized people but for the baggers and harlots. She stopped asking the author more about his school as she decided not to be bothered by any new information. 

3.Mention the three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up. 

Ans:-The author's grandmother's responsibilities to her grandson were reduced at the city home. Because there was his mother to do all the work for him. The grandmother begun to feel lonely. 

She made herself busy with her spinning wheel. Secondly, as there was no dogs she started feeding the sparrows in the afternoon. She developed an unique relationship with the sparrows. 

Thirdly, she regularly prayed with her rosery as before and spent her time by reading holy books. 

4.Mention the odd way in which the author's grandmother behaved just before she died. 

Ans:-The grandmother behaved quite an odd way just before she died.She celebrated her grandson's homecoming with great enthusiasm by singing and beating a dilapidated drum with some neighbouring women.The author's family prevented her from doing that. But she never listened. 

That day, it was an exception that the grandmother feed the sparrows with some frivolous noises. 

That day she even forgot to pray which was an exception. 

Late in the afternoon she fell ill and according to the doctor it was a mild fever. She was lying on the bed in constant prayer. She told everyone to leave her alone and said that her end was near. After that she died peacefully in praying. Her dead body was lain on the ground covering with a red shroud as a ritual. 

5.Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author's grandmother died. 

Ans:-The sparrows loved the grandmother in an unique way. Thousands of sparrows appeared in that afternoon and gathered around the covered body of their beloved one without any noise. The author's mother threw some breadcrumbs to them but to their surprise the sparrows took no notice of them. They spent sometime  silently and flew away without making any noise. That was their unique way of expressing their sorrow as well as their tribute to their beloved one. 

6.How do we know that the grandmother was a religious person? 

Ans:-The grandmother was a religious person which can be known by her appearance, her lifestyle, her views on learning and by her great devine personality. 

The grandmother wore spotless white clothes and hobbled about her home exerting an environment of peace and contentment. Her appearance was like a wide expanse of snow covered mountain landscape which is shrine. 

The grandmother always carry a wooden beads of rosery  counting with a constant prayer in an inaudible way. Her lips were seen constantly moving in an inaudible prayer. 

The grandmother was highly upset by her grandson's learning in his new English School because there was the teachings on science, maths and music but was no teachings on God and religion. Her views on music was quite conservative. She believed that music should be learnt by baggers and harlots but not by gentle folk.

The grandmother died in constant prayer peacefully which ultimately proved that the grandmother was a strongly religious person. 

7.Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change? 

Ans:-The relationship between the author and grandmother changed time to time. At the village the author was completely under the supervision of the grandmother because his had to go to the city to settle them properly in the city. 

At the village both they were good friends as they were constantly with each other. The grandmother took all the responsibility as a mother. She entertained him with games and stories she used to play in her childhood. She not only got ready him to school but accompanied him to school also. 

But at the city their closeness with each other had gone. Though they enjoyed the same room the author had found less time to spend with her. The grandmother's duty to her grandson was reduced. Both of them were to busy by their work. While her grandson became busy in studies the grandmother would've to busy her with the spinning wheel. She couldn't accompany him to school and couldn't help him in his studies as she didn't know English.Although the grandmother was upset by her grandson's learning in that English School. She stopped talking with her grandson as she didn't want to be worried by some new facts from the author's new school. 

When the author got admission in the university he was given a seperate room to study and live. The common link of their friendship had been taken away by time. The grand became more busy in her spinning work and in feeding the sparrows. 

The time had changed their relationship physically but by heart and soul both of them remained the same as before. The grandmother's affection and responsibilities  to the author remained same as before. Time had no impact on their emotional relationships. 

8.Would you agree that the author's grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instance that show this. 

Ans:-Yes, the author's grandmother was a strong person in character. Though she was  highly religious and conservative in character she had the conscience to maintain a good environment in her home. She was remained silent in quite disapproval of her grandson's learning on music at his new school. She couldn't bear the fact that the author's new English School didn't provide education on religion and scriptures. But she remained silent and decided to resign to a life of seclusion. 

When the author gave her the news that he would go abroad for five years for higher studies the grandmother didn't become emotional and didn't outburst in emotion. She went to see off her grandson at the railway station and bade farewell with a warm kiss on his forehead. The grandmother only prayed for his safe return. 

After five years again she went to welcome her grandson at the railway station and embraced him with love and happiness. But she fell ill after her celebration of the homecoming of her grandson. The doctor told that the grandmother suffered from a mild fever but the grandmother told the author's parents that her end was near. She told her families to leave her alone. She started praying constantly and her rosery fell from her hand. Her lips stopped moving and she died in prayer peacefully. All these confirmed that the grandmother was a strong religious person in character.