The Ailing planet: the Green Movement's Role by Nani Palkivala

  Global warming 

  The Ailing Planet:the Green Movement's Role by Nani Palkhivala

About the author:     

Nani Palkhivala is the author of the article "The Ailing Planet:the Green Movement's Role, which was published in 'The Indian Express' on 24th Nov. 1994.The subject-matter of the article is about the declining health of the planet earth and about the revolutionary concept of the Green Movement in saving the planet from further degradation and deterioration of the planet. 

 Nani Palkhivala was an eminent Indian author,jurist and liberal economist. He was born in 16th January, 1920 in Bombay, India. Nani palkhivala died on 11 Dec. In Mombai. 

The summary of the article

An unique revolution:

The only revolution in the world history which could gripped the imagination of the entire human race is, the Green Revolution. The revolution originated by an issue which was that, the health of the planet is declining. Still the revolution has it's relevance and is still continued. 

The world's first nationwide Green Party was founded twenty -five years ago in Newzeeland in the year 1972.Since then, the movement is continuing by it's own force. 

The change in human perception-A positive shift:

The Green revolution has brought a huge transformation in our thought about the planet. And Nani Palkhivala says it was a positive shift in our thought. The positive shift was that, previously man had thought about the planet mechanistically but now man can see the planet in a holistic and ecological way. The change in human perception had brought a revolutionary change in the activities of human being which is a positive shift. 

The change from mechanistic view to holistic and ecological one:

The mechanistic view was that human being thought that they were the Lord of the planet.The earth has the abundance of  resources on which the human being earlier thought that they had enough freedom to use it. The Green Revolution has changed the human perceptions completely.

The discovery of Copernicus in the sixteenth century had brought a revolutionary change human mind about the planet.The Green Revolution has also brought the same revolutionary change  in human perceptions. 

The holistic and ecological view:

The Green Revolution has taught that earth is an enormous being. It is like a living organism as it has it's own metabolism and metabolic needs.The earth has some  vital processes  going on continuously and which maintains the earth's ecological environment. 

Now human being has begun to think holistically about the planet.According to the holistic concept the human being should respect and preserve the metabolism and metabolic needs of the planet so that the planet will be in good health. The human being should learn to live like a responsible tenant and a responsible trustee of the legacy of the future generation. The human being should learn to use the natural resources judiciously so that they could handover the planet to the coming generation as it was before. 

The earth is like a living organism:

 According to the holistic concept the earth itself is like a living organism.And just like a human body the earth has it's own metabolic needs and vital processes,for which the earth itself is able to maintain and safeguard the health of the planet. We only need to preserve and safeguard earth's metabolism. 

The only thing, we need to do, is, to respect and preserve the metabolism and metabolic needs of the earth.Then the earth itself could maintain a good ecological environment. 

Now human being has begun to realise their ethical obligation towards the planet and started to live like a good steward. 

 Human being has no right to harm that metabolism of the planet, as the human being are not the only being of the planet.Man shares the planet with 1.4 million species of living creatures.

Because of the so much misdeeds of humans, three to four millions of species are in the verge of extinction uncatalogued and undiscovered.The biologists have warned us seriously about that fact that the harm to the bio-diversity of the planet would cause a great harm to the planet's ecology. 

The earth is now an ailing planet:

The earth is now  a patient in declining health.We have seen some vital indications of degradation and deterioration all around us.The four biological principles  are now reaching an unsustainable level. Fisheries collapsed, forests disappears, grasslands are becoming barren wastelands and croplands deteriorates. The terrible growth of world population is the main factor for the all round degradation and deterioration of natural as well as socio-economic environment. 

Our ethical obligation towards the planet:

The Green Movement has taught us our ethical obligations to be stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generation. 

There are some vital signs very evident in earth which clearly says that the earth is in poor health. 

The concept of sustainable of development evolved as a solution to the better survival of mankind on the planet. 

The World Commission on Environment and Development had initiated the concept of sustainable development in 1987.The report defined the concept as "Development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs"I.e., without stripping the natural world of resources future generation would need". 

It is now proved that the most dangerous animal in the world is, the man. 

The author gives us a reference, that in the zoo of lusaka in the entrance of a cave there is a written warning in a notice board that is "the most dangerous animal inside".But inside the cave one can discover only a mirror which reflect the person's own reflection.This suggests that the human being is the most dangerous animal in the world. 

One of the early international commissions brandt report raised a question on dealing a issue on ecology and environment  is that "Are we to leave our successors s scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished  landscapes and ailing environment? "

Lester R. Brown in his book, 'The Global Prospect' points out that the earth's principal biological systems are four-fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands. They form  the foundation of global economic system. They provide us food and raw materials for our industries except minerals and petrolium derived synthetics. 

In large areas of the world due to the increase in human claims on these systems causes degradation to an unsustainable level. The productivity of these systems are impaired. Fisheries collapsed due to overfishing. In a protein conscious hungry world overfishing is very common. Wastelands are almost  occupied by human being for industrial or residential expansion for which the natural habitats of fishes are destroyed. 

The increase in population causes much pressure on these four biological systems, which leads to the degradations and deterioration of thesesystems. 

Forests are being decimated in poorer countries very quickly. Due to the cutting of the trees for firewood causes the destruction of local forests in such a way that in some places firewood has become so expensive that "what goes under the pot is now costs more than what goes inside it".

The destructions forests directly effects on the animal habitats. The tropical forests, which is called the powerhpuse of evolution is now faces the extinction of several species. So the destruction of tropical forests causes the destruction of the animal habitats.

 Tropical forests is regarded as an ancient patrimony of several species of animals and flora and fauna  which has been eroding at the rate of forty to fifty million acres in a year. 

The main cause is the growing use of cow dungs by the people of the adjacent areas as fuel for cooking deprives the soil of an important natural fertilizer. Thus the natural increase in the extension of the forest land is reduced. Thus the excessive cutting of trees for the use of wood for furnitures and firewood for cooking causes so much destruction of forest lands. 

The another fact is that the ocupation of the forest land for industrial purposes are very common in developing economy of a country. As a result several living  species are now in the verge of extinction. 

Now the Green Revolution has taught Mankind to live a sustainable life to Safeguard the planet's ecology. 

"It has been wellsaid that forests precede mankind;deserts follow."The meaning is that if the increase in population in terribly high rate will continue in the same way  that would definitely lead to the destruction of forest resources in high rate and the rapid extension of desert land. 

The World Bank estimates that we need to increase the forest planting in a five-fold way to meet up the fuelwood demands in the year 2000,which at present is to be doubled. 

The President of the World Resources, James Speth said "we were saying that we are losing the forests at an acre a second, but it is much closer to acre - and-half to a second. " Deforestation spreads rapidly and it has severe impact on world ecology. 

So it has been well said that forests will disappear before the mankind and mankind will die in desert. 

The constitutional provisions for the safeguard of the natural resources:

Article 48A of the Indian Constitution

The Indian Constitution has the provision to safeguard the natural resources. In the article 48A of the Indian Constitution says, "the State shallendeavour to protect  and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country".

The shameful fact is that, though various factors are responsible, laws are never  respected or cated in the country like India.Thereby an endless anguish continues. There are many examples of such violations of law in India. They are casteism, untouchability and bonded labour which law can't prevent their florishing shamelessly?Even after forty four years of the operation of the Constitution still certain unlawful things are continued. 

In India a recent report  by our Parliament's Report  Committee highlighted the near catastrophic depletion of India's forests over the last four decades.

India, according to reliable data, losing its forests at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Large areas, officially designated as forest land, "are already virtually treeless".The actuall loss of forests zis estimated to be about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics. 

'A three- year study using satellites and aerial photography conducted by the United Nations, warns that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is critical in eighty-eight countries investigated'. 

The growth of world population increasing in a terrible rate is the major factor for deterioration and degradation of the planet's natural environment as well as social environment. 

Development itself becomes a best contraceptive now. When education spreads, health improves and income rises human fertility rate falls naturally. Thus development itself is the best contraceptive. But the terrible increase in population makes the present scenario quite opposite.

 

The growth of world population is the strongest factors for distorting the future of human society. 

A million years would take human being to reach the first billion, according to the 1800 century statistics. And probably, if this present rate of increase in population continues, the world population will be multiplied in each century.The present world population as the estimated data at the time of the article written was about 5.7 billion. Now in every four days the world population is increasing by one million. 

The changes in natural and social environment due to over-population:

The terrible growth in population in some developing countries creates a drastic changes in socio -economical environment. The rise of class inequality as the rich becomes more rich and poor becomes more poorer. In poorer section of society, due to high birth rate is more condemned to be poor. More children doesn't mean more workers, merely more people without work. Thus the high rate of increase in population  completely turn all kinds of development into nothingness.

 

The choice is really between the control of population and the perpetuation of poverty. 

The voluntary family planning is the only way to control the situation.It would be possible only through proper educational initiative without introducing any element of coercion. 

India has the population estimated to be 920 million  which is more at present. It is more than the entire population of Africa and South Africa put together. If this will be continued in suh a way it may be easily predictable that one day Indian people will die in hunger in their hutments. 

A transcending concern evolves as a result of the Green Revolution:

For the first time in human history a great concern is developed which has the transperancy that it can run from one generation to another generation naturally. 

The concern is not only about the survival of mankind but also for the survival of the planet.

The Green Revolution has taught us to follow a sustainable concept of development to protect and preserve the planet's ecology as well as the survival of the mankind. 

A new hope,in which we have to take part, to be played actively:

The environmental problem doesn't necessarily signal our demise, it is our passport for the future. We can now think and work with better understanding of our planet, actively, to safeguard our planet for the better survival in the future. It is like our passport or right to take initiative as much as we can do for better existence of the planet as well as the better survival of the human being on the planet. 

This is an emerging New World Vision which has introduced a new Era of Responsibility. 

"It is a holistic view, an ecological view, seeing the world as an integrated whole rather than a dissociated collection of parts." The Green Revolution has taught mankind that human being can't survive  without the survival of the planet. 

This era is the era of responsibility

Human being is to be more responsible now and onwards.Now human being has learnt to live with responsibility for the better survival of the mankind as well as the planet. 

"Industry  has a most crucial role to play in this new era of responsibility."

In this respect, it would be a great initiative if more businessman will agree with the view of the chairman of Du Pont, Mr. Edgar S. Woolard who declared himself as the company's " Chief Environmental Officer".He said, "Our continued existence as a leading manufacturer requires that we excel in environmental performance".

 

The most felicitous and decisive statement in current coin of English usage made by the once Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher was that, "No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life of tenacy -with a full repairing lease".

Mr Lester Brown's statement is that, " We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers;we have borrowed it from our children. "

Both the statement has the same implication that we are not the Lord of the planet but we are living a life by sharing our planet with all the living being on the planet. We have now learnt to live a life of a good stewardship. Because we are not inheriting our planet from our forefathers rather we are borrowing  our planet from our coming generation. We are responsible to handover our planet to the coming generation in the same state as we enjoy now at present. We have only the right,

to live in our planet as good tenant with all the power of repairing lease, as needed in any hour. 

Major question and answers:

1.What is the Green Movement? 

Answer:The Green Movement is the only movement which makes the human being conscious about to stop further degradation and deterioration of natural resources and the ecological balence of the planet. The Green Movement aims at creating a holistic and ecological view of the world. It is an unique revolution which has gripped the mind of the entire human race very quickly and which is still continuing. The first Green Party was formed in the Newzeeland twenty five years ago. Since then it has not looked back  .

 

2.What is the holistic and ecological view of the world? 

Answer:The Green Revolution has brought a revolutionary  change in the human thinking, that is from mechanistic to a holistic and ecological one. According to the holistic and ecological view, the earth is an enormous being having it's own metabolism and metabolic needs. The earth is considered as a living organism. So like a human body the earth has its own metabolism and vital processes which can work for the better health of the planet by itself. 

The ecological view is that man finds himself not as a disassociated part  of the planet rather he considers himself as a part of the planet.Now the revolutionary concern is that, the better survival of the planet is for the better survival of mankind. 

3.what is the concept of sustainable development? 

Answer:The concept of sustainable development is that, the "Development that meets the needs of the present without harming the needs of the future generation. "

It makes the human being conscious about the utilisation of the natural resources as much as judiciously as we can. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands are to be used judiciously without harming it's original qualities. The human being should keep in mind that, they have to handover the planet in the same state as they enjoy it at present. 

4.what is the "positive shift" in human thought that has brought by the Green Revolution? 

Answer:The "positive shift in human perceptions" is that human being has now begun to realise their misdeeds which caused so much degradation and deterioration of the natural environment of the planet. Human being has now changed his outlook that his survival depends on the better survival of the planet. That human being alone is not the master of the planet.He only shares the planet with other living beings. Human being along with the nature with all the living beings altogether constitutes the ecology of the planet. Human being should learn to live a sustainable life so that they could protect and preserve the planet's ecology for a better existence of the planet as well as the human being.Human being should learn to live like good steward by preserving the legacy of the future generation. The Green Revolution has brought this change in human mind for which they can convert  their role from a Lord to a responsible trustee. 

5.what is the cause of the collapse of fisheries? 

Answer:The increasing demand of hungry population in the protein conscious world leads to the over-fishing which has resulted the collapse of fisheries in a rapid way. Another reason is that the reduction of the natural habitats of fishes because of the unlawful occupation of wetlands for the industrial extension or residential extension by growing human population. The environmental pollution has also caused the destruction of fisheries. 

6.How are the 'local' and 'tropical' forests being decimated? 

Answer:The 'local' forests are decimated due excessive cutting of trees for the use of firewood for cooking. In the poorer countries the increasing demand of the increasing population for the use of fuel and firewood causes the destruction of the forests. 

Tropical Forests are also decimated  because of the deforestation and reduced natural extension. People in the adjacent areas use cow-dung as fuel for cooking deprives the soil of a most essential fertiliser which prevents the growth and extention of the forest lands. This leads to the extinction of the several species of animals. 

7.'Forests precede mankind;deserts fellow'. Explain this statement. 

Answer:The excessive felling of trees for the use of wood for various purposes, occupation of forests land for the use of industrial set up, extension of residential areas and the setting up of resorts and lodges leads to the destruction of forests land. If this kind of demands by the increasing population will continue for years this will definitely lead to the advancement of desert and forests will disappear before the mankind. 

8."Our grasslands are being converted into barren wastelands, and croplands deteriorate. "Justify this statement. 

Answer:The reducing areas of open grasslands leads to the over- grazing of animals converts into barren wastelands. The excessive application of fertilisers to increase the productivity to meet the demand of the growing population leads to the deterioration of the croplands. It effects the natural quality of lands  and productivity is being impaired.

 

9.How is the population explosion perpetuating poverty? 

Answer:The growth of world population is one of the strongest factorsfor 'distorting' the future of human society. Development in any kind becomes meaningless if the present increase in human population continues. Because it leads to the rise of economically unequal classes. The rich become more richer and the poor becomes more poorer. The birth rate in the poorer section of the society is high due to some misconceptions. That they think more children means more workers but in reality it means more people without work and food. So a choice is necessary for the human being that is,to adapt birth control measures or to  perpetuate poverty. 

10."No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life tenancy." Do you agree with the statement of Margaret Thatcher? 

Answer: Nani Palkhivala says no other statement is so perfectly and precisely explained like this statement of Margaret Thatcher. The statement makes it clear that human has no right to think himself as the Lord of the planet. He has to work like a responsible trustee of the legacy of the future generation. Already man had done a lot which causes so much degradation and deterioration of the planet's natural environment. But at present man should think about his earlier misdeeds and from now onwards he should work the better health of the planet. Man should learn to live a life of a good tenant as he has to handover the earth in its best position to the coming generation.

 

11.what signs reveal that the earth is a patient in declining health? 

Answer:The four principle biological systems in the world, the fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands which form the foundation of the global economic system are now reaching an unsustainable level. The human demands on these systems are increasing in such a high level that the present world environment is degrading and deteriorating. All these indicates that the earth is now an ailing planet. 

12.what are the principal biological systems of the earth and what is their importance? 

Answer:Mr Lester R. Brown in his thoughtful book, "The Global Prospect", points out that the earth's principal biological systems are four-fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. They form the foundation of the global economic system. 

They provide us food and raw materials for our industries  except minerals and petroleum derived synthetics. 

 

 

  

A Photograph Poem by Shirley Taulson

 About The Poet: Shirley Taulson

Shirley Taulson was born in 1924 in Henley-on-Thames., England. She took her career as a writer by her passion and influenced by her father, who was also a writer. She  got her education in English literature from the university of London. She was a journalist, editor and a local politician too.

She was mostly influenced by Celtic Christianity. Her major literary works such as 'Celtic Alternative' in 1987 and 'Celtic Year' in 1993 were based on the topic Celtic Christianity.

 

Her popular literary  works: 

The Drovers, 2008

Celtic Year,The Celtic l Year a Celebration of Celtic Christian Saints, Sites and Festivals, 2003

The Mendip Hills:A Threatened Landscape 

The Shadows in an Orchard 1960

About the poem 'A Photograph'

The poem is the poet's tribute to her mother. It is a dysphoric poem, which captures three different mood of the poet in three different stanzas. 

The poem describes three stages of the passage of time of the poet.

The first stanza describes about an old photograph of the poet's  mother. In that photograph the poet's mother, along with her two cousins, holding each of the poet's mother's hand by each side were paddling. They smiled  through their hair and paused before their uncle's camera. The surfing of the sea washed their bare mortal feet. They were enjoying a holiday on sea-beach. The old photograph was a memory of the poet of her late mother. The sea in the photograph was same as ever but the poet's mother was no more.

The first stanza is the poet's remembrance of her mother by looking at her old photograph. 

The 'big girl'in the photograph was the poet's mother.She was then a twelve years old girl.The photograph showed she had a sweet face.It was the time before the poet was born. 

The first stanza deals with the passage of time. The photograph holds the sweet memories alive of the poet's mother. The uncle's camera captured the jolly moments of her mother. The camera had also captured the sea which is still seen unchanged, only the poet's mother was no more. 

The first stanza deals with a genuine truth that is nature is more permanent and long lasting then  human life. Another fact is that the mortality of human being or the mutability of time. The photograph was then mere a 'cardboard' and that could hold the memories of the poet's mother alive ,though temporarily. Time's cruel hand will destroy the cardboard also. So everything on earth is temporary and undergo changes by time. 

                    

The second stanza is describing a different stages of time. The poet's mother was then a twenty or thirty years old a middle aged woman. The poet remembered how her mother laughed at looking her own photograph. The poet's mother became nostalgic by remembering her old happy days. She remembered her innocent young days. She remembered her two cousins-Betty and Dolley and laughed at by pointing to their dresses. The poet's mother remembered how were they so innocent that they could not even dressed up properly without the guidance of their parents.

The poet's mother recalled that moment with repentance that she had lost her carefree days which she couldn't get back again. The poet also repented for the absence of her mother that she couldn't see her mother's laughter again as many years had passed of her death. 

Both the poet and the mother had lost something. For the poet's mother, sea-holiday was her past and for the poet, her mother's laughter was her past. 

Both the poet and the mother had learnt to compromise their loss with ease. Both they were exhausted with their feeling of loss.The mother had lost her sea- holiday and the poet had lost her mother. 

The poet's memory became alive by remembering the mother's laughter. 

                           

In the third stanza the poet says that many years have passed of her physical death. The poet knows  nothing about the other two cousins wheather they are alive or not. 

The poet says about the circumstances which is the life without her mother, because of her death . The poet was unable to express her feelings in words, which was the absence the poet bore after the death of her mother. And it was the silence that speaks for itself and nothing else.

Poetic devices used in the poem:

The poet uses certain poetic devices to bring out some poetic effect in the poem.

Allusion:

In the first stanza the word 'cardboard' is an allusion. An allusion is a reference, an incidental mention of something directly or by implication. The word cardboard actually means the photograph. The ironical implication is that the photograph or the cardboard is also an object  to be gone destroyed in the cruel hand of time just like the death of the poet's mother. 

Alliteration:

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial letter, generally a consonant letter in several words which makes a stressed syllable. Example from the poem-'stood still to smile'

'Terribly Transient'

'It's silence silences' etc. 

Transferred Epithet:

It is a description that refers to a character or event but is used to describe a different situation or character.

 Example from the poem:'transient feet'-which refers to human feet, but it implies the Transitoriness of human life. 

Oxymoron:

It is a literary device in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. 

Example from the poem: 'laboured ease'. The word 'laboured' means with great difficulty.And the word 'ease' means comfortably.The two word jointly means more. 

Personification:

When a human quality is attributed to an Inanimate object it is called personification. In this poem the word 'silence' is personified. It means silence can speak out for itself a lot. 

Questions and  answers:-

1.What does the word 'cardboard' denote in the poem? Why has this word been used? 

Ans:-The word 'cardboard' denotes the  photograph of the poet's mother which is hung on the wall. 

The photograph was then mere a cardboard as the figure in the photograph, who was the poet's mother, was a dead person. The cardboard literally means a hard, thick paper which had been used to keep the photograph intact. But the cardboard would also be destroyed  gradually by time. 

The word cardboard is used in an ironical sense. The cardboard which preserved the photograph of the poet's mother and could hold her memory alive for sometime, itself would be an object of decay and destruction.Time's cruel hand would spare none. Like her mother in the photograph,though the photograph would be able to represent her memory for a period of time, would itself be  vanished in course of  time. 

2.What has the camera captured? 

Ans:-The uncle's camera has captured the cheerful images of the poet's mother along with her two cousin sisters when they went for a sea-holiday. . While taking the photograph all the three girls were standing with smile through their hair and their bare feet were washed by the sea-waves of the sea. The uncle's camera has captured their pretty and jolly images and the sea in the background very successfully. 

3.What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you? 

Ans:-The sea in the photograph hasn't changed over the years. But the poet's mother was no more. Many years have been passed of her death. The poet declares a truth through her lines, that, nature and it's objects are  more permanent then human life.

4.The poet's mother laughed at her snapshot.What did this laugh indicate? 

Ans:-The laughter of the mother at seeing her own photograph indicates her nostalgic remembrance of her past. She laughed at by pointing out to their dresses that how their parents dressed them up for the sea-holiday. Her mother laughed at  their funny dresses and remembered their innocence. Now the poet's mother discovered the fact that all three were quite innocent. 

5.What is the meaning of the line, 'Both wry with the laboured ease of loss'? 

Ans:-Both the poet and the mother were suffered from a loss which they tried to accept as a normalcy in life. The poet's mother, who was then a middle aged woman ,had lost her carefree childhood days. And the poet had lost her mother's laughter which was then a memory to the poet as her mother was dead. 

This is a poetic device employed by the poet which is called Oxymoron. When the  two word implies two opposite meaning altogether to creat a sense of a deeper understanding of a certain truth is called oxymoron. Example from the poem is the use of the phrase 'laboured ease '. 

6.what does 'this circumstance' refer to? 

Ans:-'This circumstances' refers to a situation which occurs due to the poet's suffering from absence because of the death of the mother. 

7.The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they? 

Ans:-The poen 'A Photograph' depicts three different phases of the poet. The first phase is the poet's remembrance of the mother by looking at her photograph.It was taken before the poet was born. The photograph was a snapshot of a sea-holiday, enjoyed by a twelve years young girl who was the poet's mother, with her two cousins sister on a sea beach. 

The poet also sees a deeper truth that human life is short whereas the sea in the photograph remains the same. The photograph, the poet calls it a cardboard as it became a memory of her mother only. 

The second phase is the poet's reminiscences of her mother after twenty or thirty years later. The poet's mother was then a middle aged woman.The poet remembers how her mother laughed by pointing out at her own snapshot. The poet remembered her mother laughed at how funnily they dressed for the sea- holiday. The poet remembered how her mother became nostalgic about her carefree childhood days. At that moment the poet suffered for the absence of her mother. Both the poet and the mother tried to comfort themselves with much pain for what the time had taken away from both of them. 

The third phase is about the 'circumstances', which is the suffering of the poet because of the absence of the mother and the poet's inability to express it in words.The only thing the poet could do was to remain silent. The silence itself would speak out the poet's feelings and nothing else. 

8.What does the phrase 'transient feet' signifies in the context of the poem? 

Ans:The word 'transient' implies the temporariness or mortal. The bare feet of the three girls and their pretty faces , which were washed by the sea-waves showed in the photograph are the objects of mortality. Whereas the sea in the photograph will remain unchanged for years or remained as same even after the death of her mother. A comparison is created between the mortal feet of the three girls and the sea, that the nature is more permanent and long lasting than the human being. 

  

                       

'The Voice of The Rain' by Walt Whitman

 

Whitman's Poem

The Voice of The Rain

About the poet:

Walt Whitman is the significant writer of the 19th century American literature. He is considered as the greatest American poet in the 19th century.

 The renaissance of American literature begins with his writings as a poet. Free verse in poetry was introduced by him for the first time in American Literature. 

His book on poetry "Leaves of Grass" Is considered as the masterpiece of American Literature, first published by himself in 1855 with twelve poems. 

Whitman was born on May 31 1819, in Long Island, New York.

He died on March 26, 1892,camden, New Jersey. 

His family moved to Brooklyn and the poet Whitman lived there almost 40 years of his life.

Walt Whitman had limited formal education. He attended Public ko in Brooklyn. At the age of 12 Whitman had to earn his livelihood to support his family. He became an apprentice printer in Brooklyn, a teacher in a rural school in Long Island and  became a journalist later on. 

Whitman worked as a reporter, wrote stories and himself delivered his own founded local newspaper. He became the editor of Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1840 and his political views were aligned with the Free Soil Party, the upstart of that time. His writings were of no literary importance at that time. 

In 1850 , Whitman frequently went to the theatre and highly influenced by William Shakespeare's poetry. From then Whitman started writing poems on nature and on some subject matter of his daily experience. 

Walt Whitman self-published his book on poetry "Leaves of Grass" , contains only twelve poems, all the poems are untitled and there is no author's name. The poems are more like  prose then poetry. Throughout his life  Whitman worked and expanded his book "Leaves of Grass" , and produced ninth editions. In 1892, his year of death the ninth edition was published. 

The poems of the "Leaves of Grass" were highly appreciated and encouraged by the poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. The poems were not acclaimed any literary reputation in his lifetime due to controversial subject-matters, but achieved high recognition after his death.

Walt Whitman introduced a new trends of Free Verse in his poetry for which his "Leaves of Grass" was considered as a monumental work in American literature. 

The Voice of The Rain :Summary

The poet's dialogue with the rain:

The poem "The Voice of the Rain" is a dialogue between the poet and the rain. The poet asks the soft-falling shower, "who art thou? ".The rain gives him an answer which is a strange experience for the poet . The poet hears that answer and translates it into a verse form for his reader. 

The poet hears the voice of the rain:

It is a strange experience for the poet that the rain, which is a natural phenomenon, can give  him reply like a human being. The poet hears the rain's reply in his deepest core of his heart and feels the urgency to deliver it to the reader into his own language. 

The poet translates the answer of the rain into his own language and presents it to us in the form of a poem.

The poet's explanation of the rain's answer in his own verse:

The rain replies to the poet that she is the poem of the earth and she borns out of the "bottomless sea"of the earth, rises invisibly in the form of vapour, upward to the sky where it takes a vague form cloud and again comes back to it's own origin in the form of shower. The rain herself tells the poet that she hasn't changed by her original quality which remained  unchanged . She has changed only  her form in the sky.

The rain performs it's duty towards the planet:

 The rain, while descending to the earth,laves away all kinds of  impurities in the air, taken away the drought of the soil, makes it fertile and helps in germinating the seeds, laying hidden under the soil. The poet says without rain the seeds would remain unborn. 

The rain has rejuvenated the soil on the earth.The seeds laying hidden under the soil starts germinating, otherwise the seeds remain unborn and lay hidden under the soil. So, the poet says the rain makes the planet green and pure. 

The rain -a scientific cyclical pattern explained in a verse form:

The rain is a scientific cyclical pattern, a natural phenomenon, of the planet. The water bodies of the earth evaporated by the heat of the sun and rises upward "impalpable" In the form of vapour to the sky and there it takes the form of the cloud.After wandering for sometime in the sky When it cools down it comes down to the earth as rain.

The rain nourishes the earth:

The rain gives life back to the earth. It washes away all kinds of impurities from the air and makes the soil fertile for sprouting  the latent seeds that the whole natural environment becomes clean, pure and green.

Thus the rain performs it's duty eternally to make the whole planet green and pure. 

The rain is the song of the earth:

The rain is the song of the earth. As the poetry is the expression of the poet the rain is the expression of the earth. The poetry or the music  nourishes the creator, just like that the rain nourishes the earth.In that sense the poet makes a comment on the role of the rain that it originates from the earth and again comes back to the earth to nourishes and nurture the earth.This process is continued day and night, eternally, without caring of being noticed or unnoticed. The poet explains it as an unique role of the rain towards the planet. 

The rain and song: a parallelism:

The poet draws a parallelism between the song and rain. As the song or music soothes and nourishes the mankind the rain does also performs the same duty towards the planet earth. The rain makes the whole planet green and pure.

The last two lines of the poet are the the poet's observations and comments on the unique identity of the rain:

The last two lines are put in brackets by the poet, which is the poet's own comment on the rain. The poet has given the rain an unique identity, a personified figure, to elaborate it's cyclical functions on earth which has the scientific explanations.

The rain as a responsible entity:

The poet has brought out the image of the rain as a responsible entity who performs many responsible functions towards it's origin.The poet here presents us an image of a responsible child to a mother. 

The rain is the poem of the earth. 

The rain gives back life to the earth. 

The rain cleanse the air and makes the soil fertile. 

The rain helps to germinate the seeds hidden under the soil. 

The rain makes the planet green and beautiful. 

Without rain all these are not happened. 

The rain nourishes the planet, like the poetry to the mankind:

The rain is the song of the earth, as it is the expression of the earth.The rain nourishes the planet as the song or the poem nourishes the mankind. Day and night the rain does it's duty without being cared or noticed. 

The role of the rain towards the planet:

The rain does fertile the land helps the seeds  to sprout and grow into plants. Without the rain the seeds which lay "unborn" under the soil, wouldn't germinate. 

The rain performs it's duty responsibly:

Thus  the rain has fulfilled it's duty towards the earth from where it is born, makes the earth green and beautiful. 

The Theme of the poem:

The poet establishes the unique  quality of the rain through his poem that the rain performs it's duty with utmost responsibility and makes the planet green and pure. 

The poet establishes the fact that the rain has the ethical obligations to it's origin- that it gives back life to the earth. Though there is a scientific reason of it's occurance on the earth the poet explains the rain as an unique entity who performs it's duty continuously, ignoring whoever care it or not.

 The poet deals with an unique subject, that is, there is a similarity between the poetry and the rain as  both of them are the expression of the  creator, preforms the same duty that is to nourish and nurture. As the poetry nourishes and nurtures the mind of the mankind the rain nourishes and nurtures the earth similarly. 

The poetic devices used in the poem:

Personification:

The poet has imagined the rain as a personified figure and asks a question . The rain answers to the poet like a human being and the poet hears it in the deepest core of his heart. 

Lines from the poem:

"Who art thou? "

"I am the Poem of Earth"

"Eternal I rise... ..... "

Metaphor:

The poet makes a comparison of rain with the Poem. It is a metaphorical use of  comparison between two objects in which qualities are transferred with each other. 

"I am the Poem of Earth"

The rain is like the poem of the earth as the rain and the poem both have the same impact on mankind. 

Hyperbole:

The poet use the exaggerated phrases to create the poetic impact. 

"bottomless sea" Is the example of hyperbole. 

Oxymoron:

The poet uses some contradictory terms to imply a deep poetic impact. 

Examples from the poem:

"day-night", "reck'd and unreck'd".

Paradox: 

The poet in his poem presents seemingly opposite situation. The rain which originates from the water bodies of the earth can gives back life to it's own origin. Example:

" I give back life to my own origin".

Parallelism:

The poet draws a parallelism between rain and song. 

("For song,........ ") 

The rain and song both have the same qualities that is to nourish and entertain. 

Imagery:

The poet presents rain as a gentle figure and an unique entity. The lines which shows this imageries:

" I rise impalpable out of the land...... "

"I descend to lave the droughts.......... 

Major questions and answers:

1.There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate this? 

Ans:-The two voices in the poem are, the voice of the poet and the voice of the rain. 

"Who art thou? " is the voice of the poet. The questions to the rain about it's identity. And last two lines in the bracket are also the voice if the poet. 

("For song, issuing from it's birth-place, after fulfillment, wandering/Reck'd Or Unreck'd, fully with returns.) is the poet's observations and comments on the rain. 

2.What does the phrase "strange" to tell mean? 

Ans:-The poet hears the answer of his question from the rain, which is a strange fact as the rain an inanimate object,gives him reply like a human being. 

3.There is a parallel between the rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two. 

Ans:-The poet draws a parallel between the rain and the music. The lines which indicate this are:

"I am the Poem of the Earth"- here the rain is compared with a poem or a music as the raining is like a soft music. 

(" For song, ----------with love returns".) -here is the poet's comment on the role of the rain as the rain soothes mankind with soft music of rain and nourishes and nurtures the planet.

 

The draws a parallelism between the rain and music. The poet calls the rain as soft falling shower, which is like a soft melody. Just like the rain the music has also the soothing impact on mankind.

 The rain comes back to the earth as soft falling shower which soothes and rejuvenate the infertile soil and taken away the drought of the earth.The rain nourishes the planet and makes the planet green and pure.

 The music also soothes and nourishes the mind of the mankind which makes the human being spiritually alive and makes more productive. 

4.How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learnt in science. 

Ans:-The poet has perfectly versed the cyclic movement of rain. The poet uses a poetical sense in explaining the cyclical pattern of rain in the form of the voice of the rain. In the rain's voice the poet explains that the rain is the poem of the earth which rises from the water bodies from the earth and rises invisibly to the sky, forms cloud, and after wandering sometime in the sky,again comes back  to lave the droughts, atomic and dust-layers of the earth and makes the soil fertile which helps germinating the seeds hidden under the soil.The poet says in the voice of the rain that without it the seeds will remain latent and unborn. The rain has been performing it's duty eternally day and night to make the planet green and beautiful. 

5.Why are the last two lines put within brackets? 

Ans:-The poet puts the last two lines in the brackets because in these lines the poet makes comments after the observations of the functions played by the rain towards the planet. The whole poem is the translated version of the rain's reply into the poet's own language. 

6.List the pair of opposites found in the poem. 

Ans:-The pair of opposite words in the poem are:

day and night, 

Reck'd and Unreck'd. 

7.Write the prose form of the sentences from the poem below. 

1.And  who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower. 

2.I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain. 

3.Eternal I rise

4.For song........... duly with love returns. 

Answers:

1.The poet asks the soft-falling shower who she is. 

2.The rain replies to the poet that she is the Poem of the Earth. 

3.The rain says that she rises from the earth eternally. 

4.The rain rises from the earth for the song for soothing and nourishing the planet and to return it's love to the earth.