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Question
The title, 'Refugee Blues' encapsulates the theme of the poem. Comment.
Solution
Blues are African-American forms of ballads that originated by the end of the 19th century. They primarily are melancholic and sad and can be called as “the sad black slave's songs”. In this Blue Ballad, Auden narrates the suffering of the Jews by Nazis, their persecution, the holocaust, the concentration camps, the rise of Fuhrer, and Nazism. The poem revolves around a Jewish couple who escaped Nazi Germany and emigrated to the United States of America. These refugees now sing this Blue talking of their agony and pain that they have nowhere to go to.
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Life is a gift to be used every day,
Not to be smothered and hidden away,
It isn’t a thing to be stored in the chest
Where you gather your keepsakes and treasure your best;
It isn’t a joy to be sipped now and then
And promptly put back in a dark place again
Life is a gift that the humblest may boast of
And one that the humblest may well make the most of
Get out and live it each hour of the day,
Wear it and use it as much as you may,
Don’t keep it in niches and corners and grooves,
You’ll find that in service its beauty improves.
(1) What do we treasure in a chest?
(2) How does the poet went us to use the gift of life?
(3) Do you agree that life should be measured un deeds and not in years? Why?
(4) Which words in the poem mean the following :
(a) Kept from developing
(b) Hollow places in a wall
(5) Life is a gift to be used every day. [Name and explain the figure of speech]
It was her determination that helped Helen Keller get admission to Radcliffe College. Comment.
Answer any two of the following questions in about 30‒40 words:
(a) How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
(b) Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in 'Keeping Quiet'?
(c) What are the difficulties that aunt Jennifer faced in her life?
Answer any four of the following question in 30 – 40 words each:
(a) ''What a thunderclap these words were to me!'' (Franz). What were those words and what was their effect of Franz?
(b) Why did Douglas fail to come to the surface of the pool as he hoped to?
(c) What was Kamala Das's childhood fear?
(d) How is the Earth a source of life when all seems dead on it? Keeping Quiet)
(e) How does Mr. Lamb react when Derry enters his garden?
(f) Which problem did the Maharaja face when he had killed seventy tigers? How did he solve it?
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary – minimum four) and a format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it.
A1 Web :
Complete the following web with the help of the passage :
My dictionary tells me that personality is the “Personal or individual quality that makes one person be different and act differently from another.” Personality is, “the total physical, intellectual and emotional structure of an individual, including abilities, interests, and attitudes.”
There are many benefits to having a pleasant personality. There is only one opportunity to make a first impression, and all of us instinctively make decisions or judgments about an individual within the first few seconds of crossing paths. With that in mind, I believe when we teach our kids to smile, to be pleasant and cheerful, to be courteous and respectful of others, to pleasantly respond to requests or questions, we are helping them develop a personality that will open many doors for them. Once the doors are opened, the character will keep them open; but personality, not character, is on display in the first few seconds. Therefore, it’s important to develop a pleasant personality and use it for life.
A2 Personality :
Personality of an individual is recognized by :
(i) _______ (ii) _______
(iii) _______ (iv) _______
A3 Vocabulary :
Find out words for the following from the passage and write:
(i) polite =
(ii) relating to feelings =
(iii) to do anything naturally without thinking =
(iv) a chance to do something =
A4 Complete the following table :
| Noun | Adjective | Adverb |
| – | different | differently |
| Instinct | – | instinctively |
Select any word from the table and use it meaningfully in a sentence of your own.
A5 Personal Response :
Why do you thing, personality development is necessary?
Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Do you think that the ruled always adopts the language of the ruler?
Discuss the following in pairs
Behind the public face of the people in various occupations is a whole saga of personal suffering and joy which they wish to share with others.
Suggest a few instances in the poem which highlight humour and irony.
How does 'A Kondh Song' substantiate the tribal urge to gain domination over time by conversing with their dead ancestors?
Say WHY. . . . . .
Ramanujan had to be hospitalized.
Write a conversation between a donkey and a school boy.
Complete the following sentence with reference to the passage:
He realised that making the body suffer was not ____________.
Recite the poem with proper rhythm and intonation.
Prepare a table to show 'Caesar’s Pranks' at home and outside.
Find out how the following game is played.
Hockey
Identify the character or speaker.
What a trouble must I have been to you then!
Tackling the Issues
Ask the class to discuss solutions to an issue that plagues contemporary society at large or just your community—for example, homelessness, violence, environmental degradation, hunger.
Half the class should mention idealistic solutions to the chosen issue; the other half should mention only realistic approaches to solving the problem.
See if, in listening to both sides, someone can come up with a proposal that is both realistic and unconventional—an idea that hasn't been tried yet.
Everyone in the ship started to pray because ______.
Identify the speaker/character.
Don't worry, Madam, it's only a warning.
What did Raj buy?
Gulliver was the captain of the ship.
The pit was comfortable for the wild boar to sleep in.
Vicky wanted a ______ to do all his work.
Fill in the blank
He is rich ______ he looks simple.
What did the grandfather announce?
Write the word with same meaning.
purse- ______
Before going to bed that night, Chris gave his new teacher a ______.
What did the boy wonder about?
