Chapter 1.1 Past, Present, Future
Textbook Questions and Answers
1. Read the poem aloud using proper rhythm and intonation.
Question 1.
Read the poem aloud using proper rhythm and intonation.
2. Link the items in the three columns properly.
Question 1.
Link the items in the three columns properly.
Answer:
A | B | C |
The past | A soft and mild autumn evening | A pleasant time which has ended |
The present hour | A green and flowery spray where a young bird sits | A time, full of life in which you gather strength |
The future | A sea beneath a cloudless sun | An exciting, thrilling time which has no end |
3. Find the meaning of the following words.
thee, mournfully, spray, mighty
Question 1.
Find the meaning of the following words.
thee, mournfully, spray, mighty
Answer:
- thee – you (archaic/old usage)
- mournfully – sadly
- spray – a flowering branch
- might – physical strength
4. WrIte the adjectives that are used to describe the following.
evening, spray, sea
Question 1.
Write the adjectives that are used to describe the following.
Answer:
- evening – soft, mild
- spray – green, flowery
- sea – mighty, glorious, dazzling
5. Write one line about each of the following with the help of the poem.
Question 1.
Wind in the autumn evening
Answer:
It sighs expressing sadness.
Question 2.
Young bird on the spray.
Answer:
Sits on the flowery branch gathering all its physical and mental strength to explore the blue sky.
Question 3.
The Sea.
Answer:
Vast is the sea beneath the cloudless sun and as it stretches endlessly, it displays might, glorious and dazzling beauty.
6. Language Study:
A simile Is an imaginative comparison of two different things which have something in common. A simile always includes the words ‘as’ or ‘like’. For example: as tall as a tree, as lovely as a flower A metaphor is an imaginative expression that refers to someone/something as another person/thing. It shows thai the person or thing has some quality of that other person or thing. The words ‘as’ or ‘like’ are not used in a metaphor. For example : He is a gem of a person. Time is money. Books are our friends. The clouds are white sheep.
There are three metaphors in the poem. Can you find them?
Answer:
The three metaphors are:
Question i.
‘What is the past like to thee?
An autumn evening soft and mild’
Answer:
Here the past is compared to an autumn evening.
Question ii.
’Tell me, what is the present hour?
A green and flowery spray.’
Answer:
Here the present is compared to a green and flowery spray.
Question iii.
’And what is the future, happy one?
A sea beneath a cloudless sun.’
Answer:
Here the present is compared to a sea beneath a cloudless sun.
Additional Important Questions and Answers
Answer the following questions:
Question 1.
What is the central idea of the poem?
Answer:
The central idea of the poem is the child’s definition of different periods of time which is presented in the form of a dialogue between the poetess and the child.
Question 2.
What does the past stand for according to the child?
Answer:
According to the child, the past was a pleasant time but they are moments which cannot be revisited as they would never return back.
Question 3.
How does the child define the present time?
Answer:
For the child, the present is a time where he/she
prepares for the future which is unknown, but also exciting so it is the time to gather strength.
Question 4.
How is the present moment viewed with optimism by the child?
Answer:
The child compares the present time to a green and flowery branch on which a bird is all set to take off and explore the unlimited possibilities which awaits it.
This tells us that the present is something which is viewed with optimism by the child as he believes that once we gather strength, nothing is impossible.
Question 5.
How do you define time?
Answer:
According to me, time is the most precious gift we possess. It is up to us to make utmost use of it. We should plan and prioritise to make use of most of the time in hand.
How true is the Estonian proverb!
“Wasting time is robbing oneself”
Reading Skills and Poetic Device
Read the following extract and do the activities.
Simple Factual Questions:
Question 1.
Fill in the blanks with any four describing words from the extract.
Answer:
Question 2.
Choose the correct alternative and complete the sentence:
For the child in the poem the past was
i. a pleasant time.
ii. an unpleasant experience.
Answer:
For the child in the poem the past was a pleasant time.
Complex Factual Questions:
Question 1.
What is the theme of the poem?
Answer:
The theme of the poem is about time and the child’s definition about the different periods of time.
Question 2.
How is this poem presented?
Answer:
This poem is presented as a dialogue between the poetess and a happy child.
Question 3.
What is the one characteristic of the past? Which is emphasised in the poem?
Answer:
One characteristic of the past which is emphasised in the poem is that we can never go back to it.
Question 4.
How should we make use of the present time?
Answer:
We should make use of the present time by using it to gather strength and courage to face the future.
Poetic Device:
Rewrite the Metaphors as Similes:
Question 1.
The past is an autumn evening soft and mild.
Answer:
The past is like an autumn evening soft and mild.
Question 2.
The present is a green and flowery spray.
Answer:
The present is like a green and flowery spray.
Question 3.
The future is a sea beneath a cloudless sun.
Answer:
The future is like a sea beneath a cloudless sun.
Question 4.
Give the rhyme scheme of the first stanza.
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the first stanza is (a b a c).
Question 5.
Name and explain the figures of speech.
With a wind that sighs mournfully
Answer:
Personification – Wind is given human qualities,
Question ii.
What the past is like to thee?
‘An Autumn evening soft and mild.
Answer:
Simile – Direct comparison of past with an autumn evening.
Formative Assessment
Question 1.
Complete the following stanza to compose a poem on the topic:
The time gone by…….
Introduction:
Past, Present, Future written by Emily Bronte is a dialogue between the poetess and a happy child. They discuss what each period of time means to the child, a child with the ability to see beauty and optimism around it.
Summary in English
The poetess Emily Bronte begins the poem by asking a happy child what the past is like to him/ her. In response the child compares the past as an autumn evening which is soft and mild with a sad wind sighing in the background.
In response to the query about the present hour the child compares it to the pleasant green and flowery branch wherein a young bird gathers courage and power to mount and fly above the blue sky. In other words the child finds the present filled with hope, courage and aspiration to scale great heights; the time to gather strength.
On being asked about the future the child compares it with a sea under a cloudless sun, a sea which is mighty, glorious, dazzling and never ending. Through these words the child implies about the thrilling and never ending possibilities which awaits for him/her.
Glossary:
- autumn (n) – the season which follows summer when leaves fall from the trees
- mild (adj) – not severe or not very harsh
- mournfully (adv) – with sad feelings
- spray (n) – a flowering branch
- mount (n) – to ascend, get ready for take off
- glorious (adj) – marvellous
- dazzling (adj) – extremely bright
- stretching (v) – to be made longer
- infinity (n) – endlessness
- sighs (v) – to let out a long breath slowly to express sadness
- thee (pro) – you
- mighty (adj) – possessing great power or strength; very powerful
- beneath (prep) – under