Unit 3.4 The Will to Win
Question 1.
Get into pairs, discuss and tick the most appropriate answer :
(a) You may have lost the match; but
(i) It is important that you start fighting with your opponent.
(ii) It is important to have the will to win.
(iii) It is important that you blame the organizers for the rough ground.
Answer:
(ii) It is important to have the will to win.
(b) Success is always measured by :
(i) Ability to pounce upon at the opponent and fight with full force.
(ii) Match-fixing before the match begins.
(iii) Ability to bounce back after a fall.
Answer:
(c) The ability to bounce back after a fall.
(c) For attaining success; we need to :
(i) Sleep day in and day out and dream about success.
(ii) Scheme out things to make the opponent fall.
(iii) Work hard day and night for it.
Answer:
(c) Work hard day and night for it.
Question 2.
How can we achieve success in life? Complete the boxes by filling the essential qualities required for achieving success.
Answer:
Question 3.
Discuss and write 5 proverbs/quotations related to the importance of having a strong will-power.
(a) ………………………………..
(b) ………………………………..
(c) ………………………………..
(d) ………………………………..
(e) ………………………………..
Answer:
(a) Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
(b) If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
(c) The truest wisdom is a resolute determination. -Napoleon Bonaparte
(d) Nothing is impossible. -Napoleon Bonaparte
(e) Determination is the key to success.
Question 4.
Complete the following table.
Make a list of great personalities of present and past who have achieved success in different walks of life. You can take help of your school library or search on the internet.
Politics | Social work | Sports | Music |
Answer:
Politics | Sports | Social Work | Music |
Abraham Lincoln
|
Michael Jordan
|
Medha Patkar
|
Ravindra Jain
|
Question 1.
(A) In order to achieve success the poet wants us to
(a) ………………………………..
(b) ………………………………..
(c) ………………………………..
Answer:
(a) go out and fight for it
(b) work day and night for it
(c) give up time, peace and sleep for ft.
(B) Write as many phrases as you can using ‘enough’ and use them in your sentences.
Example : good enough
Answer:
(1) hard enough : If you work hard enough, you will be rewarded.
(2) bold enough : He was not bold enough to realise his ambitions.
(3) fast enough : He was not fast enough to understand the joke at his expense.
(4) strong enough : The little bird was still not strong enough to fly away on its own.
(5) reasonable enough : The price seemed reasonable enough; yet I hesitated to buy It.
(C) What does the word ‘Scheme’ mean here ? Choose the correct alternative from the following.
(a) Housing colony
(b) Goal in life
(c) Rhyme pattern
(d) Plan of action
Answer:
(d) plan of action
(D) Do you think the line ‘Give up your time and your peace and your sleep for it’ means that one should be ‘desperate’ or restless’ to achieve one’s goal. Explain your opinion, in your notebook.
Answer:
No. If you are ‘desperate’, you might take unnecessary risks to achieve your goal. If you are ‘restless’, you will have no peace of mind. What the poet means by losing ‘time’. ‘peace’ and sleep’ means spending many hours working hard to gain one’s objectives and to continually keep on thinking about it until it is achicvcd.
(E) Following lines are given to you. Find their appropriate meanings after discussing with your partner.
(a) To go out and fight for it.
(b) If you gladly sweat for, fret for and plan for it.
(c) Lose all your terror of opposition for it.
(d) With all your capacity, strength and sagacity.
Answer:
(a) to try one’s best and struggle hard in order to achieve something.
(d) making full use of all your capabilities, power and wisdom.
(c) sweat for it, fret for and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it
(d) to try one’s best and struggle hard in order to achieve something.
(F) Read the poem again and complete the web showing all those things that can turn one away from ones efforts towards a goal.
Answer:
(G) Find the lines from the poem which mean-
(a) become crazy for the goal
(b) toil hard happily
(c) get rid of all fears
(d) make efforts continuously
(e) extremely poor condition
Answer:
(a) if you are mad enough for it
(b) gladly sweat
(c) work day and night
(d) If neither cold poverty, famish or gaunt,
Question 2.
The poet has mentioned some hurdles in the poem that keep us away from achieving our goal in our life. Discuss with your partner and make a list of all the hurdles mentioned in the poem.
- sickness
Answer:
- or sickness or pain
Question 3.
The poem explicitly describes some strengths and weaknesses with the help of some words and phrases. The poet wants us to possess all the strengths and keep away from all the weaknesses. Make a list of all the words and phrases showing Strengths in table A and Weaknesses in table B. One is done for you.
A Strengths | B Weaknesses |
Work day and night | Sickness |
Answer:
A (Strengths) | B (Weaknesses) |
capacity, strength, sagacity
|
cold poverty
|
Question 4.
Listen to the poem carefully and state whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
(a) If you want a thing you should not give up your sleep.
(b) You should be afraid of your opposition.
(c) Cold or poverty cannot keep you away from achieving your goal.
(d) You can achieve your goal with the help of God.
(e) Life will not seem useless and worthless without achieving your goal.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) False
(c) True
(d) True
(e) False
Question 5.
Form pairs and complete the web with suitable responses. Tell the class what all things the poet wants us to do to win.
Answer:
Question 6.
Match the phrases in table A with lines of the poem given in table B.
Phrases | Lines |
(1) Toil hard (2) Get rid of all (3) Extremely poor condition (4) Need desperately | (a) If you want a thing bad enough… (b) If neither cold or poverty, famished (c) To work day and night for it. (d) Lose all your terror of the opposition for it. |
Answer:
‘A’ (Phrases) | ‘B,’ (Lines) |
(1) Toil hard | (b) If neither cold or poverty, famished |
(2) Get rid of all | (c) To work day and night for it. |
(3) Extremely poor condition…. | (d) Lose all your terror of the opposition for it. |
(4) Need desperately | (a) If you want a thing bad enough |
Question 7.
Every stanza begins with word ‘if’. How does it add to the effectiveness of the poem?
Answer:
Without the word ‘if’, the poem would remain as a simple statement of rules for success. By beginning each stanza with the word ‘if’, first of all, the poet implies that every human being has the choice of wanting to be successful in life. This is a more effective way of expression. Also by using the word ‘if’, he puts forward the conditions that will determine success in any sphere.
Question 8.
(A) In poetry, when words/ideas are arranged in an ascending order of importance, the figure of speech used is called ‘Climax’.
For example, Man should work for his family, his country, but most of all for God.
Pick out two examples of ‘Climax’ from the poem.
Answer:
(a) to go out and fight for it, work day and night for it, give up your time and your peace and your sleep for it
(b) … sweat for it, fret for and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it …
(B) When some words, in the line of the poem, express the same idea in different ways, the figure of speech used is ‘Tautology’.
For example, . . . happy and joyful.
. . . motionless and still.
Pick out two examples of ‘Tautology’ from the poem.
Answer:
… neither cold poverty, famish
The words ‘poverty’ and ‘famish’ imply almost the same human physical condition.
(C) Pick out one example of the following Figures of Speech.
(1) Antithesis : ………………………
(2) Alliteration : ………………………
(3) Repetition : ………………………
Answer:
(1) Work day and night for it.
(2) … of body and brain
(3) … or sickness or pain
Question 9.
Work in group and prepare and present a speech on ‘How to Achieve Success.’
Answer:
How to Achieve Success
Friends,
I, Ajai Chitnis, do not hold with those who say, ‘Success is only for the privileged few!’ In my opinion, any and everyone can achieve success. All that is required is belief in one’s potential and a few rules of thumb in order to be a winner.
First of all you must have a goal. In order to reach that goal, you must have the necessary education and skills. For this you have to study or train. Then you have to look for opportunities. Life presents choices. You have to make the right choice. Having made the right choice, you must work hard to edge towards your goal. Only after much labour, sacrifice, determination and effort will you finally achieve success. This is my opinion on ‘How to achieve success’.
Thank you.
Question 10.
Read the poem again and write an appreciation of the poem ‘The Will to Win’ in a paragraph format.
Answer:
Point Format (for understanding)
The title of the poem : ‘The Will To Win’
The poet : Berton Braley
Rhyme scheme : No specific rhyme scheme, rhymes are used randomly
Figures of speech : Repetition, Climax, Tautology, Antithesis, etc.
The central ideatheme : What we should do and what we should avoid in order to achieve success.
Paragraph Format
Berton Braley has written this inspirational poem, ‘The Will To Win’.
The poem has no specific rhyme scheme, but rhymes are used randomly all throughout. The most common type is lines ending with the word ‘it’; e.g., ‘for it’, ‘of it’, ‘of it’; ‘without it’, ‘about it’; ‘beget it’, ‘get it’; ‘sweat for if, ‘fret for if and so on. Other examples are ‘capacity’, ‘sagacity’, ‘tenacity’: ‘pain’, ‘brain’.
The main figure of speech used is Repetition, as seen in the abundance of ‘for if phrases used throughout the poem. The other figures of speech are Climax, Tautology, Antithesis, etc.
The poet gives us a formula for sure success. He tells us what we should do and what we should avoid doing in order to achieve success.
It is an inspirational poem. It motivates one to set targets and achieve goals.
Question 11.
Project :
Make a list of Berton Braley’s collection of selected poems. You can take help of your teacher, library or search on internet. Recite Braley’s any one poem in front of the class.
Question 11.
State whether the following statements are True of False. Correct the false statements :
(a) If you want a thing, you should not give up your sleep.
Corrected statement : If you want a thing, you should willingly give up your sleep.
(b) You should be afraid of your opposition.
Corrected statement : You should not fear the opposition.
(c) Life will not seem useless and worthless without achieving your goal.
Corrected statement : Life will seem utterly useless and worthless without achieving the goal.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) False
(c) False
Question 12.
Find the appropriate meanings of the following lines :
(b) makes you quite mad enough
(c) lose all the terror of God or man for it
Answer:
(b) impels you to do crazy things like taking risks
(c) get rid of all your fears of God or man or opposition.
Question 13.
Match the phrases in table A with lines from the extract given in table :
‘A’ (Phrases) | ‘B,’ (Lines) |
(1) Worry a lot about it | (a) serious and determined…. |
(2) Keep you away from…. | (b) follow something in a determined way…. |
(3) Dogged and grim…. | (c) Prevent you from…. |
(4) Simply go after… | (d) Fret for It … |
Answer:
‘A’ (Phrases) | ‘B,’ (Lines) |
(1) Worry a lot about it | (d) Fret for It … |
(2) Keep you away from…. | (c) Prevent you from…. |
(3) Dogged and grim…. | (a) serious and determined…. |
(4) Simply go after… | (b) follow something in a determined way…. |
Question 14.
Give an example of each of the following from the extract :
(a) Tautology.
Answer:
Life seems useless and worthless without it. The words ‘useless’ and ‘worthless’ have almost the same meaning.
(b) get rid of all fears
Answer:
lose all your terror
Question 15.
State whether the following statements are True or False. Correct the false statements :
(a) Cold or poverty cannot keep you away from achieving your goal.
(b) You can achieve your goal with the help of God.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) True
Question 16.
Find the lines from the extract which mean :
(a) make winning possible by using forceful action
Answer:
(a) besiege and beget it