TyroCity: English - I Notes

Assimilation of the poem On the Eve of His Execution

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The poem had several messages to give. I got to take a closer look as what goes on one’s mind when life is cut short and knew that everyone has love for oneself regardless of how bad one does. I also knew that anyone committing crime would be caught and punished sooner or later. This reminds me of the law where the person is pleading for forgiveness realizing the crime one did but no one hears the person at that time. For that reason, we need to choose our path wisely when we can and move on the right path towards success and not choose the wrong path to end behind bars or be sentenced for execution like the poet. The poem inspired me to follow the path of truth so that there would be no regrets before natural death.

Background of the poem On the Eve of His Execution

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Written just before its author’s execution for treason, the strength of this poem has as much do with its language as its distressing context. In fact, the poet was probably 28 at the time. The poem is truthful but it is also a performance, dramatizing the actual situation into a dance of life with death.

The poem gains a distressing authenticity from the biographical context, and no doubt this helps account for its popularity. It seems to come from the heart, the “I” of the poem at one with that of the condemned man writing it. Yet it would be no less fine a technical achievement if it had been framed as a dramatic monologue. The weaving of opposing statements into paradox is masterly: the effect is neither playful nor literary but reveals the profound contradictions implicit in the human condition.

Critical Thinking of the poem Piano

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Although I agree with the moral of this poem that music has potentiality to entertain the people of all ages, I found some parts of the poem unconvincing. Do all people get fully entertained by the music as poet in the poem does? Do all people have happy memorable childhood that they want to recall? Does any responsible person want to go back in the childhood memory? Isn’t it somewhat shameful for one grown up person to weep like a small child recalling his past and wanting to forget his present?

Assimilation of the poem Where the Mind Is Without Fear

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The idea Rabindranath Tagore expressed with the poem impressed me a lot. The poem inspires people to live a life fearlessly while ensuring the society is peaceful, unified and justice is served. Fearing something stops us to think properly and act as an obstacle to our own progress. If all the people in the nation realize the importance of the knowledge that is free, self-respect, love, work and a feeling of unity than a nation can be in a better place – a place where there is freedom, peace, equality, and justice.

Interpretation of the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The poem deals with the contemplation of nature. There’s a debate on whether the poem is calm or dark and depressing. The answer varies as per the person view. So, here we take a look at both the aspects of interpretation.

Calm Interpretation
The speaker wants to take a pause in a quiet spot to watch the snow falling, maybe to calm his mind and enjoy nature. That might just be due to the decoy of being free of responsibilities and a solitude of being alone.

It may also suggest the adventure the speaker seeks and his attraction to danger of ‘darkness’ and ‘depth’ of the woods alone in the snowy evening. His responsibilities towards his work, family and his community might be stopping the speaker from experiencing new places and things and stopping him from going into dangerous adventures.

A simple interpretation would be that work always comes first before play which in the poem is reminded by the horse shaking his harness bell reminding the speaker that there are places to go and we can’t pause and watch the snow falling. There is lot of works to be done.

Dark Interpretation

The darker interpretation of the poem addresses longing for death for the tiredness of life. The speaker mentions that it’s the darkest evening of the year. He also goes on to include isolated spot, cold, frozen lake and the darkness none of which are an inviting place to stop and commune one’s thoughts at. Winter is a season when animals hibernate, plants die and the speaker might be associating the death with the use of this season.

The poet with ‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.’ to end the poem is often interpreted as attraction towards death. Furthermore, his emphasize on the line ‘miles to go before I sleep’ refers to long journey of his life and the ‘sleep’ there, the speaker refers represent death.

We can’t be certain where the speaker is travelling to but as it’s at the end of the day, we can simply assume that he is making his way back to home. ‘Home’ can be interpreted as the end of the road or a journey.

Whatever his thoughts may be, the speaker realizing his responsibility towards his family who depend upon him finds the strength to continue his journey towards home pressing his feelings. At the same time, he also his journey with life.

Assimilation of the poem Great Scott! Gadzooks!

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The poem helped me get an idea of why a child would spend most of his/her time infront of a television set. I’ve also learnt the negative impact of watching a television and the ways to influence a child to rather use the time doing other activities. To encourage a child to be do something else, I would control the hours they watch TV and tell them interesting stories to keep them interested in hearing more of the same. I would give them books as gifts during their birthday and other special occasions and try developing educational environment in home and in the community.

English I Notes

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Piano

Great Scott! Gadzooks!

On the Eve of His Execution

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Where the Mind Is Without Fear

Interpretation of the poem Great Scott! Gadzooks!

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The message in the poem is that the books which can have an important role to play in child’s growth is often forgotten over television in the modern society. The poem asks the parents to change the way they educate their children by replacing television with books.

The feeling of anger, worry and strong tone of uneasiness towards the existence of TV in the modern society as part of child’s growth can be found in the poem with a negative attitude towards television. This is expressed with the use of negative connotation in an ironic way.

Soft, gratifying and cheerful tone is used to present books as the best offering for a child’s growth and development. This shows the positive and favorable attitude towards books by the poet.

Summary of the poem Where the Mind Is Without Fear

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

‘Where the Mind Is Without Fear’ is a beautiful poem written by Rabindranath Tagore in the form of prayer. The poem was written during the time when India was struggling against British rulers for their freedom. He expresses his love for his nation, praying for its well-being with the almighty (God) in the poem. He also prayed asking for India to be a free country where people could hold their head high with respect and dignity instead of living under fear.

He also prays for the freedom of the nation and to awaken the society to only have noble thoughts and actions once the nation is free. All in all, Tagore reveals his own concept of freedom throughout the poem.

Assimilation of the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

After reading the poem, I learnt that the duties can’t be fulfilled in the course of time as it doesn’t wait for anyone. All the duties and responsibilities need to be fulfilled and carried out when we can and on time. The poem also talks about the beauty of the nature in even the darkest of elements like the frozen lake, darkness and cold weather.

Summary of the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The speaker in the poem who is traveling through the snow at night pauses with his horse near the woods near a neighbor’s house to watch the snow falling around him. His horse shakes his harness bells, questioning the pause. Maybe this place isn’t on their normal route, or he is curious that there doesn’t appear to be a farmhouse nearby.

The speaker continues to stand near the woods as he’s attracted by the deep, silent dark surroundings. He feels bound to move further into the snowy woods. He ultimately decides to continue, concluding with perhaps the most famous lines of the poem: ‘But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.’

Critical Thinking on the poem Great Scott! Gadzooks!

English I Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Every parent’s troubles with their children are beautifully presented in the poem as a child doesn’t often read anything extra besides their textbook. However, the poem fails to identify or ignored the advantages that the children get from watching television as the visuals there help enhance their creativity and imaginative power. Watching TV won’t kill the imagination if shows which are informative and educating are watched. They’ll rather enhance those skills which the poem fails to identify.