TyroCity: English I Notes

Summary of the poem Great Scott! Gadzooks!

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

In the poem, ‘Great Scott! Gadzooks!’ the poet highlights the pros and cons of watching a television (TV) for a child. As per the poet, TV makes the mind of a child dull if they watch it for long hours. Children often don’t do any physical activities like playing, running or other forms of exercise if they find interesting series, ads or cartoons to watch. They rather stick like a glue infront of the TV sets making them unable to think creatively and brainstorm to learn something new. TV might act as an addiction to a child making them want to do nothing else.
In contrary to that, if a child is busy watching TV, parents can freely work on other things in the home as the child won’t be engaged with other activities which need their attention like when the child is climbing on the window, quarreling or other similar kinds of bad activities.

Weighing both pros and cons, it’s not worth letting the child watch TV for long hours as per the poet. The mind of a child is very delicate and watching TV may rust the brain. TV makes them blind as they can’t imagine the fantasy world which can only be inspired by reading books.

It can be confidently said that the children born during the time when the TV didn’t exist were happy as well. Without TV, a child during those days would invest their time reading or listening to books like a fantasy story, drama, poems or other genres which in-turn boost their imagination and creativity. They would also play indoor and outdoor games. The poet asks the parents to do their part now and rather throw away TV to free up space to keep a bookshelf filled with interesting books for their children.

However, a child addicted to TV mightn’t be able to bear not being able to watch TV so the parents must be aware of that. The poet believes that regardless of how difficult it might be but in a few weeks’ time, the child will adjust to new settings and be more involved in reading books. Addiction to books will make them forget about the television and parents now can also involve their child into beautiful arts, reading, singing, dancing, playing as other activities.

Interpretation of the poem On the Eve of His Execution

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

The poem is an elegy and uses paradox and antithesis to present the tragedy of poet’s situation clearly. Antithesis means setting opposites against each other: prime of youth / frost of cares (from the first line). While paradox is self-contradictory statements, yet true which can be found in every line of every stanza in this poem.

The poet’s metaphorical skill is coupled with a clever use of tense to suggest the blurring of past and present. The repetition of “now” in the last line of each stanza has the effect of suggesting a passage of time so swift that past and present are telescoped: “And now I live, and now my life is done.”

The poem is expressing the feeling of a young person awaiting his death and what goes on the person’s mind. Along the message that no one wants to die young. The executing order soon to be implemented makes him recall his short life and makes him evaluate what life has given to him. Like the execution, the poet considers that everything in life is unexpected and unnatural.

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.

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.

Critical Thinking of the poem Where the Mind Is Without Fear

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

The poem stands on patriotic front and shows a mirror of the society, nation and the world where people think, work and live. The poet imagines an ideal place without injustice, corruption, violence, inequality, and discrimination. Rather he wants to see the place with complete freedom, justice, spiritualism, and humanity.

The poet seems to distance himself from the reality while doing so and tried to image a place which would be perfect as per him. Is it even possible to make the present world anyway close to what the poet wants to in the poem? Do gods exist? And, if they do, do they have the authority or power to change the world in accordance to the poet’s desire? Is it possible to even transform the current real world into ideal one in a blink of an eye? Can injustice, violence and other forms of crimes be swept out completely?

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.

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.

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 Piano

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

I never gave much importance to the music before reading this poem but the poem made me realize that it can function as a medium for entertainment, relief and spellbound people of all ages. Music has the power to make us feel refreshed both physically and mentally as we enjoy the tone forgetting about this busy life for a moment.

Critical Thinking of the poem On the Eve of His Execution

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

Beautifully composed by Chidiock Tichborne, “On the Eve of His Execution” is a poem which provides a dark look at a life cut short. Natural, skillful presentation of the poem gathered sympathy for the condemned of the poet and is still favorable among scholars.

Thinking or knowing about death ignites fear in anyone/everyone and the mind filled with depressive thoughts can’t think about creative things. I found some contradictory thoughts even though the poem is presented nicely. The poet joined Babington Plot to kill the queen which in itself is a crime. He should be ready to face even the worse consequence of it which is capital punishment if the plan fails. The worse happened when the plan failed, he is caught and ordered for execution. Why is he fearing the death now? If he knew death is to be painful and full of fear, why did he take part in the crime plot? He should rather accept death with dignity accepting truth and face it for the plot he involved himself in instead of crying about it.

Critical Thinking of the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

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

Stopping in the Woods by the Snowy Evening is a beautiful poem composed by Robert Frost. The poem has a good moral with a strong message. However, there are things which I don’t agree with. The poet seems to forget his responsibilities towards his family, friends, and community as he gazes the beauty of woods. That makes me question if everyone finds the nature so beautiful that it makes them forget about their duties and responsibilities completely? The beauty of nature gives us a sense of joy and enjoyment for a moment but that doesn’t mean we have the right to forget what and who we are. Responsibilities come first before anything and I believe that the whole concept of linking duties and responsibilities of a person with natural beauties isn’t justified.

Interpretation of the poem Piano

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

Every person be it young or old wanting to listen to music reminds the poet of his happy memories of past freeing him from ongoing troubles. The poet may be suggesting that the music functions as a medium to free us from cruel conscious thought.

Likewise, this poem tells us some moments of our childhood becomes so memorable and important like in the poem when he (the poet) heard a woman singing a song while playing the piano made him recall his happy memories of past days. It may also be interpreted to mean that mother’s love is superior to any other forms of love as they give us lots of love and care making our life beautiful.