Poem - 10
C.L.M.
John Masefield
Comprehension Questions
A. Answer the following questions briefly:
1) The second Line “My mother’s life made me
a man”
a) Just states a natural phenomenon of a
mother giving birth to a son
b) has
a hint that he was born at the cost of his mother’s life
Ans: b) has a hint
that he was born at the cost of his mother’s life.
2) The phrase “Her beauty” in line 4 refers
to
a) The
physical beauty of his mother
b) The
‘beauty’ of his mother’s physical and emotional trauma at the birth of the
child
Ans: b) The
‘beauty’ of his mother’s physical and emotional trauma at the birth of the
child.
3) Why does the poet use the present tense in
lines 5 and 6?
a) to
emphasize that his very existence now is made possible by the death of ‘some of
her’
b) to
emphasize that every movement of his in his mother’s womb destroyed a part of
her life
c) to
show that his very birth and life are responsible for his mother’s partial
death
Ans: a) to
emphasize that every movement of his in his mother’s womb destroyed a part of
her life.
4) What does ‘it’ in line 10 refer to?
Ans: His life is
‘it’ in line 10 refers to.
5) “Her beauty” in line 12 refers to
a) his
mother’s physical beauty
b) her
son, the poet
Ans: a) his mother’s
physical beauty
6) “dusty in the mind” in line 12 refers to
a) the
fading memory of his mother in his mind
b) the
state of his dead mother’s mind which has forgotten the dear ones left behind
Ans: a) the fading
memory of his mother in his mind.
7) “I am so grown” in line 15 means
a) that he has grown so much physically that
she would not be able to recognize him.
b)
that he has grown so unworthy of all her sacrifice that she would not be
able to recognize him.
c)
both a and b
Ans: a) that he has
grown so much physically that she would not be able to recognize him.
8) Which line in stanza 3 suggests that the
poet is totally unworthy or ungrateful?
Ans: Poet’s mother
didn’t know about her little son, who had grown up.
9) Which phrase in stanza 4 suggests that his
concern goes beyond his personal experience?
Ans: The phrase in
stanza 4 suggests that his concern goes beyond his personal experience is “My
debt to her and womankind.”
10) “Providing a happier life to one’s mother
will repay for all her sacrifice.” Is this what the poet says in lines 21 and 22?
Ans: The poet says
that only if a happier and secure life to one’s mother will reimburse the forgo
she made throughout childbirth.
11) Stanza 4 has some very powerful and
forceful images.
a) What is compared to a leech?
Ans: The child in
the womb which sucked the life of its mother is compared to a leech.
b) How is it a leech?
Ans: The child in
the womb of the mother sucks the life of its mother for its nourishment as a
leech does.
c) What is unusual about the use of the word
‘leech’d’?
Ans: It portrays
the child in the womb of the mother sucks life form its mother for its survival.
d) Why is B in ‘Birth’ capitalized? (line 24)
Ans: To show the
significance of Birth, B is capitalized in line 24.
e) For whom is birth a hell
a) for
the mother (for all her pain and suffering during the birth of her child)
b) for
the son (who feels that it was because of his birth that his mother died,
though partially)
c) for
both
Ans: c) for both.
12) Note that lines 19 to 26 introduce a
series of rhetorical questions. (A rhetorical question is asked for effect
rather than to obtain an answer. The answer is very much implied in the
question itself.) Lines 19-20 are a good example of a rhetorical question. The
meaning of the two lines is,” I have done nothing worth remembering to show my
debt to my mother and womankind.”
a) Identify 2 more examples of rhetorical
questions.
Ans: i) “What
woman’s happier life repays her for those months of wretched days?”
ii) “What have I done, or tried or said /in thanks
to that dear woman dead?”
13) “man’s lust” in line 29 refers to
a)
man’s beastly sexuality
b)
man’s lust for power over women
c)
both a and b
Ans: c) both (a)
and (b).
14) The poet has used many poetical devices
in the last line in order to draw the reader’s attention to it.
a) What typographical deviation is used in
the last line?
Ans: The
typographical deviation is used in the last line is in the first four stanzas
all the six lines are written together and in the last stanza there is a space
between the fifth and the sixth line.
b) Why, do you think, has he used this
deviation?
Ans: To emphasize
his feeling of shame and guilt of how badly women are treated in the world.
c) What figure of speech is used in this
line?
Ans: Apostrophe
d) Why does the poet want the grave to keep
shut?
Ans: Inhuman
treatment given to women in this world, so the poet does not want his mother to
see that he wants the grave to keep shut.
e) How does the line end?
Ans: The line ends
on a somber and sad note.
15) The most dominant feeling of the poet in
this poem is:
a) a
feeling of guilt
b) a
sense of ingratitude
c) a
sense of shame
Ans: a) a feeling
of guilt.
16) Look at the rhyme scheme of the first
stanza. The word “began” rhymes with “man”. The rhyme scheme is aa. “Birth”in
line 3 rhymes with “earth” in line 4. The rhyme scheme is bb. “stir” in line 5
rhymes with “her” in line 6. The rhyme scheme is cc. So, the rhyme scheme of
the first stanza is aa, bb, cc.
Now work out the rhyme scheme of the
remaining 4 stanzas. Start with lines 7 and 8 as dd…
Ans: 1st Stanza : aa bb cc
2nd
Stanza : dd ee ff
3rd
Stanza : gg hh ii
4th
Stanza : jj kk ll
5th
Stanza : mm nn oo
II. Close Study:
Read the following extracts carefully.
Discuss in pairs and then answer the questions given below them.
1) For all her love, she cannot tell
Whether
I use it ill or well.
a) Who do “I” and “she” refer to?
Ans: “I” refers to
the poet and “she” refers to his mother.
b) What does “it” in the second line refer
to?
Ans: “it” refers to
the poet’s life in the second line refer to.
c) Why is it that she cannot tell?
Ans: She cannot
tell because she is not alive to see her son.
2) …………….. If we should meet,
She
would pass by me in the street
Unless
my soul’s face let her see
My
sense of what she did to me.
a) Would it be possible for the mother and
son to meet each other?
Ans: No, it would
not be possible for the mother and son to meet each other.
b) What is my figure of speech used in the
expression “soul’s face”?
Ans: Synecdoche
c) His soul would reveal
i) his sense of gratitude to his mother
ii) his sense of ingratitude to his mother
Ans: ii) his sense
of ingratitude to his mother.
III. Paragraph Writing:
Discuss in pairs/groups of four each the
answers to the following questions. Note down the important points!’ for each
question and then develop the points into one-paragraph, answers.
Ans: The poet
illustrates his personal experience in numerous ways on how his mother bears throughout
each child delivery of his siblings and himself. He senses blameworthy that he
could not reimburse his mother, in any way before her fatality. He believes
that he is to be responsible for the poor management of women and the truth
that women are measured mediocre to men in the world, while he has not done
anything about it. He also states his anxiety over gender disparity.
