NOT MARBLE, NOR GILDED MONUMENTS
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
a) The rich and powerful got ornate monuments
made in order to: Remembered
till posterity.
b) The poet addresses his sonnet to: The person he loves.
c) In the line ‘The living record of your
memory’, living record refers to: The sonnet the poet has written for his friend.
d) The poet’s tone in the poem is: admiring
e) The poem is set in: The poet’s study where writing is.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BRIEFLY.
a) Why do you think the rich and powerful
people get monuments and statues erected in their memory?
Ans: Rich and
powerful believe that by erecting statues and monuments people will remember
them even after their death. They do not realize that people will remember them
for their deeds and not for huge structures.
b) Describe how the monuments and statues
brave the ravages of time.
Ans: Monuments and
statues are made of stone and cement which are strong and structures
constructed with these can stay for centuries. They can withstand extreme
weather conditions such as rain, storm, sever heat etc.
c) Why does the poet refer to Time as being
sluttish?
Ans: Time has been
referred to as ‘sluttish’ because time waits for none. It passes by. We have to
learn to value time. Time treats everyone in the same way. It does not treat a
rich and poor man differently. ‘Sluttish’ can also mean whorish as time cares
for no individual; it is immoral and will finally pass. The grand memorials
will become eroded, and the people memorialized will eventually be forgotten.
d) The poet says that neither forces of
nature nor wars can destroy his poetry fact; even godly power of Mars will not
have a devastating effect on his rhyming. What quality of the poet is revealed
through these lines?
Ans: The poet is an
optimistic individual. He has immense confidence in himself as well as in his
ability to write poems which will be remembered till eternity. We also see his
confidence in these lines- When marble statues topple and stone buildings and
other “works of masonry” are destroyed, the poetry will live on.
