1st PUC ENGLISH NOTES - THE FARMER'S WIFE - 2 MARKS / 3 MARKS / 4 MARKS - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
9 THE FARMER'S WIFE
Answer the following
questions 2 Marks Questions
1. Why does the wife call
herself a "poor sinner"?
Ans:
Because she is still alive, while her husband, considered "virtuous,"
chose to die and escape responsibilities.
2. What does the wife say about
her husband's courage?
Ans:
She says he was a coward who left all the problems for her instead of facing
them bravely.
3. Why did the farmer commit
suicide?
Ans:
He was unable to repay his debts and chose to end his life by drinking
pesticide.
4. What responsibility did the
wife have after her husband’s death?
Ans:
She had to take care of four children and manage the debt left by her husband.
5. How does the wife remember
her married life?
Ans:
She remembers beatings, scoldings, and her husband's drinking, blaming, and
shouting at her.
6. What does the phrase “head
bent” symbolize?
Ans:
It shows how women are born with humility and suffer discrimination in a
male-dominated society.
7. How does the wife compare
herself in the poem?
Ans:
She compares herself to worm-eaten cotton pods, indicating pain and loss of
value.
8. What did the husband do
when the crops failed?
Ans:
He lost hope, drank pesticide, and committed suicide, leaving behind his family
in debt.
9. What emotions does the wife
express in the poem?
Ans:
She expresses anger, sadness, frustration, courage, and determination to live
with dignity.
10.
How does the poem question gender roles?
Ans:
It shows how women suffer silently and must take over responsibilities when men
fail.
Answer the following
questions 3 Marks Questions
1. Why does the farmer’s wife
feel betrayed by her husband?
Ans:
The wife feels betrayed because her husband left her alone to face all the
problems. He ended his life, leaving behind unpaid debts and their four
children. She calls him a coward for not fighting back and blames him for
poisoning her future too. The society praises the dead farmer, but no one
considers the woman’s pain. She feels cheated because he, being the
"man" of the house, escaped responsibilities, while she is now expected
to take care of everything. She questions his decision and wonders why he
couldn’t face hardships with courage.
2. How is the poem feminist in
nature?
Ans:
The poem shows the suffering and strength of a woman left behind by her
husband. It highlights how society expects women to be submissive, yet blames
them when men fail. The line “I was born with a head bent” clearly shows the
discrimination faced by women. The wife criticizes the belief that men are
stronger. Despite being called a ‘sinner’, she shows more courage and strength
than her husband. She chooses to live and fight for her children. This
challenges the idea of male superiority and presents a strong feminist voice.
3. How is the tone of the poem
bitter and ironic?
Ans:
The poem uses bitter and sarcastic tone to show the deep frustration of the
wife. Words like “virtuous” and “poor sinner” are used ironically. She mocks
her husband's action of running away from problems by calling him a saint. She
is angry that society sees him as a hero, but ignores her struggle. There is
also sarcasm in how people respect the dead man, but not the living woman who
carries the burden. Through this tone, the poet questions the unfair treatment
of widows and brings attention to their plight.
4. How does the wife emerge
stronger in the end?
Ans:
Though she is deeply hurt and angry, the wife refuses to give up. She knows
that she must care for her children and pay off the debt. Even when her husband
failed, she decides to survive. Her strength lies in her decision to live with
dignity, not in running away from problems. She takes responsibility for her
family and shows courage in the face of sorrow. Her self-assertion and
determination show that she is stronger than her husband. Her voice becomes the
voice of many such widows suffering in silence.
5. Why is the wife angry with
her husband?
Ans:
She is angry because her husband left her alone with four children and debts to
manage. Instead of fighting, he chose to die. She calls him a coward for
escaping responsibilities. She remembers how he mistreated her when alive and
now has also poisoned her future. She is also upset that society calls him
virtuous, while ignoring her struggle. She is left to face creditors, raise
children, and suffer alone. She asks tough questions about life, pain, and
injustice, showing her frustration with her husband’s choice to give up.
Answer the following
questions 4 Marks Questions
1. Explain how ‘The Farmer’s
Wife’ brings out both pain and strength of the farmer’s widow.
Ans:
The poem “The Farmer’s Wife” by Volga reveals the painful yet strong voice of a
widow who is left alone after her husband commits suicide due to debt. She is
angry and hurt by his act of giving up, leaving behind four children and unpaid
debts. She calls him a coward and sarcastically refers to him as ‘virtuous’.
While society praises the dead man, the real burden falls on the woman. The
widow expresses her deep grief but refuses to die. She talks about the beatings
and scoldings during her married life and now has to deal with poverty, pain,
and loneliness. Yet, she refuses to be defeated. She questions why he couldn't
fight like a real man. Instead of following his path, she decides to live for
her children. Her pain becomes a source of strength. She accepts life’s
hardships but with a firm decision to move forward. Through this, the poet
shows how women, despite being considered weaker, are often stronger and more
responsible. Her voice becomes a symbol of resistance, courage, and feminist
strength. The poem gives voice to thousands of widows facing similar situations
and exposes the hypocrisy of society in dealing with gender roles.
2. Discuss how the poem
questions the idea of male superiority and challenges gender roles.
Ans:
The poem boldly questions the idea of male superiority in a patriarchal
society. Traditionally, men are seen as protectors and providers. But in this
poem, the man, instead of protecting the family, runs away from
responsibilities. He commits suicide when unable to repay debts. Meanwhile, the
wife, who was treated poorly during their marriage, now has to take care of
four children and manage all the troubles. She recalls how her husband would
beat and blame her. Yet, when times got tough, he gave up, proving that being a
man doesn't mean being stronger. The widow, in contrast, remains firm and
decides to live and face all difficulties. She mocks the idea of ‘virtue’ being
associated with death and cowardice. The poem strongly highlights the strength
and dignity of a woman. She, despite being called a "poor sinner",
proves braver than her husband. In this way, the poem challenges the deeply
rooted belief in male dominance and superiority. It shows that courage and
responsibility are not bound by gender. Through the farmer’s wife, the poet redefines
heroism — not in dying and escaping, but in surviving with courage and dignity.
3. How does the poem
‘The Farmer’s Wife’ bring out the misery of the farmer’s wife?
OR
How
does the poem ‘The Farmer’s Wife’ bring out the plight of the farmer’s wife and
her self-assertion?
OR
Discuss
the plight of farmer’s widows in reference to the poem ‘The Farmer’s Wife’.
Ans: The poem “The Farmer’s Wife” is a tragic poem that
reflects the helpless conditions of farmers’ widows. The plight of the widows
is explained by one such widow. The poet uses many phrases to contrast her
condition with that of her dead husband. She called the farmer as ‘virtuous’
and herself a ‘poor sinner’. The farmer was unable to pay the debts and he left
all the debts to his wife, so she was very sad on his act of committing
suicide. The feminist concept was also highlighted in the poem; the phrase “I
was born with a head bent” justifies the discrimination in our society between
men and women. Man is born with his head held high, but a woman is born with
her head bent. But he did not face his creditors bravely and left all this to
his wife to solve. She accused her husband that he poisoned himself and gone
away by poisoning his wife’s existence. She remembered the memories of his beating,
blaming drinking and kicking’ haunting her. She never dreamt that he would
commit suicide. It was true that the crop was gone but the debt remained there
and dignity had hit the dust. She expresses her helplessness that how would she
be able to bear the burden of their four children. She compared her condition
with “worm-eaten cotton pods”. She got ambiguity and asked what that was and
why he committed suicide. At last, she confidently asserts her determination to
struggle out her life even – without her husband for the sake of her children.
So, she shows a strong will to survive against all difficulties. Her voice is
raised against the society in general
4. How does the
farmer’s wife embrace life with dignity?
Ans: The narrator used to forego his breakfast and
morning tea so that he had the money for his evening meal and tea. One day, as
usual, he came to the crowded restaurant and had his regular meal and tea, When
he to pay the bill, he realized that his wallet had been picked. He revealed
this fact to the owner who only found it funny and laughed out loud. Though the
narrator offered to leave his coat with the owner, he forced the narrator to
take off all his clothes. As the narrator was very shamed taking off his
trousers, a stranger stopped him and paid his bill. He later made the narrator
wear his clothes and took him away. When the narrator praised and thanked him,
the stranger just laughed. He did not reveal his name but only warned the narrator
against speaking about him, the stranger showed five wallets to the narrator,
out of which one was the narrators. The stranger told the narrator to check
whether his money was intact, and he wished him good luck. The narrator had
mixed feelings by now. It was clear that his humiliation at the restaurant was
due to the stranger’s picking his wallet and rendering him helpless. But he was
also thankful to help at the right moment, avoiding the humiliation of standing
stark naked in front of all the people. Ile fact that the stranger had perhaps
undergone a transformation during his own interaction with the restaurant –
owner. This made him so at the end, ‘May God help you’, and leave without
saying anything more to the stranger.
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