I AM THE LAND
POEM - 3
KARNATAKA CLASS 10 ENGLISH SOLUTIONS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, NOTES, SUMMARY
MULTIPLE CHOICE
QUESTIONS
1) “I am the
land” was the poem written by
a) Marina b)
Marinade Bellagent
c) Liujude d)
Alexander Pope.
Ans:
b) Marina de Bellagent
2) In this poem
the speaker was
a) Nature b)
Man
c) Land/Earth d)
Woman
Ans:
c) Land/Earth
3) Own means
a) ours b)
Yours
c)Hers d)
possess.
Ans:
d) possess.
4) The person
who tills the land is
a) Farmer b)
Soldier
c) Children d)
Man
Ans: a) Farmer
5) The person
who comes with guns called as
a) Poet b)
Doctor
c) Author d)
soldier
Ans:
d) soldier
6) The opposite
of shout is
a) Shouted b)
Unshout
c) Whisper d)
Talk
Ans:
c) Whisper
7) In the poem
who waits
a) Author b) poetess
c) Land d)
Man
Ans:
c) Land
8) Here the
children are
a) Dancing b)
Praying
c) Playing d)
Skipping
Ans:
a) Dancing
9) The opposite
of buy is
a) Bought b)
Sell
c) Sold d)
Buying
Ans:
b) Sell
10) Who cannot
put a fence around the planet earth?
a) Land b)
Earth
c)Man d)poet
Ans:
c)Man
11) Who do you
think is the speaker of the poem?
Ans:
The land/the earth is the speaker of the poem.
12) “I wait”, in
line one suggests the feeling of
a) annoyance
b) patience
c) disgust
(Choose the right mood of the speaker)
Ans:
b) Patience.
13) In line 2
“you” is repeated. Do you think it refers to the same person? Who do you think
that is?
Ans:
Yes, it refers to the same person. The person is the man who exploits the land.
(Earth)
14) Bring out
the contrast between the reader and the speaker as suggested in lines 4, 5 and
6.
Ans:
The contrast between the reader and the speaker are a man and the earth.
a) Man shouts earth lie patiently.
b) Man buys earth waits.
c) Man-made holes, the earth would stare.
15) “muddy
holes” refers to
a) virtual holes in the land
b) intention of the speaker.
c) commotion created by the reader
Ans:
a) virtual holes in the land
16) What does
the phrase “car lot eyes stare” suggest? Try to imagine and draw, if you can,
the picture suggested.
Ans:
The phrase ‘car lot eyes stare’ suggests the perception as if the earth were
staring with the lights of the car parked on it.
17) Pick out the
line from the poem that expresses the “self assertation” of the speaker.
Ans:
The self-assertion of the speaker is “You cannot put a fence around the planet
Earth”.
READ AND
APPRECIATE
1) “I wait”, is repeated five times in the poem.
What quality of the speaker is highlighted with this repetition?
Ans:
The poem shows the patience of the earth by
repeating the word “wait” five times. Even though humans misuse and
exploit the land, the earth quietly bears everything. Her patience cannot be
challenged, and her ability to tolerate is the greatest.
2) The poem has
figures of speech. One is given, “a chain-link necklace chokes me” is
personification. Pick out one or two or more such figures of speech from the
poem.
Answer:
i) I am the land. I wait.
ii) You shout. I lie, patient.
iii) With muddy holes and car lot eyes, I stare.
3) The poem is
not full of rhyming words. On the other hand, it makes us imag¬ine some
pictures like soldiers shooting, children dancing. Pick out other images from
the poem.
Ans:
The images are
i) Carlot eyes tare.
ii) Someone tilling the earth
(iii) Someone (you) shouting.
4) “You Cannot Put A Fence Around The Planet Earth”
Is this a tone of weakness or self- assertion? Discuss.
Ans:
The tone of the poem is one of self-confidence. The
land has always been patient and hopeful for change. But when human actions
become worse, the earth speaks firmly. It declares with strength that no one
can destroy its spirit.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN A WORD OR A
SENTENCE EACH:
1) Why and for
whom does land wait?
Ans:
The land does not wait for anyone. It just waits. It cannot do anything else
but wait.
2) What do
‘muddy holes and car lot eyes’ refer to?
Ans:
They refer to potholes and puddles.
3) Why was a
chain-link necklace put around the land?
Ans:
People who owned the land wanted to protect their property from trespassers and
therefore might have put a chain-link necklace around the land.
4) When do the
children dance?
Ans:
When the land is tickled and bears fruits, grass and trees.
5) Mention the
figure of speech in the line: ‘I am the Land. I wait.’
Ans:
Personification. The poet makes the inanimate land animate by making it the
speaker.
ANSWER THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN 2-3 SENTENCES EACH:
1) Comment on the line, “You say you own me.”
Ans:
There is irony in this idea. Man believes he owns
the land, but in truth, man himself comes from the land. It is the land that
should have rights over man, not the other way around. Still, selfish humans
treat the earth as their property and take Mother Earth for granted.
2) What are the
activities that go on over the land?
Ans:
Man buys land, digs the land and plants trees, grows fruit on it. Children
dance and play on land. Man also fences and makes boundaries over the land.
3) What quality of the land is highlighted in the
poem?
Ans:
Man keeps exploiting the land, but the land
patiently watches and waits for change. Sometimes, good and sensitive people
bring hope by planting trees and giving life to the land. But this happiness is
short-lived because man again harms it. Still, the land is strong and keeps
waiting. It remains hopeful that one day people will change and show their
goodness.
ANSWER THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN 6-8 SENTENCES EACH:
What is the central idea of the poem ‘I am the
Land’?
Ans:
The poem “I Am the Land” gives a strong
message against man’s many ways of misusing the land. As a builder, as a
consumer, as a city dweller, and as a fighter, man always treats the land as
his own and harms it. The land quietly observes all this and waits for some
change. At times, it has hopes when kind people plant trees and bring back life
to the land. When the land becomes alive with trees, fruits, and grass, it is a
happy time for all. Children dance and someone sings. But the happiness soon
ends. Man, as a fighter, again harms the land. Still, the land is strong. It
keeps waiting. Now it also speaks firmly. It tells man he cannot lock or fence
the earth. The land keeps waiting again, but this time to see if man has learnt
to change. If not, man will suffer in the end.
Read the
following extracts and answer the questions given below them:
1) “A chain-link
necklace chokes me now.”
a) Who has put the chain link necklace?
b) Who does ‘me’ refer to?
c) Why was the chain-link necklace put there?
Ans:
a) The chain link necklace has been put by the people who own the land.
b) Mother Earth.
c) People who owned the land wanted to protect their property from trespassers.
Therefore they might have put a chain-link necklace around the land.
2) “Then someone
tickles me, plants life fruit”.
a) What does ‘tickle mean in the context?
b) How is it tickled?
c) What is the mood of the speaker in the statement?
Ans:
a) Here ‘tickle’ means, ‘to plough the land’.
b) The land is tickled when the people plough the land, plant trees and grow
fruits.
c) The mother earth watches patiently when the people plough the land, plant
trees and grow fruits. It waits for things to change.
SUmmary
The poem “I
Am the Land” by Marina de Bellagenta
is a strong and meaningful poem where the Earth speaks in the first person. The
Earth is shown as a patient, suffering, yet powerful mother who tolerates all
the wrongdoings of man. It belongs to the category of Nativity poems as it
deals with nature and human relationship.
The Earth describes how man claims that he owns her.
He buys, sells, and exploits the land, but she quietly waits. Even when man
shouts in anger or damages her by digging muddy holes and parking vehicles, she
shows no resistance. She continues to wait with patience. The Earth also
experiences moments of joy when farmers plough her and grow trees, fruits, and
crops. She feels alive when children dance on her and people sing songs.
However, her joy does not last long. Man, in his role
as a warmonger, brings soldiers with guns, who put up fences and suffocate the
land. This makes the Earth feel hurt and restricted, but still she endures. She
does not fight back in anger but chooses to wait. At the same time, the Earth
also asserts her power. She reminds man that he cannot put a fence around the
whole planet. The Earth is vast, endless, and beyond man’s control.
The central idea of the poem is to highlight Earth’s
patience and tolerance. It shows how she suffers silently at the hands of human
beings but also declares her independence and strength. The message is
clear—humans must learn to respect nature, otherwise they themselves will face
the consequences. Through this poem, the poetess reminds us that Earth is not
man’s property but a living, breathing force that must be valued and protected.
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