JAZZ POEM TWO
POEM 5
KARNATAKA CLASS 10 ENGLISH
SOLUTIONS
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS, NOTES, SUMMARY
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1) Jazz Poem Two belongs to the unit
a) Music the Ambrosia b) Music
c) Science d)
Happiness
Ans: a) Music the Ambrosia
2) Jazz Poem Two is written by
a) Coleridge b)
Carl Wendall Hines, Jr
c) Shakespeare d)
Margaret
Ans: b) Carl Wendall Hines, Jr
3) He stands like a black
a) man b)
Satute
c) Ancient Mariner d)
Person
Ans: c) Ancient Mariner
4) His _____ old face
a) Shaved b)
Wrinkled
c) handsome d)
ugly
Ans: b) Wrinkled
5) The old face so full of the _____ of living
a) wag b)
sag
c) worries d)
faded
Ans: c) worries
6) He is turned downward with _____ eyes.
a) opened b)
dreaming
c) shining d)
closed
Ans: d) closed
7) His frayed-collar faded ______ old shirt
a) green b)
bhie
c) yellow d)
white
Ans: b) bhie
8) The old shirt turn dark with sweat and the old _____
a) necktie b)
collar
c) pocket d)
sleeves
Ans: a) necktie
9) The undone drops loosely about the worn _____?
a) old shirt b)
old collar
c) old Jacket d)
old coat
Ans: c) old Jacket
10) Just barely holding his ____ stomach in.
a) large b)
small
c) empty d)
sagging
Ans: d) sagging
11) His run-down shoes have ____ in them
a) leather b)
soles
c) paper d)
rubber
Ans: c) paper
12) His rough unshaven face shows ____
a) happiness b)
sadness
c) solitude d)
pain
Ans: d) pain
13) He stands in ______ solitude head
a) Self b)
Self-brought
c) big d)
round
Ans: b) Self-brought
14) Across his chest lies an old _____.
a) alto saxophone b)
Jacket
c) faded shirt d)
necktie
Ans: a) alto saxophone
15) Alto Saxophone supported from his neck by a wire
______
a) thread b)
hanger
c) coat hanger d)
strip
Ans: c) coat hanger
16) To tell all the world that he is a ____
a) Musician b)
Traveler
c) Mariner d)
Black man
Ans: d) Black man
17) He was sent here to _____
a) sing b)
preach
c) travel d)
do magic
Ans: b) preach
18) He came here to preach the Black _____ of Jazz.
a) Gospel b) Magic
c) Music d)
Religion
Ans: a) Gospel
19) Now preaching it with words of _____notes &
chords.
a) music b)
screaming
c) loud d)
melodious
Ans: b) screaming
20) He is no longer a man, no not even a _____.
a) Religious man b)
Black man
c) Mariner d)
Stout man
Ans: b) Black man
21) He was turned into not even a Black man but _____
a) an animal b)
Religious man
c) Magic man d) a
bird
Ans: d) a bird
22) One that gathers his wings and flies _____
a) into the sky b)
down
c) high d)
away
Ans: c) high
GIVE PHRASES OR ONE WORD FOR THE FOLLOWING:
1) no longer interested in or enthusiastic about anything
in life.
Ans: wearies of living
2) threads in a piece of cloth starting to come apart.
Ans: Fray
3) The state of being alone.
Ans: Solitude
4) a type of religious music in which religious songs are
sung very loudly.
Ans: Gospel
5) Loud musical sounds.
Ans: Screaming notes.
ANSWER THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN A WORD OR A SENTENCE EACH:
1) What is the ancient mariner?
Ans: ‘The Ancient Mariner’ is a very famous
poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in which a seaman shoots an albatross, a bird
of good omen, and suffers supernatural punishment.
2) Why is the musician weary?
Ans: The musician is weary because of all the
experiences that life has put him through.
3) Why is the musician’s shirt turning dark?
Ans: The musician’s shirt is turning dark
because of his sweat.
4) Why are the shoes of the musician in bad shape?
Ans: The musician cannot afford new shoes or
even repair them, so his shoes are in a very bad condition.
5) Why is there pain in each wrinkle on the musician’s
face?
Ans: The musician is a poor, black man, who
has experienced many hardships in life and therefore there is pain in each of
his wrinkles.
6) Which musical instrument does the jazz player play?
Ans: The alto saxophone.
7) What is supported by the musician’s neck?
Ans: His instrument, the alto saxophone, is
supported by the musician’s neck.
8) Why are the musician’s lips parted?
Ans: The musician’s lips are parted because
he is about to begin playing his instrument.
9) Why are the words and musical notes described as screaming?
Ans: The words and musical notes are
described as ‘screaming’ because they are loud and full of passion and harmony.
10) Why did he stop being a man?
Ans: The musician stops being a man because,
when he starts playing, he is transformed into a bird.
11) How does the musician find himself a black man again?
Ans: After he transforms into a bird and
flies away, he discovers himself afresh as a black man again.
12) How could the musician go away from the earth?
Ans: With the power of music. Music had
transformed him into a bird.
13) What does the Jazz player look like the moment he
plays the saxophone?
Ans: The moment the Jazz player plays the
saxophone, he turns into a bird with wings.
14) What is the Jazz player supposed to be when he plays
music?
Ans: The Jazz player is supposed to be a bird
when he plays music.
15) The old Jazz musician’s shirt was dark due to
Ans: sweat.
UNDERSTAND THE POEM
1) Read the first stanza and see how closely the
description of the Jazz – the player is made and filled in the columns in the
table.
Ans:
|
1. |
Face |
Wrinkled old face, full of worries, rough
unshaven face |
|
2. |
Eyes |
Closed Eyes, Still down eyes |
|
3. |
Ears |
Still closed ears |
|
4. |
Shirt |
a faded-blue old shirt, turn dark with
sweat. |
|
5. |
Collar |
Frayed Collar |
|
6. |
Jacket |
Worn out, old Jacket |
|
7. |
Shoes |
run-down shoes had paper in them |
2) Why do you think the Jazz player keeps his head down?
[Line 1-6]
Ans: Jazz player was very old and he had no
interest in life. He was alone and had pain in his heart. So he kept his head
down.
3) The word ‘old’ has been repeated several times in the
first two stanzas. What does this suggest?
Ans: The word old suggests belonging to the
past. Jazz player was aged and the things are worn out or outdated.
4) What description do the lines from 13 to 18 suggest
about the jazz, player?
Ans: Jazz player had lost his interest in the
Jazz player had lost his interest in life. He didn’t care to wear the tom
dress. He had more pain that could be seen in each wrinkle of his face. He was
alone.
5) a) Read the lines from 19 to 25 carefully. Is there
any change in the stature of the Jazz player?
b) Now read the lines from 31 to 35. Can you guess what he is meditating on?
Ans: a) Yes, we found some changes in Jazz
player. He put his still down and eyes still closed but ears brighter up. He
was started to play some religious musical notes in a low voice.
b) He was meditating that he wanted to tell that he was a Black Man to all the
world.
6) How has he held his instrument?
Ans: His instrument saxophone was hung from
his neck by a wire coat hanger.
7) Read the lines
from 29 to 41. It gives a picture. Can you imagine that? Try to get that
picture in your mind. If you can, draw the picture.
Ans: Lines 29-41
show the picture of the man playing his instrument. The moment he lifts the
instrument to his lips, he undergoes a change. As he spreads his Black Gospel
of Jazz through his tune, he turns from a black man into a bird, flying high in
the sky. This change stands for the free spirit of music. It also proves that
music has no limits or divisions.
8) ‘Preaching it with words’ (line 35). What does ‘it’
stand for here?
Ans: ‘it’ stands for the Black Gospel of
Jazz.
9) ‘He is no longer a man’, says the poet (line 37). Who
else is he supposed to be if he is no longer man?
Ans: The poet said that if he is no longer a
man, he became a bird.
10) Read the last
ten words of the poem. You may observe a change in the tone. What is that
about?
Ans: The tone in the last ten words is
of sadness (loss of hope). The speaker says that the Jazz player, who changed
himself into a bird through the strength of music, may again fall back into his
sad state of being an old black man with a wrinkled face and torn clothes.
READ AND APPRECIATE
1) The poem is full of images [word pictures]. Some
examples are given. Now find as many images as you can in the poem.
Ans: a) Wrinkled old face.
b) Sagging stomach
c) rough down head
d) still down head
e) still closed eyes
g) an old alto saxophone lies across his chest.
2) Is there a
simile in the poem? If so identify it.
Ans: Yes, in the
first stanza, a simile is used. The poem opens with the lines, “there he
stands, see? like a black Ancient Mariner.” The comparison is made between the Black
Jazz player and the Ancient Mariner in Coleridge’s poem. Just like the Ancient
Mariner, the old jazz musician feels he has a message for the people of the
world.
Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each:
1) Comment on the
phrase, ‘full of wearies of living.’
Ans: The poet
stresses the long, hard life of the jazz musician by using the phrase ‘wearies
of living’. The word wearies means tiredness and other exhausting acts showing
the dull and tiring side of life.
2) Give at least
two descriptions of the Jazz player to show that he is sad while not playing
the instrument.
Ans: The Jazz player keeps his head down bogged by life’s
wearies. He has experienced many hardships in life and therefore his rough
unshaven face shows pain in each wrinkle.
3) ‘He is no longer a man’, says the poet in the poem
‘Jazz Poem Two’. What does the poet mean by this?
Ans: The poet shows
the idea that an artist can rise above his body and set his spirit free from
the limits of the flesh. When he plays jazz, he becomes a free spirit like a
bird. The poet wishes to stress the freeing power of music.
4) Why do you think
the word ‘old’ has been repeated several times in the first two stanzas?
Ans: The poet wishes to show the idea
that the Jazz player is old in every way. He is aged in years, his clothes are
shabby and his spirit is weak. This part stressed at the start is a clear
contrast to the end of the poem where the Jazz musician flies high like a bird.
5) Why does the
Jazz player keep his head down? When does he feel like a bird?
Ans: The Jazz
player bows his head down pressed by life’s troubles. He has faced many
struggles in life and so his rough, unshaven face shows sorrow in every
wrinkle. He feels like a bird when he creates jazz tunes from his saxophone.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN 6-8 SENTENCES EACH:
1) The poet uses
the word ‘see’ twice. What is his intention in doing this?
Ans: The poet uses
the word ‘see’ first at the start when he shows the Jazz musician to the
readers, and again when the Jazz player raises the instrument to his lips. The
poet’s aim is to catch the reader’s focus on the change that will happen in the
musician once he begins to play the instrument. It is as if the poet is telling
the readers to notice the magic power of music. The poet wants the readers to
observe the change fully, step by step.
2) What
do you think is meant by the Black Gospel of Jazz?
Ans:
The traditional
black gospel is music made to show either personal or group faith about
Christian life. It is a type of Christian music and a part of gospel music. The
roots of gospel music go back to American slavery when enslaved Africans were
taught the Christian faith and accepted it in large numbers.
In the 1930s, gospel music linked with the civil rights movement was called the
black gospel time because it was the richest period for gospel songs. The words
of many civil rights leaders were strengthened by the message gospel music
gave. That is why the poet speaks about the Black Gospel of Jazz. Overall, we
see that the message the musician shares is from the black view.
3) How does the
poet discriminate against the Jazz player’s appearance with his artistic
character?
Ans: The poet shows the old Jazz
player and how he changes when he plays the music he loves. The Jazz player has
a rough, unshaven face and a hanging stomach. He wears a faded blue shirt, a
loose tie, and an old coat. His shoes are worn out. Across his chest hangs an
old alto saxophone held from his neck by a wire hanger. He keeps his head bent
down with life’s burdens. He has gone through many troubles in life and so his
rough, unshaven face carries pain in every wrinkle. The player, who looks old,
broken and hopeless, is fully changed at last when he begins to play jazz
music. He now becomes a messenger of God, rising higher and higher like a free
bird. The poor life of the Jazz player cannot crush his spirit in music.
Instead, the music frees him from his sorrows, though only for a short time.
READ THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTS AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
GIVEN BELOW THEM:
1) His rough unshaven face shows pain in each wrinkle.
a) Whose face is referred to?
b) Why is there pain in each wrinkle on the musician’s face?
c) How does the pain in each wrinkle of the musician’s face help him?
Ans: a) The jazz players.
b) The musician is a poor, black man. He has experienced many hardships in life
and therefore there is a pain in each of his wrinkles.
c) The pain helps him to play good music, and it fills his music with a
passion.
2) “his run-down shoes have paper in them and his rough
unshaven face shows pain in each wrinkle”.
a) Why do the shoes have paper in them?
b) Why is there pain in each wrinkle on the musician’s face?
c) What does the description of the face suggest?
Ans: a) The Jazz player is a poor man. His
shoes are old and torn and he has put paper in them to be able to wear them.
b) The musician is a poor, black man. He has experienced many hardships in life
and therefore there is pain in each of his wrinkles.
c) The Jazz player’s face is unshaven which suggests that he does not care for
his appearance. He has led a hard life, so his face is wrinkled.
3) “he is no longer a man, no not even a Black Man, hut
(yeah!) a Bird”
a) Who is the man referred to here?
b) When is he no longer a man?
c) What do these lines suggest?
Ans: a) The jazz player.
b) When he plays jazz music.
c) These lines suggest that music can transform a man from the slavish
condition to the free, masterly position. The transformation is symbolic of the
liberating spirit of music.
SUMMARY
Carl
Wendall Hines Jr. wrote Jazz Poem 1 and 2. For students’ study, Jazz Poem 1 is
given here. ‘Yes, here I am, standing on the top of the tallest hill with a
trumpet in my hand and dark glasses on. Bearded and wearing a beret I stand
proudly! But there are no eyes to see me. I send down cool sounds! But there
are no ears to hear me. My lips tremble in empty air! There are no hearts to
love me. Yet through the night’s grey fog of false dreams and the river of
tears that flow like thick Soul-Juice, some careless bearer of strange visions
(or some other source of inspiration) may hear the song I play.
He
may see the beard and beret, and become filled with endless emotion’s fire and
join me in eternal peace. But still, who can say?’ The old Jazz player was also
like the Ancient Mariner in Coleridge’s poem. He had no hope or interest in the
present world. He was a sad figure, but a powerful artist. He had the gift to
make people listen. This was his power. He spoke less but was rich in music. He
was skilled in sharing his thoughts through music.
He
stood at the top of the tallest hill. He was old and wrinkled. He had no
interest in life. His head was bent, his eyes shut. He wore an old faded blue
shirt, dark with sweat. His tie was torn. His jacket was old and could not
cover his hanging stomach. He wore worn shoes stuffed with paper. His face was
unshaven. Each wrinkle showed his pain.
He
stood alone with his head down and eyes closed. An old alto saxophone hung from
his neck by a wire hanger. He sang low, like a prayer. He wanted to tell that
he was a Black Man. He had been sent to preach the Black Gospel of Jazz. He
preached it in music, with loud sound. When he preached, he changed into a
bird. That bird spread its wings and flew high, higher and higher, till it flew
away. Then again, he would return to himself as a Black man.
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