Friday 6 April 2018
Summary of wind
This poem consists of a total of 23 lines. These lines are not separated into stanzas. Here they are divided into meaningful segments for ease of comprehension.
Lines 1-4:
Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
In these lines, the poet directly talks to the wind. In fact, he makes an entreaty to the wind. He asks the wind not to break down the shutters of the windows. The shutters are the only thing that separate man from the stormy environment outside, so in a way the poet is asking the wind for protection. He also asks the wind not to scatter the papers in his room, or to throw down the books from his bookshelves. It is pertinent for him to care about papers and books, and for them to be the first things in his room that he doesn’t want disorganized, because he is a writer. Perhaps some of these papers also contain drafts of poems like this one, hence they are very important to him, and he cannot afford to lose them.
Lines 5-7:
There, look what you did – you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
In these lines, the poet continues speaking to the wind. However, the tone he now uses to address the wind has changed from the tone he had been using in the first four lines of the poem. Here he takes on an accusatory tone. He gestures towards the mess in his room, and tells the wind that it is he who is responsible for it. He shows the wind how he has thrown all the books down from the bookshelves with his force, and torn pages out of those books as well. However, the pet does not restrict his vision only to the inside of his house. Casting his gaze outside, he also accuses the wing of having brought a bout of rainfall with himself while approaching the poet’s house.
Lines 8-12:
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts –
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
In these lines, the poet keeps speaking to the wind. Now his tone has once again undergone a change. While it is still accusatory, it has also become sombre to some extent. The poet tells the wind that he makes mischief whenever he comes face to face with anyone who is too meek and mild to protest against his actions. The wind can tear down the doors, the rafters, or entire wooden houses altogether. This is the wind’s overt action – leaving people without a roof over their heads, or walls to keep them sheltered from the harsh world outside. However, the wind also has a covert action. To understand what the poet is talking about at this point you can think back to how many Indian vernacular languages have a phrase about the wind blowing over someone’s life and leaving a trail of disasters behind. What such an idiom implies is that the troubles we face in life come as suddenly as the wind, and also leave in the same sudden way. Hinting at this, the poet says that the wind can tear down weak bodies, and fragile hearts. That is, difficulties in life can lead to a loss of hope, as well as a loss of life. Whether such things will happen or not is all up to the wind god, says the poet.
Lines 13-15:
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s join the doors firmly.
In these lines, the poet stops speaking to the wind, and starts speaking to his readers. He tells his readers that the wind does not listen to anybody, and that his actions are governed by him alone. Therefore, we cannot escape the ill effects of the wind by appealing to the wind like he has been doing. Instead, we should build our homes on a strong foundation, and ensure that our doors cannot be easily penetrated in order to save ourselves from the wind.
Lines 16-18:
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
In these lines, the poet outlines some other ways in which his readers can save themselves from the wind. He says that we must make ourselves strong, both physically and mentally. We must train our bodies and our hearts to combat against and resist the ill effects of the wind. If we are able to do this, then the poet thinks that we will no longer consider the wind an enemy. Instead the wind will invite us to become his friend, and we will be able to fearlessly accept his invitation.
Lines 19-20:
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
In these lines, the poet describes how the wind has both bad effects and good effects. In order to elucidate on the bad effects of the wind, he shows how the wind can blow out a fire if it is glowing with a weak force. However, if the fire is burning strongly, then the wind will not blow it out, but make it fiercer. Thus the wind can nurture that which is already strong.
Lines 21-23:
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.
Wind, come softly.
In these lines, the poet comes to a conclusion after weighing both the bad effects and the good effects of the wind. He says that if we are strong, then the wind is a good friend for us to have, for he will increase our strength. He also says that we should sing our devotion to the wind god on a daily basis. Finally, he asks for the wind to come to him softly. This may seem a bit cautious of him, but shows that he has thought out his address to the wind very well. He knows how the wind can strengthen him, but also knows that he must not overestimate his own strength or disrespect the wind god. To prevent himself from doing either, he asks the wind to come to him in a gentle manner.
Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 30
Q1 : The wind blows strongly and causes a lot of destruction. How can we make friends with it?
Answer :
Strong winds cause a lot of destruction and damage but its energy can be of great use once we make friends with it. This we can do by taking proper precautions and measures. For instance, we can build stronger homes, keeping in mind the fatalities of the wind. We can also build windmills to harness its energy that can be used to generate electricity.
Thinking about the poem : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 31
1 : What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give words in your language if you know them.)
3. What does the poet say the w
ind god winnows?
4. What should we do to make friends with the wind?
5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
6. How does the poet speak to the wind - in anger or with humour? You must also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poet's?
Answer :
1. The wind breaks the shutters of the windows; scatters the papers; throws down the books from the shelf; tears the pages of the books; and brings showers of rain.
2. Yes, I have seen women winnowing grain at home in the villages. Winnowing is generally known as phatkna, pichorna or anaj parchana in Hindi.
The village people use the winnowing fork and more commonly, the winnowing fan, known as chhaaj in Hindi, for winnowing.
3. The poet says that the wind god winnows the weak crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives and hearts, and then crushes them all.
4. To make friends with the wind, the poet asks us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly and practice to make our bodies and hearts stronger.
5. In the last four lines, the poet inspires us to face the wind, which symbolises the hardships of our lives, courageously. He tells us that the wind can only extinguish the weak fires; it intensifies the stronger ones. Similarly, adversities deter the weak-hearted but make stronger those who have unfaltering will. In such a case, befriending the wind or the hardships of life makes it easier for us to face them.
6. The poet speaks to the wind in anger.
Yes, I have witnessed stormy weather and I have seen the wind uprooting trees. I have watched on the television many instances where wind has caused destruction, crushing houses with people stuck inside.
No, my response would not be similar to the poet. Violent wind causes destruction but its energy, if harnessed, can be utilised in generating electricity and for other productive purposes.
References :-
https://prezi.com/jpxmh8tlbujr/albert-einstein-a-truly-beautiful-mind/ (Links to an external site.)
https://www.learner.in
http://www.excellup.com/classnine/englishnine/trulybeautifulmind.aspx (Links to an external site.)
http://www.schoollamp.com/
http://english-cbse.blogspot.in/2011/12/9th-classbeehiveshort-answers-chapter.html (Links to an external site.)
http://www.learncbse.in/ncert-solutions-for-class-9-english-beehive-a-truly-beautiful-mind/ (Links to an external site.)
This poem consists of a total of 23 lines. These lines are not separated into stanzas. Here they are divided into meaningful segments for ease of comprehension.
Lines 1-4:
Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
In these lines, the poet directly talks to the wind. In fact, he makes an entreaty to the wind. He asks the wind not to break down the shutters of the windows. The shutters are the only thing that separate man from the stormy environment outside, so in a way the poet is asking the wind for protection. He also asks the wind not to scatter the papers in his room, or to throw down the books from his bookshelves. It is pertinent for him to care about papers and books, and for them to be the first things in his room that he doesn’t want disorganized, because he is a writer. Perhaps some of these papers also contain drafts of poems like this one, hence they are very important to him, and he cannot afford to lose them.
Lines 5-7:
There, look what you did – you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
In these lines, the poet continues speaking to the wind. However, the tone he now uses to address the wind has changed from the tone he had been using in the first four lines of the poem. Here he takes on an accusatory tone. He gestures towards the mess in his room, and tells the wind that it is he who is responsible for it. He shows the wind how he has thrown all the books down from the bookshelves with his force, and torn pages out of those books as well. However, the pet does not restrict his vision only to the inside of his house. Casting his gaze outside, he also accuses the wing of having brought a bout of rainfall with himself while approaching the poet’s house.
Lines 8-12:
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts –
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
In these lines, the poet keeps speaking to the wind. Now his tone has once again undergone a change. While it is still accusatory, it has also become sombre to some extent. The poet tells the wind that he makes mischief whenever he comes face to face with anyone who is too meek and mild to protest against his actions. The wind can tear down the doors, the rafters, or entire wooden houses altogether. This is the wind’s overt action – leaving people without a roof over their heads, or walls to keep them sheltered from the harsh world outside. However, the wind also has a covert action. To understand what the poet is talking about at this point you can think back to how many Indian vernacular languages have a phrase about the wind blowing over someone’s life and leaving a trail of disasters behind. What such an idiom implies is that the troubles we face in life come as suddenly as the wind, and also leave in the same sudden way. Hinting at this, the poet says that the wind can tear down weak bodies, and fragile hearts. That is, difficulties in life can lead to a loss of hope, as well as a loss of life. Whether such things will happen or not is all up to the wind god, says the poet.
Lines 13-15:
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s join the doors firmly.
In these lines, the poet stops speaking to the wind, and starts speaking to his readers. He tells his readers that the wind does not listen to anybody, and that his actions are governed by him alone. Therefore, we cannot escape the ill effects of the wind by appealing to the wind like he has been doing. Instead, we should build our homes on a strong foundation, and ensure that our doors cannot be easily penetrated in order to save ourselves from the wind.
Lines 16-18:
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
In these lines, the poet outlines some other ways in which his readers can save themselves from the wind. He says that we must make ourselves strong, both physically and mentally. We must train our bodies and our hearts to combat against and resist the ill effects of the wind. If we are able to do this, then the poet thinks that we will no longer consider the wind an enemy. Instead the wind will invite us to become his friend, and we will be able to fearlessly accept his invitation.
Lines 19-20:
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
In these lines, the poet describes how the wind has both bad effects and good effects. In order to elucidate on the bad effects of the wind, he shows how the wind can blow out a fire if it is glowing with a weak force. However, if the fire is burning strongly, then the wind will not blow it out, but make it fiercer. Thus the wind can nurture that which is already strong.
Lines 21-23:
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.
Wind, come softly.
In these lines, the poet comes to a conclusion after weighing both the bad effects and the good effects of the wind. He says that if we are strong, then the wind is a good friend for us to have, for he will increase our strength. He also says that we should sing our devotion to the wind god on a daily basis. Finally, he asks for the wind to come to him softly. This may seem a bit cautious of him, but shows that he has thought out his address to the wind very well. He knows how the wind can strengthen him, but also knows that he must not overestimate his own strength or disrespect the wind god. To prevent himself from doing either, he asks the wind to come to him in a gentle manner.
Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 30
Q1 : The wind blows strongly and causes a lot of destruction. How can we make friends with it?
Answer :
Strong winds cause a lot of destruction and damage but its energy can be of great use once we make friends with it. This we can do by taking proper precautions and measures. For instance, we can build stronger homes, keeping in mind the fatalities of the wind. We can also build windmills to harness its energy that can be used to generate electricity.
Thinking about the poem : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 31
1 : What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give words in your language if you know them.)
3. What does the poet say the w
4. What should we do to make friends with the wind?
5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
6. How does the poet speak to the wind - in anger or with humour? You must also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poet's?
Answer :
1. The wind breaks the shutters of the windows; scatters the papers; throws down the books from the shelf; tears the pages of the books; and brings showers of rain.
2. Yes, I have seen women winnowing grain at home in the villages. Winnowing is generally known as phatkna, pichorna or anaj parchana in Hindi.
The village people use the winnowing fork and more commonly, the winnowing fan, known as chhaaj in Hindi, for winnowing.
3. The poet says that the wind god winnows the weak crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives and hearts, and then crushes them all.
4. To make friends with the wind, the poet asks us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly and practice to make our bodies and hearts stronger.
5. In the last four lines, the poet inspires us to face the wind, which symbolises the hardships of our lives, courageously. He tells us that the wind can only extinguish the weak fires; it intensifies the stronger ones. Similarly, adversities deter the weak-hearted but make stronger those who have unfaltering will. In such a case, befriending the wind or the hardships of life makes it easier for us to face them.
6. The poet speaks to the wind in anger.
Yes, I have witnessed stormy weather and I have seen the wind uprooting trees. I have watched on the television many instances where wind has caused destruction, crushing houses with people stuck inside.
No, my response would not be similar to the poet. Violent wind causes destruction but its energy, if harnessed, can be utilised in generating electricity and for other productive purposes.
References :-
https://prezi.com/jpxmh8tlbujr/albert-einstein-a-truly-beautiful-mind/ (Links to an external site.)
https://www.learner.in
http://www.excellup.com/classnine/englishnine/trulybeautifulmind.aspx (Links to an external site.)
http://www.schoollamp.com/
http://english-cbse.blogspot.in/2011/12/9th-classbeehiveshort-answers-chapter.html (Links to an external site.)
