100% question of snake ch 10th class
Answers
1. Describe the manner in which the snake
arrived and departed.
Ans : The snake had come from the crack in the wall
made of earth, from the darkness, from the scorching
inside portion of the earth. The snake did not feel the
threat of the poet’s presence, so its movement is very
languid, very relaxed and unhurried. It stretched its long
and slack body, drank water with great spells of flavour
and enjoyment. It licked its lips, it mused and put his head
on the edge of the water-trough. Its departure was exactly
the opposite—quick, clumsy, abrupt like the speed of
lightning.
2. You have read the poem ‘Snake’ and you
understand the dilemma faced by the poet.
Suppose you had been there instead of the poet,
how would you have behaved? Write a letter to
your friends Prateek, expressing this situation
and how did you resolve it.
Ans : 92, G.P. Road
ABC City
12 July, 2010
Dear Prateek,
I wish to recount a strange experience that I
underwent recently. One day as I had come to fill my pitcher
with water from a open water-trough, I saw a snake drinking
water there. My first instinct was fright and then I felt
like killing him, because that is what we do generally.
Nevertheless, I hid behind the door and watched the snake.
The snake was very relaxed, very slack and had great style
of moving about. After drinking water, the snake went back
into the hole. I felt happy that I had not hit him. I am
happy I followed the voice of my instincts.
Mohan.
3. Write a short note on the literary devices used
by the poet. Discuss their effectiveness in the
context of the poem.
Ans : D.H. Lawrence has made use of many literary
devices liberally. He begins the poem by using some words
expressions repeatedly, to reinforce and highlight certain
ideas. There is a great use of alliteration in words like
‘slackness’, ‘soft-bellied’ etc. Lot of similes have been
used to describe the snake. The snake is compared to
‘cattle’, ‘like a king’, ‘lord’ etc. The snake disappears into
the hole with the speed of lightening. Moreover, the snake
is symbolic of some strange forces and it represents power
and sophistication that impress the poet.
4. What ideas and thoughts come to the poet's
mind when he finds a poisonous snake drinking
water at his water trough?
Ans : After reaching his water trough on a very hot day,
the poet finds a snake drinking water from his water
trough. He waits for the snake to finish drinking water first
since he is very particular regarding protocol. The snake
was brown in colour. The poet makes a frank confession
that he really liked the snake but educational and social
conventions make the poet think that the golden brown
snakes were poisonous, so they must be killed. The inner
instinct of the poet makes him feel honoured that a snake
had come to seek his hospitality from the deep recesses of
the earth.
When the snake started to retreat back into the
dark hole, the poet disliked it and hurled a log at the snake.
The snake vanished into the hole in great haste. The poet
was full of guilt. He really hated himself for such a mean
act and cursed the voice of education that had always
taught him to kill snakes, without any reason.
The poem represents the instability of man's mind
but champions the fact that it is our instinctive behaviour
that prompts us to do good..