Question

Appreciation of poem Basketful of Moonlight

Answer 1

Poem ‘Basketful of Moonlight’ talks about the light synonymous to moon here.

He says that his village is far and his fellow members go to work daily.

When they return it is very dark and he wants to put small moons of light for them to illuminate the way.

Then the author also wishes for light so that his father could return from work early and he could get time to spend with him else he doesn’t get to meet his father often.

It is a beautiful poetry that touches emotional chord in the readers.

Answer 2

Appreciation of poem

(1) Title : The title of the poem is very appropriate. The uncommon expression of 'basketful of moonlight' prepares the reader to anticipate the peculiar and out of the ordinary request of the child.

(2) Poet : The poet's name is Sunil Sharma. The poem was originally written in Dogri language.

(3) Theme / Central Idea : The central idea of the poem is the loneliness of a child in a remote village untouched by modern amenities. The child is too afar from the modern urban life that even his remedy for the plight of his village seems quite innocent and plain.

(4) Rhyme scheme : There is no rhyme scheme in the poem. The poem does not conform traditional stanza division. The length of the lines are also irregular. This is a poem in free verse.

(5) Figure of Speech : Repetition Repetition is the use of same word in a line either for emphasis or for poetic effect.

e.g. "I want to sow many small, small moons of light."

(6) Special features : The poem is rich in its imagery. The word portrait of the child who desires to light the dark path to his village with moonlight will always remain in our memory. The image brings forth the intense remoteness of an Indian village in the middle of nowhere.

(7) Favourite line : My favourite line is :

"I too want to hear fairy tales and stories from him."

This line suggests how much the child misses his father and how dearly he longs for the caring company of his father.

(8) Why I like the poem : I like the poem for its simplicity. Using the everyday words, the poet portrays a memorable image of the child and his village.