Identify the Poetic devices and explain meaningfully :-- 1) She launches away towards the infinite. 2)And who art thou? Said I to the soft-falling shower 3)Which strange to tell ,gave me an answer,as here translated 4)showing her barred face identity mask.
Answers
Reference to Context
1.
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen
Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
a) What has happened to the tree?
It is the month of September. The autumn has set in. The leaves of the tree have turned yellow and its seeds have also fallen.
b) How does the mood change on the arrival of the goldfinch?
The tree which was earlier silent has become active, noisy and full of life, as the goldfinch has come to feed her young ones.
c) There is a comparison of the goldfinch with an animal. Which animal is that?
The goldfinch has been compared to a lizard, sleek and abrupt in its movements.
2.
Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.
a) Who has been described in the first line?
The goldfinch has been described in the first line.
b) What impression is created by the description?
The chirruping of the birds is delicate, soft and gentle like whispering. The reference is to the sounds that the bird makes.
c) What effect does the last line create?
The last line shows the contrast between the liveliness of the tree and the silent tree.The tree becomes silent and empty when the bird flies away.
3.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings and a tremor of wings, and trilling
The whole tree trembles and thrills.
a) Who is ‘she’ in the first line? Where does she enter?
‘She’ is the goldfinch and she enters the thickness of the trees.
b) What is the ‘machine’ referred to in line 2?
The ‘machine’ refers to the young ones of the goldfinch. They suddenly start twittering and chirruping as their mother comes to the nest to feed them.
The tree was silent earlier but as the mother goldfinch comes to her nest, there is a lot of noise made by her young ones. The movement and the sounds produced are in contrast to the silence. The tree comes to life now.
4.
The laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.
a) Name the poem and the poet.
The name of the poem is ‘The Laburnum Top’ and the poet is Ted Hughes.
b) Describe the laburnum tree.
The tree is silent and still. It has leaves that are yellowing and seeds have fallen.
c) What is the mood in these lines?
The mood is of peace, calm, quiet and silence. There is absolute stillness and peace.
d) Pick out the words that create the mood.
The words that create the mood are ‘silent’, ‘still’, ‘yellowing leaves’ and ‘fallenseeds’.
5.
It is the engine of her family
She strokes it full, then flirts out to a branch end
Showing her barred face identity mask
a) Why has the word ‘engine’ been used to describe her family?
The word ‘engine’ has been used to describe her family. The engine of the machine starts up and there is noise, movement and energy signifying the excitement at the arrival of mother.
b) Who is ‘she’? How does she stroke the engine?
‘She’ is the goldfinch who has her nest on the top of the laburnum tree. Just as the stoker feeds coal to the engine, the bird feeds her young ones.
c) What does the bird look like?
The face which was earlier hidden in the thickness of the tree’s branches is now revealed as she comes out at the end of the branch. She seems to be wearing a striped mask.
Explanation:
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