Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
(a) Whom does the word ‘those’ refer to?
(b) What does the poet mean by: ‘put on clean clothes’?
(c) Describe the irony in the third line.
(d) When can a person walk about with ‘their’ brothers?

Answer 1

Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,

victory with no survivors,

would put on clean clothes

and walk about with their brothers

in the shade, doing nothing.

(a) The people who wage wars and cause destruction to humanity and life at large have been called ’those’.

(b) By ‘putting on clean clothes’ the poet wanted to say that the those who cause destruction will stop doing it.

(c) ‘Victory with no survivors’ means the victory which comes in after sacrificing all the men who were fighting. The war is won but there is no one alive to celebrate the victory.

(d) When they will not create any kind of destruction and walk hand in hand.

Answer 2

(a) Whom does the word ‘those’ refer to?

'Those' refers to warmongers, politicians, or army generals, etc.

(b) What does the poet mean by: ‘put on clean clothes’?

'Putting on clean clothes' means living a peaceful and spiritual life.

(c) Describe the irony in the third line.

Irony in the third line means winning a war but o survivor left to show the victory to.

(d) When can a person walk about with ‘their’ brothers?

One can walk about with their brothers when one is living a peaceful and blessed life.