Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: And then the old man shook his head, And with a natural sigh – “’Tis some poor fellow’s skull,” said he, “Who fell in the great victory.” [4] (After Blenheim, Robert Southey) i) Who is the old man? What causes him to sigh? ii) What incident prompted the old man to give an account of the Battle of Blenheim? iii) How did the battle affect the old man’s family? iv) Name the two countries that fought each other in the battle. Which army won? What reason does the old man give for the victory? v) Point out the refrain in the poem. What effect does the refrain have on the reader? What do you think is the poet’s attitude to war?
Answers
Answer:
1) In the poem, After bleinheim, the old man kasper shaked his head because he was very sad by seeing the skull in the hands of his grand son Peterkin and he told his grandchildren that the skull was the skull of any fellow man who took part in the famous battle of BLENHEIM.
2) The incident prompted the old man was the skull of the soldier. The old man who has found the objects while plowing the field told the children that it is a skull of a soldier who martyred in the battle of the Blenheim. Children asked the cause of the battle of Blenheim.
3) The French wrecked havoc in the village and burnt homes of several innocent people to the ground. Consequently, the villagers were forced to migrate in search for shelter. Young Kaspar along with his parents fled to a different place but could not find a home because of the impending war.
4) England and France fought each other in the battle. The English army won the battle. According to the old man, England won the battle due to the joint strategy of the Duke of Marlbrough, Prince Eugene and the English military commanders.
5) The refrain in the poem is : 'It was a famous victory' It has ironic effect on the readers. What reason does the old man give for the victory? Victory cannot bring back all the lives, which were lost during the war.