Question

style of the poem where the mind is without fear by raindranath tagore

Answer 1

The poem ‘Where the mind is without fear’ is one of Rabindranath Tagore’s timeless creations. It is Tagore’s vision of an independent India. The poem hence is a short but powerful prayer to God, to help establish a nation where ideals like freedom, democracy and truth are cherished.

Points to consider:

1.     Suspense:

The poem begins with the description of a place, which is not specified. It is not until the last line that the poet discloses what the place is. It is the ‘heaven’ that he wants his country to find. Thus, there is an underlying element of suspense in the poem.

2.     Mood and tone:

 All the qualities that the poet enlists are positive and desirable ideals. Powerful phrases like ‘tireless striving’, ‘clear stream of reason’, ‘knowledge is free’, ‘depth of truth’ and others make the poem a strong invocation. The poem thus has a tone of progressive nationalism.

3.     Literary devices:

Alliteration- There are many examples of alliteration in the poem, like ‘head is held high’ and ‘Where the world’.

Repetition- A majority of the lines begin with ‘Where’, thus suggesting the importance that the poet gives to such a place. The repetition of the word shows that his hopes are pinned on India becoming a ‘heaven of freedom’.

Personification- Tagore personifies the nation by using the imagery of the nation ‘stretching its arms’. So, the nation becomes a living entity.

Metaphor- The metaphors in the poem, include ‘clear stream of reason’ and ‘dreary desert sand of dead habit’. Interestingly, both the metaphors are in sharp contrast to each other.

Play of opposites- While the poet focuses on all positive aspects for independent India, there is a subtle hint of all those positives missing in colonial India. So, through the positives, he paints a clear picture of the conditions that existed when India was under British rule. During those times, the mind was not free from fear, nor was an Indian allowed to live on his/her own terms.   

Answer 2

This is one of the most accomplished poem written by Tagore. Originally written in Bengali, the poem was later translated into English. It describes the essence of freedom from Tagore's own point of view, and hints towards the British era, where people of the country were subjugated to the English and lulled for Freedom. The very Title of the poem describes, Freedom, without any fear in the mind. it is indeed a prayer to God to achieve Freedom from oppression in the truest sense.
Critically analyzing the poem, it can be said that it is a free verse poem, having no metrical patterns or rhymes.
The repeated usage of the same consonant sound depicts that the poem has alliterations in it, such as "Head held high", "Where the world", "Where words" etc.
The poem has personifications when the author describes "the striving stretches it's arms". It's as if a human being stretches his arms to relax. Use of metaphors in the words"clear stream of reason".
Hope it helps.