Question

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection……..” (i) What is the poet’s request to God? [2] (ii) Which ‘narrow wall’ is the poet referring here? [2] (iii) Explain the line’ where tireless striving stretches its arm towards perfection’ [2]

Answer 1

Answer:

1. Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; In the very first line, the poet prays to the Almighty that his countrymen should be free from any fear of oppression or forced compulsion. He wishes that everyone in his country has his head held high in dignity.
2. Rabindranath Tagore in his poem 'Where the Mind is Without Fear' expresses his views against the barriers between men. He wants to see a world that is not 'broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls'. Here the word 'domestic' may be taken at more than one sense. It may mean regional or internal.
3. In this line from the poem ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ the poet emphasizes the need for developing a work culture which is necessary for the progress of a nation. If people are lazy and wasting time by gossiping, mere political freedom won’t make any difference for them.

So, Tagore says that we should strive tirelessly to achieve perfection in the longer run. To make it easy, we should work hard and not get tired by working. Our aim should be to attain perfection in whatever we do.

Answer 2

Answer:

i. to let his country be awaken

ii. narrow domestic wall

iii. here personification has been used for 'tireless striving' towards is that once goal should be attained in perfection that is to be an ideal country and all those years of struggle would finally reaches School of attattaining freedom and perfection.