Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural poor?

What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?

What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Tick the item which best answers the following.

(a) The tall girl with her head weighed down means
     The girl
           (i) is ill and exhausted
           (ii) has her head bent with shame
           (iii) has untidy hair

(b) The paper-seeming boy with rat’s eyes means
     The boy is
           (i) sly and secretive
           (ii) thin, hungry and weak
           (iii) unpleasant looking

(c) The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones means
     The boy
           (i) has an inherited disability
           (ii) was short and bony

(d) His eyes live in a dream, A squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this means
     The boy is
           (i) full of hope in the future
           (ii) mentally ill
           (iii) distracted from the lesson

(e) The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’
     This means they
           (i) are insecure
           (ii) are ill-fed
           (iii) are wasters

Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this difference?

What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve?

What pleasure does a beautiful thing give us? Are beautiful things worth treasuring?

The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with  domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of these children?

The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with  domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of these children?

Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor rural people, but actually do them no good. Pick out the words and phrases that the poet uses to show their double standards.

Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this difference?

What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest to you?

What does the title of the poem suggest to you? What do you think the poem is about?

Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?

What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?