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PMR Poem - Form 3
PMR Poem - Form 3
What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like stars at night. No time to turn at Beautys glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. William Henry Davies
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PERSONA
The persona could be the poet himself. In the poem, the persona thinks and wonders about life. He believes that life should be enjoyed at a slower pace. He loves outdoor and nature and he wants everybody to think about their life too.
LEISURE : SYNOPSIS
In the poem Leisure the persona talks about taking time to look around and notice the beauty of little things around us. What good is life if we do not take time to stand or look at what is happening around us? Life should not be busy all the time. We should slow down and look at nature and appreciate it. We should take advantage of the little time we have in life and pay attention to the little things.
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3. Appreciating nature
According to the poem, nature has many wonders and mysteries. We should marvel at such sparkling streams an the squirrel hiding its nuts. Finding time to appreciate nature will help us to relax. It helps us to lead better life.
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Enjoy nature
Nature is beautiful. Like the sheep and cows, we should spend time enjoying the beauty and wonders of our natural surroundings. We should not rush around and miss out on simple joy os seing beautiful trees, sparkling streams and clever animals.
MORAL VALUES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. We should be grateful for life and treasure life and do not let it pass us by. We need to love and appreciate nature. Everything we see, touch, smell and hear make our life beautiful We should use leisure creatively to strengthen our minds and hearts. We should practice moderation by not spending all our time working and worrying about our problems. We need to balance our lives with leisure and enjoyment. Life is transient and what we have today may disappear tomorrow, so appreciate what we have today. We should take care of ourselves and take a break from our busy schedule.
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PARAPHRASE OF THE POEM : LEISURE Leisure is a simple yet beautiful and thought provoking poem written by William Henry Davies (W. H. Davies). In this poem, the poet wonders whether it is worth leading a life which provides one with no time for leisure. The p oem Leisure is divided into seven rhyming couplets.
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Couplet 1: The poet, W. H. Davies, begins by questioning the purpose of a life which is so full of worry that it does not allow us any time to simply stand still and watch the world go by. In the next few couplets, he describes the various things that people are not able to do due to lack of leisure. Couplet 2: Sheep and cows can often be seen standing still in vast open fields and staring into a distance. People living a busy life would not possess the leisure to stand under the branches of trees and keep gazing on and on like such ruminants. Couplet 3: W. H. Davies further adds that when such people pass a forest or a woodland, they would be in too much of a hurry to notice the nooks and crannies in the grass where squirrels conceal their nuts. They would not possess the leisure to notice the various aspects of the natural world around them. Couplet 4: In daylight, streams appear to be sparkling under the effect of sunshine making it seem as if the streams are full of stars like the night sky. However, such beauties of nature are likely to be missed by people overburdened by anxiety and living a life of haste without any leisure, remarks W.H. Davies. Couplets 5 and 6: There are two ways of looking at the fifth and sixth couplets of the poem: literally and metaphorically. Looking at it literally- The poet states that the rush of life provides people with no leisure to turn at the glance of a beautiful maiden and marvel at her dancing feet. They are unable to leisurely observe her as her mouth shapes out a smile that started from her eyes. Looking at it metaphorically- W.H. Davies has personified the beauty of the world around us which many often fail to observe due to a lack of leisure. The dancing feet and enchanting smile refers to various aspects of the beauty around us. Couplet 7: In the final couplet of the poem, Davies states that a life which is so bogged down by worry that it allows one no time for leisure is indeed a miserable life. If you read the first couplet of Leisure carefully, you will notice that although it ends with a full stop, (and is hence in the form of a statement) it can also be interpreted as a question asked by the poet. In that case, the final couplet can be seen as W. H. Davies answer to his own question. 32
MODEL QUESTION PAPER 2 - SECTION B : LITERATURE COMPONENT Read the poem `Leisure and answer the questions that follow. SET 1 1. Name two things that the persona says people have no time to do. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 2.. What does the word woods refer to? _____________________________________________________ (1 mark) SET 2 1. What do cows and sheep do in the field? _____________________________________________________ (1 mark) 2. Give two benefits of taking the time to stand and stare. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ (2 marks) (2 marks)
SET 3 1. What does the phrase full of care means? _______________________________________________________________ (2 marks) 2. Which phrase in the poem means life is meaningless? _____________________________________________________ (1 mark)
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SET 4 1. Why are the streams full of stars? _____________________________________________________ 2. Why is it important to have leisure in life? _______________________________________________________________ (2 marks) SET 5 1. What is nature compared to? _____________________________________________________ (1 mark) (1 mark)
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A Fighters Lines by Marzuki Ali I am old and worn and have lost all my strength sufferings and the history of the fight for independence have forced sacrifices that know no name or life from the wheelchair of the rest of my days I, body and energy crushed see and cannot do much these times are too big a challenge for the remnants of my crippled years the net of deceit spread everywhere disturbs me. In the name of justice Wake up and form ranks sons of our ancestor Be brave And erect a wall of people Stand up heirs of our freedom I have no more voice It is you now who should speak!
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The persona ends by insisting that the younger generation continues to fight against injustice because he can no longer do so. Themes 1. Patriotism Patriotism is one of the themes of this poem. The people in this country have made a lot of sacrifices to fight for their freedom. They have achieved independence but now there are other threats such as deceit. This affects the country's safety. The persona calls on the younger generation to fight for justice and to speak up against deceit. 2. Being courageous Another theme is being courageous. In the past, people made many sacrifices and fought bravely with the country's enemies for their freedom. Now, the persona urges the younger generation to be brave and fight against other threats in the country. He tells them to stand up and speak with courage. 3. Unity In the past, people were united when they fought for independence. Now, the persona emphasizes that the younger generation who has inherited a free country should unite to preserve their freedom. They should stand united by building a wall of people or forming ranks irrespective of racial, religious and other social differences. The "lines" in the poem, A Fighter's Lines refer to the persona's lines and the lines or ranks formed for unity. We have to be united and strong as in the saying, "United we stand, divided we fall". Values 1. We must be brave to uphold justice. The persona urges the younger generation to stand up against the widespread lies which are rampant in society today. This 'net of deceit' worries his as it can destroy the solidarity of the people. Therefore, he urges them to stand united and uphold justice to preserve the freedom and safety of the country. 2. We must be willing to make sacrifices to preserve our independence. In the fight for independence, the persona and other soldiers sacrificed and risked their lives when they fought for independence. Now, he is wheelchair-bound because he was either crippled in the war or is now old and sick. Now, he wants the younger generation to make sacrifices too to preserve their freedom.
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3. We must be united to preserve our freedom. The persona wants the younger generation to stand united regardless of their differences to ensure their freedom.
MODEL QUESTION PAPER 2 - SECTION B : LITERATURE COMPONENT Read the poem ` A Fighters Lines and answer the questions that follow. SET 1 1. What do you think the personas job was? _____________________________________________________ 2. What disturbs the persona now? _______________________________________________________________ (2 marks) SET 2 1. Why do you think the persona has lost all his strength? _____________________________________________________ (1 mark) (1 mark)
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SET 4 1. Give one thing that the poet had to do when he was young? _____________________________________________________ 2. Give 2 messages that the poet wants to convey. _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ (2 marks) (1 mark)
SET 5 1. Use a sentence to summarize the personas wish in Stanza 3. _____________________________________________________ (1 mark)
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