FORM 2

Poem: `I WONDER By Jeannie Kirby

I WONDER
I wonder why the grass is green,
And why the wind is never seen?
Who taught the birds to build a nest,
And told the trees to take a rest?
O, when the moon is not quite round,
Where can the missing bit be found?
Who lights the stars, when they blow out,
And makes the lightning flash about?
Who paints the rainbow in the sky,
And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?
Why is it now, do you suppose,
That Dad wont tell me, if he knows?
Jeannie Kirby

Elements Of The Poem :

Persona(Speaker)
- a naive child
Point of view
- First person (I Wonder)

Setting
Day to night (time)
Outdoor (place) - green grass, nests on tree, Autumn, stars in sky, crescent moon,
a flash of lightning, rainbow in the sky - Indoor : with his/ her father

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Theme
Curiosity of a child
The wonders of nature
The longing of knowledge
The Power of Creator
Moral Values
We should be observant and sensitive to out surroundings
We should always cultivate a sense of wonder in our heart
We should appreciate and take care of the nature created by our Creator

Structure
6 stanzas (6 couplets)
Rhyme Scheme
regular (aa bb cc dd ee)
Tone
questioning, curiosity
Mood
reflective
Language
simple, Wh-words/questions Imagery
nature (grass, wind, bird, moon, stars, lightning, rainbow, clouds) Poetic Devices
Personification ("trees...take a rest")
Alliteration ("grass is green", "birds to build")
Literal meaning
A child is wondering about the natural happenings, asking why the grass is green (instead of the
other colours) and why the wind is invisible. He or she continues to ponder the person who
teaches the birds to build nest and the trees stop growing. He or she also wonders when the
moon is in crescent shape, where the other part of the moon is.

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He or she proceeds to question about the person who makes the stars shining and how the
lightning flash about. He or she keeps on asking who colours the rainbow and puts the clouds
high in sky. He or she cannot get the answers, thus, directs the questions to the other.
Lastly, the child wonders why father doesnt tell him or her if he knows the answers

Exercise 1
Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks with ONE suitable word.

The poem is about a child wondering of nature. As he walks he looks ____________ (1) him.
He does not know why the _______ (2) is green, and the wind can be ___________ (3) but not
seen. He would like to know who teaches the birds to build the __________(4). He also notices
that the moon is not always ____________(5). There are so many ______________ (6) on his
mind, such as who __________(7) clouds so high and who ______________ (8) the rainbow in
the sky. If he ________ (9) his father all these questions, he wonders why his father will not tell
him the ______________ (10).

Exercise 2
Questions 1 10 are based on the extract from the poem I WONDER.
What does the use of the word wonder in the poem show?
thinking
solving problems
making silly remarks
feeling of shock

The phrase how the wind looks like tells us that the writer is.
curious
confused
passionate
angry

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What is hanging according to the persona?

stars
clouds
rainbow
wind

Which word means to make something look bright?

paints
hangs
lights
makes

The title of the poem implies that the persona has

desire to know
very little patience
a lot anger
no desire to know

State one value that we can learn from the poem?

Nature should be appreciated
Nature should be left alone
We must not be so curious
We should not ask too many questions.

Who is the persona disappointed with?

God
Her mother
Her father

Nature

What is invisible?
The lightning
The wind
The clouds
The moon

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The word fluffy means

light
feathery
thin
crispy

Two pairs of rhyming words from the poem.

fluffy- clouds
round- found
lightning-flash
birds-build

MODEL QUESTION
PAPER 2 - SECTION B : LITERATURE COMPONENT
Read the poem `I Wonder and answer the questions that follow.
SET 1
1. Who is the persona in the poem?

_____________________________________________________

(1 mark)

What is the poem about?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 2
What does the persona find puzzling about the birds?
________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

Which phrase in the extract shows that the persona is inquisitive about nature?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)
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SET 3
1. What is missing according to persona?
_____________________________________________________

(1 mark)

Do you think the boys father knows the answer to his questions? Quote a line / two to support
your answer.

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 4
1.
From the extract, which element in the sky is colourful?
_____________________________________________________(1 mark)
2.
The main themes of the poem are
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 5
1. Based on the poem, what element of Nature can be felt but can never be seen?
_____________________________________________________

(1 mark)

How would you feel if your questions are not answered?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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Poem: `HEIR CONDITIONING By M. SHANmughalingam

HEIR CONDITIONING
Grand dad did you breathe before air cons were invented was it hard staying
alive without modern inventions?
Grandma werent you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans? Could you communicate before
faxes and long distance calls became basic necessities?
Grandchild we lived before your age. Because of our ignorance,

we did not know

pollution, stress, traffic jams destruction of forests, streams and hills we feared God and nature
now nature fears you and money is your new God.

M SHANmughalingam

Elements Of The Poem:

SETTING
The poem is written in a twentieth century setting as there are references to modern gadgets
such as air cons and faxes. The problems mentioned in the poem also allude to current
problems faced by today generation. These include stress, pollution and traffic jams. The
dialogue could have taken place in the living room or any place that allow two parties to discuss
certain issues.

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PERSONA
There are two personas in the poem. They are the grandparents and the grandchild.

SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM

The poem Heir Conditioning is a dialogue between the grandparents and their grandchild about
the differences in their generations. The poet offers two different views from two different
generations through the dialogue. The grandchild asks his or her grandparents about what life
was like in the old days and they explain that life was much simpler and they id not have to face
the problems of today's world. This is because they were not advanced enough to invent many
technological inventions during their time. The poem further explores the differences between
the two generations by giving examples of the problems the grandchild has to face now such as
pollution, stress and traffic jams. The poem ends with a strong message in the last two lines.
The message is those living in the grandchild's have become more materialistic and that they
have to pay the price for the progress.

ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

STANZA 1
Grand dad did you breathe before air cons were invented was it hard staying
alive without modern inventions?
Grandma werent you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans? Could you communicate
before faxes and long distance calls became basic necessities?

In the first stanza, the poet asks his grandparents about the life before the technology arouse
and become the important usage in the world nowadays. He asks his grandfather was it
complicated to live in the life without technology as he refers the technology to the invention of
the air cons. Then he asks his grandmother regarding the condition when she used paper fans
to cool herself. He also asks his grandmother what were the possibilities for them to
communicate without faxes and long distance calls compared to the world nowadays.

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STANZA 2
Grandchild we lived before your age. Because of our ignorance,
we did not know pollution, stress, traffic jams
destruction of forests, streams and hills
we feared God and nature now nature fears you and money is your new God.

The second stanza shows the answers given by the poets grandparents that sum up all the
questions in one simple answer. The reason on why they did not experience all the pollution,
stress, traffic jams, and destruction of forests, streams and hills is because of their ignorance;
they were lack of knowledge by that time. His grandparents add, the only thing that they fear is
God and nature but now, the nature turns to fear the entire human race and money is the only
obsession to human.

THEMES
The poem is concerned about the price one has to pay for progress. With the development, one
has to face many problems that can affect the quality of life. The younger generation has to face
greater challenges in life because they have many wants. The poet highlights the challenges in
the present world and attributes them to our own greed and materialistic ways.

MORAL VALUES
We must love our environment.
We must be God-fearing.
We must not be greedy and materialistic.
We must use our knowledge for our own good.
We must be grateful with what we have.
Progress and development bring about advantages and disadvantages.
7.

Present days values are different from yesterday.

Greed can lead to destruction.

The younger generation has different values.
Preserve the environment.
We must pay a high price for development.

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TONE AND MOOD

The tone is matter-of-fact and honest. The grandchild poses the questions honestly and directly
to the grandfather. The grandchild asks questions in an innocent and nave tone did
you,was itwerent youCould you The grandfather explains and answers in a firm and
serious tone , the voice of someone scolding, preaching and teaching an ignorant person.
(we did not ). However in the last two lines we could sense that the grandfather is unhappy
with the present generation as they have become more materialistic in life and their values have
changed.

Exercise 1
Choose the best answer for each question.
1.
Which word rhymes with heir?

A. hare
C. airy
B. air
D. hair
2.
What is the tone of the poem?

A. Sad
C. Anger
B. Sarcastic
D. Sorrow

3. How does the poet view modernization?

A. optimistic

C. confident

B. pessimistic D. cynical

4. In stanza 1, the grandparents did not have all the following except
A. air conditioners

C. fax machine

B. telephone D. paper fans

What does the title of the poem suggest?

Changes on how the younger generation thinks.
Changes in the mindset of the older generation
We must appreciate all the modern inventions
Technology is very important to mankind

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What is meant in the line we feared God and nature now nature fears you?

we are scared of nature

we are scared of God
we actually destroyed nature
nature destroyed our faith to God

What is meant by money is your new God?

Money can buy all the new inventions
The younger generation worship money.
Money is very important in our lives.
The older generation realizes the importance of money.

What does the word feared imply?

A.
scared of
C.
hated
B.
believed in
D.
angry at

What is the theme of the poem?

The usefulness of modern inventions.
Technology is not good for us
Respecting God
Effects of development

What can you infer from the line Grand child we lived before your age?
Grandparents enjoyed a long life

Grandparents have more experience than grandchild

Grandparents have lived a difficult life for a long time.
Grandparents do not understand grandchilds lifestyle

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MODEL QUESTION
PAPER 2 - SECTION B : LITERATURE COMPONENT
Read the poem `Heir Conditioning and answer the questions that follow.

SET 1
1. What is the poem about?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)
Name 2 modern inventions mentioned in Stanza 1.
________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 2
In the first stanza, what does the grandchild wonder?
________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)
What does the word we in the second stanza refer to?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)
SET 3
1. How did the grandparents live before?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)
Give a contrast between the past and the present
________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 4
1. What is the tone in the last two lines of stanza 2?
_____________________________________________________

(1 mark)

What does Money is your new God in stanza 2 mean?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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SET 5
Which line in the last stanza means that nature is being destroyed by the young generation?
_____________________________________________________

(1 mark)

Now nature fears you and money is your new God What value indicated here?
________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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