After Blenheim – Robert Southey

Test Answers

1. Give the character sketch of Wilhelmine in the poem “After Blenheim”.

Wilhelmine is presented as an innocent and curious little girl. She is the granddaughter of old Kaspar in the
poem. Through She reflects upon the zeal and enthusiasm associated with young age and the ability to
question things as a peculiar quality of kids which fade away with growing age.

2. Why is the victory not ‘great’ despite many people celebrating it?
The poet criticizes the common people’s idea of a great victory in war. It is because the common people don’t
have the logical mind to raise questions and innocently believe the propaganda of false patriotism
indoctrinated in them by the political leaders.

3. What does the reply ‘It was the English’ tell us about the speaker?
The quoted line from Robert Southey’s poem ‘After Blenheim’ reveals Kaspar’s nationality. It says that he was
an Englishman and that is why he was proud of the victory that England had over France in the Battle of
Blenheim.

4. How does Kaspar’s suffering in Blenheim affect his view of war?

The French wrecked havoc in the village and burnt homes of several innocent people to the ground. Young
Kaspar along with his parents fled to a different place but could not find a home because of the impending
war. Apparently, Kaspar’s suffering in the war did not affect his views or thinking about war much. Though
he himself and his family suffered much, he held to his romantic ideals of war and maintained his stand to
term the war a ‘great victory’.

5. How did Kaspar glorify war in “After Blenheim”?

He glorifies the battle by calling it a ‘great victory’ and ‘famous victory’ repeatedly even though he did not
know the reason and had no clue regarding what good it brought to the people of the place.

6. What ‘thing’ according to Wilhelmine was wicked? Do you agree with her?
The Wicked thing was the furious battle of Blenheim. Undoubtedly I agree, it is so called as The Wicked thing
because it causes almost all the strange and unacceptable thing which are fatal, furious and wicked.

7. What was the occupation of the speaker in After Blenheim?

Kaspar is by profession a farmer. He is a representative of the common mass who holds the romantic view of
war.

8. A common man’s perspective of war in After Blenheim.

Robert Southey has brilliantly conveyed a common man’s perspective of war in his poem ‘After Blenheim’.
Here Old Kaspar represents the common people who hold an idealistic view of war. He believes that war is all
about heroism and patriotism. Though a lot of lives and property were lost in the Battle of Blenheim, it is still
a ‘great’ and ‘famous’ victory to Kaspar.

9. Why were the children confused at Kaspar’s claim regarding the war?
In the poem ‘After Blenheim’, old Kaspar claimed the Battle of Blenheim which caused great destruction and
loss of lives to be a ‘great victory’. That is why they could find no real reason in calling a war ‘great’ in any
sense.

10. Define the following terms from the poem: rivulet, ploughshare, yon, and childing
Rivulet- small stream ploughshare- the main cutting blade of a plough
Yon- that childing- pregnant