Jai Guru Dev

MAHARISHI VIDYA MANDIR, HYDERABAD

MVM HYD - E-learning

SUBJECT: ENGLISH

CLASS V

LESSON : POEM : IF MICE COULD ROAR……

POET: RUSKIN BOND

MODULE 1

CONTENT: 1. Introduction of the poet

2. Introduction of the poem

3. Poem with pictures

Explanation of Stanza 1, 2, 3

4. New words and meanings

5. Related Worksheet

Introduction: ABOUT THE POET:

 Ruskin Bond is an Indian author born in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) in 1934.

 Ruskin Bond grew up in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Dehradun, New Delhi and Simla.
 His first novel, The Room on the Roof, written when he was seventeen, received the John
Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957.
 Since then he has written over 500 short stories, essays and novellas and more than forty
books for children.
  He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in India in 1993, the Padma Shri in
1999, and the Delhi government's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
 He lives in Landour, Mussoorie, with his extended family.

BASIC IDEA OF THE POEM: In this poem, the poet wants an entirely different world. He is not happy with the
materialistic world. He wants to change all the things around him and enjoy a new world with no cruelty, no
fear, no timidity, and each organism and material had a tongue to speak out their inner thoughts.

We can see his dream world here.

If mice could roar

And elephants soar

And trees grew up in the sky;

Explanation of Stanza 1 : The poet wants an entirely different world in which a mouse could roar and be
bold like a lion. It means that even the most timid creature like a mouse could also be bold and face the
uncertain world. Everyone can express their thoughts without any fear of anyone. The elephants soar could
be interpreted with all the big problems which will fly away from everyone. If trees grew up in the sky, away
from their actual and genuine habitat, the earth, then it could have given life to a variety even in the sky!

If tigers could dine

On biscuits and wine

And the fattest of men could fly!

Explanation of Stanza 2 : Tigers could dine on biscuits and wine means, the tigers which kill other lives
and harm others should not prey on other animals and instead eat the biscuits and drink wine. The poet
wants to tell that everyone should live a life which is not harming anyone and live peacefully and be friendly
with everyone. The fattest men could also fly without his health problems and feel light and live happily in
the society.

If pebbles could sing

And bells never ring

And teachers were lost in the post;

Explanation of Stanza 3 : The poet likes to see happiness in everything. Even the lifeless pebbles could
sing and enjoy their life. He doesn’t want to go to school and wants to spend his time playing with his friends
and be happy. He also doesn’t need any work from the teachers. He also wishes to send his teachers to a far
away unknown place through a post and doesn’t want them to return back.

NEW WORDS INTRODUCED

1. soar - to ascend to a higher level, upward flight

2. dine - to take dinner

3. pebbles - small usually rounded stones

4. bullies - one who is habitually cruel, insulting and threatening to others who are weaker and smaller

5. shower - a fall of rain of short duration

RELATED WORKSHEET

I. FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. According to the poet,

a. Mice could __roar_____________.

b. Elephants could _soar____________.
c. The _fattest_________ of men could fly.
d. Pebbles could _sing____________.
e. The __teachers_________ were lost in the post.

2. Name of the poet is ____Ruskin Bond______________.

3. The poet lives in ___Landour,Mussoorie_____________.

II. WRITE THE SYNONYMS

1. soar - Rise

2. pebbles - small stones

III. WRITE THE ANTONYMS

1. fat X thin

2. never X ever
IV. GIVE SOME RHYMING WORDS

1. roar _soar_________ __boar________ __door________

2. sky __dry________ _fry_________ __cry________

3. dine _wine_________ __fine________ __mine________

4. sing ring__________ _bring_________ __wing________

V. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

1. What does the poet want to convey in the line, “If mice could roar”?

It means that even the most timid creature like a mouse could also be bold and face the uncertain world.
Everyone can express their thoughts without any fear of anyone.

2. Why should the tigers dine on biscuits and wine?

The tigers should not kill and not harm other animals.

3. “And bells never ring

And teachers were lost in the post”

What would you like to do? Give your views on the above lines.

I doesn’t want to go to school and wants to spend my time playing with friends and be happy. I also doesn’t
need any work from the teachers.

VI. IDENTIFY THE PARTS OF SPEECH

1. roar 2. trees 3. fattest 4. never 5. and

1. Roar -- verb

2. Trees -- Noun

3. fattest -- Adjective

4. never – Adverb

5. and – Conjunction