THE HERO

Making connections
1. Land: The poet describes the land as infertile and deserted. It looks grey and dismal.
Meadow: The meadow here is described as being prickly, and the grass spiky. A narrow
broken path is described as running through it.
Field: The field is wide but no cattle can be seen in it.
Sky: The sky is dark as well and the sun is setting.

2. a. i. Here the word ‘us’ refers to the poet and his mother along with the people who are
carrying the palanquin inside which his mother sits.

ii. The narrator is on a horse while his mother is travelling in a palanquin which is being
borne by some palanquin-bearers.

iii. The travellers think that the place is strange and dangerous.

b. i. The people described over here are the bandits.

ii. They come closer to where the narrator and his mother are travelling.
iii. The narrator is riding a horse while his mother is travelling in a palanquin which is being
borne by some palanquin-bearers.

c. i. Here the boy tries to say that he is bored by the events of everyday life around him.115
ii. The boy feels that in case such events, as he has imagined, were to happen, his brother
would exclaim in disbelief about his little brother’s courage and strength.
iii. The boy imagines that the villagers will express their relief at the boy having been with
his mother during the incident.

3. The final few lines of the poem where the boy reveals his lack of sense of fulfilment with
the happenings of daily life, reveals the fact that he has imagined all the dangerous situations
described earlier in the poem.
The boy thinks of such a dangerous situation because he is not happy with his ordinary
mundane life where nothing happens to give him an opportunity to show how brave he is. It
also seems that he has read adventure stories full of tales about heroes and their deeds. He
wants these to come true for him so that he can prove his worth to his mother and establish
himself as a brave hero to his elder brother who, he believes, thinks that he is delicate.

4. The mother will perhaps be alarmed that her little boy thinks of such dangerous
happenings. However, she would perhaps also shower him with her love and indulge him to
think that he is indeed very brave.

5. The boy has perhaps read about such heroes in story books and seen how they have been
appreciated by their peers and the people around them. This is the reason
why he longs for similar appreciation from his mother and the villagers. He also wants his
brother to learn about his heroic deeds and be amazed at his courage and strength because he
knows that his brother thinks
him to be delicate.

Summary of the Poem

In the narrative poem, the poet imagines himself to be a boy and he single handedly
destroys the villains and protects his mother. This poem depicts the journey of a mother and
her son. They are travelling through far-off foreign lands. The son is riding on a chestnut
horse and the mother is in a palanquin. On the way when it gets dark suddenly they are
attacked by dacoits. The mother gets scared and asks her son to flee. But the boy gallops his
horse, and fights a fearful battle. His mother remains in the palanquin, afraid to look
outside, thinking that her son might have been killed. Some of the dacoits are killed in the
fight, the rest flee. The boy then returns to his mother. The mother is overjoyed to see her
son alive. She hugs him. It is the dream of every boy to be a hero in the eyes of the world,
especially his mother. He does not want the world to think that he is weak or delicate. He
wants the world to acknowledge his bravery and valour. He has faithful and sincere love for
his mother, and it is proved by his willingness to save her at the cost of his own life; it is this,
says the poem, that transforms him into a real hero.

THEME
This is an inspirational poem that is a fabrication of a child’s vivid imagination. The poem
showcases the undying love the boy feels for his mother and the fact that he is ready to
sacrifice his own life for her. It inspires in  the reader that quality that bravery and courage
can lead a person out of tragic situation and depicts the deep love between mother and son.
It also vividly shows how young children usually imagine performing heroic deeds because
they find them fascinating.

Justification of the title

The poem is a narrative that has a clear link to it’s heading. The poem deals with a young
boy who envisions himself as his mother’s savior. This poem displays courage and kindness
the two traits a ‘Hero’ should possess. It also shows sacrifice that a boy of tender age is
willing to make for the well being of his mother. It is a timeless poem in its theme as every
child dreams of being some sort of hero to their family. Thus the title is very appropriate.

Message
The poem carries the message that it is the fantasy of each child to be a hero in the eyes of
the world, particularly his/her mother. A child doesn’t want the world to believe that he/she
is frail or sensitive. A child wants the world to recognize his/her grit and valour. The love a
child feels for his/her mother is reliable and earnest. The eagerness to save his/her mother
is demonstrated when a child is ready to give up his/her own life for the sake of their loved
one and that makes them a ‘Hero’.

POETIC DEVICES
 Imagery – visual and vivid imagery( figurative language used to represent objects, actions
and ideas that appeals to our physical senses)
·       the waste of Jordini lies wan and grey
·       land is desolate and barren
·       the meadow is prickly with spikey grass
·       through it runs a narrow broken path
·       no cattles to be seen in the wild field
·       it grows dark and dim on the land and sky
·       bursts out fearful yell,and figures come running towards us
·       hide themselves in the thorny bush
·       hair all wild about their heads.
 
Alliteration – 
·       dark and dim
·       hands and hair
 
Repetition –
·       nearer and nearer
·       day after day
Hyperbole – It is the use of exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis.
·       A thousand useless things happen