Amity International School

Sector- 1, Vasundhara
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Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
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Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
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Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
 Rabindranath Tagore

https://youtu.be/OWLgYcWk4_8 Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 Rabindranath Tagore was born as
Robindronath Thakur on May 7, 1861,
to Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi in
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British
India(present-day Kolkata, West Bengal,
India). He was a Bengali poet, writer,
composer, philosopher and painter. He
reshaped Bengali literature and music, as
well as Indian art with Contextual
Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Rabindranath Tagore was also
referred to as 'the Bard of Bengal'. In 1913,
he received the Nobel Prize for Literature
for his great English composition
“Geetanjali” (Song Offerings). He was the
first Indian and first Asian to receive this
award. His compositions were chosen by
two nations as national anthems: India's
Rabindranath Tagore 7 May "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar
Shonar Bangla”.
1861 - 7 August 1941 Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
https://youtu.be/hX7p6Lo6Vug Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
 Theme of the Poem
The poem is about how a child gets attracted to
the ways of people around him and finds
different curiosities and attractions in their
lives. He is not aware of the tough routine they
have to go through. It also shows his innocence
and lack of worldly sense. At three different
points of time during the day he notices
different people from different vocations and
gets impressed by their free choices and inde-
pendent way of life. Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
 Critical Appreciation of the Poem
The narrator is a school boy who is attracted to various
vocations. In each worker, the narrator finds something
pleasing and envies the worker. These are his perceptions of
each occupation:
• Before school, the hawker (street vendor)= sells jewelry;
no time frame; does not have to travel to a fixed
destination.
• After school, the gardener=allowed to do all the things a
boy loves; gets dirty and wet; uses a shovel; no one tells
him what to do.
• At night in bed, the watchman= walks the streets with
only his shadow following along; carries a lantern; never
has to go to bed. Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Failing to realize that his education will provide
him with many opportunities, the young boy values
only freedom without authority. Foolishly, the boy
does not see the hardships that each worker faces.
The perceptions of the boy are obviously childish.

Unaware of his possibilities for the future, he sees

excitement and fun in these tedious jobs held by
men who probably find little fulfillment in their
work. Hopefully, time and maturity will enable the
boy to find his vocation through his education and
commitment to a profession.
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Vocabulary:
Gong - A round and flat metal disc that gives a resonant
sound when struck with a stick.

Hawker - Someone who sells goods informally in public

places.

Lantern - A lamp with a transparent case protecting the

flame or electric bulb, and typically having a
handle by which it may be carried or hung.

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

Spade - A tool used for digging especially soil or
sand, with a long handle and a flat blade.

Takes him to task - Scolding him

Watchman - A man whose job is to guard a building

especially at night.

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 Poetic Devices:
1. Simile: Comparison of two things using the
words ‘as’ or ‘like’.
* the street lamp stands like a giant

2. Alliteration: The occurrence of the same sound at

the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
* Hurry him
* I wish I were

3. Rhyme Scheme: * Free verse

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Reference to the Context
I. ‘There is nothing to hurry him on,
there is no road he must take, no place
he must go to, no time when he must
come home.’

Q. 1 Who does ‘he’ refer to?

Ans. ‘He’ refers to the bangle seller.

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

Q. 2 Where does the poet meet him?
Ans. The poet meets him in the lane on his
way to school around ten in the morning.

Q. 3 Why is ‘he’ not in a hurry?

Ans. ‘He’ is not in a hurry because he is free
to go anywhere and has no fixed road he must
take or place he must go to. He can go back
home whenever he wishes to.
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Reference to the Context
II. ‘He does what he likes with his
spade, he soils his clothes with
dust, nobody takes him to task if
he gets baked in the sun or gets wet.’

Q. 1 Name the poet and the poem.

Ans. The name of the poem is ‘Vocation’
and the poet is Rabindranath Tagore.
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Q. 2 Whom does ‘he’ refer to?
Ans. ‘He’ refers to the gardener.

Q. 3 Mention any two things the gardener

does.
Ans. The gardener soils his clothes with dust
and gets baked in the sun.

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 Reference to the Context
III. ‘The lane is dark and lonely, and the
street-lamp stands like a giant with one red
eye in its head.
The watchman swings his lantern and
walks with his shadow at his side, and
never once goes to bed in his life.’

Q. 1 Why is the lane dark and lonely?

Ans. The lane is dark and lonely because it is
night time. Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
Q. 2 What is the street lamp compared to?
Ans. The street lamp is compared to a giant
with one red eye in its head.

Q. 3 Who never goes to bed in his life?

Ans. The boy thinks that the watchman

never goes to bed in his life as he sees him
doing the duty at night.

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 Question Answers
Q.1 Why did the boy wish to become a
gardener?

Ans. The boy wished to become a gardener so

that he could soil his clothes with dust, get
baked in the sun or get wet without anyone
scolding him. The boy thinks that the
gardener has all the freedom to do whatever
he wishes to.
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
 Question Answers

Q.2 What does the boy compare the street

lamp to?

Ans. The boy compares the street lamp to a

giant with one read eye in its head.

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 Question Answers

Q.3 Pick out lines from the poem which tell

us that the poet wished to be a watchman.

Ans. The lines from the poem which tell us

that the poet wished to be a watchman are:
‘I wish I were a watchman walking the streets
all night, chasing the shadows with my
lantern.’

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 Question Answers
Q.4 Pick out the poetic device used in the following
lines:
‘The lane is dark and lonely, and the
street lamp stands like a giant with one
red eye in its head.’

Ans. The poetic device used in the above lines is a

simile, ‘like a giant with one red eye in its head.’
The street lamp has been compared to a giant with
one red eye in its head and the comparison is made
using the word ‘like’.
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara
 HOTS
Q.1 Imagine yourself to be the school boy
from the poem 'Vocation'. You are really
impressed by the lifestyle of a gardener and
the amount of freedom enjoyed by him. Write
a diary entry expressing your feelings in about
100 words.
Ans. -------------------

Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara

 NOTEBOOK WORK
• Please do slides-18-27 (Reference to the
context, Question answers)
• Word meanings
• Reflection card
Amity International School, Sector- 1, Vasundhara