Poetry 1 – the Roadside Stand

Stanza 1

The little old house………..with a mind ahead

There has been an extension of the shed and someone from the village folk
had a shed that ran to a city nearby. It was a small counter selling small
berries or squash to make little money to keep their bread and butter.

Some caravans passed along the highway, but only a few stopped to buy
something. Sometimes didn’t even notice them and if by fluke the traffic stop
they are much disappointed with unattractive signboards.

According to the poet, this place offers a haven for only those who can afford
it, so he advised the traffic to move on.

Meanings

1. Sped: the rate at which someone or something moves

2. Dole: a charitable gift of food, clothes, or money; buroo.
3. Plead: adjure; implore.
4. Withering: fading
5. Faint: lacking conviction or enthusiasm

Stanza2

Or if ever aside…with silver warts

The traffic belongs to the well-to-do class and expresses their disgust at the
display boards. Farmer’s impetrate eyes had little impact on them.

They offer freshly extracted squash and juices to them kept in antique-looking
jars, still not entertained by the city folks.

They looked down upon and feel low in buying these goodies from them. It
looks like their wealth has, made them blind as they are unable to go down
their status to buy such things.

Meanings
 1. Marred: spoiled
2. Quarts: vessel

Stanza3

Or beauty rest…keeping from us.

The ramshackle sack stands appear to be a hurdle against the backdrop of

lavish green fields and high mountains.

For the travelers, the shack is like a spoiler and the city dwellers avoid taking
a glance at it and making them feel left out.

The humble villagers fight to keep their hardships and they feel if they get
enough money they can lead their life according to the appealing to the
political parties as they are in favor of the city- dwellers always.

Meanings

1. Moving pictures: movies.

Stanza4

It is in the news…the ancient way.

The stanza says that very soon they will be relocated to the nearby cities,
near theatres or stores that benefitted from development.

The people who consider them as well-wishers will use them for their own
hidden motives and no one bothers to take their consent they do not want to
leave their ancestral land to live in urban centers

Their simple and complacent lifestyle will be disturbed in the new place On the
other hand, the manipulators will enjoy taking advantage and fulfilling their
selfish motives.

Meanings

1. Beneficent: charitable or do-gooders.

Stanza 5

Sometimes I feel… where it was bound.

The poet feels frenzied as he is expecting much from the city-folks as he

knows that they would never ever keep their promises.

With each car passing hope also passes by as they felt they would buy
something but in vain. The city-folk don’t even bother to stop and look at them.
They looked down upon as if they all were from a different planet.

Even if by chance a car stops but not to buy something they ask for directions
or for filling gas breaking the farmer’s heart and leaving the poet distressed.

Meanings

1. Longing: a yearning desire.

2. Lurks: hide; loiter; slink
3. Squeal: high-pitched cry or noise.
4. Plow up: move in a fast and uncontrolled manner

Stanza6

And another to ask gently out of my pain …

The poet has a yearning desire to uplift and works for the betterment of
society. He holds a sympathetic attitude toward them.

He wants that them should overcome these factors as soon as possible and
imagines how would he react if he could give relief from this kind of hardship.
But the poet fears this might be only short-lived relief.

Meanings

1. Requisite: imperative; mandatory

2. Stroke: moving your hand slowly and gently over something or
someone.
Literary devices: A Roadside Stand
TRANSFERRED EPITHET

1. Polished traffic
2. Selfish cars

PERSONIFICATION

1. A roadside stand that too pathetically pled

METAPHOR

1. Trusting Sorrow

OXYMORON & ALLITERATION

1. ‘Greedy good-doers and ‘beneficent beasts’ of prey.

Poetry 2 – Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary in English
In this poem, the poet describes a lady whom she addresses as Aunt
Jennifer. The poet also says that she is doing embroidery on a piece of
cloth that could be a wall hanging or table cloth. Moreover, she has
made it with beautiful tigers that are running fiercely in the green forest.
Further, she describes their beauty in comparison to a topaz. As in the
green background of the forest, they appear bright yellow. Company of
men does not affect them as they are fearless. At this point, we can
sense the contrast of behaviour between the aunt and tigers. Although
tiger made by her is fierce she is afraid of her husband. According to the
poet, tigers are the proud and fearless citizens of the forests. These
creatures are very elegant and shiny.

In this para, the poet defines Aunt Jennifer’s fear of her husband. While
doing embroidery she says that her fingers shake with the fear of her
husband. As her husband does not approve her hobby of embroidery.
Hence, she quivers while she is embroidering the piece of cloth. Also, it
becomes difficult for her to pull the needle up and down. After that, she
defines her wedding ring which her husband give her on their wedding
day. In addition, she sees it as a kind of burden to wear this ring.

She feels this because her husband tortures her so much that she sees
the wedding ring as a burden instead of a beautiful gift by her husband.
Due to the many difficulties, she has faced in her married life that she
describes the little wedding ring as a heavy band on her trembling
fingers. It also means that the ring is linked with some bad experiences
in the form of torture that she has faced. Further, this experience relates
to the dominating behaviour of her husband.

In the last part, the poet says that though aunt’s design of tigers can
easily sense her desire for freedom and fearlessness. However, the poet
says that it is not possible for her to achieve this freedom during her
lifetime. Only after her death, she will attain freedom. But the irony
here is that even then she will be tied with chains in the form of her
husband’s wedding ring. This ring is the only proof of the pains that she
had faced from her husband. On the contrary, the tigers made by Aunt
Jennifer will always portray her desire for living a fearless life by
jumping boldly and proudly on a piece of cloth.

Conclusion of Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary

By Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers summary, the poet wants to represent the life
of a woman who has to live under a constant fear from her husband.
Also, she will only get freedom when she will die.