20 Century Poetry

Hon's 4th Year
Subject: 20th Century Poetry
Brief questions
1. What is the occasion of Dylan Thomas" poem "Poem in October? (NU: 13,16)
Ans. Dylan Thomas wrote "Poem in October", a wonderful lyric to celebrate his thirtieth birth
anniversary.
2. What does the phrase "October blood" mean? (NU:15,17)

Ans. The phrase "October blood" refers to red coloured autumnal leaves which have fallen down
from the trees.
3.When was the poem "Morning Song" written? (NU:13)

Ans. The poem “ Morning Song” was written in 1961 after Sylvia Plath had given birth to her first
child Frieda Rebecca Hughes.
4. What incident hurt Sylvia Plath very much? (NU:13)

Ans. Sylvia Plath's mother did not allow her children to attend the funeral of her father who died
of toe infection. Her refusal hurt Sylvia Plath very much.
5.What does "The Second Coming" refer to? (NU: 13,16,18)

Ans. "The First Coming" was the birth of Christ which added the Christian civilization and "The
Second Coming" refers to the coming of new destructive good and the reversal of Christian values.
6.What does Eliot mean by 'unreal city? (NU:13)

Ans. By 'unreal city', Eliot refers to London that is cut off from both natural and spiritual sources
of life.
7. What is the last line of the poem "The Waste Land"?(NU:13,18)

Ans. "Shanatih Shantih Shantih" is the last line of the poem "The Waste Land".
8. Who is Michelangelo?
Ans. Michelangelo was a great Italian sculptor, painter and poet of the early sixteenth century.
9. Why does Yeats want to go to the Lake of Innisfree? (NU: 13, 17)
Ans. He wants to go to Innisfree to escape from the fever and fret of his life.
10. What is terrible beauty'? (NU: 13,15)

Ans. Terrible beauty refers to the he
roic achievement that involved the deaths of many people.
11. Who is Maud Gonne?

Ans. Maud Gonne was one of the three women who had romantic affairs with W. B. Yeats who
are celebrated in his poetry.
12. Who is addressed by Sylvia Plath in the poem "The Rival"? (NU:13,18)
Ans. Her husband is addressed by Sylvia Plath in the poem “The Rival.
13. What will the poet build in the Lake Isle of Innisfree? (NU: 14)
Ans. The poet will build a small cabin or hut with clay in the Lake Isle of Innisfree.
14 .What does 'falcon' stand for in the poem "The Second Coming?" (NU: 14, 16)
Ans. Falcon is a hawk trained to hunt small birds. In the poem The Second Coming, the falcon is
used as a symbol of mankind or the intellect, science, technology, rationalism, etc.
15. What is the poem "Easter 1916" about? (NU:14)

Ans. The poem is about the nationalist rising of the Irish people against the British rule on the
Easter day of 1916.
16. Name some water creatures we find is the poem 'Poem in October'. (NU:14)
By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 1

Ans. We find the name some water creatures such as: Mussel, heron, seagull, snail.
17. How does Madame Sosostris foretell? (NU:14)

Ans. Madame Sosostris foretells with the help of her Tarot pack of cards, seventy-eight cards.
18. What does the blindness of one eye of the merchant symbolize? (NU:14)
Ans. The blindness of one eye symbolizes that his eye of religion is blind.
19. What does the word 'rose' mean in the sentence" And I rose in rainy autumn"? .(NU:14,17 )
Ans. The quoted expression the word 'rose' means 'born'. It signifies that the poet, Dylan Thomas
was born in October which is a month of autumn.
20. Why does the poet want to sail to the holy city of Byzantium? (NU:14)
Ans. The poet wants to sail to the holy city of Byzantium because of being old and unfit for the
world of the senses, the poet wants to sail to the holy city of Byzantium.
21. How is the weather on the hill-top in the poem "Poem in October".(NU:14)
Ans. On the hill-top in the "Poem in October, the weather is bright.
22. How does Sylvia Plath make a comparison between a child and a cat? (NU:14)
Ans. A child is compared to a cat in the sense that it sucks mother's nipple or swallows its milk in a
manner as a cat does.
23. What does Prufrock want to be Lazarus? (NU:14)

Ans. Profrock wants to be Lazarus , Prufrock imagines himself to be representative of the dead
people .
24. How does Prufrock visualize death? (NU:15)

Ans. Prufrock, visualizes death, the eternal Footman coming near him and mocking at his
cowardice. Naturally he is afraid of death.
25. How does Dylan Thomas Celebrates his birthday? (NU:15)

Ans. Dylan Thomas celebrates his birthday by observing the games of water creatures like mussel,
heron and seagull, by listening to the songs of birds and by enjoying the beauty of nature.
26.Who are the 'dying generation"?(NU:15)

Ans. The dying generations, according to the poet, consist of the young men and women, all the
creatures 'fish, flesh or fowl' in the fullness of their powers, are engaged in the sensual and sexual
urge for procreation which is only a process ending in death.
27. What kind of man is Prufrock? (NU: 15)

Ans. Prufrock, a middle aged lover, is a neurotic who does not have the courage to meet his lady,
not to speak of lovemaking.
28. What does Innisfree stand for? (NU: 15)

Ans. Innisfree, a real island near Silago, stands for W.B. Yeats a Utopia, or a fairy land into which
he would like to escape from the hurly-burly of town life.
29. Who is the hyacinth girl?

Ans. The hyacinth girl is a young and beautiful lady of the present age, who has now been
forgotten by her lover.
30. What is the central image in the poem, "The Rival"?(NU:15,18)

Ans. 'The Moon' is the central image in the poem, "The Rival".
31. What does the title "Crossing the Water" signify? (NU:15,18)
Ans. The title "Crossing the Water" signifies a mystical journey of the soul in the underworld.
32.What is the poem 'Words' about? (NU:15)

Ans. The poem, "Words" is about the act of writing.

33. Who is Tiresias? (NU:15)
Ans. Tiresias was a seer/ blind prophet of Thebes during the time of king Oedipus. His divinity
inflicted blindness was compensated with the gift of prophecy.
34. What does 'Gyre' mean in "Yeats' poem "The Second Coming"?(NU:15,17)
Ans. In 'The Second Coming" 'Gyre' refers to a civilization which is initially intense and narrow,
and as it progresses, it broadens and slowly loses its intensity and finally disintegrates.
35.Why does April appear to be the cruellest month? (NU:16)

Ans. April in England is generally considered to be a happy month, the beginning of the spring but
for the modern man who is spiritually dead, it appears to be the cruellest month, because he has
no desire for regeneration.
36. Why will not 'Mermaid' using for Prufrock? (NU:16)

Ans. In Greek mythology, mermaids are found singing to brave and adventurous Odysseus. But
Prufrock feels that a timid and cowardly man, as he is, the mermaids (or the modern girls) will not
sing to him.
37. Who is Fisher king? (NU:16)
Ans. The Fisher King is a mythical figure in Miss Jessie Weston's book "From Ritual to Romance".
38. What does 'New Statue' refer to in the poem 'Morning Song'?
Ans. The new born child is compared to a statue exposed to the elements. That is the Child
becomes for the present, the centre of the family's world.
39. Who is the lady of situations? / Who is Madame Sosostris?

Ans. The lady of situations is referred by Madame Sosostris, the fortune-teller to a figure on her
Tarot cards of a woman who is a promoter of love intrigues and sexual contacts.
40. What is 'interior monologue'? (NU: 16,18)

Ans. An 'interior monologue' is the presentation to the reader of the flow of a character's inner
emotional experience through his single speech.
41.Who is Mac Bride in the poem 'Easter 1916? (NU:16)

Ans. John Mac Bride, the man whom Maud Gonne married in 1903, was one of the leaders of the
Easter uprising of 1916.
42. What is the source of the subtitle "What the Thunder Said"?(NU:16)
Ans. The subtitle 'What the Thunder Said' has been borrowed, as said by Eliot, from the parable
embodying the divine message of thunder as found in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V. I.
43. Who is 'Lazarus'? (NU:16)

Ans. Lazarus, as referred to in the bible, was the brother of Mary and Martha, the dead man
whom Christ brought back to life.
44. In which year did the historical 'Easter Rising' take place? (NU:17)
Ans.The historical “Easter Rising” taken place in 1916.
45. What is 'Spiritus Mundi'? (NU:17)

Ans. 'The Spiritus Mundi' is a collection of images which give the shape of a fearful beast in the
semblance (mv`„k¨) of the Egyptian Sphinx (w¯ús·) with the body of a lion and the head of a man.
46. Whose rivalry do you find in the poem The Rival? (NU:17)
Ans. The rivalry between husband and wife is found in the poem "The Rival".
47 What is are the threefold meanings of the voice of Thunder 'Da'? (NU:17)
Ans. The first Thunder 'Da' means Datta and the second "Da" means Dayadham and the third
'Da' means "Damyata".
48. What does 'Byzantium' Symbolize in the poem "Sailing to Byzantium "?(NU:17)
Ans. Byzantium in W. B. Yeats's poem, Sailing to Byzantium an ideal country of culture and
wisdom, a place out of time and nature or a world of art and philosophy.

49. What is the significance of the subtitle 'the Fire Sermon? (NU:17)
Ans. The subtitle 'the Fire Sermon' is based on Lord Buddha's great Sermon to his disciples
(wkl¨‡ì) against the fires of anger( †µva), lust(jvjmv) and malice(Av‡µvk). Fire is used here as a
consuming and purifying symbol.
50. How does The Waste Land end? Or, Why does Eliot utter the word 'Shantih' thrice at the
end? (NU:17)
Ans. After the stern(K‡Vvi) commands, "Give, Sympathize, and Control", Eliot utters Shantih
(peace) thrice more in the tone of a promise than a gift which the receivers may feel sure of.
51. What are the major themes of the poem "The Waste Land"?(NU:17)
Ans. The disintegration of the modern civilization sexual perversion(‡¯^”QvPvwiZv), loss of faith and
moral values(‰bwZK Aeÿq), lake of human relationship, commercialization(evwYR¨KxKjY) of life etc. are
the major themes of the poem "The Waste Land"
52. What does the 'falconer' symbolize in the poem 'The Second Coming'? (NU:18)
Ans. The falconer stands for Christianity or the soul or the spiritual and emotional part of man.
53. What do you mean by murmur of maternal lamentation? (NU:18)

Ans. The expression, "murmur of maternal lamentation" refers to cries of mothers lamenting the
loss of their children during the Russian Revolution of 1917.
54. What does Dylan Thomas mean by 'twice told fields of infancy'? (NU:18)
Ans. "The twice told fields of infancy" refers to the glorious visions and wonders of childhood first
lived through and now remembered.
55. Who is the 'Phoenician Sailor'? (NU:18)

Ans. Phlebas is an imaginary name of the "Phoenician Sailor".
56. What is 'Ganga'? (NU:18)

Ans. 'Ganga' is a river in India.
Short Questions
W.B. Yeats
Q. Write in brief Yeats's concept of history or the rise and fall of civilizations.(Set-1)
Ans. Yeats's sense of history is one of the major themes of his poetry. Poems such as The Second
Coming, Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen, September 1913. Easter 1916, provide good
illustrations of Yeats's sense of history or the rise and fall of civilizations as propounded in A
Vision. The Second Coming gives the best expression of Yeats's theory of the rise and fall of
civilizations. This poem effectively shows how the history consists of cycles and that every
civilization has a time span of its own. To the poet, civilization and barbarism occur in alternating
phases. A civilization changes every 2000 years. Good civilization turns into bad civilization. Bad
civilization is dominated by the wars and the decline of traditional standards. Every 2000 years a
civilization collapses. In this poem, According to him, 20th Century has been called the second
coming. The present cycle of history which began roughly with the birth of Christ is about to end
and it is likely to be replaced by another cycle, the ruling authority of which may be very terrifying
and cruel.
Easter 1916 deals with the contemporary history of Ireland. The Easter Rising of 1916 had taken
Yeats by surprise. Those very revolutionaries whom he had come to despise attained heroic stature
and it seemed to Yeats that a terrible beauty had been born.
All changed , changed utterly;
A terrible beauty is born.
Thus Yeats has created wonderful poetry out of his sense of history and mythology which give
interest to the readers even today.

Q .In what sense is The Lake Isle of Innisfree a poem about escapism? [NU. 2016](Set-2)
Ans. W. B. Yeats was in London when he wrote The Lake Isle of Innisfree, a famous lyric in
1890. The poem was prompted by a feeling of homesickness (evwoi Rb¨ gb Lvivc). Innisfree is an
island in a lake near Sligo, where, as a young man, Yeats had dreamed(¯^cœ †`Lv) of a simple life
close to(wbKUeZx©) Nature. He was standing on an actual London pavement(cvKv iv¯Ív/dyUcv_) when a
jet of water in a chemist's shop(Wv³vi Lvbv) set him dreaming of this island in a fit of homesickness.
On this island of Innisfree the poet had spent(AwZevwnZ ) his holidays with his grandparents in his
early life. So standing on an actual London pavement, the mature(c~Y©eq¯‹) Yeats dreams of this
island in a fit of nostalgia(¯îY‡e`bv). Being weary(K¬všÍ/wei³) of city life, the poet aspires to go to the
solitary isle of Innisfree, then wants to build a small cottage of clay/earth(gvwU) and wattles(KwÂi
†eov) and live there in natural and peaceful surrounding.
So The Lake Isle of Innisfree gives the expression (Awfe¨w³/cÖKvk) to a feeling of

weariness(K¬vwšÍ/Møvwb) and longing for(cÖZ¨vkx) an ideally simple but beautiful place. It is a symbol of a
peaceful place where the poet's soul may find rest and tranquillity. Thus the poem records the
poet's mood of escapism in the romantic tradition. Like Keats he a desire for escaping from the
din and bustle of London life to the beautiful and quiet island of Innisfree.
Q. Describe the image and symbolic significance of "Spiritus Mundi" in The Second Coming.
Or, Write a note on "Spiritus Mundi"? [NU. 2014](Set-5)
Ans. The Second Coming is one of the greatest poems of W.B Yeats which was written in 1921.
The moment Yeats utters the words, the second coming', his eyes are troubled by a huge image
that appears before him from the general storehouse of images. This image is a nightmare(cÖPÛ
AvZ¼) symbol of the coming time(. This is an image with a man's head and a lion's body. It is
similar to the Egyptian Sphinx. This beast has a pitiless(cvlvbü`q), blank gaze(`„wó) .As its slow
thighs move, birds over the desert(giæf~wg) see it and begin to scream(wPrKvi/AvZ©bv`). During the
twenty centuries of the Christian civilization, this beast has been sleeping but is now about to make
its appearance in the world. This will be the "second coming" and it will supersede(mivBqv ivLv)
Christ who was born two thousand years ago at Bethlehem. This period in human history will be
one of monstrous(fq¼i) animal power.
Thus through Yeats's vision of "Spiritus Mundi" he has shown the magical power of symbolism to
evoke(Avnevb Kiv) indefinable(AeY©bxq) and yet precise(h_vh_) emotion. The vast image out of
"Spiritus Mundi" is a symbol, called up out of the "spirit of the world", what Yeats elsewhere speaks
of as the 'great memory' or 'some mysterious tide in the depth of our being'.
Q .How does the poet desire for immortality in Sailing to Byzantium? (Set-7)
Or, What prayer does the poet make to the saints of Byzantium?
Ans. Sailing To Byzantium is a famous poem of W. B Yeats. 'Byzantium' has been used by Yeats
as a symbol for unity and perfection(DrKl©/cwic~Y©Zv). The poet believes that the religious,
aesthetic(bv›`wbK) and practical life were one in the early Byzantium. He saw in the Byzantine
culture and unity of being , a state in which art and life interpenetrated (cwie¨vß Kiv) each other. In
the poem Sailing to Byzantium “Byzantium” become the symbol of a perfect world. It also
symbolizes the world of intellect(axkw³) and the spirit and Sailing to Byzantium' symbolises a
mental orientation(‡SvuK), a psychological(gvbwmK) change from a mentality which values the
pleasures of sexuality and the flesh to one which values things of the mind, the spirit and the soul.
As an old man the poet finds the physical world meaningless(wbi_©K), so he want to go to
Byzantium. As soon as he reaches there, he prays not to God, but to God's saints(Fwl/cweÎ e¨w³) to
come down from heaven and teach him the appreciation of art. The sages/saits are great artists of
Byzantium who created in the past "monuments(¯§„wZ¯Í¤¢) of unageing intellect, and who are its
guardian angels so to say. He visualises them "standing in God's holy fire". The fire is a symbol of
purification(‡kvab) and it does them no harm for they are supernatural. The poet pray to them to
come down with a rapid spiral movement and to teach him how to enjoy the beauty of art. They
should purify(‡kvab Kiv) his heart of all physical passions(Av‡eM/Mfxi Avmw³), for he is old like a
dying animal incapable of(Aÿg) any physical enjoyment. So he prays to them for absorption
(‡kvlY) into the “artifice of eternity". In short, the poet prays to the saints to grant him an eternity
such as is enjoyed by the art of Byzantium.

T . S. Eliot
Q. Why is Prufrock not willing to compare himself with Hamlet? [NU. 2013, 2015] (Set-1)
Ans. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark, a tragic hero in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The most
striking(AvKl©Yxq) trait (‰ewkó¨)of the character of Hamlet is his inability(AÿgZv) to take a decision.
But although Prufrock is 'indecisive(Aw¯’im¼í), he cannot like himself to Hamlet, because Hamlet is
a much greater and nobler man, and because Hamlet's indecision(wØav/Aw¯’im¼íZv) is related to
momentous(¸iæZ¡c~Y©) affairs while Prufrock 's indecision is about an ordinary(mvaviY) matter such as
a proposal of marriage. So, Prufrock can at best regard himself as a subordinate lord in attendance
upon Hamlet. He considers himself an unheroic(fxiæZvi cwiPvqK) character:
"an easy tool(Kvh©m¤úv`b/A¯¿),
Deferential(¯^xKvi K‡i Ggb), glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious(mZK©), and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse".
Prufrock rather wishes to liken himself to Polonius, a fool and court jester/joker or entertainer in
Shakespeare's Hamlet. Prufrock speaks disparagingly(AcgvbRbKfv‡e) of himself. He
confesses(¯^xKvi K‡i) to himself all his weakness, his timidity(fxiæZv), lack of (Afve) self confidence
(AvZ¥-wek^vm) and even his ridiculousness(nvm¨KiZv).
Q. Why did Prufrock fail to propose the lady?(NU: 13)(Set-3)
Ans. Prufrock, a middle aged and bald headed (UvK gv_v) dandy(dzjevey/AwZ‡kŠwLb †jvK), wants to
make a proposal of marriage to his lady-love, but he lacks(Afve) necessary courage(mvnwmKZv) to do
so. He finds himself divided into two selves-his romantic self and his realist self. His romantic self
encourages him again and again to open his heart to his lady, but his realist self reminds(¯§iY Kwi‡q
†`q) him that he is a coward(fxiæ) lacking necessary courage and determination(m¼í/wVK) to
propose to her.
Prufrock is a neurotic who does not have the courage to meet his lady, not to speak of
lovemaking(‡cÖgwb‡e`b). From the very beginning of the poem he expresses (cÖKvk K‡i) his own
futility(wbi_©KZv), helplessness and impotence(cyiælZ¡nxbZv).
The evening has come and it is time to meet his lady-love at the restaurant. But he is
helpless(Aÿg) and undecided(wm×všÍnxb). Mentally he wanders(wePiY) through the half deserted
streets till his mind reaches the most important question before him regarding his intended(jÿ¨)
proposal to the lady he loves. He reaches the restaurant where he finds the society ladies
discussing(Av‡jvPbv K‡i) Michelangelo. It is a foggy(Kzqvkv”Qbœ) evening. The fog outside(evwn‡i) is
spreading on the window panes(Rvbvjvi kvwm©i KvP). It is a pleasant(Avb›`gq) but dull October night
and fog covers everything. As the fog moves slowly. Prufrock is in no hurry(Zvovûov) to make a
decision about his proposal. He feels that there will be enough time to take decision. So Prufrock's
indecisiveness(mskqvcbœZv), procrastination(Mwogwm) and lack of(Afve) inertia are responsible for his
failure in proposing the lady.
Q. Discuss the significance of the character of Madame Sosostris in The Waste Land.
[NU. 07](Set-5)
Ans. T . S. Eliot is one of the greatest poets and critics in the history of English literature. The
Waste Land is his master pieces which is the most influential poem of our age . The poem was
published first in 1922. In this poem, the poet depicts the significance of the charascter4 orf
Madame Sosostris. The fortune-telling of Madame Sosostris with her pack of cards gives us a
contemporary(mgmvgwqK) social scene(`„k¨) which is effectively juxtaposed(cvkvcvwk ¯’vcb ) to its
parallel in the past. The Tarot pack of cards was originally used to determine(wba©viY Kiv) an
important event the rising of the waters in the river Nile which made the land fertile(De©i).
But Madame Sosostris uses the pack for vulgar fortune-telling in a vulgar civilization. She looks at
the figures inscribed(Aÿi Aw¼Z Kiv) on the cards in order to read fortunes. She finds that the
protagonist's card carries the figure of the drowned Phoenician Sailor; and so she warns(mZK©
K‡i‡Q) the protagonist to beware(mZK©) death by water. She does not realise that the way into life
may be by death itself. The drowned Phoenician Sailor is a type of the fertility(cÖvPzhª¨) god whose

image was thrown(wbwÿß) into the sea annually as a symbol of the death of summer (without which
there could be no resurrection(cybiæÌvb) , the new year in the spring).
In fact, Madame Sosostris is no longer concerned(DwØMœ) with the ancient magic which tried to
control the sources of(Drm) life. What originated in a technique of mastery has become a fraud
(cÖZviYv) in the modern world.
Q. What do you understand by the 'unreal city"?(Set-6)
Waste Land is his master pieces which is the most influential poem of our age. The poem was
published first in 1922. Through this poem Eliot describes London as an “Unreal City. It may
also represent any European capital like Paris or Amsterdam(Avg÷viWvg). Baudelaire(‡ev`‡jqvi),
the French poet calls Paris the 'unreal city. Elizabeth Drew(wWªD), a famous critic, points out that
"The unreal city” is Eliot's London, Baudelaire's Paris and Dante's Limbo". Apparently Eliot is
presenting a vision of contemporary life, but strangely it contains all centuries and all ages.
According to poet, London is Unreal City” because the dead routine of the office –goers shows the
fertility and the emptiness of civilization. The city dwellers have no faith in any religion. The
people of upper class society are suffering from various types of mental disorder. The fashionable
society woman called the Lady of Situation is bored with her urban waste land and has become
extremely anxious.
The city in ancient times was a maternal symbol to its inhabitants but now it is utterly barren. It is
unreal' because it is cut off from both natural and spiritual sources of life, and because it no longer
has anything of its old sense of community. Each individual exists in dull loneliness. The crowd
flowing over the bridge has no more human identity than the river flowing under it.
It is unreal also because it lies under the brown fog' of a winter dawn(Dlv/‡fvi), and because it has
the character of a scene in a nightmare(`yt¯^cœ/cÖPÛ AvZ¼). The figures in the crowd (wfo/RbZv) are
like those in Dante's Limbo, who were never baptised, or those in the ante-room to Hell, those
wretches who lived without praise or balance, leading a neutral existence like Mr. Equitone. The
church clock, producing a "dead sound on the final stroke of nine", the ninth hour of the
crucifixion, brings such memories to the inhabitants of the unreal city.
Q . What remedies does Eliot suggest for the moral degradation/ degeneration of the modern
civilization?(Set-9)
Waste Land is his master pieces which is the most influential poem of our age. The poem
describes the picture of disorder and decay of modern civilization. The poet focuses the ugliness ,
the desolation, the emptiness and the aimlessness of modern life. Eliot observes that the whole
Europe is destroying by: sexual distortion, loss of faith on religion and moral values, lack of
human relationship, commercialization of life, mental tension , politics and wars.
Eliot recommends(mycvwik Kiv) the wisdom of India, based on Upanishads, for the spiritual
salvation(D×vi/cwiÎvY) of modern humanity. Once in ancient time there was total failure of rain in
India and when the confused and perplexed(wenŸj) people prayed to the Divine or God. He spoke
to them in thunder, "Da, Da, Da", thus indicating to them the three-fold way of deliverance(gyw³)
and spiritual salvation
The first 'Da' means Datta, "to give". We must give ourselves over to some noble cause. It is only
by such dedication(DrmM©), by such giving oneself to some noble cause, that humanity has
progressed(AMÖMwZi).
The second "Da” means Dayadhvam i.e. 'to sympathise. „Sympathy‟ means going over to others or
spiritual harmony(wgj/m½wZ) with others. We must come out of the prison(ew›``kv) of self,
symbolised by the turning of the key, and realise our oneness with others.
The third "Da" "Damyata" i.e. "self-control" and discipline. Discipline does not men loss of
freedom, rather it makes the journey of life easier and more smooth. A disciplined heart is like a
boat that sails easily and smoothly under expert(`ÿ) guidance on a calm sea. Spiritual discipline
implies (‡evSv) control over sensuous desires and then life becomes an adventure. According to
Eliot, these three virtues are necessary f the survival of humanity.

Dylan Thomas
Q. What impression(Qvc/cÖfve) of Dylan as a schizoid do you find in "Poem in October"?(Set-1)
Ans. Dylan Thomas was a schizoid, an individual who can relate himself to a world of his own
imagination, but withdraws (cÖZ¨vnvi/cÖ¯’vb) in fear from the external world. It is this schizoid feeling
of withdrawal and alienation(wew”QbœZv‡eva) which finds expression in his admirable lyric "Poem in
October". Here Dylan withdraws himself into the world of his early boyhood, recreates the child's
vision and enters the fantasy life of infancy, (‰kke/wkkyKvj) in which he can feel that the whole world
around him is made for the celebration of his birthday. Through this child-like vision he can see
the heron as a priest-like bird, listen to the waves of the ocean praying for him, the welcoming calls
of the seagull and the rook and interpret the flying of the birds over the farm and white horses as
proclaiming his name.
Further in the third stanza we find a lovely confusion of seasons and climates. It is both spring-like
and summery. This confusion of seasons indicates the schizoid's inability to distinguish between
one thing and another. He lives and moves in a world of fantasy where time past and present,
places near and distant, climates and seasons, all mingle in a lively confusion. However, such
fantasies cannot be kept up for any length of time and reality soon breads in with a painful
disturbance of the tranquil dream-world.
Q .What prayer does Dylan Thomas offer at the end of the poem "Poem in October"? [NU,
2015](Set-4)
Ans. As an escapist the poet feels that the celebration of his thirtieth birthday could be a
marvellous one if he could stay away longer from the harsh reality, dreaming of childhood
happiness. The happiness which the poet had experienced as a child was a genuine happiness.
Now his childhood is a matter of the dead past. However, the memory of that joy seems to sing in
his ears now, and that memory seems to burn in the sunlight. In other words, the poet now feels
the joy of his with all intensity, but the weather changed. His nostalgia for a vanished glory soon
ends, and he returns to the present. Thus he has been able to regain some measure of self control
and face the reality of the moment, the reality that he was no longer a boy but a man of thirty. He
also realises the truth of the present moment that the town below is covered with red leaves of
autumn. This indicates the turning of the year and that his next birthday is coming soon. So he
offers a prayer that he may experience in future joys and sorrow, which he has experienced as a
boy, and that he may write poems as good as the present one on this heavenly hill in a year's
turning.
Q. Comment on the fantasy used in "Poem in October". [NU. 2014)(Set-5)
Ans. Dylan Thomas is a schizoid, an individual who can relate himself to a world of his own
imagination, but withdraws (cÖZ¨vnvi) in fear from the external world. In "Poem in October" Dylan
withdraws himself into the world of his early boyhood, recreates the child's vision and enters the
fantasy life of infancy, in which he can feel that the whole world around him is made for the
celebration of his birthday. Through this childlike vision he can see the heron as priest-like bird,
listen to the waves of the ocean praying for him, the welcoming calls of the seagull and the rook,
and interpret the flying of the birds over the farm and white horses s proclaiming his name.
The poet remembers that his birthday was a rainy day in October, a month in autumn. He also
remembers that in response to the call of nature he got up and walked out of doors in showers of
rain. He was charmed with the songs of birds in the bushes and by the roadside and that of larks
above. As he rode up the hill towards the top he found the weather hot there as in summer season.
The boy Dylan was wonder-struck by a lovely confusion of seasons and climates. The weather
there was both spring-like and summer. This confusion of seasons indicates the boy Dylan's
inability to distinguish between one thing and another. He lived and moved in a world of fantasy
where time past and present, places near and distant, climates and seasons
Alingshillusion.

Sylvia Plath
Q .How would you characterise the speaker's relationship to her child in "Morning Song"?
Or, What is the attitude of the mother towards her child in the poem "Morning Song"? [NU.
2013](Set-1)
Ans. The speaker in "Morning Song" (essentially the poet Sylvia Plath herself) is not a
conventional mother, though she begins the poem with the word "Love". The poem deals with
maternal instincts and its awakening. Sylvia Plath does not show any sentimentality in taking up the
subject of becoming a mother in a fatherly way. A woman does not come to motherhood merely
by giving birth to a child. New behaviour is learned in the process of bringing a child up. The being
of the mother is as new as the being of the child. Even the speaker listening to the child's sounds of
cry and getting fascinated is not self-willed or under her control. She follows her instinct "One cry
and I stumble from bed". Her child sings to her with a "morning song" and a bond is established
with the help of language gradually.
At the beginning of the poem, "Morning Song" the mother speaker feels a kind of strange
alienation from the new-born baby. But the mother does move from this strange alienation to a
kind of instinctive sweeping emotion, when she lives with the child for some time and when the
child happens to breathe and cry. This probably happens after the intense labour pain is over, so
that the mother could feel the love for her child.
Q .What natural imagery is used to show the development of the mother-child relationship in
"Morning Song"?
Or,Comment on the images of nature used in "Morning Song".
Or. Write, in short, on the use of natural imagery to show mother-child relationship debridement
in "Morning Song". [NU. 2014] (Set-2)
Ans. The development of the mother-child relationship in "Morning Song" has been displayed
through natural imagery. The child's natural aspect is emphasised at the beginning of stanza Four:
Its soft breath is compared to "moth-breath" that flickers (vibrates) among the "flat" (lifeless, dull,
savourless) pink roses (soft roses). The mother wakes up in her bed room to listen to the
"quivering" notes of the child and a "far sea" that the babble and murmur of the baby, in the
nursery, "moves in my ear". The far aspect of the sea, once again reinforces, the present "distance"
between the mother and the child in "natural" as well as "spatial" terms.
Further the comic picture of the mother can be seen in her shapelessness ("cow-heavy") and mild
vanity. She wears an anachronistic Victorian night gown with "floral" motifs that "echo" and "mirror"
the natural "motifs". The child, behaving as "naturally" as a cat swallows its milk in a manner as
"clean as a cat's. These images of nature are mostly used metaphorically and symbolically against
the background of human emotion, behaviour and actions that mark the development of mother-
child relationship in the poem.
In the fifth and sixth stanzas we see that the baby is clearly dependent on the mother to fulfil her
needs, but she is also independent when she tries out her "handful of notes". The last line closes
the poem neatly, the child is growing already, making progress as she acquires language.
Q .Describe the different stages of journey in "Crossing the Water". [NU. 13, 16, 18)(Set-4)
Ans. "Crossing the Water" is about a journey of two people across the water (possibly a river in the
underworld) in a boat. Because of the ominous blackness described in the first stanza, it would
seem plausible to suggest that the couple in the boat are being f transported to the world of the
Dead, as if they are travelling across a river such as Acheron or Styx. The sound pattern of the
mono syllabic lines creates a feeling of tension which is intensified by a question in line 2. The
water seems very threatening and the passengers of the boat vulnerable as they are "cut-paper
people" over whelmed by the huge shadows cast by the trees.
In the second stanza travellers are offered "dark advice" by the water flowers which try to delay
them. But they move inexorably on, so that in the third stanza we feel they are moving beyond the
world. They become infected with the "spirit of blackness" like everything around them. The
travellers are now at one with the landscape.

In the third stanza there is wonderfully an ambiguous moment when a "snag" is described as "lifting
a valedictory, pale hand". Valedictions are also very final moments; points of no return, as "pale
hand reminds us of the hand of a corpse. In the fourth stanza the passengers are blinded by the
stars and the souls are astounded by silence. Thus the couple seem stunned as if in a dream. The
atmosphere at the end makes us sure that the passengers in the boat are in the underworld, at the
point of no return.
Q. How does Sylvia Plath reveal the emotional journey of her life through the poem, "Words"?
[NU. 2016](Set-5)
Ans. In "Words" Sylvia Plath seems to lay bare the emotional journey of her life, from creative
power to despair and death. The poem is structured as a series of stanza-paragraphs, each
exploring a different aspect of the subject. Distinct but interlocking images unify t the ideas and
reveal a progression of perceptions about the nature of poetic utterance.
The poet has made metaphorical use of nature in her poem. The first stanza suggests that the act
of writing is strenuous like chopping down a tree. The difficulties of writing are evoked again in the
second stanza when the sap "wells like tears". Like water seeking to dominate the rock, the poet has
to struggle to establish her mastery over words. Sylvia Plath perhaps sees this (as a battle to
overcome death. Water is frequently linked to dying in her work, and here the rock is "A white
skull/ Eaten by weedy greens", as projected in the third stanza .
In the final stanza the poet has surrendered to the "fixed stars" of death that has pervaded her life
and her work. She recognizes that while she dies ("fixed stars", or destiny govern her life), her
words will live on. There is no denying the fact that "Words" was written only ten days before Sylvia
Plath's death by suicide.
Board Question
W. B Yeats
Q .Show how Yeats combines myth with philosophy in his poetry. (DU:93, NU: 93,98)
Or, Write a note on Yeats's conception of history and civilization. (NU: 98, 2008)
Or, Comment on W. B. Yeats' treatment of history and myth in his poetry. Nu:10, 14, 16 set :1
Ans. W.B. Yeats is one of the greatest Irish national (RvZxq) poets and modern poets. He is considered
(we‡ePbv Kiv nq) as a last romantic poet. Myth and history form an integral (ALÛ/Awe‡”Q`¨) part of Yeats‟s
poetry. Yeats „s sense of history is another of his major themes . In many of his poems, he refers to the
rise and fall of civilizations. According to him the nature of civilization, changes after almost every
two thousand years. His view of history or the rise and fall of civilizations as a cyclic (AveZ©bkxj) process
(cÖwµqv) involves the symbols of wheel (PvKv/NUbvcÖevn) and gyre which spins(N~Y©b) quickly round a fixed
Centre. His poems„ “Easter 1916" -The Second Coming" and "Sailing to Byzantium" deal with history
and myth very perfectly.
Sailing to Byzantium reveals (cÖKvk K‡i) Yeats use myth and philosophical understanding. In the poem
Byzantium symbolises some transcendental(m‡ev©rK…ó) country, a place out of time and nature, a world of
art and philosophy. Here the poet rejects (cÖZ¨vLvb) the natural world of biological activity and decides to
take refuge(AvkÖq¯’vb/AwfMgb) in the timeless world of art with a view to retreat from the process of ageing
and decaying. The poem is a transition(Mgb) from sensual art to intellectual art. The poet feels that an old
man is disgraceful (gh©v`vnvwbKi) unless his soul can enjoy works of art and literature which are immortal
products of the human spirit.
An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick , unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress
Sailing to Byzantium also expresses Yeats's concept((avibv) of the rise and fall of civilization. Byzantium
stands for that moment in history where religious, aesthetic (wkíiæwPm¤§Z) life were one, something never
achieved before or since the time of recorded (wjwce×) history. Byzantium became a symbol of the
artifice(`ÿZv) of eternity" where the human kind may realize their possibilities(m¤¢vebv) in this life.
The Second Coming the poet describes the current historical moment in terms of his concept of gyre.
Yeats opines that the present wheel of history has come to full circle and out of its ruin(aŸsm) a new age in

human history seemed to be taking birth. He envisions (¯^cœ) that mankind is moving from a period of
Christianity to Paganism. So rebirth of paganism is the cyclical process of history.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming also gives the climax of Yeast‟s view of historical civilization which is to come.
According to him, the Christian forces have spent themselves out and some new brutal(cvkweK) force is
about to take over-the "rough beast" is advancing, and "slouches towards Bethlehem to be born".
Disintegration(we‡f`) is seen to be sweeping into all spheres of life-social, political, moral and cultural.
All these ideas are not conveyed in literal terms, but through the use of myth, symbols and powerful
images.
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Easter 1916 deals with the contemporary(mgmvgwqK) political history of Ireland. The poem is a reaction to
the Irish insurgence(we‡`ªvn) in 1916. In this poem Yeats gives an account (weeiY) of some of the insurgents
who were personally known to him. Yeats tells that all these acquaintances(Rvbv‡kvbv/cwiwPZ e¨w³) were the
members of this same comic world and played their own roles here. But now they have resigned(c`Z¨vM)
from their roles, since they are deceased. Their heroic sacrifice transformed(iæcvšÍi) them utterly.
All changed , changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born
But what is ultimately born out of this eternal transformation is a kind of terrible beauty, since this beauty
can only provide us with the picture of a number of graves. These people‟s hearts were united by having
one purpose alone. They are all deceased (g„Z) and beyond recall (cybivnŸvb).
"Easter 1916" we see Yeats myth-making power. The Irish revolt merges (GKwÎZ Kiv/wgkv‡bv) into Yeats's
philosophy of history. Heroic intensity(cÖejZv/ZxeªZv) has transcended(‡kÖó nIqv/AwZµg Kiv) the cycles of
ordinary life and achieved permanence(¯’vwqZ¡) in the midst of stream just as the soul at a certain moment
can achieve freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Hearts with one purpose alone

Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted(‡gvwnZ/ekxf~Z) to a stone
To trouble the living stream
Finally it can be said that W.B. Yeats is an Irish national poet who has skillfully blended(wgkÖb) myth with
history. He has developed a philosophy or vision of life which is quite(cy‡ivcywi) modern. What is
remarkable about his using myth in his poetry is its philosophical analysis in order to show the rise and
fall of the great civilizations. His treatment of history and myth in his poetry is a unique one.
Q . Write a critical appreciation of the poem 'Sailing to Byzantium'. (Nu: 14) (set : 2)**
Ans. "Sailing to Byzantium" is one of Yeats's most inspired(AbycÖvwYZ) works, and one of the greatest
poems of the twentieth century. It was written in 1926 and included in Yeats's greatest single collection,
"The Tower. It is Yeats's clear-cut (my¯úó wbw`©ó) statement about the agony(AšÍ‡e`bv) of an imaginative and
spiritual work which is required to remain a vital (AZxe ¸iæZ¡c~Y©) individual even when the heart is
"fastened to a dying animal" (the body).
The first stanza of the poem is full of sensuality (‡hŠbÿzav PwiZv_©-KiY ) of the country which is not meant
for the old men. The young men and women are in close embrace(Avwj½b), birds in trees are singing
out of excitement of mating season. Fish like salmons and mackerel(g¨vKij) are swimming in the water
of the river and copulating(m½giZ) as they move about. Fish, flesh and fowl are all caught in the
sensual urge(D‡ËRbv) of generation which is only a process that will end in death. They seem to have
no thought for those master pieces of art which are the product of ageless intellect.
In the Second Stanza the poet says that an aged man who looks like (‡`L‡Z/m`„k) a scare-crow (Aí
Kvco †Pvco cov †jvK) is quite out of place here. In such a situation the soul that must clap its hands and sing
its song must grow louder as the outer garment gets more and more tattered.
The Third Stanza sees the poet already in the holy city, Byzantium. The city with its church St.
Sophia is the city of art suggesting permanence, perfection and form. The poet asks to be received
into the order of the sages(gnvÁvbx e¨w³) standing on god's holy fire. He also asks makes an appeal(Av‡e`b)

that the capacity of his heart is consumed(ÿqcÖvß) to the full. He does so because he thinks that his heart is
troubled(Aw¯’i) with desire and united to an animal's decaying body.
In the Fourth Stanza Yeats yearns (AvKzj AvKv•ÿv) for freedom that Byzantium promises. He now
comes to specify the artifice of eternity into which he wishes to be transformed. He will not take any
natural thing as his new form but the form of the golden bird which was designed by the Greek artist to sit
upon a golden bough (Mv‡Qi Wvj) to sing perpetually(Aweivg/AbšÍ) and keep the king awake. This bird's song
is supposed to be different from the sensual music referred to earlier. This bird rather will sing of what is
past, or passing or to come i.e. of the past, present and future.
In this poem Yeats reveals his fascination(AvKl©Y/gy» Kiv) with the artificial and considers it to be superior
to the natural. This type of fascination is one of Yeats's most prevalent (cÖfvekvjx/jÿbxq) themes. In a much
earlier poem, "The Lover Tells of the Rose in His Heart," written in 1899's the speaker expresses a
longing(AvKv•ÿv) to re-make the world "in a casket of gold" and thereby eliminate (cwinvi Kiv) its
ugliness and imperfection. Later, 1914's he wrote the poem "The Dolls". Here the speaker speaks of a
group of dolls on a shelf, disgusted by the sight of a human baby. In each case, the artificial (the
golden casket, the beautiful doll, the golden bird) is seen as perfect and unchanging, while the natural (the
world, the human baby, the speaker's body) is prone to ugliness and decay.
The four eight-line stanzas of "Sailing to Byzantium" take a very old verse form: they are metered in
iambic pentameter, and rhymed ABABABCC.
"Sailing to Byzantium' is a poem which contains Yeats's philosophy of supremacy of the artificial over
the natural which was resounded in the poems of a romantic poet John Keats.
Q .Write a note on the symbols used by Yeats with references to the poem you have read. (13,15,17)
Ans: W. B Yeats is regarded as the chief representative of the symbolist movement in English
literature. He belongs not to the French symbolist movement but to a general European movement of
which the French have been leaders. Yeats's knowledge of the French language was very poor and so he
learnt about Mallarme, the French symbolist at second hand perhaps through Arthur Symons, his next
door neighbour in the late nineties. His symbolism was based upon the poetry of Blake, Shelley and
Rossetti. But in fact, his symbols were derived from occult studies which included a fascination for
fairies(cix), banshees astrology(‡R¨vwZl/bÿÎwe`¨v), prophetic(fwel¨ØvYxc~Y©) dreams etc.
In Yeats‟ poetry generally symbols are of two kinds; the traditional and the personal. The rose symbol
occurs frequently in the poem of W.B Yeats. The „rose‟ in Yeats‟ poem is generally used to mean earthly
love but in “The Rose of the World” it also symbolizes eternal love and beauty. The symbol of „dance‟
is closely related to Yeats‟ “system” and is often employed (wbhy³) in his poetry. It gives the meanings on
the one hand, of a patterned movement, joyous energy and on the other hand, at times, a kind of unity.
The symbol of dance evokes the concept of unity in “Among School Children”.
Byzantium is used by Yeats as a symbol for unity(HK¨/m½wZ) and perfection(cwic~Y©Zv). He believes that in
Byzantium, all spheres of life are united; there is no fragmentation(UzKiv UzKiv). That is why , he wants to
go Byzantium by rejecting (cÖZ¨vLvb K‡i) the world of birth, generation and death.
Caught in the sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect
In “Sailing to Byzantium” Byzantium becomes the symbol of perfection, free from the cycle of birth
and death and also free from time because it is a world of art and an ideal existence, where is
neither death nor decay.
Sailing to Byzantium symbolizes a psychological change from a mentally which values the pleasure for
sexuality and the flesh to one which values things of the mind, the spirit, and the soul. Byzantium to
Yeats stands for that moment in history where religious, aesthetic and practical life were one something
never achieved before or since recorded history.
The symbol of „bird‟ is one of the most important symbols in Yeats‟ poems. It is a striking(jÿbxq)
example of the dynamic nature of the Yeatsian symbol, which grow changes and acquires greater depth
and destiny in their progression. The symbol of „Falcon‟ is also very important. In “The Second
Coming” Yeats says that modern world is disintegrating(fv½v/wew”Qbœ) and leading to chaos (wek„•Ljv).
Turning(AveZ©b/N~Y©b) and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer.

A falcon is a hawk(evRcvwL) and a hawk is symbolic of the active and intellectual mind. The falconer is
perhaps the soul itself or It's uniting (GKwÎZ Kiv) principle, "Spiritus Mundi"(Ava¨vwZ¥K gybx)
A similar process (cÖwµqv) may be traced(wPwýZ Kiv) in the „beast imagery‟. The sphinx “a shape
with lion body and the head of a man”, in “The second Coming” represents the end of the
Christianity. Yeats‟ uses this symbol with reference to his occult system.
Yeats is disgusted (weZ…ö/ÿzä) with old age, for this he uses the symbol of „Scarecrow‟. He shows his
disgust with old age in “Among School Children” saying:
Old clothes upon old sticks to scare a bird
Further The Lake Isle of Innisfree may be interpreted(e¨vL¨v Kiv) symbolically. The poet has become
weary(wei³/K¬všÍ) of city life and so he yearns(AvKv•ÿv/Kvgbv K‡i) for going to the lonely isle of Innisfree
where he would find peace and solitude(wbR©bZv) in place of the din (nÆ‡Mvj) and noise of the world.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree is the symbol of the place where they would be and where the soul at
last shall possess itself peace.
To conclude, Yeats's use of symbols is complex and rich symbols; indeed, give "dumb things
voices, and bodiless things bodies" in Yeats's poetry. The rose, the swan, the tower, the winding
stair, etc assume a life of their own and speak to the reader, often of different things.
Q .What personal elements do you find in Yeats „poetry? (NU:2018) ( set : 4) ****
William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865-28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, prose writer
and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. Yeats started his long literary career as a
romantic poet and gradually evolved into a modernist poet. There is a personal element to the
poem as well.
In the poetic career of W.B Yeats his friends, relatives and admirers played a very significant role.
A major portion of his poetry was written about his friends, admirers and the persons with whom
he was associated by love or fellow-feeling. In doing this he has been remarkably successful in
enlarging them to heroic proportions. To understand Yeats's poetry one requires the knowledge of
some of the events of his life.
The most important factor in Yeats's personal poetry is his love Maud Gonne and the sense of loss
resulting from his failure to marry her.
„the loveliest woman born out of the mouth of Plenty‟s Horn.‟

At the same time, Yeats could never fully approve of what he called Maud Gonne‟s intellectual
hatred which in her case consisted of her intense hysterical nationalistic fervour. A Prayer for my
Daughter is a deeply personal poem expressing the poet‟s hopes and fears about the future of his
daughter , Anne. This poem shows Yeats‟s disapproval of the kind of beauty which is self-centreed,
or which drives a lover crazy.
Yeats was a patriot and showed his love for his beloved country Ireland in his poems. His sense of
nationalism and patriotic fervour is found in Easter 1916 . the poet hesr shows his veneration to
the Irish nationalists who laid down their lives for the sake of their country. Yeats mentions some
of his familiar persons among these nationalists . It may be that those persons had led a comic and
ordinary life earlier. But their sacrifice has given a meaning to their lives and as a result, a terrible
beauty is born. These embody the eternal human quality can trouble the lives of other people.
This is why the poet says:
Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone To trouble the
living stream.

Like William Blake, Yeats puts forward his personal notion about history and civilization
expressing them in a symbolic term. This is evident is The Second Coming. In the poem, Yeats
says:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer:
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosened upon the world.
Here the poet expresses his sense of decay and destruction of the civilization. Yeats believed in the
cyclical order of history, which he symbolizes by the image of „gyre‟. The idea of disintegration is
symbolised by the symbol of the falcon. Yeats‟s symbols are very often of personal nature, like that
of Black .
Sailing to Byzantium is also a personal poem in so far as it deals with the problem of old age which
always haunted Yeats, which presented very effectively in this Byzantium which represented very
effectively in this Byzantium poem. An aged man feels miserable in this world of reality , being
unfit for its sensual life. Yeats, therefore, finds comfort by escaping of the city Byzantium which
represents a world of art which is timeless and eternal.
To sum up, Yeast‟s success in turning his personal emotions, likes and dislikes into great poetry is
really remarkable. Very few modern poets have succeeded in turning the powers of poetry to such
an effective personal use and preserve the necessary impersonality of poetry in which Yeats
believed as much as T. S. Eliot did.
T . S Eliot
Q . What does Eliot say about the decadence of modern civilization in The Wante Land?
14,16,18
Or, Show how Eliot's "The Waste Land' reflects the disorder and decay of modern Civilization
Ans. "The Waste Land" is written by T.S. Eliot. It is a dramatic monologue. The theme of this poem
consists (MwVZ) of several levels of experience(AwfÁZv) arising (D™¢zZ) out of various waste lands: (i) The
waste land of religion (agx©q) in which there are rocks but no water. (ii) The waste land of the spirit
from which all moral ˆbwZK) and spiritual springs have evaporated (wejyß/A`„k¨) ,(iii) and the waste
land of the instinct (cÖeYZv) for fertility where sex has become merely a mechanical means of animal
satisfaction rather than a life –giving source of regeneration(cybR©b¥/D¾xeb/cybiæ×vi).
Undoubtedly(wbtm‡›`‡n) "The Waste Land" gives us a vision or document (`wjj/cÖgvbcÎ) of

desolation(ElviZv/wbR©bZv) and spiritual drought (‡Kv‡bv wKQzi GKUvbv Afve) of our time. The
disintegration(we‡f`) of the modern civilization is due to several causes such as sexual perversity(bóvwg),
loss of faith(wek^vm) and moral values ˆbwZK g~j¨‡eva) , lack of (Afve) communication and human
relationship(m¤úK©), commercialization of life, mental tension(gvbywlK wPšÍv) , and politics and wars.
Eliot takes us into the very heart of the waste land which was post-war (hy‡×i cieZx©) Europe and makes us
realize the full plight(A½xKvi) of a whole generation. This generation is symbolized by the shriveled
Cumean Sibyl of the epigraph, Madame Sosostris Mrs. Porter and Sweeney, the old procuress and her
crude client, the lady of situations, a victim of her own nerves. Mr. Eugenides , a modern businessman ,
is found of homo –sex and he fulfils his desire with hotel boys. The company directors enjoy their free
time with the beautiful girls of riverside. Lil is a frustrated woman of only thirty-one who fails to charm
her husband. She lost her interest in life.she is unable to hold her husband who wants more and more of
sex. Her abortion has ruined her health. She feels physically and mentally broken . she looks so antique:
It‟s them pills I took , to bring it off, she said,
The Chemist said it would be all right, out I‟ve never been the same
Among all the causes of degeneration sex perversion is the prominent one. Sex is the most important
aspect of human life . It is an expression of love. It has lost its moral value. The mechanical sex
relationship is also found in the love affair of the typist girl and her boy friend . Today , sex has been
distorted from its proper function .But it has been perverted from its proper function. Now it is used for
animal satisfaction and monetary(Avw_©K) gains . Easy sexual relationship is found among all the sections
of society. Eliot cites several examples of failures in love such as Marie, the German princess who
has a bitter memory . Isolde who died for love, the Hyacinth girl, a victim of guilty of love , and the

Thames maidens who laments the loss of their chastity . Thus Eliot thinks, the whole of Europe is
being destroyed (aŸsmcÖvß) by the fire of lust(jvjmv).
Through this poem Eliot describes London as an “ Unreal City”. The city dwellers have no faith in any
religion. the modern people have forgotten the values of religion and morality. They have become
too commercial. They judge everything in terms of profit and loss. The people of upper class society are
suffering from various types of mental disorder .The fashionable society woman called the Lady of
Situation is bored with her urban waste land and has become extremely anxious . Tiresias is the
spokenman.
Further, millions of people are victims of wars and politics. For example, the October Revolution in
1917 shook (Av‡›`vwjZ Kiv) the foundations of European civilization based of faith.
Finally it can be said that "The Waste Land" is a social document of our times. This is a poem which
throws light on the problems of moral degeneration and perplexities (RwUjZv) of modern civilization
Q. What are the symbols used by the poet in "The Waste Land? (NU:2018) (set :3)****
Symbolism is the use of the symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic
meanings that are different from literal sense. Some time an action, an event or a word spoken by
someone may have a symbolic value. The Waste Land of T.S. Eliot is a fabric of myth and
symbolism. The poet resorts to symbols and images which help him create an “ objective
correlative” of his own vision or experience in the mind of the readers. Eliot is greatly influenced
by the French symbolist like Mallarme, Laforgue and the English metaphysicals .
Use of Symbols in The Waste Land:

Water
In Eliot's poetry, water symbolised both life and death. Water a predominant (DrK…óZi kw³c~Y©) symbol of
birth, death and resurrection(cybiæÌvb) appears through the poem as in the opening water signifies the
giver of life. Yet it also stands for death."Fear death by water” or those are pearls that were his eyes.
The symbolic meaning depends with a deceased Phoenician.
The fisher king:

The fisher king is one of the central characters in the poem. Eliot shows the fisher king as symbolic of
humanity robbed(me©¯^všÍ) of its sexuality potency (Kvh©KiZv) in the modern world and connected(m¤úwK©Z) to
the meaningless (wbi_©K) of urban existence.
Religion:
The fisher king stands for Christ and other religious figures associated with divine resurrection and
rebirth. The speaker of what the thunder said, “fishes from the banks of the Thames toward the end
of the poem as the thunder sounds Hindu chants into the air.”
Animals:
Rat could be said to provide a model for Eliot's poetic process. Like the rat Eliot uses the bits and
pieces to sustain poetic life. Somehow this is the existence of the living world-"here represented by the
sound of horns and motors in the distance intimating a sexual liaison (A‰ea †hŠb wgjb)".
Drought
The war's physical and emotional effects are visualized in the poem. The speaker of the poem uses
drought as a symbol of death.
City:
Eliot's London references Baudelaire's Paris (Unreal city), Dickens's London (the brown fog of a
winter dawn) and Dante's hell (the following crowd of the dead) are similar. The city desolate
(wbivb›`/Rbk~b¨) and depopulated (gvbenxb), inhabited only by ghosts from the past.
River:
The poem refers to Ganges in Himalaya River is called the mother of civilisation. The river symbolizes
the flow continuity of life. Rivers are considered serene (kvšÍ) also. It symbolizes destruction (aŸsm) as
well as construction (wbg©vY).
Buddhist:
The Fire Sermon is the title taken from a sermon given by Buddha .Buddha encourages(DrmvwnZ Kiv)
his followers to give up (Z¨vM Ki‡Z) earthly passion(cvw_©e Av‡eM/Kv‡g”Qv) (symbolized by fire). Buddha

preached(cÖPvwiZ) nonviolence (Awnsmv) and wanted his followers to rise spiritually. He symbolizes
universal Non violence and peace(kvwšÍ).
Season:
I read much of the night and go south in the winter" Her woman mixes a meditation(a¨vb) on the seasons
with remarks on the barren(Abye©i) state of her current existence (Pjgvb Aw¯ÍZ¡). Summer refers to joy,
Winter refers to grimness and death. It refers to barrenness.
Thunder:
Thunder strikes prophecy(fwel¨ØvYx/‰èevYx)) . There are many mythical tales(Kvwnbx/Mí) about
thunder(eRªaŸwb) in the Holy books of Mahabharata and Ramayana. It symbolizes the coming of good or
evil time.
Landscape:
Various landscapes(f~`„k¨) are shown by the poet like mountains, rivers, banks(Zxi), unreal cities etc.
To sum up, The Waste Land is replete with symbols of various types. Some of the symbols are complex
no doubt but by using hundreds of symbols, Eliot has added a grandeur to his poem and conveyed his
theme most successfully and effectively.
Q .Critically comment on Eliot's use of the mythical method/ mythical technique in The
Land( Set:4)
Or. How does Eliot make a link between the past and the present in The Waste Land? (NU.
11, 15)
Or. Comment on TS Eliot's use of myth and imagery in The Waste Land. [DU. 92, 94
NU:10,15,18)
Ans. "The Waste Land" is written by T.S. Eliot. The theme of this poem is the spiritual decay.
Emotional sexuality and the general aimlessness(D‡Ïk¨nxbZv) have characterized all periods of history.
"The the Waste Land is a complex work of art show which the futility(wbi_©KZv/wbõjZv), frustration and the
physical and spiritual barrenness(Abye©eZv) of the twentieth century Western civilization. Eliot marks that
the problems of mankind in the present world are same as in the ancient world. To him, the solutions
which were tried and proved to be successful in the past could also be tried in the present, as the two types
of crisis (mwÜÿY) are similar. Eliot, therefore, has chosen the mythical(‡cŠivwYK) method to establish a
parallel (mgvšÍivj) between the ancient world and the modem world.
Eliot has borrowed his material mainly from two books dealing with the ancient myths: Miss Jessie
Weston's book From Ritual to Romance and James Frazer's The Golden Bough. He uses Frazer's
cultivation rituals and Miss Weston's Fisher King and Grail myths. In Weston's legend(DcK_v/iæcK_v),
the land is blighted(e„‡ÿi ÿq‡ivM) by a curse. The crops do not grow and the animals cannot reproduce.
The plight(m¼Uvcbœ `kv) of the land is summed up (‡hvM Kiv) by, and connected with the
plight(cÖwZÁv/Aw½Kvi) of the lord of the land. The curse of aridity (ï®‹Zv) can only be removed (AcmvwiZ) a
quester, a youthful knight who must undertake(Kvh©fvi MÖnb Ki‡e) the journey to the castle (`yM©) or chapel
(Lªxóxq wbR¯^ cÖv_©bvM„n) of the Grail, submit to trial, and ascertain the office of the Grail. If he succeeds, the
king will be healed and the land will be restored to fertility.
Eliot learnt from Miss Weston's book the basic resemblance between the vegetation(MvQcvjv) myths of the
rebirth of the year, the fertility(De©i/djšÍ) myths of the rebirth(cybR©b¥) of the potency(Kvh©KiZv/kw³) of man,
the Christian story of the Resurrection(cybR©b¥), and the Grail legend of purification(ïw×). The common
source of (Drm) all these myths lay in the fundamental rhythm of nature that of the death and rebirth of the
year, and their varying (wewfbœ) symbolism was an effort to explain the origin of life.
Tiresias is the protagonist (cÖavb PwiÎ) who is a mythical figure, Eliot used him with great skill in the
poem. He is a mere spectator (`k©K) and a character but the most important personage(e¨w³) in the poem.
Tiresias is a link between the waste land of King Oedipus and the waste land of modern civilization.
References to the myths are recurrent(cybive„Ë). In section I the inhabitants of the waste land are
described as vulger(cÖPwjZ) people. In section II, the artificiality and the failure of marriage and love
relationship in the modern world reminds us of the impotence of the Fisher King. In section III, the
sea shrinks to a dull canal, Section IV is an allusion to the ancient fertility cults(agv©byôvb) with their
ritual (wµqv/c×wZ) of throwing an effigy(cÖwZg~wZ©) of the god. In section V, the Christian mystery of life
through death is linked with the vegetation myths in a rhythm of hope and rebirth.

Finally, it can be said that the poet has used the mythical method to connect the modern waste land with
the other waste lands of ancient times. The idea behind this pattern is that it is possible to restore the
waste land to fertility through the remedies followed in the past, namely repentance and penance. Eliot's
use of myth and imagery in "The Waste Land" is a unique one. He has made skillfully a link between the
past and the present in this poem
Dylan Thomas
Q . Critically appropriate the poem "poem in October". [NU:13,15,17](set : 1)***
Ans: Poem in October written in 1944, is one of the finest lyrics of Dylan Thomas. It is a birthday
poem. Published in the volume of poems entitled Deaths and Entrance, 1946. The poet describes his
birthday anniversary as his thirtieth year to heaven" meaning thereby that he has made one more forward
step in his march towards heaven, i.e. Death. There is a mixed feeling of pleasure and pain.
The poem, in fact, is an attempt to recollect the glorious vision and innocence of childhood and thereby
find an escape from the harsh(K‡Vvi) realities of life. The theme has been presented by evocative(wkívbyivM)
statements with imagery, symbols, similes, metaphors, paradoxes, allusions, puns etc. It is a poem in
free verse. It is composed of seven structurally identical stanzas each with ten lines. The stanzas are
well connected by lovely patterns of gentle wavy rhythm up to its end. Then arrangement of each stanza
in long and short lines is also significant. The movements of the lines from long to short and from short to
long and again to the short, followed by long lines implies the oscillating(‡`v`yj) movement of the priest
mind between "weather" and "times" and between the town below and up the hill. The metre used
for the poem is as light and easy in its movement as its theme. It is Thomas coming to light from darkness
and this coming out movement is lovely, slow and lyrical.
As for technical devices, the poem is rich in imagery and symbolism. In fact, the images become symbols
carrying deep thoughts and states of the poet's mind. For example, the image "heron priested Shore"
assumes(MÖnb Kiv/AšÍf~³) a symbolic meaning. To the poet "The heron" is a symbol of sadness and it is
regarded as a priest sitting on the seashore. It also expresses the religious sentiment of Thomas.
Similarly the waves of the ocean rising high seem to the poet a kind of prayer to heaven on the occasion
to his birthday. Thus there are various types of symbols scattered all through the poem.
"Poem in October" is actually a poem about the making of poetry out of youth. The poet
highlights(mevi `„wó‡MvPi Kiv) his present condition through the initial(cÖv_vwgK) metaphors of location and
then moves to a consciousness of the past in terms of this present. In the contrast between these two
periods there is an inherent(mnRvZ/Rb¥MZ) awareness that the art of poetry is the means for apprehending
this past and making it meaningful. Youth by itself has no poetic existence. The mature poet who has
paradoxically, lost the very youth he longs to capture, gives to that existence. In this process, he comes to
understand the mature "caring" that separates him from the child, makes it possible for the "mystery" to
rise and also to be alive. In his youth he heard the "parables" that form the basis of his mature religion.
This upbringing was inferential and it was proved by the fact that the poem about it ends with prayer. In
his youth the poet also experienced delights as expressed by his mature poetry. The form and ordered
structure of "Poem in October" shows his mature artistic skill and creativity.
To conclude "Poem in October" is one of Dylan Thomas's most successful poems.
Q . Discuss the use of symbols Dylan Thomas's 'Poem in October'. [set: 3]

Ans. Symbolism refers to the use of symbols in the literature. Broadly speaking a symbol is anything that
signifies something. In literature a symbol is usually something concrete - an object, a place, a character,
an action - that stands for something abstract. Symbols can be broadly divided into two types -(i)
Universal symbol and (ii) Private symbol. For example: dove is a universal symbol of peace and the
great white whale in Melville's Moby Dick is a private symbol.
Dylan Thomas has made extensive use of natural, conventional and private symbols to convey
complex psychological states to the readers. He draws symbols from different branches of sciences,
philosophies, myths legends, literature, history, occult knowledge, Bible etc.
"Poem in October' contains various types of symbols. In the beginning of the poem, the poet finds a
heron on the shore. To him the heron becomes a symbol of sacredness and is regarded as a priest
sitting on the seashore. The waves of the ocean rising high seem to the poet to be a kind of prayer to
heaven on the occasion of his birthday. The call of the seagulls coming from the shore, the crowing of the
rooks from the wood and knock of the sailing boats near the harbour symbolize an invitation to the poet to
wake up and come out to enjoy the beauty of nature.

In second stanza the poet writes:
My birthday began with water-
Birds and the birds of the winged trees flying my name
Above the farms and the white horse.
Here the “winged trees” symbolize the poem in which the poet celebrate his birthday and “ flying my
name” symbolizes the vociferation of the well wishes for the poet on his birthday. “The white horses”
seem to celebrate his birthday by proclaiming name.
The word” Dylan” in English means “High Tide” and so the birds may simply be flying the waves
which are rising high. It may be merely the high tides which to the poet‟s imagination seem to be flying
so high on the wings of the bird. 'The white horses' symbolize something highly desirable. In this stanza
also "And I rose in rainy autumn" signifies that the poet was born in October which is a month of
autumn. We get a significant symbol in the line 'High tide and the heron dived' - here diving of high
tide and the heron symbolizes the disappearance of the poet's dream, the fantasy world into which he
escaped a moment ago is broken, and he has come to reality. Again the bright weather above the hill,
spring and summer symbolizes a world of escape from harsh reality, while the cold and rain below
symbolizes the painful reality which cannot be avoided for any length of time.
In fourth stanza, the use of symbols is significant. Here the sea wet church the size of a snail' symbolizes
the distance between the locality he has left on his birthday and the place on the top of the hill where he is
celebrating his birthday. Further, the “tall trees” symbolize imagination and fancy. Then we get an image
of gardens bearing profound symbolic meaning:
But all the gardens

Of spring and summer were blooming in the tall tales
Beyond the border and under the lark full cloud.
Here “the gardens of spring and summer' stand for the beautiful glorious world as recreated by the
imagination of the poet. Later on, "The weather turned around' signifies the fact that his escape into the
fantasy world of boyhood was short lived. The phrase "the other air symbolizes the vision and memory
of childhood. 'Parables' and 'Legends' stand for the wonders and glorious vision of childhood.
Thus we see that the whole poem is replete with symbols and symbolic expressions of various types. All
the symbols used in the poem are complex and many sided becoming not only private but also universal.
Q . Comment on the treatment of childhood in "Poem in October".[Nu: 15,18] [set:4]***
Ans. Dylan Tomas has special fascination (‡gvn) for childhood. He has written a number of poems on
childhood and “Poem in October” is one of them. It is a superb(PgrKvi) lyric by Dylan Thomas is a poem
of birthday celebration(D`hvcb), which is published in “Death and Entrances”, is 1946. Though the
poem is a celebration, inherently it has a deeper significance(¸iæZ¡). The poet here laments(wejvc/µu`b) for
the loss of childhood as Vaughan did in “The Retreat” and Wordsworth in “Immortality Ode”. It is
an attempt to recollect the sweet memories, innocence and glorious vision of childhood.
Waking up at the call of nature quite(cy‡ivcywi) early in the morning, he feels that he is being
greeted(Awfev`b Rvbvb) on his birthday by the objects of nature, birds, beasts, hill and trees and the
waves of the ocean. When the whole town is in sleep the poet comes out(evwni /cÖKvwkZ nIqv) of the house
and finds the pool(cyKzi) full of mussels(wSbyK), the herons(mvim RvZxq cÿx) sitting priest like on the
seashore(mgy`ªZxi), the rising waves of the ocean, call of seagulls(mxMvj) flying over the shore, the
crowing(Kv Kv kã ) of rooks from the woods, the knocks of the sailing boats and the fishermen
hunting fish in the harbor with nets. All these natural phenomena and human activities seem to
welcome the poet on his birthday.
Coming out of home Thomas reaches the hill which he frequently visited with his mother in his
childhood. As he did in his childhood he looks around: And I saw in the turning so clearly a child's
Forgotten mornings when he walked with his mother

Through the parables of sun light
And the legends of the green chapels.
It is a rainy autumn day is the month of October and it seems to the poet, who has become a schizoid
child , that the water birds and the birds flying over the trees are aware of his birthday and seem to be
celebrating the occasion by flying over the farm houses and the white colored horses, proclaiming his
name.

He remembers the happy days which he passed in Fern Hill, where was situated(Aew¯’Z) the farm of
his aunt. It was a country noted(mycwiwPZ) for its apples, pears and currants and the boy Dylan walked
like a lord(gvwjK) there. He remembers his happy days at Swansea, his native land, where he used to
walk by the side of his mother in the morning. Then the sunlight and the woods seemed to him glorious
and holy.
With the change in weather, the poet himself has been carried into the past. In a tone of
nostalgia(¯§iY‡e`bv), he remembers his childhood days spent with his mother. Thomas here beautifully
evokes(Avnevb Kiv) childhood through the use of words like "parables" and "legends", but he does so to
show that he had been much closer to nature as a child than he is now when he is about to turn thirty. His
passion and emotion have been revealed in the following lines:
And there could I marvel my birthday

Away but the weather turned around.
And the true Joy of the long dead child sang burning in the sun.
Going back to his childhood he cries the tears that his boyhood self had cried, and experiences every
emotion that his young heart had once felt. He remembers how, as a child, he had had conversations with
the trees, the stones, and the fish-all of which were essential parts of the landscape of Swansea. Nature
had been a mystery to him.
The poet's nostalgia for a vanished glorious past soon ends and he returns to the present. Thus he is able
to regain some measure of self control and faces the reality of the moment, the reality that he is no longer
a child but a man of thirty.
Dylan Thomas resembles William Wordsworth and William Blake in his attitude to childhood. While
Wordsworth sees a child from a distance, Dylan like Blake becomes a child through imagination and
becomes one with nature. Thus Dylan's attitude towards childhood is tinged with romanticism.
Sylvia Plath
Q . A critical appreciation of the poem "Morning Song". [Nu: 13,15,17] [set : 1]
“Morning Song” was written in February 1967 by Sylvia Plath after the birth of her first child ,
Frieda Rebecca Hughes. The theme of the poem is motherhood and the process by which it is
obtained . It deals with maternal instincts(mnRvZ cÖe„wË) and its awakening(RvMiY).
The theme has been presented (Dc¯’vcb Kiv n‡q‡Q) by means of( Dcv‡q) imagery, similes and metaphors in
free- verse. The poem contains six stanzas and each stanza has tree unrhymed lines of different
lengths , thus giving it all the characteristics of a modern poem.
The first stanza of the poem begins with the word 'love'. It refers to the birth of Sylvia's son to the
world. This coming is compared with the movement of 'a fat gold watch'. The watch is an object that
starts working at a certain point. In the life of a person this certain point can be the moment of the birth.
The adjective 'gold' gives an idea of the importance of the birth of the baby in her life. And the word
'fat' to the baby's shape as it was tubby (‡gvUv‡mvUv I †MvjMvj) and rounded in shape when it was born. This
comparison of the new born baby goes in direct contrast with the conventional(cÖPwjZ) feelings of
motherhood.
The second stanza describes how the arrival (AvMgb/MÖnb) of the new born was welcomed. The first
verse tells the echoes of the voices of the parents magnifying his arrival. These words give idea of the
happiness brought to them by the birth. The child is described as "new statue in a drafty museum". The
naked body of a baby, so delicate and soft, is comparable(Zzjbv‡hvM¨) with the perfection(DrKl©) of the
statues chiseled(iæc`vb Kiv) (a~Z©/wbcyyY) by crafty sculptors. This image of the delicate baby stems out of
parent's worries(D‡ØM/wPšÍv) before the new born baby's arrival. So Sylvia says that they stood blankly
(fve‡jknxb gy‡L) as walls, just staring around the baby.
The third stanza begins comparing Sylvia's motherhood with the breaking of the clouds in rain. The
poet feels her entity(Aw¯ÍZ¡) as a woman has broken into pieces as clouds get broken into pieces by rain and
the blow(AvNvZ) of the wind (evqcÖevn). It reveals (cÖKvk K‡i) that the baby belonged not to herself only but
to the world, to itself, to the elements which surrounded his life in the world.
In the fourth stanza the worry of the mother as the baby sleeps is expressed. The breath of the baby
is described as "moth-breath". This comparison gives an idea of the speed and regularity of the

baby's breath as it sleeps. The mother's worry and attention is expressed when she says that she wakes
to listen to this breath and the sound that comes to her is said to be like the sound of the sea that moves in
her ears. This description of the sound gives idea of the rhythm of the breathing, similar to the
sound of the sea.
In the fifth stanza the characteristic mother's state of alertness(mZK©Zv) is expressed when she says that
if she hears a cry of her baby she stumbles (‡nvuPU /c`wõjwjZ LvIqv) from bed in a clumsy (boe‡o) way. Her
clumsiness(Avbvwocbv) is reflected by the term 'cow-heavy', and her floral 'Victorian nightgown'. The
mouth of the baby as it cries is described as a cat's mouth. This comparison may be because of the
similarity of the baby's longing for food, with that of the baby cat drawing for its mother's attention.
In the last stanza it is said that the window square whitens, the day light is coming and in a poetic way
she describes how the night ends. Then she describes the beginning of the baby's day. It starts babbling.
These sounds are described as "The clear vowels rise like balloons".
In this poem the poet has used a number of figures of speech mostly different types of images, similes and
metaphors. Here we get the images of a clock ticking, of a statue kept in the showcase of a museum,
of a mirror reflecting the breaking of clouds into pieces, of a cow which has given birth to a calf
(evQzi) and of a bunch(¸”Q) of floating (fvmšÍ) balloons.
This poem contains six stanzas each containing three lines. The lines of each stanza are of unequal length.
The poet has used unrhymed verses. She has not used any particular metrical form. All these features
suggest the poet's strange feelings of attaining motherhood.
Q . What are the recurrent themes in Sylvia Plath's Poetry? [NU:2017] [set:3]
Ans: Sylvia Plath was an American poet. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 27,
1932.She was a gifted and troubled poet known for the confessional style of her work. We can see
recurrent themes in her poems. These themes are the most prevalent are: death, victimization,
patriarchy, nature, the self, the body, motherhood, sexuality and love. Death is an ever-present reality
in Plath's poetry, and manifests in several ways Apr 23, 2016. Discuss to below the recurrent theme of
Sylvia Plath's poem that we have read:
Theme of the poem "Morning Song"
The theme in Morning Song is alienation and the process by which it is overcome(Rq Kiv/KvUvBqv IVv). It
deals with material instincts and its awakening Plath avoids sentimentality(fvecÖeYZv) in taking up the
subject of becoming a mother in a fatherly way. A woman does not come to motherhood merely by giving
birth.
Theme of the poem "Words"
Few poets have resisted the impulse(DØy× Kiv) to at some point, write about the nature of poetry. Sylvia
Plath was no exception (e¨wZµg), "Words"is such a poem. Most poems of this type take as their theme
the enduring nature of poetry and its ability to immortalize the poetic vision. They are acknowledges
(¯^xK…wZ/¯^xKvi Kiv) the enduring nature of poetry. Her poetic utterances travel out in all directions from the
center of her creation in the twenty carefully crafted lines of "Words, "Sylvia Plath lays bare the
emotional journey of her life, from creative power to despair and death.
Theme of the poem "The Rival"

Battle of sexes resulting in the disintegration(we‡f`) of family life is a prominent theme in the poetry of
Sylvia Plath."The Rival presents two figures, husband and wife at war with each other due to the lack
of(Afve) understanding(g‡Zi wgj) and compromise(Avcm/wgUgvU). It is a poem in which metaphor subject
and tone combine to produce the effect of cold, furious animosity(we‡Øl) and rivalry(Ø›Ø/wilvwiwl)
between husband and wife. "The Rival" is composed in free verse and it consists of three stanzas,
each having five lines of uneven length, followed by a couplet. The theme of the poem is presented by
pure statement with the help of metaphors similes, imagery, irony, etc all through the poem, there is an
atmosphere of gloom(welv`/nZvkv) and unhappiness (AkvwšÍ/AmyLx ) and the tone of the speaker who is
essentially(g~jZ) the wife is full of frustration.
Theme of the poem "Crossing the Water"
The speaker in Sylvia Plath's "Crossing the Water "begins her performance tainted by the influence
of an intensely dark mood, but then just a flicker of starlight transforms her dark mood from grave to
wonder So much so that the blackness has seeped into, and become a part of everything. It connects to the
major theme of the poem, the "spirit of blackness" that is in all of us, and the ability to see light in the
midst of darkness. Another kind of repetition that Plath makes use of is alliteration.

Q .Discuss the use of myths and imagery in the poetry of Sylvia Plath.[NU:2018][ set:4]****
Sylvia Plath's poetry is replete(cwic~Y©/ficyi) with striking(AvKl©bxq) visual images. She has
employed(cÖewZ©Z/wbhy³) a number of powerful symbols too, manipulating(wbc~Yfv‡e eënvi) metaphor and
simile expertly(Kzkjx). Color is frequently used. Traditional myths and cultural or historical
allusions(UxKv/Bw½Z) serve her well, but at the same time, she also forms her own personal myths, which
add to the intensity(cÖejZv) of her verse.
The Moon: The moon is traditionally(HwZn¨MZfv‡e) associated with(m¤ú„³) femininity (bvixZ¡) and Sylvia
Plath invokes(Avnevb Kiv) it many times. For her, the moon is not a symbol of fertility(cÖvPzh©/De©iZ). Instead,
it signifies barren coldness, indifference, or selfishness. For example, "The Rival" begins with the
picture of a cold and barren moon which reflects the cold and indifferent relation between husband
and wife. Although outwardly(AvcvZ`„wó‡Z) the moon looks very beautiful from a far distance (from the
earth) with its borrowed (avi K‡i) light (Av‡jv) (the moon lacks its own light), in fact, it is barren and unfit
for human habitation(emwZ). That is why the wife, who is the speaker, finds the reflection of her husband's
character of the moon:
"you leave the same impression of something beautiful, but annihilating".
Outwardly the husband is like the moon, very enlightened (generous, large-hearted) but
inwardly(wfZ‡i/ü`‡q) very cold and barren like the moon (indifferent and hypocritical to the wife).
Flowers: Sylvia Plath writes about flowers in unusual (A¯^vfvweK) ways. They are a powerful presence in
the poems in which they appear. Maternal affection(gvZ… †¯œn/AbyivM) is conveyed through references to roses
in "Morning Song." Flowers are undoubtedly(wbtm‡›`‡n) a symbol of life, even when they seem to lead
speakers to thoughts of death.
Color: There are five main colors in Sylvia Plath's work: black, white, red, blue, and green. Red is the
color of life and vitality(cÖvYkw³/Rxebxkw³). The poet includes(AšÍf~³) many images of blood in her work.
Sometimes Blood red signifies(cÖKvk K‡i) suffering(`y‡f©vM/cxov), vulnerability(`ye©jZv), or mental
assault(gvbwmK jvÃbv). Black is the color of death and foreboding(wec‡ì/Ag½‡ji c~e©jÿY). It is
predominantly(cÖavbZ) a masculine color, frequently(evisevi) uses to convey Sylvia Plath's
dissatisfaction(Am‡šÍvl) with the male sex. White is particularly an intriguing color, while blue is the
color of motherhood. It is also the color of the threatening sea. Green is the only color that we might
feel unambiguously (Ø¨_©nxbfv‡e) positive about. It conveys fertility endurance(mnbkxjZv/‰ah©/`xN©¯’vwqZ¡).
Myths: Throughout her whole career, Sylvia Plath was interested in(AvMÖnx/AbyivMx) Greek Myths, as
many modernist poets were. The most important Greek myths that appear in her work are the legends of
Electra(B‡jKUªv), Medusa(MÖxK cyiv‡Yi wckvPxwe‡kl), and the Colossus, which she took as the title for her first
collection of poems. In her later works, however, she began to rework stores more thoroughly, forging her
own associations and meanings.
Q . Comment on the poetic technique of Sylvia Plath. [NU:2018] [set:5]***

Answer:-Sylvia Plath was one of the most dynamic (kw³kvjx) and admired(cÖkswmZ) poets of the 20th
century. In her early poetic career, Sylvia Plath was trying to produce tightly(k³fv‡e/`yj©efv‡e)
structured poems. She favoured(mg_©b) much musical and lyrical poetry that had a singing sound.
Later she admitted(¯^xKvi) that she found the forms she adopted in the early and mid 1950s constricting,
although she remained more comfortable with strict forms than free verse Early poems, such as "Miss
Drake Proceeds to Supper" and "Resolve" seem more formal and disciplined than later works, which
have a vivid directness(¯úóZv) achieved partly through the use of rhythms that are closer to those of
speech.
Sylvia Plath experimented(M‡elYv) with various traditional forms, the sonnet, the villanelle and
terzarima. She worked particularly productively with the Three-line stanza(tercets) and many of his best
poems are written in this form: Morning Song" "Crossing the water" for examples. Sylvia Plath uses
unrhymed (AwgÎvÿvi) couplets (wØc`x/‡køvK) extremely effectively in "A Birthday Present" and "Edge".
There is an interview in the choice of nine-line stanzas in "You‟re", the form reflecting(cÖwZdwjZ/cÖwZwe¤^)
the duration of the speaker's pregnancy(Avkvc~Y©Zv).
The impression(cÖfve) of energy in Sylvia Plath's poems is achieved in different ways. Early in her
writing career the poet worked with a thesaurus (ÁvbfvÛvi/fve Awfavb) on her lap(cÖvPzh©), which perhaps
showed her down. The poem she produced after she had abandoned(cwiZ¨vM) this practise often have a
swifter pace and more fluid(Zij) feel. Her husband Ted Hughes said that she began to write speedily,
and many of her later poems, such as "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus "seem to call out to be read in
an energetic way. The use of run-on lines helps her to convey restlessness and forward movement in
"Ariel".

Sylvia Plath makes extensive(e¨vcK) use of figures of speech in her poetry. These enable her to bring
ideas to life very vividly(cÖvYešÍfv‡e) for the reader. It also helps her build up association(‡hvM/m¤^Ü/wgjb)
between her subjects or personae and the landscapes they are placed in. Similes and metaphors are used
in sufficient(h‡_ó/ch©vß) numbers. In "Words' the poet conveys her poems' independent life through
descriptions of heroes and their "indefatigable(AK¬všÍ/A`g¨) hoof- taps. " The axe and sap(mim/‡Kvgj Kvô)
that she alludes(D‡jøL) to also help us understand the painful writing process the poet goes through as she
tries to produce her " echoes" (poems). Metaphor can be decidedly (wbwðZfv‡e) discomforting too.
Sound patterning is important to Sylvia Plath. She uses half- rhyme alliteration and assonance
(¯îmv`„k¨) throughout(me©Î) her work. In "Daddy" the speaker's anguish(hš¿Yv/Kó) and rage(‡µva) are
conveyed(enb K‡i) by the inconsistent(Am½Z/cwieZ©bkxj) "oo" sounds that dominate(KZ…©Z¡c~Y©) the poem.
The last line of " The Munich Mannequins." is stark(Abgbxq/k³/KwVb) because of the vowel sounds.
Overall, Sylvia Plath's use of figurative language (Aj¼vic~Y© fvlv) makes her verse(¯ÍeK/PiY)
arresting(g‡bv‡hvM AvKl©jKix/A™¢zZ) and hard hitting(AvNvZ).
Dedicated to--
All the students of English Literature
This PDF is written and edited by me ( Didarul Karim) is exceptional creation. This is nothing but the
hard labour of the long days journey of the writer. At the time of editing this PDF , I have become amazed
to see the mammont task of the writer. But I have invested my valuable time , labour, energy, with and
intellect to rectify the mistakes of this PDf .
“ Man is error.”
One this I want to mention that there have some mistakes but the detected mistakes by the readers will
be accepted very cordially and respectfully.Apart from this , it help every student of Hon‟s 4th Year for
the academic examination.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One request to everyone, if you are able to pay only 20 TK, please you will send the money
to plant a tree to keep the world pollution free and safe for the our next generation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01745473120 Bkash

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Hon's 4th Year

Subject: 20th Century Poetry

2. What does the phrase "October blood" mean? (NU:15,17)

3.When was the poem "Morning Song" written? (NU:13)

4. What incident hurt Sylvia Plath very much? (NU:13)

5.What does "The Second Coming" refer to? (NU: 13,16,18)

6.What does Eliot mean by 'unreal city? (NU:13)

7. What is the last line of the poem "The Waste Land"?(NU:13,18)

10. What is terrible beauty'? (NU: 13,15)

11. Who is Maud Gonne?

15. What is the poem "Easter 1916" about? (NU:14)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 1

17. How does Madame Sosostris foretell? (NU:14)

23. What does Prufrock want to be Lazarus? (NU:14)

24. How does Prufrock visualize death? (NU:15)

25. How does Dylan Thomas Celebrates his birthday? (NU:15)

26.Who are the 'dying generation"?(NU:15)

27. What kind of man is Prufrock? (NU: 15)

28. What does Innisfree stand for? (NU: 15)

29. Who is the hyacinth girl?

30. What is the central image in the poem, "The Rival"?(NU:15,18)

32.What is the poem 'Words' about? (NU:15)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 2

35.Why does April appear to be the cruellest month? (NU:16)

36. Why will not 'Mermaid' using for Prufrock? (NU:16)

39. Who is the lady of situations? / Who is Madame Sosostris?

40. What is 'interior monologue'? (NU: 16,18)

41.Who is Mac Bride in the poem 'Easter 1916? (NU:16)

43. Who is 'Lazarus'? (NU:16)

45. What is 'Spiritus Mundi'? (NU:17)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 3

53. What do you mean by murmur of maternal lamentation? (NU:18)

55. Who is the 'Phoenician Sailor'? (NU:18)

56. What is 'Ganga'? (NU:18)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 4

So The Lake Isle of Innisfree gives the expression (Awfe¨w³/cÖKvk) to a feeling of

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 5

Q. Why did Prufrock fail to propose the lady?(NU: 13)(Set-3)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 6

Q. What do you understand by the 'unreal city"?(Set-6)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 7

Q. What impression(Qvc/cÖfve) of Dylan as a schizoid do you find in "Poem in October"?(Set-1)

Q. Comment on the fantasy used in "Poem in October". [NU. 2014)(Set-5)

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 8

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 9

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 10

Hearts with one purpose alone

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 11

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 12

„the loveliest woman born out of the mouth of Plenty‟s Horn.‟

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 13

Undoubtedly(wbtm‡›`‡n) "The Waste Land" gives us a vision or document (`wjj/cÖgvbcÎ) of

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 14

Use of Symbols in The Waste Land:

The fisher king:

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 15

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 16

To conclude "Poem in October" is one of Dylan Thomas's most successful poems.

Q . Discuss the use of symbols Dylan Thomas's 'Poem in October'. [set: 3]

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 17

But all the gardens

Q . Comment on the treatment of childhood in "Poem in October".[Nu: 15,18] [set:4]***

Forgotten mornings when he walked with his mother

By : Md. Didarul Karim Chandpur Govt. College, Chandpur Page 18