The Night Mail.

ICSE - class-ix

Passage 1

This is the Night Mail crossing the border,

Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner and the girl next door.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb :
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

(i) Where is the Night Mail heading? What does it carry?

Ans. The Night Mail is heading to Scotland. It carries various types of mail.

(ii) ‘Letters for the rich, letters for the poor’. Comment on the significance of this line.

Ans. This line highlights the social and economic equality facilitated by the mail service. It
doesn’t discriminate based on wealth. Everyone, from a wealthy businessman receiving a
cheque to a young girl next door getting a letter, benefits from the mail’s ability to connect.

(iii) How does the mail train start its journey? How would you describe it?

Ans. The poem doesn’t explicitly mention the starting place of the train. The poem starts right in
the middle of the action, with the line “This is the Night Mail crossing the border.” However, we
may speculate that it is a city of England, possibly London.

The Night Mail’s journey starts from a lower elevation, travels rural landscapes and enters
Scotland.

(iv) Describe various regions through which the train passes.

Ans. The poem mentions “cotton-grass and moorland boulder,” suggesting it’s traversing hilly
and open moorland landscapes. The “silent miles of wind-bent grasses” point towards vast,
possibly desolate plains.

(v) How does the poet describe Glasgow area later in the passage?

Ans. The Glasgow area is described as being dark and having factories with tall chimneys that
spew smoke.

Passage 2

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,

Stare from the bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in the bedroom gently shakes.

(i) Which figure of speech is used in Line 1?

Ans. The figure of speech used in Line 1 is personification. Pronoun ‘she’ is used for the night
mail train.

(ii) Comment on the use of phrase ‘blank-faces’ for the train coaches.

Ans. The phrase refers to the fact that the train has no passengers aboard. The train is running
specially for delivering letters and mails.

(iii) What do sheep-dogs do? What is their purpose?

Ans. The arrival of the train does not wake up the sheep-dogs as they are aware of the fact that
they cannot do anything to alter the train’s course.
(iv) How do sleeping people react as the train passes? Why?

Ans. The poem says “no one wakes,” suggesting they’re accustomed to the train’s passing and
remain asleep as the train passes.

(v) What kinds of letters are carried by the train?

Ans. The poem mentions the train carries various types of letters – letters of thanks, joy,
financial news, love letters, gossip, etc., highlighting its role in communication and connection.

Passage 3

Dawn freshens, the climb is done.

Down towards Glasgow she descends
Towards the steam tugs yelping down the glade of cranes,
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her :
In the dark glens, beside the pale-green sea lochs
Men long for news.

(i) Where is the train heading? How has its initial journey been described by the poet?

Ans. The train is heading towards Glasgow, Scotland. The poet initially describes the journey as
challenging, mentioning the train “pulling up Beattock” (a climb) and facing a “gradient” (slope)
but still being “on time”.

(ii) How is Glasgow described in the quoted lines?

Ans. The poem hints at Glasgow’s industrial nature by mentioning “steam tugs,” “cranes,” “fields
of apparatus,” and “furnaces”.
(iii) Which figure of speech is used in Line 5 here, and why?

Ans. Line 5 uses a simile. It compares the furnaces “set on the dark plain” to “gigantic
chessmen” using ‘like’ This comparison creates a vivid image of the industrial landscape
resembling a giant chessboard.

(iv) Briefly describe the things carried by the train.

Ans. The train carries letters, cheques, postal orders, news, and potentially other forms of
communication.

(v) What does the poet convey about the waiting people of Scotland later in the context?

Ans. The line “All Scotland waits for her”suggests a sense of anticipation and dependence on
what the mail train brings. Later lines mention “men long for news” in remote areas, highlighting
their desire to stay connected through the mail.

Passage 4

Letters of thanks, letters from banks,

Letters of joy from the girl and the boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or visit relations,
And applications for situations
And timid lovers’ declarations
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled in the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands

(i) How did the train start its journey? What regions did it cross at night?
Ans. The poem doesn’t provide details about the train’s origin. It likely begins its journey from a
major city in southern England, possibly London, a common starting point for mail trains.

The poem mentions the train passing “cotton-grass and moorland boulder,” “silent miles of
wind-bent grasses,” and a farm, suggesting it travels through rural landscapes at night.

(ii) What does the poet mean by “applications for situations”?

Ans. “Applications for situations” is a more formal way of saying “job applications.” These letters
likely contain resumes or requests for employment opportunities.

(iii) What is being carried by the train except letters?

Ans. The poem mentions “Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,” suggesting photographs
might be tucked within some letters. However, it doesn’t explicitly state the train carries anything
other than letters and documents.

(iv) What kinds of letters is the train carrying?

Ans. The train carries a wide variety of letters-

Personal: Letters of thanks, joy, love declarations, gossip.

Financial: Letters from banks, receipted bills.
Professional: Applications for jobs.
Family: Letters from relatives.
Sympathetic: Letters of condolence.

(v) How do people wait for the train?

Ans. People wait with anticipation for the train. Lines like “All Scotland waits for her” suggest
people anticipate the arrival of news, both personal and potentially life-changing. They might be
eagerly waiting by their mailboxes or hoping for news from loved ones.

Passage 5
Notes from overseas to Hebrides
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring,
The cold and official and the heart’s outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.

(i) How has the train covered its journey upto Glasgow earlier in the context?

Ans. The earlier lines like “Dawn freshens, the climb is done. Down towards Glasgow she
descends” suggest the train has completed a challenging climb and is now heading towards
Glasgow.

(ii) What is the train carrying?

Ans. The train is carrying a vast variety of letters.

(iii) What does the line ‘The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring’, tells us about the context of
the letters?

Ans. The line “The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring” tells us about the diverse emotional
tones and content of the letters. It suggests they range from casual gossip (“chatty”) to
negativity (“catty”) to mundane updates (“boring”) to expressions of love (“adoring”).

(iv) Which different styles and colours are used to write letters by different people? What do they
reveal about them?

Ans. The poem mentions letters written on “paper of every hue” including pink, violet, white, and
blue. This highlights the variety in stationery choices, which might reflect personal taste or
occasion. Additionally, the descriptive words like “chatty,” “boring,” and “clever” suggest different
writing styles used by different people.
(v) What have Glasgow’s people been doing as the train reaches the destination? What do they
expect when they wake up?

Ans. The poem suggests a general picture of people in various cities, including Glasgow, being
asleep as the Night Mail arrives. They might be dreaming of “terrifying monsters” or “friendly
tea.” The people anticipate receiving mail upon waking.

Passage 6

Thousands are still asleep

Dreaming of terrifying monsters,
Or of friendly tea beside the band at Cranston’s or Crawford’s :
Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
And shall wake soon and long for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?

(i) Describe the initial stage of the train’s night journey.

Ans. The poem suggests the train has passed through rural areas based on references to
sheepdogs and farms. It’s now approaching cities.

(ii) What has it carried for the people?

Ans. The Night Mail carries letters for people of all social classes.

(iii) What have the people been dreaming of? What do they expect when they wake up?

Ans. The people dream of contrasting things: “terrifying monsters” representing fear or
anxieties, and “friendly tea” symbolising social connection. Upon waking, they’ll “long for letters,”
suggesting they anticipate news and connection brought by the mail.
(iv) Point out the two figures of speech used in the last lines.

Ans. Figures of speech in the last lines:

Hyperbole: “None will hear the postman’s knock” is an exaggeration. People might not
consciously hear it, but the line emphasises their anticipation.

Rhetorical question: “For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?” doesn’t expect a literal
answer. It highlights the universal human need for connection and the fear of isolation.

(v) In what way does the poet emphasise ‘human connections’?

Ans. The poem emphasises human connection in several ways:

The importance of letters in conveying messages, news, and love.
The anticipation people feel for the mail, suggesting their reliance on communication.
The fear of being “forgotten” underlining the universal need to feel connected.
Mentioning specific cities suggests the diverse people the mail reaches, creating a sense of
community.

Extra.

[Link] does the poet personify the train in the poem? Provide examples.

Answer: The poet personifies the train by attributing human-like qualities and actions to it. For
instance, the train is described as 'shovelling white steam over her shoulder' and 'snorting
noisily,' creating an image of a hardworking, determined entity. Additionally, the phrase 'The
gradient's against her, but she's on time' suggests the train's resilience and commitment to its
task, further enhancing its personified nature.

[Link] is the night mail carrying in the poem?

Answer: The night mail is carrying various forms of correspondence like cheques, postal orders,
and letters, and is traversing across borders.

3. What feeling do people experience when they hear the postman's knock, according to the
poem?
Answer: According to the poem, people experience a 'quickening of the heart' when they hear
the postman's knock, suggesting a feeling of excitement and anticipation.

4. What is the significance of the final line: 'For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?'

Answer: The final line of the poem 'The Night Mail' encapsulates its central theme, that of
human connection and the deep-seated need for belonging. It underscores the universal fear of
being overlooked or forgotten, highlighting how receiving mail, even with its mundane or
unpleasant contents, serves as a tangible reminder that someone is thinking of us.