APPROPRIATENESS OF THE TITLE

AROUSES THE CURIOSITY AS TO WHO

WON NINE MEDALS
MEDALS ARE NOT FOR WINNING THE
CONTEST BUT DISPLAY OF HUMANITY
THEME
TRUE SPIRIT OF SPORTSMANSHIP
• FAIRNESS, RESPECT AND A SENSE OF FELLOWSHIP
WITH ONE’S COMPETITORS
• AS THE RACE STARTED ONE FELL DOWN
• THE LIFTING UP OF THE CONTESTANT SHOWED AN
EXEMPLARY SCENE THAT DISPLAYED SPIRIT OF
SPORTSMANSHIP.
• ALL ATHLETES HELD HANDS AND REDUCED THEIR 100
METRES RACE INTO A WALK.
CRITICAL APPRECIATION
THE POET’S CENTRAL IDEA OF THE POEM IS TO
PROMOTE TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP. HE HAS DESCRIBED
THE REMARKABLE EVENT IN A LUCID STYLE. HE HAS
TRIED TO SHOW AS MUCH ENTHUSIASM IN THE PLAYERS
AS POSSIBLE. THE LAST LINE OF THE POEM TRULY
RENDERS THIS OLYMPICS A SPECIAL ONE.
STANZA 1
• THE ATHLETES HAD COME FROM SO MANY

COUNTRIES

TO RUN FOR THE GOLD FOR THE SILVER AND

BRONZE

MANY WEEKS AND MONTHS IN TRAINING

ALL BUILDING UP TO THE GAMES

Run for – compete each other for

Building up – gradually prepare for something
 STANZA 2

• ALL ROUND THE FIELD SPECTATORS WERE

GATHERED

CHEERING ON ALL THE YOUNG WOMEN AND MEN

THEN THE FINAL EVENT OF THE DAY WAS

APPROACHING

THE LAST RACE ABOUT TO BEGIN

Spectators – person watching a show, game or other event

Cheering – shouting for joy or in praise or encouragement
 • THE LOUDSPEAKERS CALLED OUT THE NAMES OF THE
STANZA 3
RUNNERS

THE ONE HUNDRED METRES THE RACE TO BE RUN

AND NINE YOUNG ATHLETES STOOD THERE

DETERMINED

AND POISED FOR THE SOUND OF THE GUN

Determined – strong feeling to do something

Poised – still and ready to move at any moment
STANZA 4
• THE SIGNAL WAS GIVEN, THE PISTOL EXPLODED

AND SO DID THE RUNNERS ON HEARING THE SOUND

BUT THE YOUNGEST AMONG THEM STUMBLED AND

STAGGERED

AND HE FELL ON HIS KNEES TO THE GROUND

Stumble – trip or almost fall

Stagger – walk unsteadily
STANZA 5
• HE GAVE OUT A CRY OF FRUSTRATION AND ANGUISH

HIS DREAMS AND HIS EFFORTS DASHED IN THE DIRT

BUT AS SURE AS I'M STANDING HERE TELLING THE

STORY

NOW IT'S A STRANGE ONE, BUT HERE'S WHAT

OCCURRED

Frustration – anger
Anguish – pain
Dashed in the dirt – destroy some one’s fame very badly
STANZA 6

• THE EIGHT OTHER ATHLETES STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS

THE ONES WHO HAD TRAINED FOR SO LONG TO COMPETE

ONE BY ONE THEY TURNED ROUND AND CAME BACK TO

HELP HIM

AND LIFTED THE LAD TO HIS FEET

Lad – boy or young man

STANZA 7

• THEN ALL NINE RUNNERS JOINED HANDS AND

CONTINUED

THE ONE HUNDRED METRES REDUCED TO A WALK

AND THE BANNER ABOVE THAT SAID "SPECIAL

OLYMPICS"

COULD NOT HAVE BEEN NEARER THE MARK

 STANZA 8

• THAT'S HOW THE RACE ENDED, WITH NINE GOLD MEDALS

THEY CAME TO THE FINISH LINE HOLDING HANDS STILL

AND THE BANNER ABOVE AND NINE SMILING FACES

SAID MORE THAN THESE WORDS EVER WILL

SAID MORE THAN THESE WORDS EVER WILL

FIGURES OF SPEECH
• ALLITERATION:-
• BUT THE SMALLEST AMONG THEM, STUMBLED AND
STAGGERED
• HIS DREAMS AND HIS EFFORT DASHED IN THE DIRT
• THERE IS NO RHYME SCHEME, IT’S A FREE VERSE
• HYPERBOLE:-
• …….THE PISTOL EXPLODED
• AND SO DID THE RUNNERS….
WHAT DO THE WORD GOLD, SILVER AND
BRONZE STAND FOR IN THE POEM?

• GOLD: 1ST POSITION

• SILVER: 2ND POSITION
• BRONZE: 3RD POSITION
WERE THE CONTESTANTS WELL PREPARED
FOR THE EVENT? PICK A LINE THAT
ILLUSTRATES THIS.

• THE FOLLOWING LINE ILLUSTRATES THIS: ‘MANY

WEEKS AND MONTHS IN TRAINING. ALL BUILDING UP
TO THE GAMES’
HOW MUCH DISTANCE WAS TO BE RUN IN THE
FINAL RACE? HOW MANY ATHLETES WERE
PARTICIPATING IN THE RACE?

• DISTANCE TO BE RUN WAS 100 YARD

• 9 ATHLETES WERE PARTICIPATING
THE WORD 'EXPLODED' IS USED FOR THE FIRING OF
THE PISTOL. WHAT DOES THE PHRASE 'SO DID THE
RUNNERS' MEAN?

• WHEN THEY HEARD SOUND OF PISTOL

• ATHLETES SPRUNG INTO ACTION AND RAN FORWARD
HOW WERE THE DREAMS OF CONTESTANTS
DASHED IN DIRT?

• THE NINTH CONTESTANT FELL DOWN

• TRAINING WAS OF NO USE
• HE COULD NOT SHOW HIS TALENT
WHY DOES THE POET REPEAT THE LINE ‘SAID
MORE THAN THESE WORDS EVER WILL’?

• DRAW ATTENTION TO THE VIRTUES OF EMPATHY AND

COOPERATION
• TRUE VALUES OF THOSE VIRTUES CAN’T BE
EXPRESSED IN WORDS BUT CAN ONLY BE FELT
SHOW HOW A SENSE OF SUSPENSE WAS
BUILT UP BEFORE THE FINAL COMPETITION.

• CALLING OUT THE NAMES OF THE RUNNERS WHO

WOULD TAKE PART IN THE ONE-HUNDRED YARDS RUN.
• THE NINE ATHLETES STANDING THERE ‘DETERMINED
AND POISED FOR THE SOUND OF THE GUN’.
WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS ‘SPECIAL
OLYMPICS’?
 SPECIAL OLYMPICS IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST
ORGANISATION FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL AND
MENTAL DISABILITIES THAT FOCUSES ON
DEVELOPING THE QUALITIES OF SPORTSMAN
SHIP,SELF-CONFIDENCE AND TEAM SPIRIT IN THE
INDIVIDUALS.
 IT IS ORGANISED EVERY TWO YEARS.
WHY HAVE THE ATHLETES BEEN CALLED
“RESOLVED ATHLETES”?
• RESOLVED MEANS DETERMINED.
• THE RUNNERS WERE ALL DETERMINED TO WIN THE
RACE AND A MEDAL AS A SYMBOL OF EXCELLENCE.
• THEY ALL WENT THROUGH HARD TRAINING FOR
MONTHS.
• EVEN THEIR DISABILITY, FOR WHICH THE SPORTS
EVENT IS CALLED SPECIAL OLYMPICS, COULD NOT
PREVENT THEM FROM COMPETING.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN ONE OF THE
ATHLETES FELL DOWN? WHY WAS IT
UNUSUAL?
• ONE ATHLETE FELL TO THE GROUND,
• THE OTHER EIGHT RUNNERS STOPPED AND CAME
BACK TO HELP HIM STAND ON HIS FEET.
• IT WAS AN UNUSUAL HAPPENING BECAUSE IT WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE A COMPETITION WHERE ONE SHOULD
TRY TO BEAT OTHERS.
DID ALL HOPE TO WIN? HOW DO YOU
KNOW? WHY DID THE EIGHT RUNNERS PULL
UP ON THEIR HEELS?

• THEY ALL TOOK OFF AND CHARGED AHEAD WHEN THE

GUN WAS FIRED.
• THEY ALL HOPED TO WIN.
• THE EIGHT RUNNERS PULLED UP ON THEIR HEELS,
BECAUSE THE SMALLEST OF THE COMPETITORS SLIPPED,
STAGGERED AND FELL DOWN ON THE ASPHALT TRACK.
SUMMARY
SPECIAL OLYMPIC GAMES ARE BEING HELD
THE LAST EVENT,100M RACE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN
NINE ATHLETES’ NAMES ARE CALLED OUT
RACE BEGINS
ONE, WHO IS THE YOUNGEST FALLS
OTHERS RETURN TO HELP HIM
HOLD HANDS AND REACH FINISH LINE TOGETHER
ALL ARE AWARDED GOLD MEDALS FOR THEIR GOLDEN
ACT OF HUMANITY
 MORAL

“NEVER STOP HELPING

OTHERS”