NO!

Thomas Hood

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ABOUT THE POET Thomas Hood was born in London, England in May of 1799. His parents were Thomas Hood
and Elizabeth Sands and the family lived in Cheapside above their bookshop. Hood’s father
died in 1811 and Elizabeth moved the family to Islington. While enrolled in school there,
Hood’s writing talents were noticed by a headmaster who encouraged him. In 1788 he was
able to earn a small amount of money for editing the novel, Paul and Virginia. Three years later
Hood married Jane Reynolds. This was the same year his collaboration with her brother, J.H.
Reynolds, Odes and Addresses to Great People, was written. He published the volume in 1827.
That same year he also published Whims and Oddities and National Tales. These came
alongside the collection of verse, The Plea of the Midsummer Fairies, Hero and Leander, Lycus the
Centaur and other Poems. This volume is considered to be his only serious collection of verse. He
is best known for humorous and light-hearted pieces that came later on in his career.
I Remember, I Remember, November, Gold!, A lake and a fairy boat, Autumn, The Bridge Of Sighs, etc.
are some of the poems written by him.

In another annual called the Gem appeared the verse story of Eugene Aram. Hood started a magazine in his
own name, mainly sustained by his own activity. He did the work from a sick-bed from which he never
rose, and there also composed well-known poems such as "The Song of the Shirt", which appeared
anonymously in the Christmas number of Punch, 1843 and was immediately reprinted in The Times and
other newspapers across Europe. He died on 3 May 1845, London, United Kingdom. The house where
Hood died, No. 28 Finchley Road, St John's Wood, now has a blue plaque.

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WORDS TO KNOW ANTONYMS
1. dawn
2. dusk
1. healthful x unhealthy
3. courtesies
2. gentility x rude, impolite
4. steeple
3. warmth x apathy, calm
5. healthful
4. notion x ignorance, reality
6. inkling
5. courtesy x disdain, disregard
7. crescents
8. indication
9. gentility
10. notion

SYNONYMS

1. courtesies – reverence, sympathy

2. inkling – idea, hunch
3. steeple – minaret, spire
4. gentility – decorum, elegance
5. notion – approach, conception

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COMPREHENSION

1. In what way is the title of the poem no a good one?

Ans: The title of the poem is reflected in its every line; hence it is a good title. Even the last line of the poem is
summarized by yet another no word, November.

2. How would you describe the general picture painted by the poet? Is it a cheerful one?
Ans: The poem describes the month, November (in late autumn), in which there are a lot of negatives indicated
by no. The poet describes this season as being one without warmth or cheerfulness. It has none of the other
aspects that feature in the other months of the year. However, he does this in a cheerful way, so the poem is not
depressing or sad. In other words, the poem describes a typical British or Western season, autumn, just before
winter sets in. There are no leaves on the trees and the animals have migrated or gone into hibernation.

3. Do you think the poet has a good sense of humor? Why?

I think the poet has a good sense of humor. Although the poem is full of negative statements, he still manages to
make it sound fairly cheerful. The rhyming couplets, the use of the same word to start each line, and the pace at
which the poem moves, all help to make it cheerful.

4. What is the theme of poem?

The theme of the poem is the bleakness of a November day in London.

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REFERENCE TO CONTEXT

1. What is meant by ‘t’ other side the way?

Ans: The phrase is a colloquial contraction of the other side of the road.

2. why do you think the phrase 'no go 'is put in inverted commas while others example 'no mail' are not. (Is
there another expression in inverted commas?)
Ans: ‘No go’ is put in inverted commas, because it is an expression on its own. It means a failure or fiasco. No
mail, however, means that there is no mail! The other expression in the poem is a colloquial one, ‘t’other side
the way’, hence the inverted commas.

3. What does the ‘Ring’ refer to?

Ans: The ‘Ring’ refers to a circular course in Hyde Park (in London), used for riding and driving. (It was
created by King Charles I, after which the park was opened to the public in 1637.)

4. Comment on the phrase ‘No afternoon gentility’.

Ans: The phrase describes the gentility (people from the upper classes) of a courteous and well-mannered
society taking a leisurely walk along the Ring in the afternoon, greeting others as they pass.

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SUMMARY

The poem is also known as "November." November is a dreary time of year in England. It is late fall and there is
scant sunshine.

No sun—no moon! (There is little sunshine in November and you can't even see the moon)
No morn—no noon—
No dawn—
No sky—no earthly view—
No distance looking blue— (There seem to be no blue skies in November)

No road—no street—no “t’other side the way”— (Streets are obscured by the famous London fog)
No end to any Row— (the word "Row" is part of the name of some streets in England; here, it could
refer to Rotten Row, which is connected to Hyde Park, where the rich liked to go horse-riding in the 18th and
19th Centuries. Whether it is Savile Row, known for its excellent men's tailoring, or Rotten Row or
Paternoster Row, one can't see the end of any street in the fog)

No news from any foreign coast— (this fog prevents ships arriving with news from foreign regions)
No park—no ring—no afternoon gentility—

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No company—no nobility— (Hyde Park and Regent's Park are devoid of the presence of the
gentility, the upper classes, so used to taking their walks there. Regent's Park is round in shape, hence,
"no ring." You can't even see the round shape of the famous park, due to the fog.)

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,

No comfortable feel in any member— (again, the November month offers none of the
cheerfulness of summer)

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, (certainly there are no butterflies and none of the shine
of summer)

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, (November is a dead month where no fruits and flowers
and birds can thrive) November!

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Value Added Question

Write your own poem about a month of the year. The tone, verse format, rhyme scheme, etc., are
up to you. (Refer page 26 to begin your creativity)

*Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.

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