POEM: 4
A Thing Of Beauty John Keats
INTERPRETATION
& ANALYSIS
The
present poem is an excerpt from “Endymion: A Poetic Romance”. The poem is
based on a Greek legend in which Endymion, a beautiful young shepherd and
poet who lived on Mt. Latmos had a vision of Cynthia, the Moon goddess. The
enchanted youth resolved to seek her out and so wandered away through the
forest and down under the sea.
The
recurring idea in this poem is a thing of beauty is a source of never ending
joy. If a thing is really beautiful, it goes on providing us joy forever. A
real beauty never diminishes, on the contrary its beauty and loveliness ever
increases. Moreover, it can never be extinct instead it grows and grows ever.
Physical charms are perishable but the qualities of head and heart, art and
craft and science can be imperishable. True beauty gives us peace just as we
find peace in a garden. When one is at peace with oneself and the things
around, one has sound sleep, good dreams and perfect health.
Beauty
has a very important role to play in our lives. Without beauty our life
becomes all dull and monotonous. This is the reason that every other day we
pick flowers to make a garland which keep ourselves connected to this earth.
In other words, daily we try to discover newer beauties which keep our lives
going. The pleasure and happiness that we find in small activities are the
flowers which make our life beautiful.
When
we look around, we find a lot of problems in this world. There is malice due
to disappointment; there is lack of humanity and nobility around; there are
sorrows and problems and above all the ways of the world are wicked and
crooked. But in spite of all these negativities, if we are able to perceive
beauty in something, all our gloom and sadness vanishes.
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God
has bestowed several beautiful things upon us. The sun, the moon, the trees
whether old or young sprawling their branches and providing shade and shelter
to beings are beautiful. The daffodils have a different kind of beauty. They
bloom in the morning and wither and wilt and die in the evening but even in
that short period they make their life meaningful by providing joy to the
onlookers with their fragrance and beauty. The small streams and rivers get
surrounded with plants, bushes and trees and save themselves from the
scorching heat of the sun. Beauty can
be found even in the middle of the forest. The most fair and fragrant flowers
can be found even among wild bushes. According to Keats, there is majesticity
even in dooms. All those martyrs and mighty kings, who inspired millions
through their deaths and deeds, have a certain beauty about them. There is
beauty in all those stories which we have heard or read so far and which have
been there for centuries and even today people love to read them.
Thus
all the beautiful things around us are like a fountain of nectar which can
never cease to exist and which is perhaps being showered upon by God himself.
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GLOSSARY
Wreathing - Interlace, Engarland
Despondence - Dejection, Depression
Dearth - Lack, Paucity
Spite - Malice, Hatred
Pall - Cover, Curtain
Sprouting - Growing, Germinating
Rill - Small stream, Rivulet
Grandeur - Splendour, Glory
Brink - Edge, Border
Brake - A place overgrown with bushes
A thing beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will
never
Pass into nothingness;
1. How can a thing of beauty be joy
forever?
Ans: Something
which has real beauty goes on providing us joy forever.
2. How can the loveliness of a beautiful
thing increase?
Ans: If
anything is really beautiful, the more we view it, the more beautiful it
appears as our increased understanding reveals newer forms to us.
3. How
can a beautiful thing never be nothing?
Ans: A
beautiful thing can never be nothing because it never fades. Its worth makes it
immortal.
But will keep a bower quiet for us
And a sleep full of sweet dreams and
Health and quiet breathing, therefore
On every morrow are we wreathing a flowery
Band to bind us to the earth.
1. What does beauty give us?
Ans: Beauty
gives us peace, good sleep full of sweet dreams, perfect health and relief.
2. What
do we do every other day?
Ans: We
are making a garland of flowers every other day i.e. every other day we collect
small pleasures and try to discover newer beauties.
3. Why
are we wreathing a flowery band?
Ans: We
are wreathing a flowery band every day because beauty is essential to us.
Without beauty we cannot survive on this earth.
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and over darkened ways
Made for our searching; yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves aways the pall
From our dark spirits.
1. What, according to the poet, is lacking
around us?
Ans: According
to the poet noble people and nobles deeds are lacking around us.
2. What
can beauty do?
Ans: Beauty
can take away all the sorrows and problems from our life.
3. “In
spite of all”- Explain.
Ans: The
poet is trying to say that we are surrounded with lots of problems and sorrows
but inspite of all such troubles, beauty has the power to lift up all the gloom
from our lives and make us happy.
Such the sun, the moon, trees old and yound
Sprouting a shady boon for a simple sheep
And such are daffodils with the green world they live in:
1. How are the trees beautiful?
Ans: Trees
are beautiful because whether old or young, they all provide shade and shelter
to all the beings without any discrimination.
2. What
does the poet mean by ‘simple sheep’?
Ans: ‘Simple
sheep’ is symbolic of innocence and divine beauty. Just as Jesus Christ was a
shepherd and he sat under a tree with his sheep and followers, exuding divinity
and innocence.
3. How
are daffodils beautiful?
Ans: Daffodils
have a very short life. They blossom in the morning and wither and wilt, droop
and die in the evening. But even in the short period they make their life
meaningful by providing joy to the onlookers through their beauty and
fragrance.
And clear rills that for themselves a cooling covert make
‘gainst the hot season: the mid forest brake,
Rich with the sprinkling of fair musk rose blooms
And such too is the grandeur of dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead:
1. Why do the rills make a cooling covert
for themselves?
Ans: The
rills make a cooling covert for themselves to save themselves from the
scorching heat of the sun.
2. What
do we find among the mid forest bushes?
Ans: We
find very beautiful and fragrant flowers among the mid forest bushes.
3. How
can death be beautiful?
Ans: Death
can be beautiful if it can inspire people; if it can help create some space in
the hearts and minds of people.
SHORT
ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. How
can a thing of beauty be joy forever?
Ans: A
thing of beauty is a joy forever because if anything has a real beauty it
unfailingly goes on providing us joy. It finds place in the heart of common
people and thus immortalizes itself.
2. “Its loveliness increases.” Explain.
Ans: The
loveliness of a true beauty can never decrease because a true beauty is always
complex in form and the more we delve deep into it, we find new colours and new
facets of it. Every other time we look at it, we find something new about it.
3. Why are we wreathing a flowery band?
Ans: We
are wreathing a flowery band every other day because we can’t do without beauty
in our life. It has become an integral part of our life. Without beauty life
becomes all dull and monotonous. That’s why we try to discover newer beauties
in and around us to keep us going.
4. What is “made for our searching?”
Ans: The
present world is full of all sorts of problems. We find malice and
disappointment; there is lack of nobility and noble deeds; there are sorrows
and tribulations; there are unhealthy conditions and there is wickedness and
sin in this world.
5. What makes human
beings love life in spite of all troubles?
Ans: In
spite of all the troubles, the beauty around and in our life and its perception
make human beings love life. Though we are surrounded with beauties yet unless
we have an eye for it, we cannot come out of our sufferings and love life.
6. Why is grandeur
associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
Ans: Grandeur
is associated with the ‘mighty dead’ because they immortalized themselves
through their death. Their deeds and death inspired millions and they
registered themselves in the hearts of people by leaving behind a legacy.
7. What image does the poet uses to
describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?
Ans: The
poet mentions about sun, moon, old and young trees, daffodils, clear rills, mid
forest break etc. to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth.
8. Why
does the poet enlist different beautiful things in the poem?
Ans: The
poet enlists different beautiful things in the poem to suggest that beauty
cannot be confined. It can be in any form, size, shape and anywhere. Moreover,
beauty is all about one’s perspective. Anything can be beautiful to anybody.
9. What
is implied by ‘all lovely tales that we have heard or read’?
Ans: The poet means to say that there are lots of stories which are
going round in our societies for ages. The stories which fascinated our
forefathers, our fathers, we ourselves and fascinate the coming generation as
well, is only because of the beauty in them.
10. Explain
“sprouting a shady boon for a simple sheep”
Ans: It
suggests how different trees sprawl their branches and provide shade to all the
beings. The trees don’t discriminate rather they provide shade to all and
sundry. Such is the play of beauty and innocence in nature.
PREVIOUS YEARS' QUESTIONS
(2018) Read the following extract and answer the
questions that follow:[4 Marks]
… and clear rills that for themselves
a cooling covert make
against the hot season; the
mid-forest brake
rich with the sprinkling of the
fair musk rose blooms;
(a) Identify the poem and the poet.
(b) What is the role of the clear rills?
(c) How has the mid forest brake become
rich?
(d) Name the figure of speech in the
cooling covert.
(2017) How
can ‘mighty dead’ be things of beauty?
(2015) Mention any four things
of beauty that add joy to our life.
Which
objects of nature does Keats mention as sources of joy in his poem, 'A Thing of
Beauty'?
Mention
any two things which cause pain and suffering. (A Thing of Beauty)
[3
Marks]
(2013) Read the following extract and answer the
questions that follow: [4 Marks]
Spite
of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of
noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of
all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made
for our searching: yes in spite of all,
Some
shape of beauty moves away the pall
From
our dark spirits.
(a)
Name the poem and the poet.
(b)
Why are we 'despondent' ?
(c)
What removes 'the pall from our dark spirits' ?
(2013) What does Keats consider
an endless fountain of immortal drink and why does he call its drink immortal? [2 Marks]
(2013) How does a thing of
beauty provide shelter and comfort? [2 Marks]
(2012) How is a thing of beauty
a joy forever? [2 Marks]
(2011) Why and how is grandeur
associated with the mighty dead? [2 Marks]
(2010) What makes human beings
love life inspite of troubles and sufferings ? [2 Marks]
(2009) According to Keats, what
makes man love life in spite of all its problems and miseries ? [2
Marks]
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