Appreciation:
Read the given extract and write an appreciation of the poem using the following points.
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through; Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?
Or a churlish sort of "Howdy" and then vanish in the throng?
Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way, Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that's slipping fast, That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said; Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
Points:
(i) Title of the poem, name of the poet.
(ii) Theme
(iii) Poetic devices, language
(iv) Values
(v) Your opinion about the poem.
Read the given extract and write an appreciation of the poem using the following points.
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through; Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?
Or a churlish sort of "Howdy" and then vanish in the throng?
Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way, Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that's slipping fast, That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said; Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
Points:
(i) Title of the poem, name of the poet.
(ii) Theme
(iii) Poetic devices, language
(iv) Values
(v) Your opinion about the poem.
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
(i) Title of the poem, name of the poet:
The poem is "The House by the Side of the Road" by Sam Walter Foss. The extract reflects the poem's core idea of living a life that positively impacts others through small acts of kindness.
(ii) Theme:
The central theme is the importance of kindness and empathy in daily human interactions. The poem urges readers to reflect on whether their actions—greetings, deeds, or words—bring happiness, hope, or courage to others, emphasizing the value of selflessness over selfishness in life's fleeting moments.
(iii) Poetic devices, language:
The poem employs:
- Rhetorical questions: Lines like "Is anybody happier because you passed his way?" provoke introspection without expecting answers.
- Alliteration: Phrases like "toiling time" and "cheerful greeting" enhance rhythm.
- Imagery: "Slipping fast" and "vanish in the throng" create vivid mental pictures of time and crowds.
- Simple language: Clear, conversational words (e.g., "Howdy," "brother") make the poem relatable and direct, amplifying its emotional impact.
(iv) Values:
The poem promotes values of kindness, empathy, and selflessness. It encourages helping others ("helped a single brother"), offering cheerful interactions, and inspiring hope ("man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead"), urging readers to prioritize positive contributions to society over personal gain.
(v) Your opinion about the poem:
The poem is inspirational and thought-provoking, reminding us of the power of small acts of kindness in transforming lives. Its simple yet profound questions encourage self-reflection, making it relevant to all ages. The rhythmic flow and relatable language make it engaging, while its message of empathy resonates deeply, motivating me to be more mindful in daily interactions.
Top Maharashtra Class XII English Questions
Read the extract and complete the activities given below:
This is what Camus meant when he said that “what gives value to travel is fear” — disruption, in other words, (or emancipation) from circumstance, and all the habits behind which we hide. And that is why many of us travel not in search of answers, but of better questions. I, like many people, tend to ask questions of the places I visit, and relish most the ones that ask the most searching questions back of me: “The ideal travel book,” Christopher Isherwood once said, “should be perhaps a little like a crime story in which you’re in search of something.” And it’s the best kind of something, I would add, if it’s one that you can never quite find.
I remember, in fact, after my first trips to Southeast Asia, more than a decade ago, how I would come back to my apartment in New York, and lie in my bed, kept up by something more than jet lag, playing back, in my memory, over and over, all that I had experienced, and paging wistfully through my photographs and reading and re-reading my diaries, as if to extract some mystery from them. Anyone witnessing this strange scene would have drawn the right conclusion: I was in love.
When we go abroad is that we are objects of scrutiny as much as the people we scrutinize, and we are being consumed by the cultures we consume, as much on the road as when we are at home. At the very least, we are objects of speculation (and even desire) who can seem as exotic to the people around us as they do to us.
All, in that sense, believed in “being moved” as one of the points of taking trips, and “being transported” by private as well as public means; all saw that “ecstasy” (“ex-stasis”) tells us that our highest moments come when we’re not stationary, and that epiphany can follow movement as much as it precipitates it.
1. Read and rewrite the following sentences and state whether they are True or False :
(a) A traveller may sink in love with his travel - memoirs.
(b) One gets inspected as he inspects the world around him.
(c) Quest for something may end in more mystery.
(d) Staying in comfort at home gives one more happiness than travelling.
2. Match the persons given in column 'A' with opinions/ characteristics given in column 'B':
3. Give reasons:
"We are objects of scrutiny," because ___________
(i) _____________________________
(ii) ______________________________
4. "Travelling is an interesting teacher." Write your views in 3-4 sentences.
5. Do as directed :
(i) I like I visit. to ask questions of the places (Choose the correct tense form of the above sentence from the following options and rewrite.)
(a) Simple past tense
(b) Simple present tense
(c) Past perfect tense
(d) Present perfect tense
(ii) I would come back to my apartment in New York. (Choose the correct option using 'used to' for the given sentence and rewrite.)
(a) I use to come back to my apartment in New York.
(b) I have used to come back to my apartment in New York.
(c) I used to come back to my apartment in New York.
(d) I had used to come back to my apartment in New York.
6. Find out the words from passage which mean:
(i) reminiscence
(ii) exhilarationA traveller may sink in love with his travel memoirs.
One gets inspected as he inspects the world around him.
Quest for something may end in more mystery.
Staying in comfort at home gives one more happiness than travelling.
Top Maharashtra Class XII Questions
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