Keeping Quiet

Keeping Quiet

                   By Pablo Neruda

 

Analysis of the poem:

§  "Keeping Quiet" by Pablo Neruda is a powerful poem that encourages readers to pause, reflect, and consider the impact of their actions on the world and on themselves.

§  Pablo Neruda is the pen name of Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto who was born in the town of Parral in Chile. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1971.

§  In this poem Neruda talks about the necessity of quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings. The poem advocates for a moment of mindfulness and a break from the noisy, destructive patterns of human behaviour.

§  The poem is rich in language and profound in emotional content with the wonderful handling of words and expressions. It is free verse without any rhyming scheme.

§  The tone of the poem is didactic and reflective as the poet exhorts the readers to think and realise the significance of peace and quiet introspection on the validity of actions.

§  One is clearly able to make out the theme of the poem that peaceful and quiet introspection on our actions is very important to renew and refresh the irrelevant and irrational ways and actions of human beings.

§  The poem is a free verse without any stanza division, rhyme scheme and metre.

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    Line by Line Explanation

Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the Earth

let’s not speak in any language,

let’s stop for one second,

and not move our arms so much.

‘Keeping Quiet’ by Pablo Neruda is a thought provoking poem that encourages reflection and stillness in the face of a noisy and tumultuous world. The poem starts with a call, asking the readers to do a symbolic countdown to twelve which symbolises twelve months, days or zodiac signs referring to completion of cycle. These lines emphasise the importance of silence and stillness. The poet is suggesting that, for a moment, everyone should stop talking in any language as various languages that people speak, may create misunderstanding, miscommunication, confusion or conflict. The poet is proposing a universal, non-verbal communication. We should not be involved in any action either, to prevent any sort of struggle or fight. This line reinforces the call for physical inaction and mental calm. People should pause from their frenetic activities that exhaust and frustrate and evaluate their words and actions to calculate their worth and validity, and think whether our actions are required or not.

 

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,

we would all be together

in a sudden strangeness.

The poet describes this moment of stillness as exotic and most beautiful. This quietness is way better than our usual hectic life style without any rush and noise of engines or machines that we use in our life. If we are in silence and inaction, we will be together in complete, and in perfect sense. Though this togetherness will be sudden and strange but sweet and pleasing. Such togetherness will be strange as we have forgotten to find time and experience this togetherness due to our life of hurry and worry.

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Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales

and the man gathering salt

would look at his hurt hands.

The poet envisions a world where the activities that harm nature would cease in this moment of silence. The poet can foresee that this mad rush of human activities would destroy natural and environmental wealth, hence this wealth needs time to regenerate, replenish and regrow. The fishermen will not fish and save nature and salt gatherer will have time to look at his injured hands and may have time to treat them. To fulfil our needs we must not harm nature and pause to see whether we are destroying resources to the limit where nothing can be restored. We must also stop and check to ensure the quality of our life in this silence and stillness. 

Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,

victory with no survivors,

would put on clean clothes

and walk about with their brothers

in the shade, doing nothing.

The poet criticizes the war mongers and the destructive nature of wars. Green wars refer to wars against environment and wars with gases means by various ways of air pollution and wars with fire stand for use of fire arms during war. Such wars need to be stopped as even after victory in them as there is huge loss, and none is able to lead a peaceful and happy life amidst wars. This pursuit of victory at any cost, doesn’t benefit anyone. In this moment of quietness and stillness, those involved in wars would realise the importance of peace, and abandon their destructive ways and peacefully coexist with the people who are their brothers as entire earth is our family.

What I want should not be confused

with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about;

I want no truck with death.

The poet clarifies that the call for stillness is not an encouragement of total inactivity but rather a pause to reflect upon what life is, and what the purpose of our life is. We should not be confused that inactivity is being suggested here, in fact, the poet advises us to avoid unnecessary action that causes destruction and loss of life. If we can’t be productive, we mustn’t be destructive, either. Life is about living and respect other creatures' life. The poet doesn't want any association with death and destruction. Hence, he advocates for peaceful ways and wise actions. 

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If we were not so single-minded

about keeping our lives moving,

and for once could do nothing,

perhaps a huge silence

might interrupt this sadness

of never understanding ourselves

and of threatening ourselves with death.

The poet laments humanity's relentless pursuit of progress and mad rush on the path of advancement. We need to focus on keeping silence which could provide an opportunity for introspection, and allowing us to better understand ourselves as well as others. A long pause and introspection will break this sadness of not understanding ourselves. We need to reflect that we never tried to understand the people of our family and society at large as we trapped ourselves in the golden net of fulfilling our ambition. We need to break free from self-destructive tendencies which could destroy this world and the peace of our life as well. 

Perhaps the Earth can teach us

as when everything seems dead

and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve

and you keep quiet and I will go.

Nature can offer us valuable lessons in resilience and renewal, even in moments that appear lifeless. The earth takes an interval for taking a break in order to replenish itself. The earth sleeps during winter so that it spreads beauty in this world during the flowering season. Hence, we all must learn a lesson that in order to be more purposeful and more meaningful in our life and action we need to take a pause and reflect on our actions. The poem ends by completing the count up to twelve, reiterating the call for silence and stillness.

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Poetic Devices

Now we will count to twelve - Alliteration

and we will all keep still –  Alliteration, Consonance

For once on the face of the Earth – Assonance, Repetition

let’s not speak in any language – Anaphora

let’s stop for one second – Anaphora, Assonance

without rush, without engines – Repetition, symbolism  

we would all be together in a sudden strangeness – Consonance, Alliteration, Antithesis

Fishermen in the cold sea – Imagery, Symbolism, symbolism

would not harm whales – Imagery, Symbolism

and the man gathering salt – Assonance, Imagery

would look at his hurt hands – Alliteration, Consonance, Imagery

Those who prepare green wars – Metaphor, symbolism

wars with gas, wars with fire – Metaphor, Repetition, Symbolism  

victory with no survivors – Irony, Assonance

would put on clean clothes – Consonance, Metaphor, Alliteration

and walk about with their brothers – Alliteration

in the shade, doing nothing. – Assonance, Consonance, symbolism

What I want should not be confused – Assonance, Consonance

with total inactivity. – Enjambment

Life is what it is about; - Aphorism

I want no truck with death – Alliteration

If we were not so single-minded – Alliteration, Assonance

about keeping our lives moving – Assonance, Consonance

might interrupt this sadness - Consonance, Personification

of never understanding ourselves - Enjambment

Perhaps the Earth can teach us – Assonance, Personification

as when everything seems dead – Personification

and later proves to be alive – Contrast

Now I’ll count up to twelve – Refrain

and you keep quiet and I will go – Repetition, Apostrophe

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Theme

The poem conveys the theme that life is not worth wasting in hurry and worry and thoughtless action, rather thinking on the things and actions of more moment. The description of wars and natural activities brings out the theme that nature teaches us countless lessons about how and when to pause. 

Message

This poem conveys the significance of quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings. The poet advocates for a moment of mindfulness and a break from the noisy and destructive patterns of human behaviour. Beautiful earth also teaches us giving an example of taking a break to yield beautiful results and   makes us ponder over our futile needless worries.

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Important Question Answers

Q1. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?

Ans. According to the poet, counting up to twelve and keeping still would help us achieve peace, resistance and self control. It will also help us introspect on the things that we do and ponder over the reasons why we do a thing so that we take wise decisions and careful and responsible actions.

Q2. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans. No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He only advises us to take a pause and ponder over ourselves and our thoughts, and our actions and reactions. This pause will help evaluate so that we may begin afresh for the better decision, more profitable actions and energised spirit.

Q3. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

Ans. The poet uses a very beautiful example from Nature to illustrate and invoke the idea that there can be life under apparent stillness. He used earth as the symbol to justify the earth sleeps or remains inactive during the winter so that it may blossom beyond boundaries during the spring.

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RTC 1

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

For once on the face of the Earth

Let’s not speak in any language,

Let’s stop for one second,                                                                   

And not move our arms so much.                                                              

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,

a. Why does the poet want us to keep quiet?                                           

b. What does he want us to do for one second?                                       

c. Why shouldn’t we speak in any language?                                                 

d. What does he mean by ‘not move our arms’?                                     

e. Write the poetic device used in second and third line.                        

f. What does the poet advocate through the words, ‘without rush, without engines’?                                                                                                           

g. “Let’s not speak in any language" promotes the idea of _________
a) Unity beyond linguistic boundaries
b) Bilingual communication
c) Cultural diversity
d) Political silence

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RTC 2

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales

and the man gathering salt

would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,

victory with no survivors,

a. What does the mention of fisherman and salt gatherer signify in these lines?

b. What does the phrase ‘green wars’ suggest?

c. What does the poet want to highlight when he mentions that the salt gatherer ‘would look at his hurt hands’.

d. Which poetic device is prominently used in these lines?

e. What does the poet mean by ‘victory with no survivors’?                                                                                

                                         

My Mother at Sixty Six

My Mother at Sixty Six

                           By Kamla Das

 

Analysis of the poem:

§  The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’ is composed by Kamla Das, a well known new age Indian poet from Kerala. Her works are known for their originality, versatility and the indigenous flavour of the soil.

§  The poem is subjective as it describes the emotions of the poet associated with her childhood and mother. It brings her childhood memories back and the fears associated with her mother and separation from her mother.

§  The poem is rich in language and profound in emotional content with the wonderful handling of words and expressions. It is free verse without any rhyming scheme.

§  The tone of the poem is melancholic as the poet feels sad and scared thinking of the day when her mother will not be there with her after death.

§  One is clearly able to make out the theme of the poem that aging and death though are natural and unavoidable become scary and painful to accept.

§  The impactful description for emotions in the poem successfully sensitises the readers to accept death and aging through his powerful imagery, metaphor, simile and skilful handling of other poetic devices.

§  The poem is a free verse without any stanza division, rhyme scheme and full stop. This form is used to highlight the continuity of life and uninterrupted thoughts of the poet.

§  This beautiful poem depicts a daughter-mother relation and fear of losing one’s relations.

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Line by Line Explanation

Driving from my parent’s home to

Cochin last Friday morning,

I saw my mother, beside me,

doze, open mouthed, 

her face ashen like that of a corpse

·       The poetess, Kamla Das was driving from her home to Kochi along with her mother who is 66 years old. It was Friday morning and she was going to airport. Her mother was going to see her off. As the poet was driving, her mother was sitting beside her and taking a nap (light sleep) with her mouth open due to sleep.  Her face was dull and colourless just like a dead body. This made the poet scared and sad. When she saw her mother’s dull and dead face, she realised that her mother had grown old and might die soon. She compares her mother's face to a dead body.

 

And realized with pain

 that she was as old as she looked

 but soon put that thought away,

·     The poet realized that her mother was very old as she appeared to be and she might die soon. But, this realisation was quite painful to her. She felt sad and uncomfortable to think of her mother’s death and separation from her. She could not bear this thought that her mother would be dying, soon. The poetess, Kamla Das wanted to put this thought away. Hence, she started looking out of the window of her car.

 

And looked out at

 Young trees sprinting,

 The merry children

Spilling out of their homes,

·       The poet looked out of the window of her car to divert her attention. Outside, she saw that the young trees were running back as she was driving ahead. (It is a very common sight while travelling) She also saw that the young children were coming out of their homes and they were very happy to come out, play and make merry. The scenes that the poetess witnessed outside are a big contrast to what she saw inside her car. Inside, her mother’s face is dull and dead like ash and dead body and outside the world is full of youth, energy and life.

 

but after the airport’s security check,

 standing a few yards away,

 I looked again at her, wan, pale

 as a late winter’s moon

·       When the poetess reached the airport’s security check, her mother stood little away because she had come to see the poet off. The poet looked at her mother’s face which is pale and colourless. It has lost the brightness just like the moon of late winter which shines faintly and is not clearly visible because of foggy atmosphere. As the poet was looking again and again at her old mother, the fear of separation from her mother started vexing her again.

 

And felt that

 Old familiar ache,

my childhood’s fear,

·       While looking at her mother’s dull and dead face, the old and familiar fear of separation from her mother grappled her heart again. In childhood she was under constant fear that she might lose her mother just as young children get scared easily that they might be separated from their mother and that’s why they catch hold of their mother’s finger or clothes tightly. The childhood fear which is familiar to the poet, was haunting her again while she was going away from her mother.

 

but all I said was,

 see you soon, Amma,

 all I did was smile

 and smile and smile......

Though the poet was fearful and going through the pain, she didn’t say anything. She only bade her mother goodbye and said, ‘see you soon mother’.  With these words she also gave a hopeful smile. The word ‘smile’ is repeated three times to emphasize the emotions of the poet who is trying to hide her fear that she might not be able to see her mother next time. She smiles to assure her mother and herself that she will see her next time.  She wants to hide her fear and show her hope through her broad smiles.

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Difficult Expressions

Doze - light sleep/short nap

Ashen -      colourless

Corpse -     dead body

Sprinting - Running fast (here running back)

spilling -    moving out / flowing down

wan - Colourless / dull

Familiar ache -    Pain already felt / experienced in childhood

Poetic Devices

•      My Mother at Sixty-Six – Alliteration

•      My Mother at Sixty-Six - Assonance

•      Face ashen like that of a corpse – Simile, Symbolism

•      Young trees sprinting– Personification & Imagery, Symbolism

•      merry children spilling out – Imagery, metaphor, Imagery, Symbolism

•      her, wan, pale as a late winter’s moon – Simile, Imagery

•      Trees (life), children (vigour & energy), moon (fading beauty) - Symbolism

•      all I said was, see you soon– Alliteration, Pathos

•      All I did was smile and smile and smile..... - Repetition, Pathos, Polysyndeton

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Important Questions Answers

Q1. What is the significance of the line ‘Young trees sprinting and the merry children spilling out of their homes’?

Through these two beautiful images the poet wants to make stark contrast between the aging and withering mother and the world outside which is full of youth, energy, vigour and life. Through these images the poet tries to highlight the philosophy of life that life goes on despite that her mother is old and might die soon.

Q2. Why has the mother been compared to ‘late winter’s moon’?

Ans. Through this beautiful simile the poet’s mother is compared to the moon of late winter, which is shining faintly as it is winter time. The moon’s brightness is diminished due to fog. Her mother’s face has lost its beauty and brightness due to old age. Hence, she is compared to the moon of late winter.

Q3. What do the poet’s parting words and her smiles convey?

Ans. While the poet is going to take her flight and bids her mother good bye, she says, ‘see you soon, Amma’. With these parting words she also smiles broadly. The word ‘smile’ is repeated thrice, which is quite meaningful. Through this repetition the poet wants to emphasize her emotions that she is going through. The poet is trying to hide her fear that she might not be able to see her mother next time. She smiles to assure her mother and herself that she will see her next time.  She also wants to strengthen her hope through her broad smiles.

Q4. What kind of pain and ache troubles the poet?

Ans. As a child, Kamala Das had a fear of losing her mother. She always felt sad to think that she would be separated from her mother. Her childhood fear of being separated from her mother always lingers and comes to the fore quite often. She was always scared that her mother might not be alive the next time she came back.

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RTC 1

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows.
.... I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile …

a.   What was poet's childhood fear?

b. Describe how imagery is used in second line.

c. What do the poet’s parting words suggest?

d. Why did the poet smile at the end?

e. What effect does the repetition in the last line create?

RTC 2

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows.

Her face ashen like that of a corpse

and realised with pain

that she was as old as she looked

but soon put that thought away,

and looked out at Young Trees sprinting,

the merry children spilling out of their homes,

a. How did the poet describe her mother?

b. Why is the poet in pain?

c. What was the poet’s thought that she put away? Why?

d. What do the young trees and children signify?

e. What contrast does the poet highlight in these lines?

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Answers:

RTC 1
a. The poet is always troubled with the thought of being separated from her mother since her childhood. Now she fears that her mother might die soon due to her frail health and old age.
b. Using imagery the poet describes fading beauty of her mother which is compared to dim light of moon due to foggy winter night.

c. The poet’s parting words reveal her fear and also hope to see her mother soon.

d. The poet smiles repeatedly forcibly to hide her fear of losing her mother to death. She also smiles to covey her assurance to her mother that they would meet soon. She smiles as she hopes to see her mother next time.
e. The poet smiled repeatedly and this repetition creates a sad and pathetic picture where smile appears to be forced, and which requires a lot of effort. This repetition portrays that death is inevitable and humans are helpless and lack courage to accept death.

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RTC 2

a. The poet describes her mother as frail, old and pale. Her face looks like ash and while sleeping she looks like a corpse.

b. The poet is in great pain as she realises that her mother is so old that she might die soon.

c. The poet is constantly suffering from the fear that her mother might die soon and she would be separated from her. But, she doesn’t have enough courage to accept the fact. Hence, she avoided the thought of her mother’s death.

d. The young trees and children signify youth, vigour and strength which is in sharp contrast to the old and aging mother.
e. The poet presents a contrast between youth, action, strength and energy to lifelessness, ageing and death through the description of young trees and happy children in sharp contrast to poet’s pale and dull and old mother. This contrast portrays that youth and old age are a cycle of life and that death is inevitable, which is very painful to accept. 

For Anne Gregory

                                         For Anne Gregory
                                                              By William Butler Yeats

 

Analysis:

·        ‘For Anne Gregory’ is a short poem of three stanzas composed by William Butler Yeats, an English poet who is better known for his realistic poems and nationalistic themes.

·        It is a simple and short poem with a deeper meaning and wider perspective. It discusses how physical beauty is taken for real beauty and how physical beauty is insignificant and unreal in our life. He also stresses that physical beauty should not be the basis for love life as physical beauty is not permanent, and has to perish.

·        The poem is composed as a dialogue between the poet and a girl, Anne Gregory who was the granddaughter of Lady Augusta Gregory, a dear friend of the poet. Through this dialogue the poet highlights the stereotypes, wrong beliefs and worldly affairs that beauty is mainly associated with physical beauty.

·        Symbolically, hair is presented as beauty of a woman whereas spiritual beauty is described to be the perfect basis for real love.

·        Tone of the poem is philosophical and didactic as the poet conveys that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ and spiritual beauty is real beauty stressing upon that only God can love us for what we are truly.

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Stanza wise explanation:

“Never shall a young man, 

Thrown into despair 

By those great honey-coloured 

Ramparts at your ear, 

Love you for yourself alone 

And not your yellow hair.”

The poet is talking to Anne Gregory who yearns for real love. The poet is doubtful that her wish could be fulfilled as he feels that young men are always attracted towards her beautiful hair which are symbolically used for her physical beauty. Anne's hair is of golden colour just like that of honey. He tells her that the way her hair falls over her ear, entirely enveloping it within its strands reminds him of the wide walls around the fort erected for its protection. The poet says that he is well aware that the sight of her beautiful hair makes many a young man fall in love with her and he is also sympathetic towards them for the despair that they might feel on being rejected by her. However, he says that young men would love her only for her beautiful hair, i.e. her external beauty and, not because of what she is, as a person. 

“But I can get a hair-dye 

And set such colour there, 

Brown, or black, or carrot, 

That young men in despair 

May love me for myself alone 

And not my yellow hair.”

Replying to the poet, Anne Gregory says that if her yellow hair attracts young men, she can easily dye her hair in some other colours such as brown, black or carrot. These colours, she feels, are less appealing and less attractive than blonde. Then, it might be possible for the young men to look beyond her physical appearance and, pay attention to her as an individual. This how they may love her for the person that she is, and she would be able to find real love which is her intense desire.

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“I heard an old religious man 

But yesternight declare 

That he had found a text to prove 

That only God, my dear, 

Could love you for yourself alone 

And not your yellow hair.”

The poet is still not convinced and replies that the previous night he had been hearing a religious man who found a text in a scripture/holy book. He was sure that the text could prove that only God can  love a person for what he/she truly is. God is our father, loves His children same way, the way a mother doesn't differentiate between her intelligent child and the one who is less sensible.  In fact, it is proved that it's not possible for ordinary humans to ignore physical attractions and look beyond the boundaries of carnal beauty. Humans aren't able to find spiritual beauty and love a person what he/she really is. 

Message

The poet wants to convey the message that God is our father and it is only He who accepts and loves us in spite of all our follies and appearances. The poet wants to teach us all the bitter fact of life that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ and spiritual beauty is real beauty. We should not be misguided by beautiful appearance as it is not eternal and real.

Rhyme Scheme

The poet is composed in three stanzas consisting of six lines each.  The lines of each stanza rhyme as abcbdb.

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Poetic Devices:

Never shall a young man – Assonance

By those great honey-coloured – Imagery, Metaphor

Ramparts at your ear, - Metaphor, Imagery

Love you for yourself alone – Alliteration, Assonance, Refrain

And not your yellow hair. – Refrain, Alliteration, Assonance, consonance, Symbolism

But I can get a hair-dye – Imagery, Enjambment

And set such colour there – Alliteration, Enjambment

Brown, or black, or carrot – Alliteration, Imagery, Polysyndeton, Repetition

May love me for myself alone – Alliteration, Assonance

I heard an old religious man – Assonance, Consonance

But yesternight declare – Consonance

That he had found a text to prove – Anaphora, Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance

That only God, my dear – Anaphora, Apostrophe

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Important Question Answers

Q. ‘Beauty is only skin deep’. How does the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ bring out the message?

Ans. W B Yeast tries to affirm that physical beauty is transient and will deteriorate with the passage of time. He says that bodily beauty would disappoint the lovers whereas spiritual beauty should be the real influencing agent for love. He teaches that the lovers should seek beauty of soul and must love the person for what he / she truly is, so that the people don't have to fake for looking beautiful physically. Hence lovers should seek love and admire the person for what he / she is.

RTC

“I heard an old religious man

But yesternight declare

That he had found a text to prove

That only God, my dear,

Could love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.”

(a) What does the word ‘text’ refer to?

(b) What does the text prove?

(c) What does ‘yesternight’ mean?

(d) What is conveyed through these lines?

(e) Which poetic device is used in last line?

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Answers:

(a) Text refers to lines covering philosophical message in a religious book or scripture.

(b) The text proves that only God is capable of looking beyond external beauty, into the soul of a person and love a person for what he/she is truly.

(c) Yesternight means last night/previous night or a night in past.

(d) The poet conveys through these lines that spiritual beauty is real beauty and love should not be based on physical attractions or physical beauty.

(e) Refrain