Rain on the Roof

Thinking about the poem (Answers to the questions given on Page 42)

I.

1. What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.

1. humid shadows

2. starry spheres

3. what a bliss

4. a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start

5. a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof

1. Humid shadows: These are the shadows of different things which become wet during the rainy season.

2. Starry spheres: The area where stars appear in a group in the sky.

3. What a bliss: The poet feels happy when he listens to the rain drops.

4. A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start: The poet starts recollecting the past and finds himself lost in reveries and dreams in the rainy weather.

5. A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof: The poet recollects hundreds of memories in the rainy season. They weave a weft with the help of air-threads.

2.What does the poet like to do when it rains?

When it rains the poet wants to lie on bed in a cottage and listen to pitter-patter sound of the rain.

3. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet’s mind? Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to?

The poet’s mother is the single major memory that comes to his mind. ‘Darling dreamers’ are those ‘kids’ who remember their mothers like the poet.

4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?

No, the poet is not a child. His mother is no more. But her memories still haunt him.

II.

1. When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s mother did?

Yes, my mother used to tuck me in when I was a child. Whenever I said that I could not do some work, she embraced me and took me in her lap to get that work done. She used to feel sad and dejected if I was involved in any mishap.

2. Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?

Yes, I like rain and prefer to expose myself in the rain for some time. But when it rains heavily, I stay inside and enjoy the rain drops falling down. I like to play with paper boats in the puddles made by rain.

3. Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter, etc. during rain.

No, everybody is not so fortunate to have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. There are some people who live at the railway platforms and bus terminal. They have nothing to give them comfort in the rain.

There are so many animals which don’t have any shelter and tremble under the dark sky in the rainy season.

Literary Devices in the poem

Rhyme scheme of the poem: abcbdefe

Stanza 1

1.Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in two or more consecutive words.

‘Humid Hover’ - ‘h’ sound is repeating.

‘starry spheres’ - ‘s’ should is repeating.

‘press pillow’- ‘p’ sound is repeating.

‘lie listening’ - ‘l’ sound is repeating.

2. Onomatopoeia: The use of sound words to create a dramatic effect and auditory imagery.

‘Patter’ is the use of sound word. It is the sound made by the rain drops falling on the roof top.

3. Personification: Treating a non – living thing as a living being.

darkness has been personified when he says that it is sad.

4. Transferred Epithet: The use of an adjective with a noun when it refers to another noun.

In ‘melancholy darkness’, the darkness is not melancholy, but it refers to the sad people.

Stanza 2

1.Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in two or more consecutive words.

‘busy being’ - ‘b’ sound is repeating

‘their thread’ - ‘th’ sound is repeating

‘rain roof’ - ‘r’ sound is repeating

2. Onomatopoeia: The use of sound words to create a dramatic effect and auditory imagery.

‘tinkle’, ‘patter’ - sounds made by the raindrops

3.  Personification: Treating a non-living thing as a living being.

recollection is personified when he says that they weave dreams.

4. Transferred Epithet: The use of an adjective with a noun when it refers to another noun.

‘dreamy fancies’ – it does not mean that the fancies are dreamy but refers to the people who have dreams.

Stanza 3

1. Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in two or more consecutive words.

‘memory my mother’ - ‘m’ sound is repeating

‘Darling dreamers’ - ‘d’ sound is repeating

2. Onomatopoeia: The use of sound words to create a dramatic effect and auditory imagery.

‘patter’ – sound of raindrops falling on the shingles of the roof.