Imagination

2. What games did the poet play as a child? What impact did they have on him?

The poet used to play pirates and sail seven seas. He used to imagine himself as a cowboy. These simple things made him happy.

3. The poet’s life is unlike the books he reads. Quote from the poem to validate this?

The poet’s life is unlike the books he reads. His life is an ordinary life whereas the lives of the characters of the books he read were heroic lives. His own words in the poem, …..’I discovered the joy of reading, And escaped the daily grind’ validate this.

4. What was the impact of science fiction on his life?

The poet had read a science-fiction book written by Jules Verne. He felt that he went on to the moon just to take a look. He continued to be attracted by such books even after he became an adult.

5. Allusion is a figure of speech in which an object or circumstances briefly and directly refers to another person, place, thing, or object. In the fifth stanza, the speaker alludes to two people. Find out who they are. What do these allusions convey?

David Livingstone and Huckleberry Fin are the two people mentioned in the fifth stanza. David Livingstone was a famous explorer of the African continent. Huckleberry Fin was a mischievous fictional character in Mark Twine’s book. These allusions conveyed that the poet liked the spirit of adventure, mystery, and mischievousness.

6. What impact did growing up have on the poet?

Growing up means leaving childhood and becoming an adult. The poet says that as he grew up, his childish world has ended. His imagination gave way to practical thinking. He says that though he still loves mystery, his outlook has changed.