The Ball Poem

John Berryman

Introduction:

John Berryman, the poet of the poem ‘The Ball Poem’ describes the reality of life. We have to face the reality of losing something which we love. The poet tells about coping up with losses, sorrows, and miseries of life.

About the Poet:

John Allyn McAlpin Berryman was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century. His best-known work is The Dream Songs. He won National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and Bollingen Prize.

Summary and Theme:

This poem is about losing something which we love and then learning to grow up with the loss. It tells us about a boy, who is learning to experience grief for the first time in his life. The grief is a result of the loss of a dear possession, his ball. The loss of a ball may be a minor issue. We may feel that there are many more balls. So, why should the boy worry? But to the boy, losing the ball is something different. One may get another ball with a very less amount of money. A ball costs only a cent. But, money is external and not important here. Another ball or the money cannot buy back the much-loved ball. Nothing can replace the things we love after we lose them. We have to know the grief of loss and learn to live with it.

In this poem, the boy’s ball is compared to the poet’s youth. Those days were happy and innocent. The loss of the ball is the loss of innocence and happiness that are associated with youth. We cannot get them back. We have to get over the grief. We need to be strong and get on with our life, irrespective of the loss and sadness. This is the only way we will survive. We have to accept and let go.

The poet uses the imagery while telling how the ball implies the spirit of the boy’s childish innocence. We may visualize how the spirit of this little boy, like the ball, is sinking into the waters after slipping from his hands. It drifts further away. The boy has to live and grow with the loss and the sadness that it brings.

The lesson of accepting the harsh realities of life is taught to us in this poem. One day we will lose our loved ones and our loved things. The poem gives us a picture of boys growing up and learning to deal with the loss of their first possessions. At the same time, it tells us about mankind learning to deal with the loss of its loved things or people.

Meaning:

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,

What, what is he to do? I saw it go                        

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then

Merrily over — there it is in the water!

merrily: cheerful

bouncing: jumping up and down

The poet is talking about a boy who has lost his ball. He wants to know about him and his reaction because he has lost his ball. Further, he asks to himself that what this boy will do after losing his ball. The poet has seen the ball going away from the boy. He says that the ball was cheerfully jumping up and down in the street. This means that when the ball skipped from the boy’s hand it went into the street and later on, it fell into the nearby river.

Literary devices:

Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What is the boy… what, what and merrily bouncing… merrily over)

Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)

Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street

repetition: ‘what’ is repeated

No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

All his young days into the harbour where

His ball went. I would not intrude on him;

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

He senses first responsibility

O there are other balls: The words suggest that the loss is not important enough to worry about

shaking grief: sadness which greatly affects the boy

rigid: stiff, fixed

trembling: shaking

(to) intrude on: here, to enter a situation where one is not welcome

a dime: ten cents (U.S.) one-tenth part of a dollar

harbour: dock, port

worthless: valueless, useless

The poet says that there is no benefit of consoling the boy by saying that he will get another ball because he has other balls too. He says so because the boy is feeling very sad. He is completely surrounded by sorrow.  He is sad because all the memories of the childhood days went down the harbour with the ball. Here the poet says that the boy is very sad as the ball which has now gone into the water reminds him of those sweet memories, of the times when he owned it. This loss is unbearable for him and he is grief-stricken. The poet says that he can’t even tell the boy to take some money from him in order to buy another ball. He says so because the new ball will not bring the sense of belonging to the boy. Further, the poet says that the time has come for the boy to learn the responsibility of taking care of his things.

Literary devices:

Repetition: use of the word ‘ball’

Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime, another ball, is worthless)

In a world of possessions. People will take

Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.

And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,

The epistemology of loss, how to stand up

Knowing what every man must one day know

And most know many days, how to stand up.

possessions: ownership

external: Here, things with which feelings are not attached

desperate: hopeless

epistemology of loss: understanding the nature of loss — what it means to lose something

epistemology: The Greek word episteme means ‘knowledge’ (it comes from a word meaning ‘to understand, to know’). Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge itself.

Here the poet says that the boy has to learn that in this materialistic world, many of his belongings will be lost. He personifies the ball as his belongings, be it the worldly things or the relationships he is in possession of. So, he says that he has to learn to live without them no matter what. He says no one can buy back such things for him. The poet said so because according to him money can’t buy you everything. If it does buy you some materialistic things, still, it will not be able to buy the same sense of belongingness. He says that the boy is learning how to stand up against the sense of lost things. This means that the boy is trying to learn the real truth of life which states that you have to accept the miseries of life and stand up again. This is the truth, which everyone has to learn in his or her life. The harsh truth of standing up against the odd miseries of life that everyone has to bear.

Literary devices:

Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive words (buys a ball back)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes)

Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated

Meaning of the poem:

The poet is talking about a little boy who has lost his ball. He was playing with his ball. The ball skipped from his hand and went into the nearby water body. The poet says that this sight of the boy losing his favorite ball made him think about the boy and his reaction to this situation. He further says that the boy was helplessly looking into the water where his ball had gone. He was sad and was trembling with fear. He got so immersed in his sorrow that he kept standing near the harbour for a very long time and kept on looking for his ball.

The poet says that he could console him that he may get new balls or he could also give him some money to buy another ball. But he stops himself from doing so because he thinks that the money may bring a new ball but will not bring the memories and feelings attached to the lost ball. He further says that the time has come for the boy to learn his responsibilities. Here the poet wants to say that now the boy will learn the toughest lesson of life. The lesson of accepting the harsh realities of life that one day we will lose our loved ones and our loved things.

Rhyming Scheme:

There is no rhyming scheme.

Textual Questions and Answers:

Q1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?

The poet does not want to intrude because he wants the boy to get a chance to learn the real truth of life. The boy has to learn to accept the loss. The loss here is symbolic. The ball represents an important thing or relationship.

Q2.  “… staring down/All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went …” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?

Yes. We can say that the boy had the ball for a very long time. The line tells us how the boy recalls those days when he used to play with the ball. The ball is associated to many sweet memories.

Q3.  What does “in the world of possessions” mean?

Possession means something that is owned or possessed. In the world of possessions means the world which is full of materialistic things. Materialistic things bring comfort and luxury in our life.

Q4.  Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer?

No. I do not think that the boy has lost anything earlier. The line in the poem “now he senses his first responsibility’ clearly tells us the fact.

Q5.  What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words?

The poet tells us that the boy will learn the real, harsh truth of life. He will learn how to move on in life despite of incurring heavy losses. People experience this in life when they lose either something or someone. Lost things never come back is a reality that makes people strong enough to go on in life.

6. Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and saying whether — and how — you got over your loss.

Yes. Once I lost something I liked very much. My pet dog, Lucky, passed away after being a member of our family for about eleven years. All our family members had an affectionate attachment with the dog. The dog was a part and parcel of our lives. We were very sad. We could not forget the dog’s memories. We were unable to bring another dog in its place. We felt sure that no other dog would bring us the same joy as Lucky did in our lives. No dog, however nice and loyal could replace its place in our hearts. Slowly, we came out of the sorrow. Now, whenever I think of the dog, a smile appears on my face in remembrance of the sweet days and memories I had with the dog.

Dust of Snow

Dust of Snow

Introduction:

The poem ‘Dust of Snow’ is Robert Frost’s well-known work. This poem presents a moment that seems simple but has a larger significance.  

 About the Poet:

Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He was an American poet much admired for his depictions of the rural life of New England and his command of American colloquial speech. Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime and is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 31 times. His most famous works include poems like "Fire and Ice", "The Road Not Taken", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", ‘West-Running Brook’, "Acquainted with the Night", ‘The Lovely Shall Be Choosers’, ‘From Snow to Snow’ and many more.

 Summary:

Stanza 1

    The way a crow

    Shook down on me

    The dust of snow

    From a hemlock tree

 

Meaning Stanza 1: The crow is commonly regarded as a symbol of death and fear and is not associated with goodness. But, in these lines, a complete irony is depicted where it is doing a good deed by shaking off the snow. Here, the poet has not chosen trees like oak, maple, or pine. Instead, he chose the hemlock tree which is usually associated with poison and toxicity. So, in this stanza, the beautiful snow sitting on the branches of the poisonous hemlock tree is shaken off by a crow.

 

Stanza 2

    Has given my heart

    A change of mood

    And saved some part

    Of a day I had rued

 

Meaning Stanza 2:  From the lines, it’s clearly understood that the poet was going through a bad mood. He had not been looking forward to that day and the day was not turning out any better than he had expected either. But, the crow descending on the Hemlock tree changes it all. Here, the poet uses the elements of the fearsome crow and poisonous Hemlock tree to shake the white, pure snow off the branches. Robert Frost has also used a bit of irony here by referring to the poisonous Hemlock and the medicinal Rue. As soon as the snow fell on him, the poet’s otherwise bad mood was uplifted. He was filled with joy and a sense of thankfulness that he was alive to see such beautiful things in this world.

 

Meanings of words and phrases:

mood: a temporary state of mind or feeling

rued: to feel regret, remorse or pity

 

Theme:

In “Dust of Snow”, the poet is trying to tell us that on a cold winter’s day, he went out. At such a time, the only thing that cheers him up is the world of nature. This natural world is available for us to see and touch-free of cost. However, we generally take it for granted. Worse still, we can curse nature for giving us bad weather. However, if we look beyond our own inconvenience, we will see that nature is beautiful even at its harshest. If only we pay attention to all that life gives us, we will learn to appreciate it. The crow is what brings the beauty of the snowflakes to the poet’s attention, and for that, he is grateful. He is grateful to be alive to see such wonderful sights in this world at no cost whatsoever to himself.

  Conclusion:

The poem reiterates that the little things in life can make huge changes in our future. It also shows that if we can take the hard times of life in stride, eventually something will happen to change our situation into happier times. The simple things we do for others can make all the difference. Just think about those random acts of kindness we do and how much they brighten a person’s day and sometimes change their future. Noticing and appreciating all the small things in life will make your life happier. It will also cause you to have a spirit willing to change and succeed.

 Dust of Snow Literary Devices:

 1. Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

 The instances of alliteration are as follows-

     Has given my heart

    And saved some part

 2. inversion – when the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to create a rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, inversion can be seen.

 3. assonance – the prominence of a vowel sound throughout a line is called assonance. In stanza 1, line 2 –  “Shook down on me” – ‘o’ sound is prominent.

enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the next line without the use of any punctuation marks, it is called enjambment. It has been used throughout the poem.

 3. Synecdoche: Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

     Has given my heart

 

Rhyming Words:

 Stanza 1 – crow - snow, me – tree;

Stanza 2 – heart - part; mood - rued

 Rhyme Scheme:

abab – cdcd

Answers to textual questions:

 Q1. What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?

 A. “Dust of snow” means tiny particles of snow. The poet was in a bad mood when particles of snow had fallen on him. This changed the poet’s mood immediately. His day got better.

  Q 2. How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.

 (i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?

 A. Birds like sparrows, nightingales, and peacocks are often named in poems. I don’t think that a crow is often mentioned in poems. Crows are often seen as indicators of doom and fear. I get negative images when I think of a crow.

  (ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?

 A. A hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. The poet does not mention a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as maple, oak, or pine because he wants to indicate a sad scene. As a hemlock tree is considered bad the poet refers to it.

  (iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent — joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

 A. Both crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. Frost has used both the negative creatures as the carriers of positivism and strength that transformed his day for the better. The dust of snow shaken by the crow stands for positivity and hope.

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice

Introduction:

Apocalypse is the day when the world would end.  Some people believe that the world would end as a result of global warming and some are of the view that it may end as a result of extreme freezing. Looking at the current climatic conditions of the world, both seem possible. But, there are chances that the world may disintegrate due to many other reasons, like greed, hatred, unwanted desires, and other vices. That’s what Robert Frost tries to convey in his poem, ‘Fire and Ice’.  

 About the Poet:

Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He was an American poet much admired for his depictions of the rural life of New England and his command of American colloquial speech. His poem “My Butterfly” gave him his status as a professional poet. Frost s first book was published when he was about 40. Later he went on to win a record four Pulitzer Prizes. He also became the most famous poet of his time. Frost was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 31 times. His most famous works include poems like "Fire and Ice", "The Road Not Taken", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", ‘West-Running Brook’, "Acquainted with the Night", ‘The Lovely Shall Be Choosers’, ‘From Snow to Snow’ and many more. He also wrote some famous plays like, ‘A Way Out’, ‘The Cow s in the Corn’, ‘A Masque of Reason’, ‘A Masque of Mercy’, etc.

 Summary

Fire and Ice is a lyric of nine lines by Robert Frost. The poet feels that the world will one day be consumed by excess of fire. But the poet also thinks that if the world were to end twice even ice could destroy the world, and there was sufficient ice for this. 

Symbolically, fire stands for extreme intensity of emotions while ice stands for complete lack of feelings. Greed and hatred are symbolized as fire and ice. 

Both are equally disastrous as they and both have the power to destroy the world. The last line of the poem makes us feel that the poem does not question either the existence or the capability of these powers. He is conscious of the ruinous capacities of these two powers.

 Stanza 1

Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

Meaning:

The first two lines throw light on the debate in society on how the world will end. Scientifically, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for nuclear disaster and climate change. But, Frost’s use of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ is largely metaphoric. Ice and fire are opposites of one another. This suggests that most people have entirely opposing views on the end of the world. Ice and fire also represent two extremes which could cause immense damage.

Stanza 2

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Meaning:

Just like the burning desires are dangerous for the poet, the ice is also a concern in his mind. He believes that the world will end, in one form or the other. If fire isn’t enough to complete the task, then ice would perform it equally well. In contrast to a burning flame, the chilling ice represents hatred to the poet. He believes that it is something that would chill the world, slow it down, and isolate each individual enough that the human race simply wouldn’t survive it. There’s no doubt that he believes in the destructive power of fire, but he sees no reason not to believe that ice would end the world just as easily.

Meanings of words and phrases:

tasted: to have experience of something

desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen

favour: to feel or show approval or preference for something

perish: a slow, gradual, nonviolent death

suffice: to be enough or adequate

Figures of Speech (Literary Devices)

 1. Alliteration: The occurrence of the same consonant letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words is called Alliteration.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

I hold with those who favor fire.

2. Hyperbole: Hyperbole is an overstatement that exaggerates a particular condition for emphasis.

But if it had to perish twice

 3. Metaphor: Metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.

I think I know enough of hate

Rhyming Words:

Stanza 1 – fire - desire - fire

Stanza 2 – twice - ice – suffice

Rhyme Scheme:

abaa – ababa

 Symbolism:

The poet uses fire as a symbol of desire and passion, and ice as a symbol of hatred. These are, in fact, symbols for human behaviour and emotions. These symbols can be applied into our daily life as a warning against vices of desire and hatred in a personal connection.

Theme:

The theme of the poem is the destructiveness of the passions of love and hate. Symbolically, fire stands for the heat of love and passion, while ice for the cold of hate. The last line confirms the poet s belief in both the passions possessing enormous destructive power. These passions are inevitable in the drama of human life. In this poem, Frost makes provision for opposite views. He shows himself in agreement with those who believe that the world will end in fire and with those who believe that the world will end in ice. From the poem, it is clear that the poet does not want to load his beliefs or views upon his readers. He rather vaguely suggests them to entertain the views of others, even if they are diverse in nature. We also find an analysis of one s life. If a person is obsessed with unhealthy desires like power, greed, etc., then they will face the fiery end. If a person is jealous and full of hatred, he will demise with the cold that is coldness of love.

A Tiger in the Zoo

A Tiger in the Zoo

Introduction:

In the poem “A Tiger in the Zoo” the poet has presented a contrast between a tiger in the zoo and a tiger in its natural habitat.  

 About the Poet:

Leslie Norris was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short story writer. For a very long time, he earned his living as a college lecturer, teacher, and headmaster. From 1974, he became a full-time writer with residencies at academic institutions in Britain and the United States. Today, he is considered as one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war period.

Meaning stanza by stanza:

 Stanza 1

He stalks in his vivid stripes

The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvet quiet,

In his quiet rage.

Meaning

In these lines, the poet describes a tiger in the zoo. Here, ‘few steps’ implies that this tiger has been provided with limited space in the cage. Then the poet goes on to describe the tiger’s appearance. It has prominent stripes all over its body. Its paws are soft as velvet.  And because of this, it can walk silently around the cage. Although the tiger is silent, it is angry.

Literary devices:

Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)

Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’. 

Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)

Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to the next line without any punctuation mark. 

Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage)

Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes) 

Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)

Stanza 2

He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass

Near the water hole

Where plump deer pass.

Meaning

In these lines, the poet suggests that the cage is not an appropriate place for a tiger to live. Obviously, it’s not the tiger’s natural habitat. The poet suggests that usually tigers are found hiding behind bushes or tall grass. They wait near a stream or water hole waiting for their prey. You see, animals like deer come to these streams to drink water. And that is when the tiger slides silently through the grass and kills them.

Literary devices:

Rhyme: rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass)

Enjambment: The line continues to the next line without punctuation marks. (Sliding through….deer pass)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump pass)

Imagery: The poet tries to create an image of the tiger’s activities (lurking in shadow).

Stanza 3

He should be snarling around houses

At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,

Terrorising the village!

Meaning

In this stanza, the poet tells us about the actual nature of a tiger. He imagines the tiger sitting at the edge of a jungle in close vicinity of a village. He says that the tiger should be growling near some village. He would be showing his sharp teeth and claws while moving here and there. He would thus become a cause of terror for the villagers. Here, the poet gives a  hint that if we destroy the natural habitat of tigers, they will be forced to turn to our towns and villages to find their food.

Literary devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge, village)

Enjambment: The line continues to the next line without punctuation marks (He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,)

Onomatopoeia: using words that denote sound (snarling)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring, his, white, his)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his, claws)

Stanza 4

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind bars,

Stalking the length of his cage,

Ignoring visitors.

Meaning

In this stanza, the poet is trying to generate sympathy for the plight of the tiger. The tiger is imprisoned in a cage made of concrete instead of roaming about freely in the jungle. He cannot come out of the cage because he is surrounded by strong bars. Although he is locked in the cage, the tiger seems to be well aware of its strength. Very slowly and silently, he continues walking in anger along the length of the cage. In all his pride, he takes no note of the visitors who come to the zoo to have a look at him.

Literary devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (bars-visitors)

Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind bars)

Stanza 5

He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,

And stares with his brilliant eyes

At the brilliant stars.

Meaning

In these concluding lines, the poet again takes us to the cage where the tiger is sitting. He has an unpleasant feeling and seems restless. He hears the sound of the patrolling cars of the zoo authorities. He shows no interest in them. He keeps staring at the shining stars with his brilliant eyes. We may conclude that the tiger in the zoo knows no rest during the day because of the visitors. Even at night, he remains disturbed due to the noises around him. As you can see, the poem ends up at the point where it had started.

Literary devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (cars-stars)

Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any punctuation marks. (And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he hears) Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)

Meanings of words and phrases:

stalks: to follow an animal or person as closely as possible without being seen or heard

vivid: very brightly coloured

pads: the foot of the tiger

rage: anger

lurking: to wait or move in a secret way so that one cannot be seen

water hole: a depression in which water collects, especially one that is regularly drunk from by animals

plump: a rounded body or shape

snarling: to make a deep, rough sound while showing the teeth, usually in anger

edge: the outer or furthest point of an area

baring: to uncover or expose

Fangs: a large sharp tooth

terrorising: to make someone feel very frightened

concrete: a very hard building material made by mixing together cement, sand, small stones, and water

cell: cage

ignoring: to give no attention to something or someone

patrolling - to keep a watch over an area by regularly walking or travelling around it

stares - to look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one s eyes wide open

brilliant - very bright

Summary:

The poem begins with a description of a tiger that is very beautiful and is walking in his little cage. He has beautiful stripes on his skin and velvet-like soft paws. But the tiger is not happy and is quite angry about being confined in the cage. 

The poet says that if the tiger was not confined to the zoo cage, he would have been hiding behind the long grass near some water body, in order to catch its prey that is the deer. Also, he would have terrorised the residents of the villages around the forest area. But the reality is totally opposite of this. He was confined in a cage that was made up of strong building material and he was helpless there. He could not show his power to the visitors, therefore, never tried to terrorize them. The tiger is described as being powerless and agonized by the poet. 

He says that at night also he is alone, hearing the voice of the patrolling vehicles of police and looking at the stars. The cage life has totally changed the tiger’s personality. The poet is trying to say that the animal which is famous for its fearlessness and freedom is confined and sad due to the human beings who want to derive pleasure by looking at him in the zoo cage.

His First Flight

Introduction:

The story by “Liam O’ Flaherty” is about a young seagull that is afraid to fly for the first time. He believes that his wings would not support him. Despite his younger siblings flying fearlessly with much shorter wings, he could not gather enough courage to try. He was punished to stay hungry if he did not fly. His mother compelled him to fly by using food as a trap. The story tells us how we hesitate to take the first step in attempting something new. We should trust our abilities.  Fear is the root cause of failure.

Summary (in brief):

The story “His First Flight” by “Liam O’ Flaherty” is about a young seagull. He is afraid to fly. Even though his younger siblings have much shorter wings, they are flying fearlessly while he could not gather the courage to trust his own wings. He was sad as he saw his parents teaching and perfecting his siblings the art of flying. His parents scolded and taunted him for not even trying. Finally, they threaten him that he should be alone and hungry if he didn’t fly. The nest day, he was left alone on his ledge. He felt hungry and tried to get the attention of his family members. His mother noticed him. The young seagull cries out of hunger hoping his mother would feed him. He got excited as his mother came to him with some food. His mother used food as a tool to make him fly. He noticed that his mother had stopped mid-way. He was maddened at the sight of food as he was very hungry and took a dive at the fish. At last, he took his first flight. All the family members celebrate his victory by cheering and dancing around him. He also floated in the sea that he was once afraid of. Thus, he overcame his fear.

Summary (in detail):

The story is about a young seagull. Unlike his younger brothers and sisters, he is too afraid to fly. When the siblings went for flying for the first time, everyone succeeded except him, succeeded. He could not trust his wings. He got terrified by the vast sea and got convinced that he could never fly. As a result, he was ashamed and disheartened. His younger siblings managed to take their first flight despite their wings being shorter than his, but he could not get the courage though he tried desperately. He was scolded by his parents for not trying again but he was terrified of flying.

As he was alone on his ledge suffering from hunger, his parents were helping his siblings master the art of flying and diving to catch fish. His elder brother even caught his first fish. His parents taunted him for being a coward. The sun had now risen and he was feeling the heat more than ever because he was empty-stomach since the night before. He stepped out of his ledge and pretended to sleep on one leg to gain the attention of his family. Still, no one noticed him. His siblings were sleeping, his father was cleaning his feathers with his beak and his mother was standing on a hump of a plateau tearing a fish. She noticed him. The seagull got mad at the sight of the fish because he was very hungry. He cried in hunger to his mom while his mother screamed back angrily but he kept on crying. He screamed joyfully as his mother was flying towards him with the piece of fish. But she stopped short of him. Out of his excitement and hunger, he dived at the fish forgetting all about his fear of flying.

He plunged headlong downwards. He was shocked and afraid. But it only for a moment and soon, his feathers opened as he flew. He could feel the wind against his breast feathers, stomach and his wings. He could feel himself cutting through the air. He was not afraid anymore. He was just a bit nervous but then his mother accompanied him. The whole family screamed out of excitement, thus, celebrating his victory over fear.

Once he overcame his fear, he forgot that he was once afraid of it. He did all those things he once feared. He flew straight over the sea and could see the greenery and the mountains beneath him. He screamed out of joy as he enjoyed the victory. When he landed, his family landed along with him as a gesture that they were proud of. He was scared as his feet sank in the sea. He tried to fly off but he was too tired. As he calmed down, he started floating in the sea. His family was celebrating in excitement and offered him food as praise. Finally, he had conquered his fear and had made his first flight.

Theme:

The theme of the story “His first flight” is about courage and self-confidence. The story is about a seagull who is on its stage of learning how to fly. It also deals with the theme of how to overcome fears and move forward. The mother seagull seemed to be cruel but her intention was good. She wanted her son to overcome his fear of flying.

In this parable, the seagulls convey the message of self-confidence, motivation and self-reliance. The mother seagull motivates the young one enough to get him to learn flying. The baby seagull realizes the importance of belief and faith.

Vocabulary:

ledge = a narrow horizontal shelf projecting from a wall or (here) a cliff

fly (v1) – flew (v2) – flown (v3)

brink = end, edge

flap = (of a bird) move (its wings) up and down when flying or preparing to fly.

expanse = a wide continuous area of something

bend (v1) – bent (v2) – bent (v3)

run (v1) – ran (v2) – run(v3)

sleep (v1) –slept (v2) – slept(v3)

muster = gather

plunge= jump or dive

desperate = feeling or showing a hopeless sense of a situation

shrilly =  with a high pitched and piercing voice or sound

upbraiding  = scolding

threaten = frighten, scare

starve = suffer or die or cause to suffer or die from hunger

for the life of (one) = despite one's best efforts [idiom]

(to) skim = to move lightly just above a surface (here, the sea)

herring = a soft-finned sea fish

devour = eat quickly

cackle = laugh in a loud, harsh way

plateau = an area of fairly level high ground

taunt = provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks

cowardice = lack of bravery

ascending = climbing up

pretend = behave so as to make it appear that something is the case when in fact it is not

doze = sleep lightly

preening = making an effort to maintain feathers

hump = a rounded raised mass of earth or land

scrapped = discard

madden = drive (someone or something) insane; make (someone) extremely annoyed

tear = pull (something) apart or to pieces with force

(to) whet  = to sharpen

derisively  = in a manner showing someone that she/he is stupid

plaintively = sadly, sorrowfully

uttered = make a sound with one’s voice

halted =  stopped

dive = plunge headfirst into water

monstrous = having the ugly or frightening appearance of a monster

terror = extreme fear

to last = to continue for a specified period of time

headlong = with the head foremost

soar = fly or rise high in the air

dizzy = an uncomfortable feeling of spinning around and losing one’s balance

swoop = (especially of a bird) move rapidly downwards through the air

curveting = leaping like a horse

banking = flying with one wing higher than the other

to commend = entrust someone or something to

shriek = utter a high-pitched piercing sound

ridges = a long, narrow hilltop, mountain range, or watershed

caw = to make a cawing sound

amuse =  to find something funny

beckoning = calling

fright = fear

exhaust = feel very tired

Short Answer Questions and Answers:

1. Why was the young seagull alone on his ledge?

The young seagull was alone on his ledge as he was afraid to fly. His siblings and parents had flown and he was left behind.

2. Why he was unable to fly?

He was afraid that his small wings might not support him. He was afraid and wasn’t confident. So, he was unable to fly.

3. How many members were in his family, who were they?

There were six members in his family. They were his parents, his two brothers, his sister and himself.

4. What did his father and mother do when he failed to fly?

His parents scolded him and taunted him for his cowardice. They warned him that he had to stay alone and hungry on his ledge if he failed to fly.

5. Why did his parents raise a proud cackle?

His parents raised a proud cackle as his elder brother had successfully caught a herring all by himself.

6. Why did he pretend to fall asleep?

He was tired and hungry. He was sad and lonely. He wanted sympathy and support from his family. In order to get their attention, he pretended to fall asleep.

7. What were his family members doing?

His siblings were dozing. His father was preening his wings. His mother was standing on a hump, tearing a fish. Only his mother was looking at him.

8. What maddened him?

The sight of the food, the fish being torn by his mother maddened him as he was very hungry.

9. Why he uttered a joyful scream?

He uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was coming to feed him with the fish she was tearing.

10. Did his mother give him food?

No. She didn’t. She wanted to make her son overcome his fear of flying. She used food as a bite to make him fly.

11. What happened when he dived at the fish?

He was terrified and his heart stopped. He heard nothing for a while and soon his wings spread.

12. Why he was no longer afraid?

He was no longer afraid as he was able to fly and he overcame his fear of flying.

13. Describe the sea as he saw beneath him?

The sea beneath him was vast and green with little ridges moving over it.

14. Why did he scream with fright when he landed on the sea?

He thought of standing on the surface of the sea. As he landed on the sea, his feet sank into the sea. He was afraid and tried to fly off, but couldn’t as he was tired and hungry. So, he screamed with fright.

15. Why did the family offer him scraps of dog-fish?

The family offered him scraps of dogfish as he made his first flight and conquered his fear. They praised him by offering him scraps of dogfish.

Textual Questions and Answers:

Q1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?

The young seagull was afraid to fly because he never flew. He thought that his wings would not be able to support him. The thought made him timid. Moreover, he was on a ledge, which was high above the sea.

I think that all birds are afraid when they fly for the first time. Every bird may not have the same degree of fear. I feel that some birds are more timid than other birds.
Yes. I think that a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps. In fact, even grown-up humans find it challenging to attempt something new.

Q2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?

The young seagull was alone and without food on his ledge for a long time. He was sad at his own inability to fly. He was not getting any attention from his family. He saw his mother tearing a fish. He too wanted to tear and scrap a fish like that. His hunger made him mad.

His hunger, his mother’s unwillingness to feed him compelled the young seagull finally to fly. In fact, this was what his mother wanted.

Q3. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?

A. Unlike his siblings, the young seagull could not gather enough courage to take his first flight. His parents weren’t happy as he was timid and not willing to take the risk. Therefore, his parents taunted him for being a coward. They even threatened him to let him starve if he did not try. They made him be alone on the ledge. They wanted him to learn how to hunt his own food. So, they threatened and cajoled him.

Q4. Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you are too scared to try? (Discuss this in pairs or groups.)

Yes. I had a similar experience. I was afraid of riding a cycle. I had a bitter experience when I tried to ride a cycle for the first time. I fell down and injured. So, I was terrified at the thought of riding a cycle. My parents did their best to encourage me.

Q5. In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?

The example given by me is about my fear of riding a cycle. No, my success is not guaranteed because it is not a biological or natural skill. Riding a cycle needs a sense of balance and coordination. Regardless of the possibility of failure, it was important for me to try as all my classmates and cousins were riding cycles. I had to prove myself to all of them that I too could do it.