THE SOLITARY REAPER POEM
Q5. The poet could not understand the words of the song, yet he raised several possibilities about its theme. In the diagram below are some of these possibilities. Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Copy and complete the diagram, writing each phrase in the empty boxes. Work in pairs.
Ans:- Box no 1. Death or illness of a loved one:- some natural sorrow, loss or pain.
Box no 2. A disaster or calamity in the past:- for old, unhappy far off thing.
Box no 3. What is the theme of the solitary reaper's song?
Ans:- Perhaps the plaintive number flows.
Box no 4. Everyday, routine, events:- or is it some more humble lay, familiar matter of to-day.
Box no 5. An important historical event:- and battle long ago.
Q6. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.
(a) The central idea of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is__________.
(i) well sung songs give us happiness
(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all
(iii) beautiful experience give us life-long pleasure
(iv) reapers can sing like birds
Ans:- (iii) beautiful experience give us life-long pleasure.
(b) In the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ to whom does the poet say ‘Stop here or gently pass’?
(i) to the people cutting corn
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise
(iv) to all the passers by
Ans:- (iv) to all the passers by.
(c) The Solitary Reaper is a narrative poem set to music. This form of verse is called a__________.
(i) ballad. (ii) soliloquy.
(iii) monologue. (iv) sonnet.
Ans:- (i) ballad.
(d) The poet's lament in the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' is that __________
(i) he cannot understand the song
(ii) he did not know the lass
(iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) he had to move away
Ans:- (i) he cannot understand the song.
(e) The setting of the poem is__________
(i) Arabia. (ii) Hebrides.
(iii) Scotland. (iv) England.
Ans:- (iii) Scotland.
Q7. (a) Read the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the solitary reaper's song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis of your reading (and your imagination), copy and complete the table below. (Work in groups of four, then have a brief class discussion.)
Ans:- (I) Solitary Reaper:-
Place:- Scottish Highlands.
Heard by:- the poet.
Impact on listener:- Holds him spellbound.
(II)Nightingale:-
Place.Arabian sands.
Heard by:-Travellers.
Impact on listener:-reduces the tiredness of travellers.
(III)Cuckoo:-
Place:- Hebrides.
Heard by:-People from far off land.
Impact on listener:-has far-reaching effect, messages the coming of spring, end of winter.
(b) Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo for comparison with the solitary reaper’s song?
Ans:- The nightingale and the cuckoo are known as the birds who sing. Many poets have written about their melodious notes and there is a reference to nightingale and cuckoo. So the poet has chosen their song for comparison with the Solitary Reaper’s song.
Q8. In the sixth line of the first Stanza, we read:
“... and sings a melancholy strain...”
This “s” sound at the beginning of sings and strain has been repeated. Poets often do this. Do you know why? Do you know what this “poetic repetition” is called? Can you find instances of this in The Solitary Reaper ?
Ans:- Poets often repeat such sounds to make the effect more intense and ornamental. This “poetic repetition” is called alliteration.
In the fifteenth line we find an instance of alliteration in “silence of the seas.” In the eighteenth line we find alliteration in “perhaps the plaintive numbers flow". Twenty- seventh line also has alliteration in “I saw her singing at her work.”
Q9. In the first Stanza, some words or phrases have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone. Which are those words and phrases? What effect do they create in the mind of the reader?
Ans:- The words and phrases that have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone are ‘single in the field’, ‘solitary’, ‘singing by herself’.
The words and phrases create in the readers mind an image of a lonely Scottish maiden who is reaping and singing all alone in the field. While she is working, she is singing a sad melancholy song. The song is so intense that the poet asks the passersby to listen but to not disturb her.
Q5. The poet could not understand the words of the song, yet he raised several possibilities about its theme. In the diagram below are some of these possibilities. Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Copy and complete the diagram, writing each phrase in the empty boxes. Work in pairs.
Ans:- Box no 1. Death or illness of a loved one:- some natural sorrow, loss or pain.
Box no 2. A disaster or calamity in the past:- for old, unhappy far off thing.
Box no 3. What is the theme of the solitary reaper's song?
Ans:- Perhaps the plaintive number flows.
Box no 4. Everyday, routine, events:- or is it some more humble lay, familiar matter of to-day.
Box no 5. An important historical event:- and battle long ago.
Q6. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.
(a) The central idea of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is__________.
(i) well sung songs give us happiness
(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all
(iii) beautiful experience give us life-long pleasure
(iv) reapers can sing like birds
Ans:- (iii) beautiful experience give us life-long pleasure.
(b) In the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ to whom does the poet say ‘Stop here or gently pass’?
(i) to the people cutting corn
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise
(iv) to all the passers by
Ans:- (iv) to all the passers by.
(c) The Solitary Reaper is a narrative poem set to music. This form of verse is called a__________.
(i) ballad. (ii) soliloquy.
(iii) monologue. (iv) sonnet.
Ans:- (i) ballad.
(d) The poet's lament in the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' is that __________
(i) he cannot understand the song
(ii) he did not know the lass
(iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) he had to move away
Ans:- (i) he cannot understand the song.
(e) The setting of the poem is__________
(i) Arabia. (ii) Hebrides.
(iii) Scotland. (iv) England.
Ans:- (iii) Scotland.
Q7. (a) Read the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the solitary reaper's song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis of your reading (and your imagination), copy and complete the table below. (Work in groups of four, then have a brief class discussion.)
Ans:- (I) Solitary Reaper:-
Place:- Scottish Highlands.
Heard by:- the poet.
Impact on listener:- Holds him spellbound.
(II)Nightingale:-
Place.Arabian sands.
Heard by:-Travellers.
Impact on listener:-reduces the tiredness of travellers.
(III)Cuckoo:-
Place:- Hebrides.
Heard by:-People from far off land.
Impact on listener:-has far-reaching effect, messages the coming of spring, end of winter.
(b) Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo for comparison with the solitary reaper’s song?
Ans:- The nightingale and the cuckoo are known as the birds who sing. Many poets have written about their melodious notes and there is a reference to nightingale and cuckoo. So the poet has chosen their song for comparison with the Solitary Reaper’s song.
Q8. In the sixth line of the first Stanza, we read:
“... and sings a melancholy strain...”
This “s” sound at the beginning of sings and strain has been repeated. Poets often do this. Do you know why? Do you know what this “poetic repetition” is called? Can you find instances of this in The Solitary Reaper ?
Ans:- Poets often repeat such sounds to make the effect more intense and ornamental. This “poetic repetition” is called alliteration.
In the fifteenth line we find an instance of alliteration in “silence of the seas.” In the eighteenth line we find alliteration in “perhaps the plaintive numbers flow". Twenty- seventh line also has alliteration in “I saw her singing at her work.”
Q9. In the first Stanza, some words or phrases have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone. Which are those words and phrases? What effect do they create in the mind of the reader?
Ans:- The words and phrases that have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone are ‘single in the field’, ‘solitary’, ‘singing by herself’.
The words and phrases create in the readers mind an image of a lonely Scottish maiden who is reaping and singing all alone in the field. While she is working, she is singing a sad melancholy song. The song is so intense that the poet asks the passersby to listen but to not disturb her.
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