BRAINSTORMING There is another sky
(A1) (i) Imagine your younger sister is not paying attention to her studies and is
seen wasting time playing games on her cell-phone. Suggest some ways
that will help her to concentrate on her studies and overcome her bad
habit.
(ii) You have noticed that many of your classmates are not interested in
outdoor games or participating in co-curricular activities. Discuss some
ways in which they will be encouraged to participate in activities.
(A2) (i) Discuss with your partner and complete the web, highlighting the sad and
gloomy aspects of life mentioned in the first part of the poem.
Sad and gloomy
aspects of life
darkness
(ii) The poet encourages her brother in the second part of the poem by telling
him about the brighter side of life. Discuss with your partner and make
a list of the expressions in the poem that mean encouragement.
(a) Brighter garden
(b)
(c)
(iii) The poet has described two different shades of human feelings by using
imagery of various forces of Nature in the poem. Pick out the terms or
phrases that describe them. Complete the table given below. One is done
for you.
Nature Feelings
Faded forests Sad/gloomy
(iv) The poem expresses feelings of serenity. Pick out expressions from the
above poem that express the same.
(v) Compare and contrast the two opposing human feelings as expressed by
the poet.
(A3) ‘Never mind faded forests, Austin’. The word ‘faded’ means to become
dim or faint. The word describes the forests that have become faint or
dim in appearance. Now go through the poem again and complete the
table.
Describing word Object Explanation
1. faded forests The forests have become faint or dim
in appearance.
2. silent
3. unfading
4. bright
(A4) ‘I hear the bright bee hum.’ The poet has used the word ‘hum’ that
indicates the sound made by the bee. This is an example of Onomatopoeia.
The poet has used different figures of speech like alliteration, inversion
and hyperbole in the poem. Identify them and pick out the lines
accordingly.
(a) Hyperbole -
(b) Alliteration -
(c) Inversion -
(A5) Imagine your friend is a table tennis champion who has won the semi-final
in the inter-collegiate championship. Due to over confidence, she neither
practises nor does she take her opponent seriously. This may result in her
losing the final. Suggest some ways to make her aware of the importance
of hard work and regular practice.
(A6) (i) Use the following points and write an appreciation of the poem:
• About the poem, poet and title
• Theme
• Poetic style, language, poetic devices used in the poem
• Special features
• Message/values/morals in the poem
• Your opinion about the poem
(ii) Write a summary of the poem with the help of the points given below:
• Title
• Introductory paragraph (about the poem/ type/nature/tone)
• Main body (central idea/gist of the poem)
• Conclusion/ opinions/views/appeal
(iii) Let’s compose a poem. Two lines are given. Add two of your own.
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair
(iv) Given below is a poem 'Blue Sky' by Mark Hastings. Imagine a poem of
a similar kind by replacing the word blue. You can add any colour or
object of your choice and write a poem of four lines.
For example replace 'blue' with
(a) Starry sky above me....................
(b) Cloudy sky above me..............
(A7) Write a letter to your younger sibling making her aware of various manmade and natural disasters and encourage her to join all the programmes,
campaigns, drives etc. in school or in your locality.
(A8) The poem describes the beauty of Nature. Make a list of careers that are
related to Nature, environment and forest. One is done for you.
(a) Forest Department - (Forest officer, Ranger etc.)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(A9) Project:
'The Road Not Taken' (Robert Frost), 'O Captain My Captain' (Walt
Whitman) etc. are inspirational poems. Search these poems on the internet
and write down your opinon about the poems in your notebook.