Unit 2.8 Small Towns and Rivers

 

Unit 2.8  Small Towns and Rivers       Mamang Dai.

Small towns always remind me of death.

My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees,

it is always the same,

in summer or winter,

with the dust flying,

or the wind howling down the gorge.

Just the other day someone died.

In the dreadful silence we wept

looking at the sad wreath of tuberoses.

Life and death, life and death,

only the rituals are permanent.

The river has a soul.

In the summer it cuts through the land

like a torrent of grief. Sometimes,

sometimes, I think it holds its breath

seeking a land of fish and stars

The river has a soul.

It knows, stretching past the town,

from the first drop of rain to dry earth

and mist on the mountaintops,

the river knows

the immortality of water.

A shrine of happy pictures

marks the days of childhood.

Small towns grow with anxiety

for the future.

The dead are placed pointing west.

When the soul rises

it will walk into the golden east,

into the house of the sun.

In the cool bamboo,

restored in sunlight,

life matters, like this.

In small towns by the river

we all want to walk with the gods.

                     - Mamang Dai

 

PARAPHRASE OF THE  POEM

 

Stanza One:

          In the first stanza, the poet describes that small towns always remind her of death. Her hometown is located amidst the trees. Her hometown is same in all season whether it is summer or winter. The dust is flying over. The wind is howling down the gorge (valley side). The poet makes us aware of the lively nature around her hometown. She remembers death when she sees the towns.

Stanza Two :

          In the second stanza, she tells us that someone died that day in the dreadful silence of the hometown. They cried after looking at sad wreath of tuberoses. She feels that at somewhere there is life whereas at some places there is death which is common sight the rituals are permanent.

Stanza Three :

          In the third stanza, the poet emphasises the very concept that the river has a soul. In the summer season, it cuts through the land like a torrent of grief. She feels that sometimes the river holds its breath seeking a land of fish and stars.

Stanza Four :

          In the fourth stanza, the poet describes the river has a soul stretching past the town from the first drop of rain to dry earth and mist on the mountaintops. The river knows the immortality of water.

Stanza Five:

  In the fifth stanza, she reminds her childhood days when she was in her small hometown. It was holy place with beautiful memories, small towns grow with anxiety for the future. The death are placed pointing west, when the soul rises it will walk into the golden east into the house of the sun. The poem is based on the belief of the tribal people from the North East that the souls of the beloved ones always continue to dwell in the natural elements around.

Stanza Six :

          In the sixth stanza, the poet describes about the cool bamboo restored in sunlight where life matters. She explains in small towns by the river she and her family wants to walk with the Gods.

Extract No. 01

Page 130 / 131 (Lines, “Small towns…………….water”)

SOURCE:SCERT UPDATED QUESTION BANK 

A1.    True or False :                (02)

a)       River is a dominant natural phenomenon in the poem. (T)

b)       Her hometown looks beautiful only in rainy season. (F)

c)       The souls of the beloved ones always dwell in the natural elements all around          (T)

d) The river knows the immortality of water          (T)

A1.    Choose :                             (02)

          Choose the correct option and complete the statement.

a)       Small towns always remind the poet of  …………………………………

          1)       Joy          2)          life

          3)        death                   4)          hope

b)       The ……………………………….. flying and ……………………………….. howling down the gorge.

          1) Aeroplane, ship    2)          kite, river

          3)       sound, storm                   4)         dust, wind

c)       In summer season, the river cuts through the land means  ………………..

          1)          there is water everywhere          2)     scarcity of water

          3)         water gushing everywhere          4)   torrential rain 

d)       The river knows   ………………………………………………………….

          1)       Where it flows          2)        water is immortal

          3)         water is polluted               4)          it is going to meet ocean in the end.

A2.    Find out :                          (02)

          Pick out the lines that describe the poet’s town.

a)       My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees.

b)       It is always the same in summer or winter.

c)       With the dust flying.

d)       Or the wind howling down the gorge.

e)       The river has a soul.

A2.    Describe :                        (02)

          Describe the elements of nature mentioned in the poem.

          The elements of nature in the poem are as follows:

          Her hometown lies calmly amidst the trees. Her hometown is in the same in summer or winter

          Season, with the dust flying or the wind howling down the gorge. The river has a soul. In summer

          Season ,it dried up cutting through the land. The river stretch past it town from the first drop of

          Rain to dry earth and mist on the mountaintops. The rivers knows the immortality of water.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Write down the measures you would take to convince the people regarding the need to conserve the Nature.

(This is a Practice Activity for students)

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Do you believe that man has taken Nature for granted? Justify your answer with suitable examples.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          “India lives in villages,’ Do you agree with the view. Justify your answer with suitable examples in about Fifty Words.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Do you like city life or village life? Why? Explain with suitable examples.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Do you think that,” God made villages, man made cities” share your views on this in about Fifty Words.

A4.    Poetic Devices :               (02)

          “Small towns always remind me of death”

          Name and explain the figure of speech used in the above line.

          The figure of speech used here is an example of METAPHOR because the small towns are implicitly compared with death (it is an indirect/implied comparison)

A4.    Poetic Devices :                 (02)

          “it is always the same in summer or winter”

          Identify the figure of speech used here.

          The figure of speech used here is an example of ANTI-THESIS Because two opposite ideas / Contrasting words summer and winter are used in the same line.

A4.    Poetic Devices :                (02)

          “a sad wreath of tuberoses”

          Name and explain the figure of speech used in the above line.

A4.    Poetic Devices :               (02)

          “life and death, life and death”

          Identify the figure of speech used here.

          The figure of speech used here is an example of REPETITION because the words,” life” and  “Death” are repeated.

A4.    Poetic Devices :               (02)

          “in the dreadful silence we wept”

          Name and explain the figure of speech used in the above line.

          The figure of speech used in the above line is an example of INVERSION because the words are not arranged in a correct prose order.

          The correct order should be,” we wept in the dreadful silence.

A4.    Poetic Devices :               (02)

          Name and explain the figure of speech used in the line

          “ The River has a soul”

          The figure of speech used here is called as METAPHOR because the River is implicitly compared with a soul. It is an indirect/implied comparison.

A5.    Poetic Creativity :            (02)

          Small towns always remind me of death

          My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees

          It is always the same.

          In summer or winter

          Replace the underlined words and make use of different words to compose a meaningful stanza. 

A5.    Poetic creativity :             (02)

          The river has a soul

…………………………….

…………………………….

          Seeking a land of fish and stars.

A5.    Poetic creativity :            (02)

          Compose two lines of your own on the theme,” I am a river”

Courtesy:  SCERT UPDATED QUESTION BANK 

Extract No. 02

Page No. 131 (Lines, “The river…………….. the gods”)

A1.    Find out :                             (02)

          The poet is convinced with the thought of immortality of water. Pick out relevant lines.

a)       The river has a soul

b)       Stretching past the town

c)       From the first drop of rain by earth

d)       And mist on the mountaintops

e)       The river know the immortality of water.

A1.    True or false :                     (02)

          State whether the following statements are true or false.

1)       The season mentioned in the extract is monsoon.          (T)

2)       Small towns grow with the anxiety of the future.       (T)

3)       The poet has some nostalgic memories of her hometown. (T)

4)       River, Bamboo, Nature are the most important part of the poet’s life.                           (T)

A2.    Elaborate :                         (02)

          “ The river has a soul” Elaborate the concept in your words as the poet has explained in the poem.

(This is a Practice Activity for students.)

A2.    Give reasons :                   (02)

          The dead are placed pointing to the west because …………………..... ……………………………………………………………………………........

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Do you believe in the idea of the poet,’ The River knows the immortality of water,”
Explain with suitable examples.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Do you agree with the poet’s view that,” in small towns by the river we all want to walk with the gods” Explain.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          Do you think man’s indifference is the basic cause of all our Environmental problem.  Justify your answer with suitable examples.

A3.    Personal Response :          (02)

          “Our callous opportunism is the root cause of the destruction of Nature,’ Explain with suitable examples.

A4.    Poetic Devices :                (02)

          “ The river has a soul’ Name and explain the figure of speech used here.

          The figure of speech used here is an example of METAPHOR because the river is implicitly compared with soul.

A4.    Poetic Devices :                 (02)

          “ A shrine of happy pictures

          Marks the days of childhood”

          The figure of speech used here is an example of METAPHOR because the days of poet’s childhood are implicitly compared with a shrine ( Holy place) of pictures.

A4.    Poetic Devices :               (02)

          “We all want to walk with the gods” Name and explain the figure of speech used here.  The figure of speech used here is an example of ALLITERATION because the initial sound, “w” is repeated in a pleasant manner.

A4.    Poetic Creativity :             (02)

          The poem is written in free verse. write some features of free verse.

(This is a Practice Activity for students.)

A5.    Poetic Creativity :             (02)

          Compose four lines of your own on the theme,” Life in small towns’.

A5.    Poetic Creativity :              (02)

          The river has a soul

……………………………..

……………………………..

……………………………….

          Compose the next three lines of your own to make a meaningful stanza.

A5.    Poetic Creativity :             (02)

          In small towns, by the river

          We all want to walk with the gods

…………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………….

          Complete the concluding stanza by writing your own lines keeping in mind the theme of  the extract.