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.
