Unit 2.6 Money
William H. Davies
When I had money, money, O !
I knew no joy till I went poor;
For many a false man as a friend
Came knocking all day at my door.
Then felt I like a child that holds
A trumpet that he must not blow
Because a man is dead; I dared
Not speak to let this false world know.
Much have I thought of life, and seen
How poor men’s hearts are ever light;
And how their wives do hum like bees
About their work from morn till night.
So, when I hear these poor ones laugh,
And see the rich ones coldly frown
Poor men, think I, need not go up
So much as rich men should come down.
When I had money, money, O!
My many friends proved all untrue;
But now I have no money, O!
My friends are real, though very few.
William H. Davies
Par
paraaphrase of the poem.
William Davies, states that he had no happiness when he had money. He had to keep it as secret from those who pretended to be his true friends. He felt as if he was a child who was given a trumpet but told he couldn't blow it because there had been a death. He was afraid of getting cheated by those who called themselves his true friends. He has understood the true meaning of life. He has watched how those who do not have much money are light hearted and their family life is happy. poor men are able to laugh easily while the rich are always sulking. This makes the poet to think that it is the rich who should experience poverty and not the poor who should become wealthy. He emphasized that when he was rich the people who claimed to be true friends were actually false. Now, that he has no money he has real friends and they are very few.
A1. True or false : (02)
State whether the following statements are true or false.
correct the false statements with the help of the poem.
a) The poet knew no joy till he was rich. (F)
False .The poet had no joy as long as he was rich.He was happy when he was poor.
b) When poet had money, he had many true
friends.( F)
False.
When poet had money he had many false
friends.
c) When poet became poor he had few real
friends. (T)
d) Poet’s friends do not like him but his
money. (T)
A1. Complete : (02)
Complete the following sentences and
rewrite them.
a)When poet had money
....…………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………came running all day at his
door.
1) True
real friends
2) false and untrue friends
3) classmates 4) Relatives
and rich people.
b) When the poet had no money . . . .
…………………………………………
1) He
has everybody with him.
2) All rich friends came to meet him.
3) He
has few but real friends
4) none of the above.
c) The ………………………………… are unhappy because of
financial condition.
1)Wives
of poor people.
2) wives of rich people
3) children
of rich people
4) Employees of poor people.
d) The central idea of the poem is
…………………………………………………….
1) Distinction
between the poor and the rich
2) How
rich people are merciless.
3) Rich
man who wants to be a poor man to find real happiness.
A2. Give reasons : (02)
a) Friends came knocking all day at the
poet’s door because ………………………..
When the poet was rich he had many
friends. They were not real or true friends, it meant they just were friends
when they wanted money. His happiness with many false friends was untrue
because for his friends his money was their friend nothing else.
b) Poor men’s wives hum like bees because
……………………………………………
Poor men’s wives always grumbled and
not satisfied with their husband work although the poor men always work hard
all day. It might be because they don’t carry much money.
A2. Infer/ Interpret (02)
Money makes the world go round.
Explain it in the light of the poet’s experience.
A lot of events could not happen with out money. Money is very important. It is one of the most essential things.
Money solves all the problems. .............
A2. Interpret : (02)
Interpret the statement,”
poor men
need not go up so much as rich men should come down. Express your views
regarding this statement in about Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
“Money cannot give you eternal
happiness. Share views on this idea. Explain with suitable examples in about Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
“Money is essential but money is not
above everything” share your views on this in about Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
“Money cannot purchase happiness and contentment,” Express your views on it.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
“We cannot buy everything with money”
Justify your answer with suitable examples in about Fifty words.
A4:Poetic Devices : (02)
“When I had money, money o!
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 REPETITION because the word Money is repeated in a
pleasant manner.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“For many a false man as a friend.”
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 an ALLITERATION because the initial sound/letter “f” is
repeated in a pleasant manner.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“Much have I thought of life and
seen
How poor men’s hearts was ever light”
The figure of speech used in the above
line is an example of an INVERSION because the words are not arranged in a
correct prose/grammatical order.
The correct order should be,” I have
thought much of life and seen how poor men’s hearts was ever light.”
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“And how their wives do hum like bees’
Name and explain the figure of speech
used in the above line.
The figure of speech used here is an
example of ONOMATOPOEIA because the word, “hum” indicates a particular
sound.
It is also an example of SIMILE because
the grumbling of the wives are directly compared with the humming of the bees
and the comparison is made with the word, ‘Like”
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
‘About their work from morn till
night”
Name and explain the figure of speech
used here.
The figure of speech used here is an
example of ANTI-THESIS because two opposite ideas/contrasting
ideas morn(morning) and night are used in the same line.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“ So when I hear these poor ones laugh
And see the rich ones coldly frown,”
Identify the figure of speech used in
the above line.
The figure of speech used here is an
example of ANTI-THESIS because two
opposite ideas/contrasting words “rich/poor” and “laughs/frown” are used in the
same line.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“Then felt I like a child that holds”
The figure of speech used here is an
example of an INVERSION as well as SIMILE. Inversion
because the words are not arranged in the correct prose order. The correct order should be,” then I felt
like a child that holds’
Simile because the feelings of the
poet are directly compared with the child and the comparison is made with the
word,” like”
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Complete the following table.
No. Figures of Speech Lines from the poem Explanation
Follow Textbook fo this activity.
01 Inversion a)felt like a child think I
b)Much have i thought of life.
02 Simile a) like a child
b) wives do hum like bees about their work.
03 Repetition a) when i had money, money,O!
04 Onomatopoeia a) do hum like bees
05 Anti-thesis a) many a false man as a friend.
b) many friends proved all untrue.
C) poor ones laugh- rich ones frown.
d) poor men need not go up the rich men should come down.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Note down the Rhyme scheme used in the
extract and also note down the Rhyming pair of words.
Stanza Rhyme Scheme Rhyming pair
of words.
FIRST abcb (poor-door)
SECOND defe ( blow- know)
THIRD continued ( light- night)
FOURTH ............. ( Frown-down)
FIFTH ....... ( O!-O! Untrue-few)
A5.Poetic Creativity : (02)
“ when I had money. money, O!
………………………………………………
For many a false man as a friend.
.........................................................
Compose two lines (line number 2 and 4 ) of your
own and make a meaningful composition.
A5. Poetic Creativity : (02)
Compose a short poem of four lines on
the theme,” contentment”
A5. Poetic creativity : (02)
Then felt I like a child that holds
A trumpet that he must not blow
Because a man is dead, I dared
Not speak to let this false world
know”
( Change the prose /grammatical order of
the given lines and compose the above stanza.)
A5. Poetic creativity : (02)
Much have I thought of life and seen…
……………………………………………………………………………….............................................................
About their work from morn till night
Compose two lines of your own and
rewrite the above stanza.
A5. Poetic Creativity : (02)
But now I have no money, O !
……………………………………………
……………………………………………
……………………………………………
Compose next 2 lines of your own and
complete the activity.
A5. Poetic creativity : (02)
Then felt I like a child that holds
A trumpet that he must not blow
Because a man is dead, I dared
Not speak to let this false world know”
Remove the underlined words/phrases and compose your own meaningful lines keeping the theme/central idea of this poem in your mind.
Activities prepared by
TUSHAR J BAGWE
K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI
Mobile : 9820928141
E Mail ID tushar@somaiya.edu
