“Music of the earth is a continuous celebration through the cycle of seasons” Discuss how does Keats express it in the poem ‘The Poetry of Earth’.

In Keats’ ‘The Poetry of Earth’, the beauty of nature is celebrated. The music of earth overwhelms the poet and in the octave, he draws a word-picture of the summer season and in the sestet, he paints a picture of the winter season. Summer and winter, both the seasons are considered as sultry, rough and dry. All the living creatures get exhausted in summer and the tremendous heat prohibits them to celebrate the poetry of earth. But then the grasshopper spreads the music of nature through his voice and rejuvenates nature. In winter, the atmosphere becomes gloomy and snow covers every place. But the cricket’s song uplifts the mood and helps to overcome the drowsiness of winter. Therefore, in spite of the harshness of summer and winter the music of earth never ceases. The grasshopper’s song and the cricket’s song never fail to celebrate the inherent beauty of nature through the cycle of seasons.

What idea do you get about Keats as a Romantic poet of Nature poet in the poem ‘The Poetry of Earth’?

Romantic poetry aims at the complete expression of the individual’s feelings and emotions. Keats lived in the Romantic Age of English Literature and he fully imbibed the spirit of his age. Romantic poetry is inspired by the search of the unknown, the invisible and the infinite. We find all these elements in this poem yet we see that Keats’ imagination is rooted in reality. Like all the romantic poets, Keats enjoyed the varied charms of nature. He saw beauty in the ordinary things of life and considered them a part of the infinite universal beauty. Thus the humble voice of the grasshopper and cricket pass from the world of the brevity of time to the world of eternity. The cycle of seasons reveals something strange and mysterious about nature, where beauty renews itself every moment. Keats and other romantic poets too sought inspiration for poetry in natural beauty. That inspiration became the only truth for them. So he mentions in ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’- ‘beauty is truth, truth beauty.


Do you think ‘The Poetry of Earth’ is a romantic poem?

Name the poet who composed The Poetry of Earth’. What is meant by ‘The Poetry of Earth’? How does the poet read The Poetry of Earth’?


What do the grasshopper and the cricket metaphorically stand for in this poem? How they contribute to the earth’s poetry?

Keats has used sensuous imagery to describe the natural world with care and precision. -How far do you agree with this statement?

Discuss Chekhov’s The Proposal’ as a supreme example of a one-act play.

Describe the character of Chubukov as a sensible father.


Give a brief sketch of the character of Lomov in the play The Proposal’.

Sketch the character of Natalya.


“Now, you know, you shouldn’t forget all about your neighbours, my darling.”—Who said this and to whom? Why was the speaker surprised? Comment on the approach of the speaker.

“Then why are you in evening dress, my precious ?”-Who said this? Why was the person spoken to, in his evening dress? What did the speaker assume about the person?


“He’s come to borrow money! Shan’t give him any…”-Who is the speaker? What makes him say this? What features of this character are revealed here?

“Oh, don’t go round and round it, darling! – Who is addressed as ‘darling’? What is it? Who is the speaker? Why does he make this comment?


“I’ve come to ask the hand of your daughter, Natalya Stepanovna, in marriage.”-Who is the speaker? To whom does the speaker say this? What was the reaction of the person spoken to?

“…do you think I may count on her consent ?”-Why is the speaker so uncertain? How does the speaker ultimately get consent?


“She’s like a love-sick cat,”-Who said this and about whom? Analyse the character of the person, referred to here, under the light of the comment above.

“If I give myself time to think, to hesitate, to talk a lot for an ideal, or for real love, then I’ll never get married.”-Who thinks so? When does he think so? Why does the speaker think about it?


“Go; there’s a merchant come for his goods.”—Who said this and to whom? Who is the merchant’? What is referred to as ‘goods’? In what way does it bring out the attitude of the person and the society at that time?

“I’m trembling all over,’ -Who is ‘I’ here? How does the speaker express his nervousness?