The poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ rests on two contrasting pictures. Discuss the use of two contrasting pictures in the poem,
Arthur Rimbaud presents two contrasting pictures in his poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’. The beauty of the valley is compared with the brutality and futility of war. Initially, it seems that the soldier is sleeping in the midst of nature peacefully. But in the concluding line, the harsh reality is revealed. The two bullet wounds in the side of the soldier’s body are contrasted with the beauty of the valley. The warmth of the sun is contrasted with the coldness of death and the plentiful greenery of the valley is contrasted with the short-lived life of the soldier. The contrasting pictures arouse sympathy in the readers for the powerless victims of war.
What is the occasion of the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ ? Give a simile used by the poet in the poem. Are there other comparisons in the poem?
“Asleep in the Valley” by Rimbaud is a poem about the brutality and futility of war.
A simile is used by the poet in the poem “Asleep in the Valley”. The smile of the dead soldier is compared with the smile of an infant which is pure and innocent. Yes, there are other comparisons too in the poem. The sun’s rays are compared with the stream flowing through the valley. The plentiful growth of fern is compared with a pillow.
Give the substance of Sonnet 18 by Shakespeare.
Discuss the central idea of the poem, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?.
Discuss the appropriateness of the title of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”-Who makes the comparison? Who is compared to a summer’s day’? What are the blemishes of summer?
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”-Whom does the poet compare his friend to? What are the qualities that make the person superior to summer?
“Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed;” What is the figure of speech used in ‘eye of heaven’? What makes the dim? What does the poet imply in the above lines?
“And every fair from fair sometime declines”-From which poem is the line quoted? Who is the poet? Briefly explain the meaning of the quoted line. How does the poet promise to immortalize his friend’s beauty?
“By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed.”-What makes Shakespeare mention ‘nature’s changing course’? Discuss.
“But thy eternal summer shall not fade / Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;” Whose ‘eternal summer’ is being referred to here? What does ‘eternal summer’ mean? What conclusion does the poet draw at the end of the poem?
“Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade, / When in eternal lines to time thou grow’ st,”—Who is the poet? Who is the ‘thou’ here? What shall death not be able to brag about and why?
“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to three.”-From where have the lines been taken? How does the speaker immortalise his friend?
“… and this gives life to thee.”-What does this’ refer to? Who is referred to by ‘thee’? How does this’ give life?
What does the poet say about summer in the sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” How is the poet’s young friend different from a summer’s day?
Discuss why Shakespeare has called his friend more temperate than the summer season.
What do the rough winds do? What do you understand by the phrase ‘summer’s lease’? Mention the deficiencies of the summer season.
What type of poem is ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Who is the poet? Whom does the poet speak of? What does the poet say about the person spoken of?
Leave a comment