Poem:Keeping Quiet

 Class:XII

Poem:4

Keeping Quiet 

Questions and Answers 

Question 1.

What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve ?

Answer:

Counting upto twelve and keeping still gives us time to introspect ourselves. In this way, we can recuperate our energy and restart our activities with fresh energy and zeal.

Question 2.

Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death ?

Answer:

No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He only wants us to keep quiet for a few seconds and suspend all our activities for a few seconds. In this way we can introspect our¬selves and restart our activities with fresh energy and zeal.

Question 3.

What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

Answer:

When people don’t introspect themselves they fail to understand themselves, then ‘sadness’ arises. The poet wants that people should overcome this sadness by introspecting themselves.

Question 4.

What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness ?

Answer:

In this poem, the poet uses the symbol of the earth to say that there can be life under apparent stillness. He says that the earth appears to be dead in the winter season. But when the spring season comes it becomes alive with all its new plants. It never takes rest.

Question 5.

How would keeping quiet affect the life in and around the sea ?

Answer:

It will affect the life in and around the sea in two ways. The fishermen will stop fishing for some time. It will help the number of the fish to recuperate. The man gathering salt will get some time to see his hurt hands get healed.

Question 6.

‘Life is what at is about;How is keeping quiet related to life ?

Answer:

Keeping quiet is related to life not death. The poet says that by keeping quiet we get some time to introspect ourselves. Keeping quiet helps us to recuperate our energy. In this way we can start our activities with fresh zeal and energy.

Question 7.

Why does one feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting to twelve and keeping quiet ?

Answer:

When we keep quiet for some time and suspend all our activities for some time, we feel a sort of strangeness. The reason is that we are always surrounded by the noise of machines, etc. When there is no sound, we feel a sort of strangeness.

Question 8.

How will ‘keeping quiet’ protect our environment ?

Answer:

Keeping quiet helps us to stop wars. In this way it helps to prevent destruction of environment due to wars. Also, it prevents deforestation. In this way, we can say that keeping quiet is the only way to prevent our environment from all types of pollution.

Question 9.

What does the poet want us to tell ?

Answer:

The poet wants us to tell that by keeping quiet and remaining still for few moments, we will be able to do our work in a more effective way. We can analyse our past actions and not repeat our past, mistakes.

Question 10.

What does the poet mean by saying ‘victory with no survivors’ ?

Answer:

According to the poet the wars cause a lot of destruction. A lot of people die from both the sides. Therefore, no one can claim that their side has won, since the so called victor also has to face a lot of causalities.

Question 11.

What are the different types of wars mentioned in the poem ?

Or

What is Neruda’s attitude towards these wars?

Answer:

The poet says that there are green wars. He means t to say that the people who destroy forests also wage a war against their own coming generations. There are wars with fire, chemical weapons and poisonous gases. The wars bring so much destruction that no side could be called victorious. The poet wants that all these wars should be stopped. These wars bring nothing but destruction.

Question 12.

How does the earth teach us that there is activity even in apparent stillness ?

Answer:

We think that earth is dead as it remains still. But many changes are taking place under the surface of the earth. A seed that seems dead germinates under the earth and a new life springs from it.

Good Afternoon all students.