2.3 There Is Another Sky: By Emily Dickinson
ICE BREAKERS
(i) Life is an amalgam of happy and sad moments. Think of
such moments in your life, pair with your classmate and share both the aspects
of life.
Ans:
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Happy Moments
|
Sad Moments
|
|
1. Winning the first prize in a competition
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Losing your mobile, bicycle or wallet
|
|
2. Getting admission in the college of our
choice
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Not getting admission
|
|
3. Meeting old friends
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Parting from friends
|
(ii) Discuss with your partner and find proverbs, idioms
or phrases of similar meaning to the one given and fill them in the stars given
below:
Answer:(iii) When we look at the sky, we find several objects. They stand for something or the other. Complete the following table by finding the significance of the given objects. One example is given to you.
Answer:
|
Celestial Bodies
|
Association
|
|
The Sun
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Power, Heat, Energy, Commitment etc.
|
|
The Moon
|
Beauty, Light, Calmness, Love, Coolness, Ups
and downs, etc
|
|
The Rainbow
|
Unity, Beauty, Hope, Colour, Freshness,
Cheerfulness, etc
|
|
The Stars
|
Light, Eternity, Guide, Hope amid darkness,
Direction, Friendship, etc
|
(iv) Colours mentioned in the hexagons given below, are
associated with something or the other. Discuss with your partner and fill in
the blanks.
Answer:
Textual Exercise:
1) The poet says ‘another sky’. Guess the meaning:
Answer: Another sky means another kind of atmosphere, conditions
different from some other place.
2) The poet is addressing the poem to ………..
Answer: Her younger brother Austin.
3) The poet
depicts a different garden. Discuss about it with your partner.
Answer: The
poet says the garden ‘here’ is brighter. The flower, which get damaged in frost
have not been touched. They are bright in the garden ‘here’. This garden is her
garden.
BRAINSTORMING
(A1)
(i) Imagine your younger sister is not paying attention to her studies and is
seen wasting time playing games on her cell-phone. Suggest some ways that will
help her to concentrate on her studies and overcome her bad habit.
Answer:
The cell phone has become a menace. Just like
many teenagers this device for communication has become a tool for
entertainment. You too have become a victim of this craze.
You have to realize that the
phone has a primary use- that is, to communicate. The secondary use is as an
entertainment. A student’s primary duty is to complete all daily studies. So
you have to give only 30 to 40 minutes to the entertainment on cell phone. You
are seen you playing games on mobile. To neglect study is not good. So make a
weekly work plan and follow it. Playing games on phones is not healthy. Reading
books, physical playing indoor or outdoor games are the more healthy
activities.
Please do try to get away from
wasting your precious time in playing games on the mobile phones and try to use
your time more fruitfully. I hope you will heed this suggestion before it is
too late and you regret it.
(ii) You have
noticed that many of your classmates are not interested in outdoor games or
participating in co-curricular activities. Discuss some ways in which they will
be encouraged to participate in activities.
Answer:
Attending an educational institution is not
only for studies or obtaining good marks. The institution also offers many ways
to develop all-round personalities in studies. The college has excellent teams
and coaches for basketball, kho-kho, and table tennis. Our college has been
able to win the State Championships in one or the other games, over the years.
Of course it will develop physical fitness and mental alertness. Playing in
teams also develops team spirit, cooperation and leadership qualities.
There is an Arts and Music Club for
those who like fine arts. Students can discover their hidden talents. College
Annual Days could be your step for a career in music. We can participate in
debating, trekking, tree-planting drives. All participation in extra –
curricular activities will fetch certificates for students. Thus it come of use
when we are looking for admission for higher learning/ studies. So the
additional certificates should be a motivator for everyone to join at least one
extra-curricular activity.
(A2)
(i) Discuss with your partner and complete the web, highlighting the sad and
gloomy aspects of life mentioned in the first part of the poem.
Answer:
(ii) The poet encourages her brother in the
second part of the poem by telling him about the brighter side of life. Discuss
with your partner and make a list of the expressions in the poem that mean
encouragement.
Answer: (a) Brighter garden
(b) Unfading flowers
(c) Hum of bright bees
(iii)
The poet has described two different shades of human feelings by using imagery
of various forces of Nature in the poem. Pick out the terms or phrases that
describe them. Complete the table given below. One is done for you.
Answer:
|
Nature
|
Feelings
|
|
Faded
forests
|
Sad/gloomy
|
|
Silent
fields
|
Loneliness/
loneliness
|
|
Bright
bee hum
|
Joy/
lively sound
|
|
Darkness
|
Hopelessness/
depression
|
|
Sunshine
|
Hope
|
|
Brighter
garden
|
Cheer
|
|
Unfading flowers
|
Colourfulness
|
(iv) The poem
expresses feelings of serenity. Pick out expressions from the above poem that
express the same.
Answer: There is another sky
Ever serene and Fair
(v) Compare and contrast the two opposing human feelings as
expressed by the poet.
Answer:
The poet describes that the garden
‘there’-wherever her brother is- to be in darkness. The garden may be
understood as the situation or circumstances he may be in. So the ‘darkness’
may be despair or a lonely, hopeless situation. That garden is also called ‘faded
forests’ and ‘silent fields’.
The poet speaks of a place that
has ‘another sunshine’, is ‘serene and fair’, ‘ever green’, ‘a brighter
garden’, has ‘unfading flowers’, and a place where she can hear the ‘bright
bee hum’. In all, the other place is colourful and lively, where one can feel
cheerful and hopeful. She pleads with her brother to come to her garden ‘here’,
probably come back home.
(A3)
‘Never mind faded forests, Austin’. The word ‘faded’ means to become dim or
faint. The word describes the forests that have become faint or dim in
appearance. Now go through the poem again and complete the table.
Answer:
|
Describing word
|
Object
|
Explanation
|
|
1. faded
|
Forests
|
The forests
have become faint or dim in appearance
|
|
2. silent
|
Fields
|
The place is
silent and lonely
|
|
3. unfading
|
Flowers
|
The flowers are
fresh and colourful
|
|
4. bright
|
Bee
|
The bee hum
around the fragrant flowers
|
(A4)
‘I hear the bright bee hum.’ The poet has used the word ‘hum’ that indicates
the sound made by the bee. This is an example of Onomatopoeia. The poet has
used different figures of speech like alliteration, inversion and hyperbole in
the poem. Identify them and pick out the lines accordingly.
Answer:
(a) Hyperbole
- Another Sky, In its unfading flowers.
(b) Alliteration - faded forest,
bright bee.
(c) Inversion - Where not a frost has been, into my
garden come.
(A5) Imagine your friend is a table tennis
champion who has won the semi-final in the inter-collegiate championship. Due
to over confidence, she neither practises nor does she take her opponent
seriously. This may result in her losing the final. Suggest some ways to make
her aware of the importance of hard work and regular practice.
Ans:-
3, K. C. Kunj
Sahkar Nagar
Somvar Peth,
Pune
20 December
2020.
Dear
Karishma,
Congratulations
on winning the latest round to reach the Inter-collegiate semifinals! We are
all praying and waiting for you to bring the Maharashtra Table Tennis
Championship Cup back home to our college. This is where champions are made and
the cup must remain here!
Are you
preparing full steam for the finals next week? The opponent you are playing in
the Finals is a very talented player. Her finesse is exemplary and she is
training under a master. Your coach is a legend and you are admired for
elegance and speed too. This is just to gently remind you that till the Finals
one must not be lax in practice. For any championship game, one must also
respect one’s opponent, for their journey would have been as difficult as
yours. Your opponent is also famous for her consistent quality of playing. We
are all there to encourage and support you if you feel tired or discouraged.
But we would also like to caution you not to underestimate the other
semifinalist. Do keep up rigorous practice and follow the practice schedule
given by your Coach.
Best wishes.
Your loving
friend
Akash
(A6) (i) Use the following points and write an appreciation of the
poem:
• About the poem, poet and title
• Theme
• Poetic style, language, poetic devices used in the poem
• Special features
• Message/values/morals in the poem
•
Your opinion about the poem
Ans:-
• About the poem, poet and title:
The poem ‘There is Another Sky’ by
Emily Dickinson, is one of concern for her brother. It indicates that he is
away elsewhere, and may be going through dark times. The poet speaks of a
better place, hopeful and cheering, to which she suggests he should come back.
The words inspire hope and encouragement to return.
• Theme:
The theme is one
of comparison of two places. One is gloomy, dim colourless and lonely. The
poet’s brother may be in a place like this. She describes a serene evergreen
little forest under ‘another sky’, with fresh flowers and humming bees. It is
untouched by frost and she tells him to come here.
• Poetic style, language, poetic devices used in the poem:
The poem is a
Petrarchan sonnet. The octave describes the cold, faded forest while the sestet
speaks of the warm welcoming place, the poet’s little garden. This kind of
sonnet may have the rhyme scheme of – abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd. There may
be variations also. In this poem the rhyme is apparent clearly in several
instances and is slanted in other cases. Dickinson often used slant rhyme. This
means that sometimes the words at the line-end do not rhyme exactly but only
approximately.
• Special features:
When the poet
refers to ‘Another Sky’ and ‘Another Sunshine’ the reader could interpret it as
another world. One wonders if the poet is describing Heaven where it is always
serene, green, and frost has not touched, the flowers which never fade. The
idea is only hinted at and we cannot be sure.
• Message/values/morals in the poem:
The poem could be a
message of hope. It is a poem to entice the poet’s brother back home. It is a
message to her brother who is away and would encourage him not to give up, in
case he was in despair. This shows the poet was concerned about the well-being
of her sibling.
•
Your opinion about the poem:
The poem is short
and is not difficult to understand. But there seem to be layers of meaning- the
immediately obvious meaning and then the figurative interpretation if we look
more deeply.
(ii) Write a summary of the poem with the help of the points given
below:
• Title
• Introductory paragraph (about the poem/ type/nature/tone)
• Main body (central idea/gist of the poem)
• Conclusion/ opinions/views/appeal
Ans:-
• Title: The title
“There is Another Sky” at first seems impossible. How can there another sky?
Then we feel it could mean another world, not the earth.
•
Introductory paragraph (about the poem/ type/nature/tone): The poem is a
message to the poet’s brother Austin, whom she seems to be comforting in a time
of despair. The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet comprising an octave and sestet.
The rhyme scheme is intermittent and at times not clear. The poet maintains a
tone of optimism and cheer.
• Main body
(central idea/gist of the poem): Emily Dickinson tells her brother Austin that there is a little
garden that is not faded, dark and silent. It is under another sky, another
sunshine, and is evergreen. It is scented with flowers and has bees humming.
She entices Austin to return to this garden.
• Conclusion/
opinions/views/appeal: The poem “There is Another Sky” by Emily Dickinson is a sonnet.
Its message to a brother is clear, giving him hope and cheer. The reader
understands that the poet offers optimism to her brother Austin’s despair.
(iii) Let’s compose a poem. Two lines are given. Add two of your
own.
Ans:-
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair
The setting
sun has coloured a dye,
As he sinks
into his lair.
(iv)
Given below is a poem 'Blue Sky' by Mark Hastings. Imagine a poem of a similar
kind by replacing the word blue. You can add any colour or object of your
choice and write a poem of four lines.
For example replace 'blue' with
(a) Starry sky above me....................
(b)
Cloudy sky above
me..............
Ans:-
Rat-race
above me
Rat-race
below me….
Rat-race
all-around
And
as far the eye can see….
I
have risen, and without even having to try…
I
have reached beyond my grasp
And
I have touched the sky.
(A7) Write a letter to your younger sibling making her aware of
various man-made and natural disasters and encourage her to join all the
programmes, campaigns, drives etc. in school or in your locality.
Ans:-
Jeevan Raksha
Madhav Colony
Mumbai-
400071.
31st
Dec. 2020.
Dear Renu,
Congratulations
on your topping the Physics paper in your class. I am so proud of you that you
are focused on your work and are working hard. When do the school holidays for
the festival-season begin? Hope you will be home for the festivals. Renu, I was
wondering if you knew about the various natural and manmade disasters taking
place around the world.
A forest-fire
is raging in California due to prolonged dry weather. In India, states like
Assam, Bihar and Punjab are submerged under flood waters. The forest fire has
killed hundreds of creatures in the wild. Lakhs of people have been rendered
homeless by the floods. On the other hand, monsoon as delayed in some places
and several regions in our country are facing water problems. Your role as a
responsible young citizen is important. Do get information about the events
happening around you. You must try and participate in programmes of any kind to
help out wherever it is needed. Though one person cannot solve all the
problems, all helpful people can resolve many problems together.
Participate
actively in volunteering groups to spread awareness, set up groups to collect
donations and find sponsors and donors. Use social media for such philanthropic
activities. I am sure the school will encourage such spirit. You must discuss
such urgent social issues and take the initiatives. No doubt the teachers and
elders will help and guide you. Bring an awakening and begin a movement or campaign
to create awareness. Call upon your friends for ideas and motivate them too.
Then you can all find the enthusiasm to fire things up into action.
I am hoping
to see you join or launch something worthy soon.
Love and best
wishes,
Yours
affectionately,
Palash
(A8) The poem describes the beauty of Nature. Make a list of
careers that are related to Nature, environment and forest. One is done for
you.
Ans:-
|
Careers
related to Nature, environment and forest
|
Related
Post (Designation)
|
|
(a) Forest Department -
|
Forest officer, Ranger etc.
|
|
(b) Botanist/ Zoologist
|
Flora Conservationist / Safari/ Zoo-guide
|
|
(c) Veterinary doctor
|
Caring for all kinds of animals
|
|
(d) Marine Research
|
Protecting endangered marine species
|
|
(e) Environmental Law
|
Advocate for protecting environment against encroachers,
industries, and other dangers.
|
(A9) Project:
'The
Road Not Taken' (Robert Frost), 'O Captain My Captain' (Walt Whitman) etc. are
inspirational poems. Search these poems on the internet and write down your
opinion about the poems in your notebook.
Ans:-
वरील प्रश्नाचे उत्तर इंटरनेटवर शोधून वहीत
लिहिणे.
