Answer the following questions

A. *Memorise the poem 'The River'

B. Read the following lines and answer the questions given below

1. O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,

Through the flowers and foliage glancing

a. How does the river flow?

The river flows glancing through the flowers and foliage.

b. What is meant by ‘foliage’?

Foliage means the leaves of plants.

2. River, river! Swelling river!

 On you rush through rough and smooth;

a. Why does the poet mention the river to be swelling?

The river is in floods.

b. What are the surfaces the river flow through?

The river flows through the rough and smooth surfaces.

3. Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping

Like impetuous youth.

a. Where does the rose grow?

The rose grows on the rose banks.

b. Which stage of man is compared here?

The youth of man is compared here.

4. Broad and deep, and still as time;

Seeming still, yet still in motion.

a. What is broad and deep?

The river is broad and deep.

b. Is the time still?

Yes, the time is still.

5. Tending onward to the ocean, Just like mortal prime.

a. Where is the river flowing to?

The river is flowing to the ocean.

b. What does the poet mean by ‘mortal prime’?

Mortal prime means a man in the best of his life.

Poetic Devices

Anaphora is the repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines of writing or speech.

(e.g.) Sea that line hath never sounded,

Sea that sail hath never rounded

Epithet is an adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or the thing mentioned.

(e.g.) Little river.

Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that sparks the senses. It need not be only visual, it can relate any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell)

(e.g.) yellow pebbles.

C. Read the following lines and answer the questions

1. Bright you sparkle on your way;

 O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,

Through the flowers and foliage glancing,

Like a child at play.

     Pick out the rhyming words.

The rhyming words are : Way, play; dancing, glancing.

2. Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is abba.

3. Through the flowers and foliage glancing,

Like a child at play.

Mention the figure speech used in the above line. Give various other examples from the poem.

The figure of speech used is "simile"

Other examples for simile in this poem:

i) "Like impetuous youth"

ii) Just like mortal prime

iii) Still as time

iv) Like eternity"

4. Seeming still, yet still in motion

a. Pick out the words in alliteration from the above line

The alliterated words are seeming, still and still.

b. Identify other examples from the poem for alliteration.

i) River, river, little river

ii) Through the flowers and foliage glancing

iii) River, river Swelling river!

iv) On you rush through rough and smooth

v) Over rocks, by rose - banks, sweeping

vi) River, river! Brimming river!

vii) River, river! Headlong river!

viii) Down you dash into the sea.

ix) Sea that line hath never sounded

x) Sea that sail hath never rounded.

5. Pick out the examples for epithet from the poem.

Examples for epithet:

i) Swelling river

ii) Brimming river

iii) Mortal prime

iv) impetuous youth.

6. Pick out the examples for imagery from the poem.

i) Through the flowers and foliage glancing,

ii) On you rush through rough and smooth

iii) Louder, faster, brawling leaping

iv) Broad and deep and still

v) Seeming still, yet still in motion

vi) By rose - banks.

 River, river! Headlong river!

Down you dash into the sea.

Sea that line hath never sounded

Like eternity.

a) How does the river dash into the sea?

The river dashes head long into the sea.

b) Who does "you" refer to?

"You" refer to the river.

c) What does 'sail' stand for?

It stands for a sailing ship.

d) What is "eternity"?

The life continuing without end after death.

e) Pick out the rhyming words from the above lines,

sounded - rounded

f) Identify the rhyme scheme of the above stanza.

abccd

g) Identify the figure of speech used in the 1st line.

Epithet

i) Identify the figure of speech used in the 3rd and 4th line.

Anaphora

j) Identify the figure of speech used in the 1st line.

Simile

D. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 120-150 words.

1. How does the poet bring about the comparison of life with the river? Explain it with reference to the poem.

Title : The River

Poet : Caroline Ann Bowles (1786-1854)

Theme : The journey of life to eternity

In the poem 'The River' the poet compares the river with the different stages in a man's life. The river is bright and sparkling on its way. It dances over the yellow pebbles. It glances through the flowers and foliage. The river is swelling and rushing through rough and smooth surfaces. It is brawling and leaping. It goes through the rough rocks and rose-banks. The river is full, wide and deep. It is still like time. It appears motionless but keeps moving to the ocean. It is like a life in its prime. The river runs quickly into the sea. The line has never measured the depth of the sea. No ship has ever rounded the sea completely. The river is compared to eternity.

'The river of knowledge has no depth'.

2. Describe how the poem clearly describes about the features, functions and destruc-tive power of the river.

Title : The River

Poet : Caroline Ann Bowles (1786-1854)

Theme : Rivers can favour but courses fear too

A river is a natural source of water. Small rivers can be referred to as stream, brook and rill. Rivers are part of the hydrological cycle. Water generally collects in a river from precipitation. The other sources of water is groundwater recharge, springs and glaciers. Rivers can flow down from mountains, through valleys or along planes. Rivers are the sources of water for consumption, agriculture and industry. A river provides transportation routes, energy and a means of disposal of wastes. The flow of water in rivers is never constant. High amounts of water flowing in rivers after leads to flooding. Flooding is one of the most common and costly types of natural disasters. Floods occur naturally. Floods can devastate an environment. It is not always possible to prevent floods, but it is after possible to minimize flood.

“A river is the epitome of our life”

PARAGRAPH FOR TOPPERS:

Synopsis:

• Introduction

• Childhood of River

• Youth of River

• Adulthood of River

• Eternity of River

• Conclusion

Introduction:

The poet glorifies the river as the vital power. The poem has philosophical understones also. It is a dynamic and vital symbol of nature. Rivers have life of their own from birth to death. This poem compares river to human beings.

Childhood of River:

The river begins small. It gathers water from different streams. The little river is bright and sparkling. It flows along merrily. It dances over yellow pebbles. The water of the river flashes. It gently touches the flowers and the thick growth of bushes. The river is as playful as a child.

Youth of River:

The river gathers speed, when the river is in floods. It flows over rough and smooth places. The sound of the flow gets louder. The river leaps and goes fast. The water of the river rushes. It jumps over the rocks. It takes everything along its course.

Adulthood of River:

The river becomes broad on the plain. The water look deep. It flows to the brim of its banks. The river is full, wide and deep. It is still like time. Below its surface it moves. It appears motionless but keeps moving to the ocean.

Eternity of River:

The river becomes dangerous. It rushes to the sea. The sea is so deep that its depth cannot be measured. The sea is so wide. The river is compared to eternity.

Conclusion:

Living organisms have life of their own. Like human beings inorganic things have life too. The poet describes the course of life to the river.

PARAGRAPH FOR AVERAGE STUDENTS:

Title : Water - The Elixir of Life

Author : Sir C.V. Raman

Theme : No life is possible without water

The river begins smail. The little river is bright and sparkle. It flows along merrily. It travels over yellow pebbles. It travels through flowers like a child at play. The rivers gathers speed, when the river is in floods. It flows over rough and smooth places. The water of the river rushes. It travels along rose banks like youth. The river becomes broad on the plain. The water looks deep. It appears motionless but keeps moving to the ocean. The sea is so wide. It's life continues without end.

PARAGRAPH FOR LATE BLOOMERS:

• The river is compared with the human life.

• The river is bright and sparkle.

• It travels over yellow pebbles. 

• It acts like an innocent child.

• It sweeps everything like a careless youth.

• It travels broad and deep.

• Finally it ends into the sea.

• It's life continues without end.

E. Based on your understanding of the poem, complete the summary of the poem by choosing the words/phrases given below.

prime phase, the yellow pebbles, motionless, stages of human life, sweeping, child, journey, reckless youth.

In the poem 'The River', the poet compares the flow of the river with different Stages of human life. The first stanza explains how the sparkling river goes dancing over The yellow pebbles and glancing through the flowers and leaves. These acts of the river iscompared to a curious and innocent Child at play. The second stanza compares the river to a Reckless youth who goes through rough and smooth patches of life. Like a youth, here the river becomes louder, faster and Sweeping everything all along the way. In the third stanza, the river becomes like a hard working man who is at the Prime phase of the life. Here the deep and broad river seems Motionless but it keeps moving towards the sea like a matured man who silently marches towards the goal. In the last stanza the long Journey of the river reaches the endless sea like a human life attains eternity.