Odisha State Board CHSE Odisha Class 11 Approaches to English Book 2 Solutions Poem 1 Ecology Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
CHSE Odisha 11th Class Alternative English Solutions Poem 1 Ecology
Pre-reading Activity,
The poem you will read presently has the title ‘Ecology’. What does Ecology mean? If you aren’t sure of its meaning, look it up in the glossary following the text of the poem and write its meaning here. Can you now guess what the poem would aim to tell the reader? Write your guess here.
Questions For Discussion
Question 1.
What story does the poem tell us?
Answer:
The poem tells us about saving the ‘ecology’ of Nature. In spite of the recurring migraine of his mother and a line of cousins every year during the flowering season, she was out of temper with a thought of others as to felling the flowering trees.
Question 2.
What is its theme?
Answer:
Its theme is to, help save the environment in the way of saving trees, Therefore, it contributes a lot to the survival of a good environment.
Question 3.
When does the speaker come home in a rage and why?
Answer:
The speaker comes home in a rage when their three red Champak trees start flowering after the first rain. He gets irritated because of the advent of the Champak flowers. causes a pathetic experience for him. It is because they cause a severe migraine in his mother.
Question 4.
How does the poet describe the fragrance of the Champak flowers?
Answer:
The fragrance of the Champak flowers is very sharp and strong. Hence, too much fragrance and smell cause a pinching effect on his mother’s head and automatically causes migraine. No wind could separate the fragrance of a heavy hung yellow pollen fog of a flower.
Question 5.
How are the walls of the black pilloried house .described ‘?
Answer:
However, the poet has personified the walls of the black pilloried house. So, the walls of the black pilloried house are described to have eyes and ears.
Question 6.
When the speaker says “had gone it again” (Stanza-2), what D is its effect? Does this expression convey approval or disapproval?
Answer:
The speaker says it when he comes home in a rage. Its effect is the mother flashing her temper. The expression conveys a sense of disapproval.
Question 7.
How are the words “sift” and “porous” related? What purpose do they serve in the poem?
Answer:
“Sift” means ‘separate’ and “porous” means something having tiny holes. The wind could not separate the fragrance of the Champak flowers. Again the scales, smells, bone creaks, and nightly D visiting voices were porous which never allowed the smells to D rebounce.
Question 8.
What makes the mother “flash” her temper?
Answer:
The flowering Champak trees have severe migraine to the mother with their strong fragrance. It was decided to cut down these trees so as to give a healing touch
to his mother. This makes his mother “flash” her temper, it is because this would disturb the ecology, and her daughter and granddaughters would be deprived of annual flowers.
Question 9.
“But Mother, flashing her temper (like her mother’s twisted silver, grand children’s Knickers wet as the cold pack on her head…”, Explain the comparisons (Similes) in these lines.
Answer:
Grandmother’s silver ornaments, grandchildren’s Knickers, and the wet cold pack on mother’s head herself have some proportions of distortions. When a person gets severely angry he or she looks wry, wreathed, and distorted. Here, the mother’s anger makes her twisted like the things compared above. these lines.
Question 10.
Which stanza do you find the most dramatic in the poem?
Answer:
Stanza 7- “but mother, flashing her temper like her mother’s twisted silver, grand children’s Kunicker’s…..” is found to be dramatic in the poem.
Question 11.
What light does the poem throw on the Mother’s attitude?
Answer:
The mother is entirely aware of ecology which is closely associated with the survival of the animal kingdom. She never wishes and allows the red Champak trees to be cut down in spite of her suffering from severe headaches caused by the strong smell of the flowers of these trees.
Question 12.
How does the speaker’s attitude contrast with that of the mother?
Answer:
The speaker’s attitude was in sharp contrast with that of the mother. The mother wishes for the preservation of the Champak flowers in spite of her terrible suffering from severe migraine caused by the strong smell of the flowers. The speaker, on the other hand, suggested that the trees should be cut down as a remedial measure against his mother’s migraine.
Composition
Question 1.
Examine the appropriateness of the title ‘Ecology’ for the poem.
Answer:
The poem ‘Ecology’ has been composed by A.K… Ramanujan is an eminent and outstanding poet of Anglo-Indian literature. He has composed multifarious volumes of poems. Some of them are ‘Relations’, ‘Second Sight’ etc. Some of the themes of his poetry are fear, despair, the need for familial worth, etc. He provides apt and suggestive titles to his poems. The title ‘Ecology’ of this discussing poem is a typical example of that. It may be a poem, essay, short story, drama, etc. but a suitable and suggestive title automatically drags the attention of the reader and attracts the customers to a shop.
The readers or the customers are automatically mesmerized by it. It makes the reader spelled just like a gorgeous and colorful signboard bound to go through it. Exactly the same has happened in the case of this discussing poem ‘Ecology’ In fact, literally ‘ecology’ means the habitats of living things and their relation to the environment. We always prefer to live in an adequate and good ecology. In this poem, it is used as a contrasting attitude of the mother and the children- towards nature. It highlights the mother’s determination to preserve the Champak trees even though they are the cause of her suffering. However, the poem starts with the narrator’s rage at the advent of the 1st rain.
It has caused the flowering of the three red Champak trees. His rage is due to the sharp and strong, fragrance of the flowers which automatically causes severe migraine in his mother. He is in the mood to cut down. the trees so as to free her from the troubles. But his mother wholeheartedly goes against this decision and is an ardent supporter of ecology. She is well aware of the preservation of trees which are a powerful source of ecological balance. She wants those trees should. be continued in spite of their adverse effect on life.
She does not bother about her migraine. According to her, the felling of trees is anti-ecology. She argues further that despite of all these, the trees provide an annual gift of flowers to her gods, daughters, and granddaughters although they cause a severe migraine to herself. The narrator becomes spellbound by his mother’s assertion about ecology and never proceeds to accept anti¬ ecology. As a matter of fact, judging from all respect, the title of the poem ‘Ecology’ is apt and suggestive. On the other hand, it is inspiring and heart-touching. On the whole, the poet is at his best to provide an apt and suggestive title to the poem.
Question 2.
Read the following poem (‘Night of the Scorpion’) fry Nissim Ezekiels on a similar theme and rate the points of comparison and contrast between ‘Ecology’ and ‘Night.
Answer:
However, A.K. Ramanujan’s ‘Ecology’ and Nissim Ezekiel’s ‘Night of the Scorpion’ have some similar and dissimilar aspects. The poets are having some identical and contrasting features which put these Scorpions’. poems on similar lines.
Points of comparison:
1. Both poems center around one principal character who happens to be a mother.
2. Suffering of the mother is a common feature in both poems. In ‘Ecology’ mother suffers from migraine caused by the strong smell of the Red Champak flowers. Mother wishes to preserve the trees for her children although she suffers, And of a Scorpion’ the sufferin8 of mother has portrayed in the storage vein- The mother suffers from the P0, sonorous stinging of the Scorpion and feels re, axed as the ScorPion has her and has luckily spared her children. The poet depicts the loving heart of a mother for her children.
Points Of Contrast:
There are mothers in both poems, but they are similar but not the same. Mother in ‘Ecology’ and mother in ‘Night of a Scorpion’ is portrayed in slightly different veins
1. Mother in ‘Ecology1 is in favor of providing flowers to her daughters and daughter daughters and is indirectly a staunch supporter of the environment and preservation of natural phenomena. The mother, on the other hand, in ‘Night of Scorpion’ speaks volumes of motherly love and affection for her children.
2. Superstitions beliefs of the villagers and the scientific attitude of the father are just a posed vis-a-vis.
3. Scorpion Stings mother in ‘Night of the Scorpion’ and the Strong smell of the Red Champak trees harms mother’s health causing severe migraine. Both these poems, however, compared and contrasted having a kind of specialty. The two poems bear a mark of likeness and differences, but the play has one thing in common Indianness.
Detailed Summaries
Paraphrase: (Stanzas: 1-2)
Rain comes as usual as a natural process. It provides a special life to dance with joy and joviality. A jovial atmosphere prevails. But this does not happen in the case of the narrator. Rather he is multifarious trees into the first entrance after a long gap. Both plants and human beings are enraged by the advent of rain. It also makes him back home with fury. He guessed that three of their Champak trees had started flowering
(Stanzas: 3-4)
become very beautiful and attractive. They were laden with fresh and delicate flowers which automatically doubled their former beauty. The narrator is not happy at all. These created problems for his mother. The strong fragrance of these flowers brought to her a terrible migraine. It automatically caused painful experiences during the blossoming season. Despite of her suffering/ she had a strong desire to make these flowering trees continue on ecological grounds. But the children were provoked by the presence of such flowers. No wind could separate the heavy hung yellow pollen fog from the Champak to stretching along The three red Champak trees street.
(Stanzas: 5-6)
No door of their black pilloried house could shut out to prevent the sharp and strong smell of the red Champak flowers. The fragrance automatically crept into the room so as not to free herself from the severe migraine she used to suffer due to the deadening smell of these flowers. Scales, bone cracks, smells and nightly voices were porous which never allowed the smell to rebound.
(Stanzas: 7-9)
The poet has used a beautiful comparison. Here the simile is that the mother’s flashing temper against the dangerous proposition of getting rid of the red Champak trees was like his grandmother’s twisted silver and gold. It was also like the children’s knickers. All these ultimately cooled her mother’s head. Her serious disposition was a threat against felling flowering trees, She said that the trees were as old as herself, The tree sprouted from the seed dropped by a passing bird. Hence, the trees were not cut down
(Stanzas: 10-11)
However, the providential dropping of the seed by a passing bird luckily germinated. Gradually, it grew up into a full-grown flowering tree as if to give her Gods, daughters, and daughters, daughters a basketful of annual flowers. They also simultaneously brought the most painful migraine to a line of cousins. All these evoked a special fascination with the flowering red Champak trees. Therefore, the idea of cutting down the trees was ultimately given up.
The Poet :
A.K. Ramanujan (1929-1996) permits his poetry to spring out of “deep inner compulsions”. Fear, despair, and the need for familial warmth are some of the themes of his poetry. His major verse collections are. “The Striders (1966)”, “Relations 1971)”, Selected Poems (1976)” and “Second Sight (1986)”. The Poem
The Poem :
‘Ecology’ expresses the contrasting attitudes of the mother and the children towards nature; it highlights the mother’s determination to preserve the Champak trees even though they are the cause of her suffering.
Ecology Summary in English
Rain comes as Usual as a natural process. It provides a new light to the also overwhelms with joviality and welcomes it wholeheartedly. But such a thing does not happen in the case of the narrator of the poem. He would angrily after the first rain.? Because he could sense it from a distance that their three red Champak trees had pepped multifarious trees of nature. The beautiful and attractive nature not only dances with joy in the coming of the rainy season but the people up int6 a new life- They had 10 stars flowering thereafter.
These fresh flowers caused severe headaches called migraine to his mother. No wind Was able to separate the yellow pollen fog from the fragrance of the flowers of the trees. No door could be shut out from their black pilloried house whose walls could see and hear bone-creaks, nightly visiting voices porous, like them But his mother’s temper which flashed like her twisted silver and grandchildren’s knickers prevented them from cutting down a tree in flower. These trees were as old as herself. The tree gave basketfuls of annual flowers to her daughters and daughter’s daughters. They also simultaneously brought the most painful migraine to a line of cousins of cousins.
Analytica, outlines of the poem
- Rain comes as usual as a natural process.
- It provides a new light to the multifarious trees of nature.
- The beautiful and attractive nature dances with joy.
- It dances with joy by the coming of the rainy season.
- The people also overwhelms with joviality.
- They welcome it wholeheartedly.
- But the narrator does not feel joy.
- He would come angrily after the first rain.
- It is because of the three red Champak trees.
- The trees had pepped into a new life.
- They had to start flowering thereafter.
- These fresh ‘flowers, caused headaches to his mother.
- They caused migraine in his mother.
- No wind was able to separate the yellow pollen fog from the fragrance of the flowers of the trees.
- No door could be shut out from their black pilloried house whose walls could see and hear.
- Scales, smells, bone creaks, and night-visiting voices were porous like them.
- His mother’s temper and grandchildren’s knickers prevented them from cutting down a tree in flower.
- These trees were as old as herself.
- The tree gave basketful of annual flowers to her daughters and daughter’s daughter.
- They also simultaneously brought the most painful’ migraine to a line of cousins.
Meaning of difficult words:
ecology – the study of living things in their surroundings
rage – irritation, strong excited emotion, uncontrollable anger.
Migraine – severe headache
sift – change, here, separate
porous – minute passages, having tiny holes.
scales – small thin flat pieces on the skin as in fish and snakes.
Bone Creaks – sounds made at the bone joints when you move (comparison with the long high noise when a door opens)
flashing – a momentary gleam of light, a sudden burst, a moment, showing something for a short time
twisted – bent in many directions,
providential – foresight, timely care.
dower – gifts, presents on a special occasion.
pollen – fertilizing, dust in flowers, the fine powder produced by flowers which are carried by wind or by insects to other flowers of the same type.
Night Of A Scorpion
Question For Discussion
Question 1.
What happened to the speaker’s mother one night?
Answer:
The speaker’s mother was stung by a scorpion one night.
Question 2.
What made the scorpion venture beneath the sack of rice?
Answer:
The evil scorpion was forced to risk beneath a sack of rice owing to the torrential rain outside.
Question 3.
What did the scorpion do after stinging his father?
Answer:
The scorpion bit the speaker’s mother and all of sudden he disappeared into the rain
Question 4.
What did the villagers do hearing the suffering of the speaker’s mother?
Answer:
The villagers reached there with lanterns and candles in hand and chanted songs to lessen her pain.
Question 5.
What did they say while reciting?
Answer:
They said that the sins of her previous birth might be burned away tonight, her suffering might decrease the misfortunes of her next birth, the sums of evils might be balanced in this unreal world and the poison might purify her flesh of desire and spirit of ambition
Question 6.
What did the poet’s father do in such a situation?
Answer:
The poet’s father who was a skeptic and nationalist used powder, mixture, herb, and hybrid, and even poured a little paraffin upon her bitten toe and put a match to it.
Question 7.
Did his mother get any relief there?
Answer:
Yes, his mother’ got’, tremendous relief there. She regained her usual health after twenty hours of treatment
Question 8.
What did his mother say after her recovery from the ‘ sting of the Scorpion?
Answer:
His mother said, “Thank God, the scorpion picked on me and spared my children.” The expression speaks volumes of motherly love for children. Mothers wished to invite any kind of problem for -the safety of their children.
Paraphrase: (Stanza -1)
The narrator of the poem recalls that night. His mother was stung by a scorpion that night. There was heavy rain falling outside. The torrential rain forced the scorpion to crawl into the house under a sack of rice and released poison into his mother’s blood by stinging her toe.
Stanza -2
The dangerous tail of the scorpion parted with its harmful poison into the innocent blood of the speaker’s mother and went out into the rain again. This caused severe pain and his mother suffered from its dangerous spell. The peasants assembled., with their lanterns and candles. They uttered the name of God several times to lessen her pain.
Stanza -3
The village farmers came.to his house with lanterns and candles in hand. They formed shadows which were like bigger scorPion on the walls- They seabed for the scorpion in vain. Because it was not found or had stepped into the rain earlier after stinging his mother’s toe.
Stanza -4
The poison moved upward in mother’s blood with the advance in time. The farmers said their mantras so that the poison might remain stagnant, her previous sins might be burned away the very night, her suffering might decrease the misfortune of her next birth, and the sum of evil might be balanced against the sum of good.
Stanza -5
The village fanners continued so that the poison might purify her flesh of desire and the spirit of ambition, They also sat around mother. The mother sat at the center and they surrounded her on the floor.
Stanza – 6
There earned a peace of understanding on each farmer’s face. The house was crowded with more candles, more lanterns, and more neighbors. There were more and more insects that were attracted by the candle and lantern lights. The rain proved heavier and heavier from time to time. Mother twisted her body in pain on a mat spread on the floor.
Stanza – 7
The speaker’s father was a skeptic and nationalist who did not believe in chanting and used powder, mixture, herb, and hybrid. He also poured a little paraffin on the bitten toe and put a match to it.
Stanza – 8-9
The speaker of the poem watched how his father poured a little paraffin into the bitten toe and put a match to it. The flame went on consuming mother’s flesh. It seemed as if a holy man was performing his rites and sacrifice. After twenty hours the poison was arrested. Mother told and thanked God he have made the scorpion to pick her up and spare her children.
Explanations
Explanation – 1
I remember………………… poison flash,
These lines have been taken from Nissim Ezekiel’s poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’. They speak volumes of the scorpion which ventured into the house. Heavy torrential rain forced it to get into the house creeping under a sack of rice, stinging the mother’s toe, and separating its malicious poison. It again risked into the rain outside
Explanation – 2
Of diabolic…………………………. evil one.
These lines have been extracted from Nissim Ezikiel’s masterpiece ‘Night of the Scorpion’. The poet here tells how the rustic villagers indulge in superstitious ideas at the time when the mother is stung by a scorpion. The scorpion after stinging the mother risked into the rain. Peasants followed thick and fast like swarms of flies and chanted the name of God several times so as to lessen and imitate her pain. This stanza tells about the superstitious belief of the village folk who in spite of taking any medicinal remedial measures, resorted to unscientific approaches to stop the poison from rising in her blood.
Explanation- 3
With candles…………….. their tongues.
These lines comprise a part of the poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’ by Nissim Ezikiel who says that the village people poured in the spot where the speaker’s mother was wreathing in pain. They swarmed the place with their lanterns and candles which cast scorpion-like shadows on the mud-baked wall. They left no stone unturned in searching for the scorpion. But all their endeavor ended in smoke. The poisonous creature was not found as it had fled the place after stinging the speaker’s mother.
They clicked their tongues. Nothing was the result. The stanza gives a realistic picture of village life. When someone is in trouble the whole village responds to it. It stands a sharp contrast to the lifestyle of the city-dwellers who are apathetic’ and un-reciprocal to one another’s weal and woe.
Explanation – 4
With every movement………….they said,
These lines occur in the fourth stanza of Nissim Ezekiel’s poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’. They speak about the serious approaches of the village peasants to the superstitious ideas which have claimed a very powerful place in making treatments of snake bites and scorpion stinging. The village fanners have gathered around mother who was suffering the pain of the poison released by the scorpion in her blood. They said that with every movement that the scorpion made his poison moved into mother’s blood. They chanted mantras so that he might sit still without moving an inch so that the sins of her previous birth might be burned away the very night, The stanza is a mockery of the unscientific approaches to the treatment of scorpion stingings restored to by the rustic people.
Explanation – 5
May your suffering………..sum of good,
These lines have been extracted from the poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’ by Nissim Ezikiel, a poet of international repute. These lines are a continuation of the previous stanza, The approaches of the treatment still continue in this stanza also. The rural folk resumed their saying so that her suffering might mitigate the misfortunes of her next birth. Here the poet notes the belief of the village people in the next birth or rebirth. They again went on, so that the sum total of evil might be balanced in the unreal world against the sum of good and the pain gets mitigated and lessened.
Explanation – 6
Become diminished…………in the center.
These lines have been brought from Nissim Ezekiel’s poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’. This part of the poem constitutes the continuity of the previous stanza. The village people went on with their usual chanting so that the poison might purify modifiers flesh of desire and spirit of ambition. They set around on the floor with mother in the center. This part tells about the innocuous approaches of the village people who never allow any ill will or malice towards no one. They are always the well-wishers who never think of any evil.
Explanation – 7
The peace of understanding……………… groaning on a mat.
These lines are taken from Nissim Ezekiel’s poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’ which gives a realistic picture of the approaches of the village mass when some unnecessary event befalls another. The people ate making a serious treatment of scorpion sting. They muster up around mother and go on chanting ’their usual mantras so as to alleviate her pain. There appears a solemn understanding in each face. The number of people increased from time to time. The people crowded the house with candles and lanterns in their hands. They bring in with them a swarm of insects. Rains assume torrential and heavy With the advance of the night. Mother has no other alternative than twist in pains and pangs.
Explanation – 8
My father……………… match to it.
These lines have been extracted from Nissim Ezikiel’s typical poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’. They represent a change in the treatment of the scorpion sting. The speaker’s father is a skeptic and rationalist who does not believe in chanting the name Of God in neutralizing the poison of the scorpion. What they believe in is the scientific method. He, therefore, uses powder, mixture, herb, and hybrid on the stung part. He even pours a little paraffin and puts a match on the bitter toe so as to burn away the poison of the scorpion released into her blood.
Night Of A Scorpion Summary in English
The narrator of the poem recalls the night when his mother was stung by a Scorpion. The scorpion had been driven by the torrential rain outside, which forced it to crawl beneath a sack of rice. The diabolic trail of the scorpion. mixed .its poison with mother’s blood and the scorpion itself risked into the rain again.’ Village farmers followed thick and fast in order to cure the mother of the terrible pain she was undergoing at that time and chanted the name of God a number of times so as to neutralize its poison. Everybody searched for the scorpion with the candles and lantern but could, not discover the scorpion.
The farmers started musing so that the sins of her previous birth would be burned away the night, they went on saying that her suffering might decrease the misfortunes of her next birth, and they also added that her flesh might. get purified by the poison injected by the scorpion. They also surrounded the speaker’s mother at the center. People reached in large numbers with their lanterns and candles in hand. Mother: was still groaning in pain on a mat The speaker’s father who was a skeptic and rationalist tried ta add power, herb, and hybrid mixture to her stung place. He also paced a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and a match to it. After twenty hours of pain and suffering, the poison was tamed and the mother said nothing but one thing“Thank God, the Scorpion picked on me and spared my children.”
Analytical outlines of the poem:
- The narrator of the poem recalls about one night.
- His mother was stung by a Scorpion that night.
- The scorpion had been driven by the torrential rain outside
- It forced it to crawl beneath a sack of rice.
- The diabolic trail of the scorpion mixed ts Poison with the mother s blood.
- The scorpion itself risked into the rain again
- The village farmer followed thick and fast. in order to cure the mother of the terrible pain
- They chanted the name of God a number of times.
- They did this in order to neutralize its position.
- Everybody searched for the scorpion with the candles and lanterns.
- They could not discover the scorpion
- The farmers started musing.
- The sins of her birth would be turned away the very night.
- Her suffering might decrease the misfortunes of her next birth
- They also, that her flash might be purified by the poison injected by the scorpion
- They also surrounded the speaker’s mother at the center.
- People reached large numbers.
- They reached with their lanterns and candles.
- Mother was still groaning in pain on a mat.
- The speaker’s father was a skeptic.
- He was also a rationalist.
- His father tried to add power, herb, and hybrid mixture to her stung place.
- He also poured a little paraffin upon the bitten toe.
- He also put a match to it.
- The poison was tamed after twenty-four hours.
- She suffered from that pain for twenty hours.
- At last, she thanked God.
- She said that the scorpion biting also spared her children.