Odisha State Board CHSE Odisha Class 11 Approaches to English Book 2 Solutions Poem 2 Dog’s Death Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
CHSE Odisha 11th Class Alternative English Solutions Poem 2 Dog’s Death
Pre-reading Activity I
Have you ever kept a pet? Why do people keep pets? For companionship? For love? Or for some other benefits? Can you recall some of the happiest moments with your pets? Here is a poem in which Updike remembers his pet. As you read the poem, try to find an answer to the question. What is the most significant thing that the poet remembers about his pet?
Questions And Answers
Question 1.
Why does the poet begin with the pronoun “she”? Would it make any difference, if the poem began with “the dog….”?
Answer:
However, the poet has adopted this technique due to two things. One thing is that the poet has personified the dog as he has attributed human qualities to it.‘Since the dog is treated as a member of the family. It is given a human position. Secondly, the pronoun “she” makes it clear that it is a female dog that is it is a bitch. The poem would have made a lot of difference if it had started with The dog….”
Question 2.
How did the dog win everybody’s appreciation?
Answer:
The dog must have been kicked unseen or brushed by a car. If W&s for young to know much. It was. starting to learn to use the newspapers spread on the kitchen floor. He: therefore, won everyone’s appreciation. It is 4n fact, a good dog.
Question 3.
What could “shy malaise” means?
Answer:
However, “Shy malaise” means bodily disorder without signs of illness. The bodily discomfort is not known to the surface. Suffering is something that is not known to the outward.
Question 4.
What does the poet want to convey when he says “… blood was filling her skin/And her heart was tearing to He down forever”?
Answer:
As the poet and others teased, the dog, got terribly angry. However, it was rational enough to control itself. It is the meaning of the given statement.
Question 5.
How does the poet describe the dying dog?
Answer:
The poet describes that the children were noisily fed on Monday morning. Then they were sent to school. The dying dog crawled beneath the youngest’s bed. It was found that it was twisted and limp but still alive. It was carried to the vets in a car on the poet’s lap. It tried to bite his hand and died. Thus, in this way the dying dog is described by the poet.
Question 6.
What does the expression “her frame” suggest?
Answer:
The expression ‘her frame’ suggests the complete body politic of the dog. The entire body structure of the dog referred to as the ‘frame’ has sunk down owing to diarrhea.
Question 7.
Why did the dog drag herself to a newspaper on Sunday night?
Answer:
However, the dog suffered from severe diarrhea. It had a terrible loose motion which had made it considerably weak and worn out. Unable to walk, it dragged itself across the floor to reach a piece of newspaper spread in a distance so as to pass extra on it and not to make the floor dirty by spilling stool here and there. It, therefore, tried to drag itself to a newspaper on a Sunday night.
Question 8.
In stanza- 4, the third line is; “Though surrounded by love that would have upheld her”. Who was “surrounded”? And by whom?
Answer:
The dog was surrounded by the poet’s family members who were love personified. The whole family had a selfless love for the innocent creature.
Question 9;
Comment on the speaker’s voice in “Dog’s Death”.
Answer:
The speaker seems to be an ardent lover of his pet dog. Her death has brought him unbound sorrows. His intense love for the dog made him write a poem devoted to it. The poem delineates the poet’s profound love which he employs in his poem ‘Dog’s Death”.
Question 10.
Can you suggest an alternative title for the poem?
Answer:
An alternative title may be suggested for the poem. It is “Oh Dog, My Dog !”
Composition
Question 1.
Write an appreciation of the poem beginning with a mention of its theme and then showing, through a stanza-by-stanza analysis, how this theme has been elaborated across the stanzas in a connected way, your appreciation of the poem must include an analysis of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the poetic devices used and must conclude with your personal response to the poem.
Answer:
The poem “Dog’s Death” is undoubtedly the most typical masterpiece of John Updike, an eminent and outstanding American Poet. This autobiographical poem centers around the death of a beloved pet of the poet. The poet is a dog that dies bringing about-an uncompromising sorrow to the poet who feels bereft of his faithful dog. In the first stanza, the poet describes his pet dog which must have been kicked or brushed by a car. It was starting to learn to use the newspaper spread on the kitchen floor and to win.
It was a good dog. In the second stanza, we find the poet and his wife thought her shy malaise was a terrible reaction. The postmortem report revealed that there appeared a crack in its lever. As it was teased with play, blood was ‘feeling her skin and her heart was leaning to ie down forever. In the third stanza, we have, it was Monday morning. The children were noisily fed MD went to school. The dog crawled beneath (the youngest’s childbed. She was found lying disturbed and limp although she was alive. It was carried to the vets on the poet’s lap.
The expression “on my lap” tells that the pet is like i loving child which is carried on the poet’s In the fourth stanza, we find that when ie dog was being carried to the vet’s in a car on the poet’s lap, it tried to bite the poet’s mind and died. The poet patted its warm fur in his wife and called in a voice imperious with ars. But the dog was no more. stance. The concluding stanza tells that the poet id his wife returned home at last and found the frame drawing near to dissolution. While offering from diarrhea, it had dragged itself ross the floor to a newspaper quite tirelessly left on the spot in a little As a matter of fact, we observed that the theme of unfathomable love towards that animal is vehemently treated by the poet almost all the stanzas. The personified session is really the most inspiring and heart-ching.
Question 2.
Suppose your pet is lost and there is little hope of your getting it back. Write a letter to a friend expressing your sentiments for the lost pet, so that you may get over your depression.
Answer:
Mohantypara
Sundargarh
20.07.2016
My Dear Rakesh,
How are you? You’d be surprised to know that the dog you saw last is now no more. You know what a nice animal it is. It used to bark for me; guard for me and even die for me. I’ve told you how it once helped me from imminent death. Its absence causes a serious vacuum that can hardly be filled up. I personally feel bereft of the most living creature which is no longer in life. The sense of loss for the pretty little thing hangs heavy on me. I can’t really withstand the incompressible loss meted out to me. I’d been. closely associated with his pet of mine. since 2010. I do feel its loss every now and then.
Yours ever,
Sukant
Detailed Summaries
Paraphrase: Stanza -1
The day must have been kicked unseen. It must have been brushed by a car. It was starting to learn to use the newspapers spread on the kitchen floor and to win Wetting there. It was, in fact, a good dog.
Stanza – 2
The poet and his wife thought her shy malaise was a terrible reaction. The postmortem report revealed that there appeared a crack in its liver. As it was teased with play, blood was filling her skin and her heart was learning to lie down forever.
Stanza – 3
It was Monday morning. The children were properly fed. Then they went to school. The dog crawled beneath the youngest’s bed. She was found distorted and limp although she was alive. It was parried to the vets on the poet’s lap.
Stanza- 4
car on the poet’s lap to the .vet’s, it tried to bite the poet’s hand and died.’ The poet patted its warm fur. His wife called in a voice imperious with tears. But the dog more. While the dog was being carried in a was no more.
Stanza – 5
The poet and his wife come back home. They found her frame drawing near to dissolution. While suffering front diarrhea, it had dragged itself across the floor to a newspaper quite carelessly left on the spot a little distance.
Notes On The Poet:
John. Updike (born 1932) is known as the chronicles of modem America. His novels such as ‘.Couples’ and the ‘Rabbit’ contemplate on the ‘domestic needs’ and ‘aesthetic-religious desires’ of the average American. He has also tried his hand at sight-verse. Some of his well-known poetry collections are ‘The Carpentered Hen’, ‘Telephone poles’ and ‘Facing Nature’. In ‘Dog’s Death’ the poet pays tribute to the memory of his pet. The appeal of the poem, however, is universal.
Dog’s Death Summary in English
The dog must have been kicked unseen or brushed by a car. He was too young to know much and he was beginning to leaned to use the newspapers, spread on the kitchen floor. It was thought that her shy malaise was a short reaction. The autopsy proved that there was a rupture in its liver. As it was teased sportively, blood was filling her skin and its heart was learning to tie down forever. sent to school on Monday morning, it crept beneath the youngest’s bed.
It was found limp and trusted although alive. While it was being carried in a car to the vet’s on the poet’s lap, it tried to bite his hand and died. The poet stroked its warm fur and his wife called in a voice imperious with tears. They came back home, they found that in the night its body frame was heading towards dissolution. As the children were noisily fed and sportively, blood was filling her skin and its heart was learning to tie down forever. sent to school on Monday morning, it crept beneath the youngest’s bed.
As the children were noisily fed and sent to school on Monday morning, it crept beneath the youngest’s bed. It was found limp and trusted although alive. While it was being carried in a car to the vet’s on the poet’s lap, it tried to bite his hand and died. The poet stroked its warm fur and his wife called in a voice imperious with tears. They came back home, they found that in the night its body frame was heading towards dissolution.
Analytical outlines of the poem
- The dog must have been kicked unseen.
- It must have been brushed by a car.
- it was too young to know much.
- It was beginning to learn to use the newspapers spread on the kitchen floor.
- It was thought that her shy malaise was a shot reaction.
- The autopsy proved that there was a rupture in its liver.
- It was teased sportively.
- Blood was filling her skin. ,
- Its heart was learning to lie down forever.
- It was Monday morning.
- The children were noisily fed.
- They were sent to school. It crept beneath the youngest’s bed.
- It was found limp.
- It was trusted although alive.
- It was being carried in a car to the vets on the poet’s lap.
- It tried to bite his hand.
- At last, it died.
- The poet stroked its warm fur.
- His wife called in a voice imperious with
- They came back home.
- They found that in the night its body frame was heading towards dissolution,
Meaning of difficult words
malaise – bodily discomfort without signs of illness.
autopsy – personal inspection,’ examination of the body in order to know the cause of death
rupture – breaking, a breach, bursting.
imperious – haughty, commanding, imperative, giving orders.
disclosed – revealed, exposed. unclosed,
crawled – moved slowly, crept.
stroked – patted with hands.
stiffening – unbending, not easily moved, to become stiff and tight
diarrhea – an excessive looseness of bowels, an infectious disease of the bowel
dragged – trailed, harrowed, pulled
forcibly, endured – bear firmly, tolerate, withstand.