Odisha State Board CHSE Odisha Class 12 Approaches to English Book 2 Solutions Poem 3 Of a Questionable Conviction Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
CHSE Odisha 12th Class Alternative English Solutions Poem 3 Of a Questionable Conviction
Pre-Reading activity:
Have you ever written poems? If so, what was your purpose in writing them? Why does a poet write poems?To persuade the readers into his own beliefs? Is it always possible to know if the poet is sincerely expressing his conviction in his poems? The poem you are going to read has
the title of a questionable conviction. Can you guess what the poem is about? Now read the poem and find out.
Notes On The Poet:
Jayanta Mahapatra from(1928) is foremost among the Indian English poets. His poetry expresses an ‘unhealable rift” a profound sense of loss. A tireless experimenter, Mahapatra’s poetic idiom is subtle and suggestive. His well known poetry collection are “Close the Sky”, Ten by Ten (1971), ‘A Rain Rated (1976). ‘A Father’s Hours’ (1976) and Relationship (1980) and ‘Burden of waves and Fruit’ (1986). ‘Ofa Questionable Conviction’ addresses the issue of how important convictions are to the writing of a poem.
Questions For Discussion:
Question 1.
Why does the poet think the man who talks of pain invented it himself?
Answer:
The poet thinks that he man who talks of pain invented it himself because he has made virtue out of it.
Question 2.
What is the main idea in Stanza 1?
Answer:
The main idea in Stanza 1 is that it is perhaps he who has invented pain himself because he has made virtue out of it.
Question 3.
What, according to the poet ‘his excuse to live’?
Answer:
Waiting for hours in the night towards another night is, according to the poet, his excuse.
Question 4.
Can the walls be lonely? Why does the poet use this expression?
Answer:
Walls, in poetry, can be lonely. The poet makes use of this expression to bring about a kind of personification in the poem.
Question 5.
“For months together the window has been deceiving him”. What could the poet mean by these lines?
Answer:
The window has been deceiving him for months together, because light has been simply coming in and going out. He has not been able to polish and heart by means of the light.
Question 6.
The poet described in he poem ‘has been trying to polish the light on his heart? How?
Answer:
The light on his heart is poor and the poet is not able to polish his heart by means of the light that enters and exits through the window.
Question 7.
You can easily see that in the first three stanza only the present tense forms are used. In the final stanza, however, past tense forms are used. Why is this shift in the concluding stanza?
Answer:
The use of present perfect progressive in the third stanza makes it rather explicit that the action started some times in the past and it continues into the present. Hence, it has a past reference. The past tense from in the concluding stanza tell that the poet has been doing that from the past till the present.
Question 8.
Would you consider the ending of the poem satisfactory? Explain your point of view.
Answer:
The ending of the poem is satisfactory because writing poem beside a lonely wall does not harm anybody.
Question 9.
What can you say about the tone of the poem?
Answer:
The tone of the poem is pain and simple.
Question 10.
What do you mean by –
(i) “The empty window in his lonely wall” (stanza 2)
(ii) “The eyes saw the pain in the mirror” (stanza 4)
(iii) “They did not grudge him that.” (stanza 4)
Answer:
(i) The only well without window doors.
(ii) The poet’s eyes saw the pain in the mirror.
(in) The people did not give or allow anything unwillingly.
Of a Questionable Conviction Summary in English
This is a man who talks of pain as though it belonged to him alone. Perhaps he has invented it himself and made virtue of it. And this man may be a poet. He waits in the night for hours. He keeps waiting for another night because, that is his excuse to live. The empty window in his lonely wall belongs to him alone. The window has been deceiving him for months together. Light comes in and goes out of its own without any hindrance. He has been trying to polish the light on his heart. Everybody says that he is a poet. His eyes witnessed the pain in the mirror which reflected his image. They did not grudge him that such a harmless pastime never ruined anybody’s sleep.
Analytical Outlines:
- The poet talks about a man.
- That man talks of pain.
- The pain belongs to him along.
- Perhaps, he has invented it himself.
- He makes virtue of it.
- That man may be a poet.
- He waits in the night for hours.
- He keeps waiting for another night.
- Because that is his excuse to live.
- It is the empty window in his lonely wall.
- It belongs to him alone.
- The window has been deceiving him.
- It has been deceiving him for months together.
- Light comes in.
- Light goes out of its own.
- It is without any hindrance.
- He has been trying to polish the light.
- He will polish it in his heart.
- Everybody says that he is a poet.
- His eyes witnessed the pain.
- It witnessed it in the mirror.
- The mirror reflected his image.
- They did not grudge him.
- It is a harmless pastime.
- It never ruined anybody’s sleep
Meaning Of Difficult Words:
conviction – a strong belief or opinion.
virtue – good quality
deceiving – misleading, cheating, betraying
hindrance- obstacle, impediment, obstruction
polish- to refine, to make or become smooth and shining.
witness- to see, to give evidence
image- a statue, an idol, an idea, a reflection
reflect- to express, to throw or come back
grudge- give or allow something very unwillingly
pastime- an enjoyable or interesting activity