Odisha State Board CHSE Odisha Class 12 Approaches to English Book 2 Solutions Poem 5 Toads Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
CHSE Odisha 12th Class Alternative English Solutions Poem 5 Toads
Pre-Reading activity:
What ideas do you associate with Toads? List them here… The poem you are going to read now has the title “Toads”. See if the ideas you associate with Toads are reflected in the poem. Your focus, however, should be on finding answer to. Is it real Toads that the poem is about? If not, what does the poet mean by Toads?
Notes On The Poet:
Philip Larkin (1922-1995) is one of the outstanding poet of the post-war generation of poets. His volumes – include “The North Ship” (1 995) and “The Less Deceived” (1955). His poetry responds to all he tints and flavours of provinced life. His sensitivity to human “absurdity and pathos” is strongly marked in many of his poems. The poem “Toads” is expressed the poet’s disgust with a vice-like grip of a routined engagement.
Questions For Discussion:
Question 1.
What does the poet mean by toads?
Answer:
The poet means by toads that they sit heavy with their hunkers which are as cold as snow.
Question 2.
How do the two questions with which the poem begins set the tone of the poem?
Answer:
The poet is disgusted with the toad that squats on his life. He wishes to drive it off. The tone marks a reaction against the ill luck of life.
Question 3.
The thing that oppresses the poet is first called “the toad” then “the brute” then “it”. Does this convey the poet’s progressive indifference to the creature? What else could this convey?
Answer:
The use of “the toad”, “the brute” and “it” display the poet’s progressive indifference to the creature. It also conveys an irksome attitude of the poet to the creature.
Question 4.
Which stanza expresses the poet’s intense disgust? What is he disgusted with?
Answer:
The poet is disgusted with a vice-like grip of a routined engagement.
Question 5.
Identify the stanza where alliteration is most pronounced? What purpose does it serve?
Answer:
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant speech sounds in the sequence of nearby woods. This is prominent in “Lots” of folk five on their wits/lecturers, lispers/losels, loblolly men, louts …”
Question 6.
What is the poet’s attitude to the people ‘who live on their wits? Why does he cite their examples?
Answer:
The poet holds a positive view for the people who live on their wits. He cites examples of witty persons because they don’t end as paupers.
Question 7.
What can the poet mean by the expression “Their unspeakable wives”?
Answer:
The wives are unspeakable because they cannot be studied and spoken off. They are unscrutable and unspeakable. They are as skinny as whippets.
Question 8.
What is the poet’s wish in Stanza 6?
Answer:
The poet says this in Stanza 6 which reflects an unpleasant experience. When one does not want the pension that is offered and one get’s angry.
Question 9.
In the first stanza the poet says “why should I let the toad work/squat on my life; in Stanza 7 he says” “For something sufficiently toad-like / squats in me too.” Are they two different squatters? Is there a difference of mood between Stanza -1 and Stanza – 7?
Answer: The squatter in stanza- 1 and the one in Stanza- 7 are different squatters. There is a difference of mood between Stanza- 1 and Stanza – 7.
Question 10.
What does the poet require from life? Is he frustrated because he can’t get “All at one sitting”?
Answer:
The poet requires a free and enchanting life rather than the routined engagement. He is not frustrated as such in the lines indicated.
Question 11.
The poet is a deft manipulated of words but he envies those who make a living through unscrupulous manipulation of words, who “blarney” their way to success. What could he mean would you consider it mock modesty?
Answer:
The poet through his enjoy of those who make a living through unscrupulous manipulation of words is quite choosy and idealist in employing right words in the right situations. It can be termed as a mock modesty.
Question 12.
What do these lines mean? Attempt a simple and brief paraphrase.
“I don’t say, one bodies the other
One’s spiritual truth
But I do say it’s hard to lose either.
When you have both”.
Answer:
These lines have a bearing with the previous lines. Something to ad-like sits in him heavy with its hind legs which never allow to blarney his way to getting the feme, the girl and the money all at one sitting. He does not say that one bodies the other one’s spiritual truth. It is also difficult to lose either of the two in the event of having the both.
Composition:
Question 1.
Assess the significance of the little “Toads”?
Answer:
The poem ‘Toads” is composed by Philip Larking, an eminent and out-standing poet of the post-war generation. His poetry responds to all the tints and flavours of provinced life. He has indeed great mastery in proving apt and suggestive title to his poems. His quality in this sense is superb and fantastic. This is a typical poem demonstrating this quality.
However, the title of work of art must be pointed, precise, concise, sharp and suggestive. It should be lie a colourful and attractive signboard which attracts the attention of the customers instantly. It can also show the inside contents of the shop. Similarly an attractive and suggestive title makes the reader spell bound to go through the piece of writing with much interest and fascination. The discussing poem ‘Toads” is sucha poem which satisfies all the characteristics of a good title. Toads are very inactive, rough and ugly creatures that sit heavy hindering its and other progress simultaneously.
The little taken from these living makes it clear that the toads keeping hanging on the poet which hinder his progress. Moreover, the poet starts the poem with two questions at the outset of the poem. One, “Why should I let the toad work/squat on my life?” Second, can I use my wit as a pitchfork/And drive the brute off?” The second stanza of the poem says that the toad soils six days of the week with its sickening poison just for paying a few bills that is out of proportion. A lot of people live on their wits. Lecturers, lispers, losels, loblolly- men, louts don’t end as paupers. Yet many more people live up lanes with fires in a bucket that eat winds falls and tinned sardines and seem to like it.
In the fifth stanza, the poet says that their children here got bare feet, their unspeakable wives are skinny as small thin racing dogs and yet no one actually stores. Had he been courageous enough to shout “stuff your pension” but he knows, all too well, that is the stuff that dreams are made on. In the seventh, eighth and ninth stanzas, the poet continues his thoughts saying that for something sufficiently toad-like squats in him to blarney his way to getting the fame and the girl and the money all at one sitting. He does not say that one bodies the other one’s spiritual truth but he does say that it is hard to lose either when one has the both. As a matter of fact, it is very much clear from the above description that, the title of the poem is apt and suggestive. The poet’s explanation about the toads as really fantastic, outstanding, though-provoking and appropriate.
Question 2.
Write an appreciation of the poem. First state the theme and say briefly how this theme is related to “Toads”. Then discuss how the problem is introduced and elaborated in the poem and whether there is any suggestion of a resolution of the problem. Also examine how the introducing stanza and the concluding stanza are related to each other and so the stanza in between. Identify the unusual words in the poem, if you find any and point out their relevance in the poem. And conclude your appreciation with your personnel response to the theme and its treatment in the poem.
Answer:
In fact, Philip Larkin’s poem ‘Toads” is his superb and fantastic composition. Here he expresses his disgust with a vice like grip of routined engagement. It is such a poem which satisfies the characteristics of a good poem. Toads are very inactive, rough and ugly creatures,
that sit heavy hindering its and the other’s progress simultaneously. The title taken from these living beings makes it clear that the toads keep hanging on the poet which hinder his progress.
However, the poet starts the poem with two questions at the outset of the poem One is –
“why should I let the toad work/squat on my life”? The second one is – “can’t I use my wit as a pitch work /And drive the brute off?” The second stanza of the poem says that the toad soils six days of the week with its sickening poison just for paying a few bills that is out of preparation. A lot of people live on their wits. Lecturers, lispers, losels, loblolly-men, louts don’t end as paupers yet, many more people live up lanes with fires in a bucket that act windfalls and tinned sardines and seemed to like it.
Moreover, the poet delineates in the fifth stanza that their children have got bare feet; their unspeakable wives are skinny as small racing dogs and yet no one actually shores”, but he knows all two well, that is the stuff that dreams are made on. In the seventh, eighth and ninth stanza the poet continues his thought saying that for something sufficiently toad like squats in him too. Its hind legs are so heavy that they are as hard luck and cold as snow which will never allow him to blarney his way to getting the fame and the girl and the money all at one sitting.
He does not say that one bodies the other one’s spiritual truth but he does say that it is hard to lose either when one has the both.
The presence of alliteration which is a repetition of speech sounds in the sequence of nearby words makes the poem very effective. The initial’s sounds in the words ‘six’ ‘soils’ and the final ‘s’ sound in the words- ‘that’s, ‘proportion’; The I sounds in ‘tots’ ‘folk’, ‘live’, ‘lecturers’, ‘lispers’, ‘losels’, ‘loblolly-men’, Touts’ etc. are the alliterative sounds that enrich the poem As a matter of feet, the poem ‘Toads” of Philip Larkin is a typical masterpiece of suggestion which teaches and delights at one. The way he conveys the theme through toads is really superb
and outstanding. One the whole, the poem is inspiring, thought-provoking, elevating and heart-touching.
Toads Summary in English
Why should the speaker let the toad work and quat it on his life? Whether he can use his intelligence as a pitch form and drive the brute off. It soils six days out of seven with its sickening poison. A lot of people live on their wits. Lecturers, lispers, losels, loblolly-men, louts don’t end as paupers. Lots of people also live up lanes with files in a bucket and act windfalls and tinned surdines. Their children have got bare fact. Their unspeakable wives are skinny as whippets and no one actually stars. The speaker can’t have say to shut “stuff your pension”. But he knows everything very well that dreams are made on Because something sufficiently toad-like sits on him and its hunkers are heavy as hard luck and cold as snow and will never allow him to talk pleasant but untrue things in order to convince or persuade people. He wishes to get the fame and the girl and the money all at one sitting. He does not say that one bodies one other one’s spiritual truth but he says it is hard to lose either when both are heard.
Analytical Outlines:
- The poet begins the poem with a question.
- Why should the speaker let the toad work and quit it on his life?
- Whether he can use his intelligence.
- He can use it as a pitchfork.
- He can drive the brute off.
- It soils six days out of seven.
- It soils with its sickening poison.
- A lot of people live on their wits.
- Lecturers and whispers don’t end as paupers.
- G. Losels, loblolly-men, and louts don’t end as paupers.
- Lots of people also live up lanes.
- They live up with fires in a bucket.
- They act windfalls.
- They act tinned surdines.
- Their children have got bare feet.
- Their unspeakable wives are skinny.
- They are skinny as whippets.
- No one actually starves.
- The speaker shouts something.
- He shouts, “stuff your poison”.
- But he knows everything very well.
- He knows that dreams are made on.
- Because, something sufficiently toad-like sits on him.
- Its hunkers are heavy.
- These are like hard hick.
- These are as cold as now.
- They will never allow him to talk pleasant.
- They will never allow him untrue things in order to convince or persuade.
- He wishes to get the fame.
- He wishes to get the money all at one sitting.
- He does not say that one bodies the other one’s spiritual truth.
- But he says it is hard to lose.
Meaning Of Difficult Words:
squat – to sit on one’s heels.
pitchfork- a fork with a long handle.
wit- intelligence
lispers- those who speak with a speech fault
losels- loafers.
loblolly-men- those who trick others into giving them money.
louts- rude, violent men.
windfalls- fruits blowing offa tree
sardines- small young fish that are often pecked in flat metal boxes.
whippets- small thin racing dogs
nippers- children.
stuff your pension- you say this when you do not want the pension that is offered and you are angry
hunkers- bent knees while the toad is sitting.
blarney- talk pleasant but untrue things in order to convince or persuade people.