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UNIVERSAL EDUCATION ICSE GRADE X ENGLISH LITERATURE Where the mind is without fear Rabindranath Tagore Q1. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:- Where the mind is without fear walls. a) Which place is envisaged by the poet? Whose mind is the poet talking about? Ans. The place envisaged by the poet is a country, where people are fearless and selfrespecting, where there is no hindrance in acquiring knowledge, and where people are united. The poet is talking about the minds of the people residing in such a country. What does the poet mean by saying the head is held high? What is a sonnet? Ans. The poet means that the people are living a life of dignity and self respect. A Sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. It is divided into two stanzas, the octave (the first eight lines) followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines). 3 b) 3 c) What does he mean by saying where knowledge is free? What were the restrictions imposed on the spread of knowledge? Ans. He means to say that in his dream country, people will have an easy access to knowledge, irrespective of caste, class, creed or religion. Earlier, education was the monopoly of the higher caste and upper class. Knowledge was restricted by orthodox beliefs, customs and traditions, whereby education was denied to the poor, untouchables and girls. 3 d) What are the narrow domestic walls that threaten to disintegrate the world? Ans. The narrow domestic walls are the walls of narrow thinking and prejudices based on caste, creed, colour and faith that threaten to disintegrate the world. 3 e) What does the poet say immediately after these lines in the context? When was the poem written? Ans. The poet says that in an independent India, as envisaged by him, people should be sincere and truthful. They should speak from the core of their hearts. The poem was written by Tagore when India was under the subjugation of the British. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:Where words .dead habit. a) What kind of a place is envisaged by the poet in the above extract? What has the poet said earlier about knowledge in the context? Ans. The poet envisages an enlightened and independent India where there is 4 Q2. 3 honesty, integrity, perfection and clarity of thoughts and actions. Earlier, the poet has said that knowledge should be freely available to all irrespective of caste, class, creed or religion. b) What does words that come out from the depth of truth mean? What according to the poet Breaks up the world into fragments means? Ans. Words that come out from the depth of truth means that people are honest and truthful. Breaks up the world into fragments means that the people of the world are divided by orthodox beliefs, narrow mindedness and prejudices based on caste, colour, creed or religion. 3 c) What does the poet want his people to aim at? What does the poet mean by tireless striving ? Ans. The poet wants his people to aim at perfection in all their pursuits. By tireless striving the poet means relentless hard work to achieve perfection in whatever they do. 3 d) Explain Where the clear stream ..dead habit. Ans. Clear stream of reason indicates clarity of thoughts and intellect. Dreary desert sand of dead habit signifies outdated customs and traditions. The poet envisages an independent India where people give up the outdated custom, traditions and orthodox beliefs so as to adopt rationalism and modern outlook by shedding their age old superstitions and blind faith. 3 e) What does the poet pray for towards the end? Give any two examples of alliteration from the extract. Ans. The poet prays to God to guide and lead his countrymen into ever-widening thought and action so that India can awake into a blissful heaven of freedom. The two examples of alliteration are Where words and Dreary desert . Q3. 4 Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:Where the mind is led ..awake. a) What kind of conduct does the poet expect from his people? Who is referred to as Thee in the above extract? Ans. The poet expects his countrymen to follow the progressive path of ever-widening thought and action. Thee is referred to the Almighty God so that his country should awake into a blissful heaven of freedom. 3 b) The poet has earlier talked of a stream and a desert. In which context does he make the reference? Ans. The poet makes the reference in view of the fact that the clear stream of reasoning and rational thinking is often lost in the dreary desert of orthodox beliefs and outdated customs and traditions. The poet exhorts his countrymen to adopt rationalism and modern outlook by shedding their age old superstitions and blind faith. 3 c) Does the poet want his people to be thoughtful or action-oriented? Why? Ans. Yes, the poet wants his people to be both thoughtful and action oriented so that 3 his country could awaken into a new blissful heaven of freedom. d) Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake ? What does that mean? Ans. That refers to a new blissful era of freedom. It refers to an independent India where the mind of the people is without fear and where people are enshrined with the qualities of dignity, courage, perseverance, determination, rationalism, modern outlook, knowledge, truth and an unflinching faith in God. 3 e) 4 Do you think the poet s heaven of freedom is a mere pipe dream or a dream that can be fulfilled? Justify. Ans. The poet s heaven of freedom is not a mere pipe dream. It is not a dream that cannot be fulfilled. It may be difficult to create such a blissful heaven of freedom but the dream can be turned into a reality by a strong determination, courage, integrity, truth, perseverance, knowledge, rationalism, modern outlook and an unflinching faith in God. Q.4 Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow: Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high? Where knowledge is free? Where the world has not been broken up into fragments? By narrow domestic walls? a) The poem opens with the word where and the same word is repeated throughout. Does the word refer to a place? Ans. Yes, the word where refers to an independent India where everyone is free, fearless, honourable and enlightened. By repeating the word where, the poet builds up a climax before finally making a mention of a blissful heaven of freedom . b) What is meant by freedom from fear? Ans. Freedom from fear means to be a bold thinker and a man of action. It is a freedom in real terms and can be achieved only if the mind is without fear. c) When can you hold your head high? Does it pre-suppose any condition? Ans. One can proudly hold one s head high if one has dignity or self-respect. It pre-supposes freedom to live with dignity in a blissful heaven of freedom where the mind is without fear. Holding the head high stands for an honourable life led by a free citizen. d) Explain knowledge is free . Does it mean free of charge? Ans. Knowledge should be freely accessible to all irrespective of caste, class, creed or religion. Education ought to be the right of every citizen. No, it may not mean free of charge. e) What are narrow domestic walls ? How do they pose a threat to the world? Ans. Narrow domestic walls stand for the divisions created within a society by the prejudices of caste, colour, creed or religion. They bring about national disintegration and weaken the country. Q.5 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action a) Where do the words generally come from? What happens when words come from the depth of truth? 3 Ans. Generally, the words come from the calculative and manipulative mind that is conditioned by worldly considerations. When words come from the depth of truth, it creates an aura of pure and enlightened knowledge. b) How does the poet want his countrymen to achieve perfection? Is perfection really achievable? 3 Ans. The poet wants his countrymen to achieve perfection through hard work and perseverance. Yes, perfection is really achievable through an unflinching faith, tireless striving, and a strong determination. c) How do you explain the metaphors stream and desert sand? What does the poet want to convey? 3 Ans. The two metaphors create a visual impact on the mind of the reader. Rational and logical thinking is described as a clear stream of water. A clear-headed person is led by reason. The second metaphor compares outdated customs and traditions to dreary desert sand. The poet is visualizing an independent India where people adopt clarity of thought and action by shedding their age old superstitious and blind faith. d) The poet thinks of the idea of achieving ever-widening thought and action . What must be done to achieve this aim? 3 Ans. Thoughts and actions which are free from all prejudices and narrow considerations are ever-widening. They are all embracing and universal. To achieve this aim, we have to give up outdated customs and traditions and adopt a modern, rational and scientific outlook. We have to shed our age old superstitious and blind faith. e) Is the poet confident that his country would be that heaven of freedom? Why? 4 Ans. Yes, the poet is confident that his country would be that heaven of freedom, as he believes that the minds of the people will be led by the Almighty God into everwidening thought and action to liberate India from the subjugation of British Rule. Q.6 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought an action. Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake. a) Do you agree that the poem mentioned above is in the form of a prayer? For whom does he pray? Why? 3 Ans. Yes, I do agree that the poem is in the form of a prayer. He prays for his country which is deprived of its pride and dignity due to its subjugation under the British rule. The poet being a true patriot prays to God to let his country awake into a new blissful heaven of freedom. b) Discuss what does the poet dream? 3 Ans. Being a true patriot, the poet dreams of an independent India, free from the shackles of British rule, where people are free from orthodox beliefs, outdated customs and traditions, superstitions, casteism, communalism, narrow-mindedness, irrationality and imperfection. He wants his people to achieve the highest goals through tireless striving, rational thinking and a modern outlook. Above all, the poet dreams of India as a blissful heaven of freedom, where the mind is without fear. c) In which form has the poet written the poem? Discuss the figures of speech mentioned in the poem with examples. 3 Ans. The poet has written the poem in free verses without traditional patterns. The poet has used alliteration, metaphor, personification, etc. for enhanced poetic effect. Alliteration : (i) head is held high (ii) where the world (iii)where words Metaphor : (i) clear stream of reason (ii)dreary desert sand of dead habit Personification : (i) tireless striving stretches its arms. d) What does the poet mean when he talks about freedom? 3 Ans. The poet means social, political, religious, spiritual and intellectual freedom. The freedom which the poet highlights is freedom of thought and expression, freedom of education without any prejudice based on caste, class, creed or religion. Freedom to speak the truth, freedom to persistently achieve higher goals, freedom of rational and modern scientific outlook. Above all, when he talks about freedom, he means a blissful heaven of freedom, where the mind is without fear. e) Describe the form and structure of the poem. 4 Ans. Where the mind is without fear has an element of Sonnet in it as the poem is a part of the complete song. Figures of speech, such as Alliteration, Metaphor and Personification are used for enhanced poetic effect. The first seven lines consist of Adverb clauses denoting a place e.g. Where the mind is without fear etc. Until we read the last line we cannot make out the exact reference to the adverb Where . The poet enumerates the qualities of his dream country where the people are fearless, knowledgeable, united, truthful and hard working. The poet conclusively names an independent India of his dream as that heaven of freedom .
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