I.

Father To Son -Elizabeth Jennings

SUMMARY:
The poem ‘Father to Son’ is by the author Elizabeth Jennings. This poem is
autobiographical in nature. It throws light on a damaged relationship between a father and
son. This poem deals with the anguish of a father who lacks a good relationship with his
son. The father is bitter regarding the generation gap between him and his son. He is
troubled by a feeling of separation with his son.

In the 1st stanza, the poet explains that in spite of living together in the same house for so
many years the father still does not understand his son. The father is not aware of the
likes and dislikes of his son. So he's trying to build a relationship with his son just like
when he was small.

In the 2nd stanza, the poet illustrates that the son is now an adult and has changed. The
father acknowledges the communication gap between him and his son, he explains that
they speak like strangers to each other. Moreover, there are no signs of understanding
between them. He says that his son was in a place that he could not access. The father
also explains that his son is built to his design which means that he has a resemblance of
his father in appearance but in spite of this resemblance, the father didn't know what his
son loved.

In the 3rd stanza, There is silence between the Father and the Son. His son was of a
prodigal (spending money freely) nature. His father had a desire for his son to return
home, the one he knew rather than seeing him make his own world. The father was
willing to express his forgiveness to his son. The father expresses his love towards the
son by willing to let go of his sorrows to reduce the distance between them.

In the 4th stanza, The father says that he wants them both to live on the same globe and
the same land together. The son for the first time expresses his feelings. The son says that
he doesn't understand himself. He also explains that his anger is due to sadness.
It is certain that both the father and the son feel the same frustration due to this
relationship gap between them. Also, both the father and son are willing to forgive each
other. However, they are failing to find a solution to their problem. Both of them put out
an empty hand for each other but in futility.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. Simile - A figure of speech that makes comparison and shows similarities
between two things by using the words like and as.

We speak like strangers

2. Alliteration - The occurrence of the same letter or a series of words that begins
with consonant sound.

The seed I spent or sown it where - “s” sound

Silence surrounds us - “s” sound
Why anger grows from grief - “g” sound

3. Metaphor - An indirect comparison between a quality shared by two persons is

done.

‘Yet have I killed

The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?’
In the above given lines,
The words ‘seed’, ‘sown’, and ‘land’ are metaphors for the father’s efforts that he
made to build a loving relationship with his son, and the son’s heart respectively.

‘I would have him prodigal, returning to his father’s house’

4. Enjambement - The continuation of the sentence without a pause (punctuation)

beyond the end of a line, a couplet or a stanza.

STANZA 1
THINK IT OUT (Textbook Questions)

Q1. Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?
ANSWER: Though the poem seems to talk exclusively of the personal experiences of a father, it
is fairly universal in the problems that it addresses from the father’s perspective. At the surface,
the poem communicates the pain and helplessness of a father who wishes to mend the differences
with his son in order to be with him. However, the theme of the poem is universal. Generation
gap and lack of communication between parents and children are quite common these days. It
speaks of the pain that parents go through due to being distanced from their children, both
physically and emotionally.

Q2. How is the father’s helplessness brought out in the poem?

ANSWER: The helplessness of the father is highlighted through the depiction of the emotional
struggle that he undergoes. He is aware of the problem and is willing to resolve it, but is unable
to do so. He regrets the lack of a strong emotional bond and proper communication with his son
who is also physically distanced from him.

Q3. Identify the phrases and lines that indicate distance between the father and son?
ANSWER: The phrases and lines that indicate distance between the father and son in the poem
“Father to Son” written by Elizabeth Jennings is as follows:
1. I do not understand this child.
2. Though we have lived together now, in the same house for years. I know nothing of him.
3. We speak like strangers, there's no sign of understanding in the air.
4. Silence surrounds us.

Q4.Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?

ANSWER: No, the poem does not have a consistent rhyme scheme.
Stanza 1 and Stanza 2,
Rhyming scheme: abbaba
Stanza 3,
Rhyming scheme: abcaba
Stanza 4,
Rhyming scheme: abbcb
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY -KHUSHWANT
SINGH

SUMMARY:
The Portrait of a Lady written by Khushwant Singh explains his relationship with his
grandmother over the years.
The writer recalls his Grandmother as short, fat and slightly bent. Her hairs were silver in
color and were scattered messily on her wrinkled face. She used to walk around the
whole house in white clothes. She kept her one hand resting on her waist and the other
hand was telling the beads of her rosary.The writer thinks of her as not very pretty but
constantly beautiful all the time. He compares her calm face with the winter landscape.
During their lengthy stay in the village, Grandmother woke him up from the bed in the
early morning, plastered his wooden slate, organized his breakfast, and sent him to the
school. The temple was connected to the school. She sat inside and studied the sacred
texts while the children learned the alphabet. On their way back to the home she used to
give the stale chapatis to the street dogs.
A turning point in their beautiful relationship arrived when they went to live in a city.
Despite the fact that they shared a room, their relationship started to grow apart. Now, the
writer used to go to the city school on a school bus and studied subjects like English,
Physics, mathematics and many more subjects that his grandmother could not understand
at all. His grandmother could no longer go to school with him to send him. She felt upset
that there was no teaching about God and scriptures at the city school. Instead, he was
given music lessons, but she said nothing. She thought music was dreadful. It was just
good for prostitutes and beggars, according to her. It was not intended for gentlemen.
When the writer went to a university, he got a separate room in his house. The common
link of the relationship between the grandson and the grandmother was broken now.
Grandmother rarely talked to anyone in the house now. The writer’s grandmother quietly
accepted her loneliness. She was constantly occupied with her spinning wheel and
reciting prayers and she hardly ever spoke to anyone. She took a break in the afternoon.
Her daily routine consisted of breaking bread into pieces and giving it to the birds. The
birds would perch on her legs, head, and even her shoulders.
When the writer was leaving on a trip abroad for his further studies, his grandmother did
not get disturbed at all. Rather she went to the train station to say goodbye, but she didn’t
say anything and merely kissed his forehead. Her lips were moving in prayer, her
thoughts were consumed by prayer and her fingers were busy reciting the storey of the
beads on her rosary. Seeing her grandmother at this old age, the writer was thinking that it
might be his last meeting with his grandmother.
But when he came back home after a duration of 5 years, his grandmother was there to
welcome him back and he saw her celebrate his return. The next morning after the return
of his grandson she got ill. Although the doctor told them that it was a slight fever and
would go away very soon, still she could foresee that her time to leave this world was
near. She did not want to waste her time talking to someone. Her fingers were busy
reciting the storey of the beads on her rosary. She went to her bed praying and telling the
beads till her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell down from her lifeless hand.
Her body was discovered on the floor, wrapped in a red shawl after she died. To grieve
her death, thousands of sparrows flew in and sat dispersed around her body. All the
sparrows flew away without making any noise when the dead body of the old lady was
carried away for the last rites.

Meaning of phrases:
1. the thought was almost revolting: it was very hard to believe.
2. an expanse of pure white serenity: refers to the calm, peaceful, and relaxed character of
the author's grandmother.
3. a turning point
4. accepted her seclusion with resignation: the state of being private and away from
people.
Here in this poem the grandmother accepted a lonely life when her grandson goes to
university without any objection.
5. a veritable bedlam of chirrupings: refers to the noise and confusion caused by the
chirrupings of sparrows. (hundreds of sparrows in the poem)
6. Frivolous rebukes: light hearted scoldings
7. The sagging skins of the dilapidated drum: The loose surface of the worn out drum.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Mention

Q1. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the
country to study abroad.
ANSWER: In the poem, the portrait of a lady by Khushwant Singh, the relationship of the author and
his grandmother is depicted in a very beautiful way. Childhood is the author's first phase. During his
childhood, he lived with his grandmother in the village away from his parents where his grandmother and
him shared a very close and a very beautiful bond with each other. His grandmother would make him
ready and prepare his slate to leave him for school which was connected to the temple. When the author
and grandmother moved to the city and the author started going to the city school, the second phase of his
life started. Now despite living in the same room, they both grew distant from each other. He traveled in a
school bus so his grandmother could no longer drop him to school. In his new school, instead of learning
about scriptures and god, he learned about different subjects which were not understandable to his
grandmother. His grandmother disliked the subject music as she thought it was not meant for gentlemen
but for beggars and harlots. In the third phase when the author starts going to a university, he was given a
room of his own which made him even more away from his grandmother. She started feeling lonely and
would often spend time reciting her prayers and by giving the breadcrumbs to the sparrows. She would sit
by the wheel spinning for a long time. In conclusion we see that throughout the three phases of the
author's life, From his childhood to his teenage years he only grew apart from his grandmother and the
relationship between the both of them became awkward and distant.

Q2.Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the
city school.
ANSWER: The author's grandmother was a conservative person. She believed in reciting prayers
and learning about Scriptures and gods. Hence, when the author started going to a new school in
the city, his grandmother was disturbed about him learning different subjects like English,
science, math and music rather than culture. She strongly believed that music was not meant for
gentlefolk but harlots and beggars. She was also disappointed by the fact that she could no longer
drop her grandson to school as he started going to school by school bus. The author mentions
that she rarely talked to him after that.
Q3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up?
ANSWER: The author’s grandmother “accepted her seclusion with resignation”. She spent her
days of loneliness by engaging herself in the wheel-spinning activity, reciting prayers and
feeding the sparrows.

Q4. The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
ANSWER: The author had returned from abroad after 5 years, and his grandmother welcomed
him dearly. But she fell ill just the next day. The doctor informed everyone that it was just a mild
fever and that she would soon be fine. But grandmother behaved weirdly, she was sure that he
time to leave this world had come. She omitted to pray as she did not want to waste her last few
moments talking to the author and rest of the family. She ignored their protests. She lay
peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. Soon her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell
from her lifeless fingers. A peaceful pallor spread on her face and it was confirmed that she had
died.

Q5. Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s
grandmother died.
ANSWER: The author’s grandmother shared a unique bond with the sparrows. She seemed at
her happiest self while feeding the sparrows. The day the author’s grandmother died, thousands
of sparrows sat scattered around her dead body. They sat there in utter silence mourning the
death of the grandmother. They took no notice of the bread crumbs thrown at them and flew
away silently after the body was carried for the final rites. Next morning, the bread crumbs were
swept away into the dustbin by the sweeper.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Discuss

Q1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which
we come to know this?
ANSWER: The author’s grandmother was a religious and conservative person. She was often
seen reciting prayers and telling the beads of her rosemary when she was free and lonely. Even
when the author started going to a new school in the city, and started learning new subjects like
English, mathematics and music, grandmother strongly disliked it because she believed in
teaching kids about scriptures and gods. She also believed that music was not meant for
gentlefolk but harlots and beggars. And that reciting prayers will lead to a positive life.

Q2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their
feelings for each other change?
ANSWER: The story describes the entire phase of relationship shared by the author and his
grandmother. In his early childhood, the author shared a strong bond with his grandmother.
However, the friendship loosened a little when they both shifted to his parents’ city house. She
no longer accompanied him to the school and could not help him with his lessons. There was a
further crack in the relationship when the author joined university as he was given a private room
and the common link between them was snapped. They were further distanced from each other
when the author went abroad for five years. In spite of changes in the course of the relationship
(due to the demands of the situation), their feelings for each other remained unchanged. Though
she did not display her emotions, when the author was leaving for abroad, she wholeheartedly
celebrated his homecoming when he returned.

Q3. Would you agree that the author's grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes,
give instances that show this.
ANSWER: Yes, the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. She was a religious
and content person. The instances to prove this are given below:
● She had her own thoughts about learning at school. She considered the teaching of
scriptures to be more fruitful than science and music.
● In her phase of loneliness and seclusion, she took to wheel-spinning and feeding
sparrows.
● She appeared composed and did not display any emotion when the author decided to go
abroad for studies.
● Ignoring everyone who tried to stop her, she sang for several hours celebrating the
home-coming of her grandson.
 ● During the last few hours of her life, ignoring the protests of her family members, she
stopped talking to everyone and took to reciting prayers and telling her beads.

A PHOTOGRAPH -SHIRLEY TOULSON

SUMMARY
A Photograph is a poem written by English poet Shirley Toulson. It portrays a daughter’s
nostalgic recollection of her mother’s memories and laments over the absence of her mother in
her present time.
The poet describes a photograph framed on cardboard. It is an old photograph of her mother
from when she was young and had gone paddling at sea. It shows her mother with two other girls
who are her cousins. She is twelve years old in that picture. She is the eldest of the three, and
each of the two younger siblings is holding her hand. They seem to stand still so the
photographer can click a good photograph of the three.

The poet gives us a detailed description of how her mother’s face looked in the photograph. The
wind had ruffled her hair along with her cousins’. She finds her mother’s face to be sweet. She
refers to the simplicity and innocence on her mother’s face as she posed for the photograph. The
poet emphasizes that this photograph of her mother belonged to an era before she was born –
when her mother was just a young girl.

The background of the photograph was the sea. It washed the feet of her mother and her cousins.
She uses the word ‘transient’ to describe their feet, which are in the process of growth, washed
away by the sea, which does not seem to have changed at all. It seemed to retain a look and
charm of its own, implying that no matter how old or young one is, the sea does not seem
different to anyone. The poet is trying to contrast the aging of her mother with the unchanging
nature of the sea.

Some twenty or thirty years later, when the poet becomes a part of her mother’s life, she is
shown the same photograph. Her mother laughs with fond reminiscences of the past. She points
out her cousins Betty and Dolly in the picture and comments on how they are all dressed for that
particular outing. The poet mentions to the reader that the photograph has become her mother’s
past, while the memory of her mother’s laugh is now the poet’s own past. Her mother passed
away long back. The poet remembers her mother with a sad longing for the past.

In the last stanza, the poet reveals her mother’s death had taken place twelve years ago – just like
the age of her young self in the photograph. This realization is painful for the poet, and the only
reaction that manifests at this moment is that of silence. The silence also refers to the absence of
her mother’s laughter from her life. And in a way, it also points at the silence of the image in the
photograph. This silence hurts her deeply, and she is at a loss for words to explain her emotional
state.
LITERARY DEVICES

1. Allusion: An allusion is a reference or an incidental mention of something, either directly

or by implication.

An example of allusion in this poem is ‘cardboard’ which actually refers to the

photograph.

2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the initial letter (generally a consonant) of

several words marking the stressed syllable in a line of poem.

‘stood still to smile’, ‘terribly transient’, ‘Its silence silences’ etc.

3. Transferred Epithet: A transferred epithet is a description that refers to a character or

event but is used to describe a different situation or character.

‘Transient feet’ is an example of the transferred epithet in the poem. It refers to human
feet but it is used to describe the lack of permanence of human life (temporary).

4. Oxymoron: In this literary device, there are two opposite ideas that are joined to create
an effect.

‘Labored ease’ in the poem is an example of an oxymoron. Labored meaning with ‘great
difficulty’ and ease means ‘comfortably’. Both words have opposite meanings but here
they are clubbed together.

5. Personification: a poetic device in which human attributes are given to animals,

non-living things or ideas.

The example is ‘Its silence silences.’

MEANING:

➔ Paddling: walking through shallow water in bare feet.

 ➔ transient: temporary, lasting only for a short time.

THINK IT OUT

Q1. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used in
the poem, “A Photograph”?

ANSWER: In the poem, the word ‘cardboard’ stands for the frame that supports and
borders the photograph. The photograph shows the poet’s mother as a twelve year old girl
with two of her cousins, Betty and Dolly. The word ‘cardboard’ has been used to depict
that the photograph is many years old. The use of cardboard as a photo frame was
common in old times.

Q2. What has the camera captured?

ANSWER: In the poem, “A Photograph” by Shirley Toulson, the camera has captured a happy
moment from the childhood days of the poet’s mother. The photograph was taken when the
poet’s mother went to a beach holiday with two of her cousins, Betty and Dolly. The captured
picture serves as a preserved memory both for the mother as well as the poet.

Q3. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?

ANSWER: The lines, ‘And the sea, which appears to have changed less’ depicts that the sea
have stayed the same over the years and has not changed at all. Its waves are as fresh, shining
and tireless as they were years ago. These lines suggest a sharp contrast to mortal human life.
Human life is transitory and temporary whereas the sea symbolizes permanence, immortality and
eternity. The poet makes use of the phrase ‘terribly transient feet’ to highlight the ephemeral
nature of human life.

Q4. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?

ANSWER: The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot recollecting the memories of the happy
and joyous time she had in the past at the sea holiday. She says, “See Betty and Dolly” while
looking at the photo. She laughed for the way they were dressed for the beach. This laugh
indicated her joy at remembering an incident connected with her past life, when she was quite
young and free from the tensions and worries of life. The poet also mentions that the sea holiday
depicted in the photograph was her mother’s past and poet’s past is her mother’s laughter as she
no longer exists in this world.

Q5.What is the meaning of the line, "Both wry with the laboured ease of loss.”

ANSWER: The line suggests the idea of loss experienced by the narrator when she sees her
mother’s photograph and a deep sense of nostalgia experienced by her mother when she visits
down the memory line. Both these things now belong to the past. There is a loss and pathos
associated with them. Both are amusing yet disappointing as the state of feeling comfortable or
relaxed is unnatural as well as forced. This sense of loss is quite painful to bear.

Q6. What does this “circumstance” refer to?

ANSWER: This circumstance’ refers to the present situation of the poet wherein the poet is
absorbed in the painful memory of her dead mother. Looking at the photograph and thinking of
her mother’s laughter, the poet also realizes that it has been the same number of years since her
mother died as her mother’s age in the photograph.

Q7. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?

ANSWER: The first stanza refers to the childhood days of the poet’s mother when she was
twelve years old or so. The stanza depicts a photograph of her mother when she went for a beach
holiday with her cousins, Betty and Dolly. They stood still by the sea as the uncle clicked their
photograph.

The second stanza refers to the poet’s childhood days when her mother had become an adult. It
depicts her mother recalling her childhood days while looking at the old photograph of hers. The
poet’s mother laughs at the photo for the way they were dressed for the beach.

In the last stanza, the poet’s adult life is described in which her mother is not with her anymore.
She has been dead for almost twelve years. The stanza depicts the poet looking at the same
photograph and recollecting her mother’s laughter. The loss of her mother puts her in utter grief.
She has no words to describe the terrible pain of her mother’s death.