Chapter 1.3 - Have you ever seen…?
In the first stanza, the poet talks about a sheet for a river bed and hair for a hammer’s head. These words are puns, as a sheet here means a bedsheet, but the river bed means the bottom of the river and has no relation to a bed. The top of the hammer is called the hammer’s head, and the poet alternatively talks about the human head and refers to the hammer’s head as hairless. Next, the foot of the mountain means the base of the mountain, has no relation to the human foot, and hence doesn’t have toes like the human foot does. The poet further refers to a garden hose, which is a flexible tube used to water plants, which he compares to its homograph hose, which means a pair of stockings.
In the second stanza, the poet refers to the needle’s eye and tells us that it does not wink like a human eye. The wings of a building are being compared to the wings of birds. Here he is assuming that just like the wings of the birds help them to fly, the wings of the building should also help them to fly. The ribs of an umbrella are homographically spoken about as if they are the ribs of the human body, which we can tickle. Then he talks about the trunk of a tree and the object trunk (a large wooden box for storing clothes) and asks whether the tree trunk will open like a trunk.
In the last stanza, the poet makes a reference to the teeth of a rake, which he compares to human teeth, and he questions whether they can bite like human teeth do. He wonders whether the hands of the clock are right or left, like human hands. He asks if the garden’s plot can be dark and deep, like a story’s plot. Finally, he questions whether the bark of a birch tree can make a sound like the bark of a dog.
Thus, the poet makes use of amusing Puns to bring about the dual meanings of certain words.
hose :
(i) a flexible tube
(ii) a pair of stockings or tights.
parasol : umbrella
plot : The word plot is also used to mean ‘an evil or wicked plan’.
birch : a tree
Title: Have you ever seen….?
Poet: An anonymous poet
Rhyme Scheme:
The rhyme scheme is aabb.
Favourite line:
Are the teeth of a rake ever going to bite?
Have the hands of a clock any left or right?
Theme/Central idea:
This is a humorous and interesting poem. In this poem, the poet has used many homographs with different meanings for fun and enjoyment. This poem makes the reader enjoy the play of words and appreciate how different words can have different meanings.
Figure of Speech:
Can the garden plot be deep and dark?
The figure of speech is Interrogation. The question is asked not to get an answer but to make one think.
Special Feature/Implied meaning, etc.:
This poem is very imaginative and humorous. The special feature of this poem is that it is full of puns, which makes the reader realize the beauty of the puns used and creates a play on words that is funny and appealing.
Why I like/don’t like the poem:
I like the poem because it has a humorous appeal.
∗ ∗ ∗ Warming up! ∗ ∗ ∗
1. Words that have the same spelling, but differ in meaning when used in different contexts are called homographs.
For example,
(a) A temple fair attracts a lot of crowd.
Her performance in the test was fair.
(b) A rose is the king of flowers.
The sun rose with a golden glow.
Think of 5 homographs and list them below. Then write 2 sentences of your own, to bring out the difference in meanings.
Ans:
| Homograph | Sentences |
|---|---|
(1) Bat | (a) Tom has a strange way of holding his cricket bat. (b) We often see bats in our garden in the early evening. |
(2) Fan | (a) I am a huge fan of Woody Allen’s films. (b) Can you switch off the fan, please? I’m really cold. |
(3) Pupil | (a) Simon has very large pupils. (b) Jessica is the star pupil in her drama class. |
(4) Bow | (a) She always wraps her presents with colourful bows. (b) Japanese people always bow to show respect. |
(5) Close | (a) Did you close the windows before leaving the house? (b) The post office is close to the bank in the main town. |
2. When words with the same spelling or pronunciation are used in such a way that they convey more than one meaning, the figure of speech involved is called pun.
A pun is a play upon words. For example,
A : Hello! How’s life ?
B : Hell, O! It’s a strife.
Find other examples of pun with the help of your parents/teacher.
Ans:
(1) When his wife died, he cried for a second.
(2) Living life depends on the liver.
(3) You cannot buy a cap for your knee.
(4) Don’t cross the bridge of your nose.
3. In poetry, when a question is asked, not to get an answer, but to emphasise a point or fact, it is an example of Interrogation.
For example :
When can their glory fade?
Isn’t it time for the autumn’s glow?
From a popular book of poems/the internet, write down 3-4 examples of Interrogation used in poetry.
Ans:
(1) Do you want to be a success in this world?
(2) Would you hammer the nail on your toes?
(3) Can we do better next time?
(4) How can you sharpen your shoulder blades?
∗ ∗ ∗ In Between the Lesson ∗ ∗ ∗
Q1. In what way is a work of fiction different from a fact file?
Ans: A work of fiction is a piece of creative imagination. It is generally open to interpretation, whereas a fact file is completely based on reality. In a fact file, characters who are actual people are described, and they are factually accurate. This story, about the Swiss family Robinson, does stretch reality to a certain extent, and it is considered a work of fiction and not a fact file.
Q2. How did the family reach the tropical island?
Ans: The family had been shipwrecked, and they found themselves within sight of a Tropical Island. The next morning they decided to get to the island, they could see beyond the reef. With much effort, they first made provisions for their survival on the island. Over the next few days, William (father) attached the floatable old kegs to one another and built a bow that carried them around. Thus, the family landed successfully on the Island.
Q3. Why did Mother wish to shift the family to a tree – house?
Ans: Elizabeth, the mother, wanted the family to move to a safer place. Their current camp was not only exposed to danger but also very dry and hot. If they built a house up in one of the large trees, they would be safe from jackals.
Q4. How did the mother occupy herself while the tree house was being built?
Ans: While the tree house was being built, Mother kept herself occupied with tending the garden, which was now producing healthy plants.
Q5. What was the third place the family decided to reside in? Why did they wish to shift there?
Ans: The third place the family decided to reside was a cave. As the winter was ahead, they wanted to create a place protecting them from the elements, a strong storage spot to protect themselves and their belongings.
Q6. What made the family change over to their fourth residence? What precaution did they take before building it?
Ans: One day they found that one of their huts had been completely trampled and destroyed by a herd of elephants. So the family designed their fourth residence using four strong trees growing in a square near one another as the foundation. They avoided using stilts to prevent the elephants from knocking them down.
Q7. Do the changes in the family’s residence remind you of the history of man’s evolution?
Ans: Yes. The use of tools has been interpreted as a sign of intelligence, and it has been theorized that tool use may have stimulated certain aspects of human evolution. Besides, the fear of wild animals, the change of seasons, famine, and drought made the ancient man change his residence from one place to another. The Robinson family, too, was resourceful in building up their residences each time with the things available on the island.
Q8. How did Fritz learn about another victim, forsaken on a far away island?
Ans: On the shore of another island Fritz had knocked down an albatross, which was threatening to attack him and found a rag tied to the large bird’s leg. On the rag was a message that an Englishwoman had been stranded on the Smoking rock.
Q9. Who was the victim and how long had she survived?
Ans: The victim was a young woman, Jenny Montrose, and she had survived for three years.
Q10. Who is included in the word ‘Everyone’ in ‘Everyone was amazed …’?
Ans: The word ‘Everyone’ includes the passengers and crew of the British vessel that rescued the family.
Q11. How does the adventure come to a happy end?
Ans: With a burst of celebration, the family passengers and crew of the British vessel headed towards new Switzerland. Everyone was amazed by the prosperity and good health of the survivors.
∗ ∗ ∗ ENGLISH WORKSHOP ∗ ∗ ∗
1. From each line in the poem, pick out the word that is a homograph. Write its meaning in the context of the phrase used in the poem. Then write the other meaning implied in the question.
Ans:
2. Write 2 lines from this poem which you find most humorous. Justify your choice.
Ans:
(i) Does the needle ever wink its eye?
Reason: Because the thought that putting thread through its eye, will make it wink, is funny.
(ii) Why doesn’t the wing of a building fly?
Reason: Because imagining a building flying with its wings is funny.
3. Find from the poem, three examples of each :
(a) Interrogation
Ans:
(1) Does the needle ever wink its eye?
(2) Why doesn’t the wing of a building fly?
(3) And what is the sound of the birch’s bark?
(b) Pun
Ans:
(1) Has the foot of a mountain any toes?
(2) And is there a pair of garden hose?
(3) Can you tickle the ribs of a parasol?
(c) Personification
Ans:
(1) Does the needle ever wink its eye?
(2) Are the teeth of a rake ever going to bite?
(3) Can you tickle the ribs of a parasol?
(d) Alliteration
Ans:
(1) A single hair from a hammer’s head?
(2) Open the trunk of a tree at all?
(3) Can the garden plot be deep and dark?
4. Form groups of four or five. Think, discuss and add at least one more stanza, using the same style and devices as the poet has used. It should include homographs, interrogation and the same rhythm and rhyme-scheme.
Ans:
Do elephants bathe with their trunks on, all in a batch?
Have scientists created a flea from scratch?
Are the bees having a house-swarming party with honey?
Did the lion spit out the clown because he tasted funny?
5. Read the following sentences carefully. Then fill in the blanks using appropriate words from the brackets, to make puns.
(struck, numbered, too tired, developed, put down, homeless, old fashioned, reaction)
(1) She had a photographic memory but never ______ it.
Ans: developed
(2) He was struggling to figure out how lightning works when it ______ him.
Ans: struck
(3) Every calendar’s days are ______.
Ans: numbered
(4) A bicycle cannot stand on its own because it is ______.
Ans: too tired
(5) I’m reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to ______ the book .
Ans: put down
(6) I’d tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn’t get a ______.
Ans: reaction
(7) What do you call Watson when Sherlock isn’t around? ______.
Ans: homeless
(8) I would tell a history joke, but it’s too ______.
Ans: old fashioned
6. Read : ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.