Chapter 2.1 – The Clothesline
The white clothes that are hung on the clotheslines seem to be dancing in a carefree manner.
The clothes’ movements resemble restless horses, and their dance reminds the poetess of the wild dance of witches in fairy tales when they dance in the March wind.
The poet claims to have seen her handkerchief struggling to be free of the pegs, thereby freeing herself and flying out of reach like a bird. The poetess saw her handkerchief fly away merrily. The handkerchief could now be somewhere, hiding in a ditch or drowning in the sea.
The poetess feels sad about the handkerchief leaving her, knowing very well that she won’t return.
restive : restless, fidgety, unable to remain still
caper : leap, skip or dance about in a lively, playful manner
prance : walk or move with high, springy steps
wildly : Here, it means very hard, violently.
pegs : pins used to secure something in place, as for example, clothes on a clothesline
POINTERS
1. Read the poem aloud. Recite any stanza of your choice from memory.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.
2. Answer the following questions with reference to the poem.
(a) What is described in the poem?
Ans: The poetess Charlotte Druitt Cole describes the clothes on the clothesline swaying in the wind, waiting to be free.
(b) What are the clothes compared to? Give two examples.
Ans: The clothes are compared to white snow, restive horses, fairy-tale witches, a bird and a sail.
(c) What do restive horses do?
Ans: Restive horses are unable to remain still; dance in a lively, playful manner and walk or move with high springy steps.
(d) What do fairy-tale witches do?
Ans: Fairy-tale, witches dance wildly in a very hard and violent manner.
(e) What did one of the fluttering creatures do?
Ans: One of the fluttering creatures freed herself from the clutches of the pegs, and soared high into the air like a bird and made it difficult for anyone to find her.
(f) What could have happened to the one who flew away? Who was she?
Ans: The one who flew away happened to be the poetess’ handkerchief. She could be hidden somewhere in a ditch or drowned in the sea.
3. Form groups and discuss the following questions :
(a) Why are the clothes compared to living things?
Ans: The clothes are compared to living things, as they feel they need to be free from any kind of bondage just like living things.
(b) The events described in the poem take place at a certain place, at a certain period of the year, under specific weather conditions. Describe the place, the time and the weather conditions.
Ans: The events described may be taking place in the backyard of a household, during the spring season, whilst the warm air in the afternoon makes the weather seem warmer than usual.
4. When we say that two or more words rhyme, we mean that they end with the same sound or syllable. For example, ‘ring-sing’. Rhyming words are often used in verse at the end of the lines. List the rhyming words from the poem. Note the words ‘behind’ and ‘wind’. They have similar spellings, that is, they look the same. But they are pronounced differently, that is, they do not ‘sound’ the same. This is known as ‘eye rhyme’. Separate the examples of eye rhymes from the following list.
- cry – try
- stronger – longer
- laughter – daughter
- known – grown
- none – shone
- beat – feat
- shut – put
- won – done
imply – simply
Ans:
Rhyming words:
cry – try
stronger – longer
laughter – daughter
known – grown
beat – feat
won – done
Eye Rhyme words:
none – shone
shut – put
imply – simply
5. List all the phrases from the poem in which two or more words are joined with ‘and’.
Ans:
(i) hither and thither
(ii) caper and prance
(iii) shiver and skip
(iv) flipping and flapping and flopping
6. Form groups and discuss what must have happened to the handkerchief. Write the story in your own words.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.
7. Wash your handkerchief clean. Hang it with a peg to dry in the wind. Watch how it flutters.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.
8. Complete the following comparisons.
as white as …………….
Ans: snow
as green as …………….
Ans: grass
as red as …………….
Ans: blood
as blue as …………….
Ans: sky
as black as …………….
Ans: coal
as bright as …………….
Ans: sun
(a) Rewrite these comparisons using the comparative degree.
Example : Whiter than snow
Ans:
Bluer than sky
Blacker than coal.
Redder than blood.
(b) Find suitable objects for each comparison.
Example : Petals or flowers or feathers whiter than snow.
Ans:
Ocean or eyes, bluer than sky.
Leaves or moss, greener than grass.
Crow or night, blacker than coal.
Sapphire or rose, redder than blood.
Stars or light, brighter than sun.