ICSE-X-English
04: After Blenheim by Robert Southey
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- #SECTION I Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
- Qstn #1It was a summer evening,
Old Kaspar's work was done,
And he before his cottage door
Was sitting in the sun,
And by him sported on the green
His little grandchild Wilhelmine.
1. Who is the speaker? Where was the old man sitting? What mood was he in?Ans : The speaker is an old man named Kaspar. The old man was sitting before his cottage. It's evening and his work was already done, and he was sitting in the sun. This suggests that he was in a relaxed mood.
- Qstn #2Who were two grandchildren of Old Kaspar? What do you think of them?Ans : Peterkin and Wilhelmine were the two grandchildren of Old Kaspar. They were curious and intelligent kids with a lot of questions in their minds. They were quite sensitive to their surroundings and were always eager to know about things that they saw.
- Qstn #3What is he telling about?Ans : He starts by telling his two grandchildren about the mystery of the skull, one of them has found. As he further explains, it is linked to a battle that was fought many years ago. Historically, this battle is known as the Battle of Blenheim.
- Qstn #4What tells you about the serene atmosphere at Old Kaspar's home?Ans : At Old Kaspar's home, as the opening lines suggest, there are only three people. One of them is Old Kaspar himself, while the other two are his two grandchildren. The atmosphere prevailing there indicates a kind of aloofness from larger social surroundings. The greenness of vegetation spread before and around the old man's cottage further adds to the serenity and calm there.
- Qstn #5What kind of situation is presented here?Ans : The old man was not astonished when he saw his grandson holding a human skull in his hand. He already knew that there could be many such skulls there, because the place where his cottage was located had been a battleground many years ago. He referred to it as the skull of some poor fellow by which he actually meant that it belonged to an unfortunate, wretched soldier.
- Qstn #6What is the irony used in the last two lines here?Ans : The war at the core of this poem was a real historical event forming a part of people's memory. Despite its horrifying consequences, the war was usually remembered as a 'famous victory for the winning side. In the poem, Old Kaspar expresses the perception of common folks of his time who were subdued in their opinion about the negative consequences of the war.
- Qstn #7What could old Kaspar not make out?Ans : These lines only suggest that like a common man, he feels that death and destruction are only natural if a war leads to a victory regarded as a famous one. In other words, he accepts them as natural things, instead of denouncing or criticising 'war' for causing them.
- Qstn #8What is the rhyme scheme followed in the poem?Ans : These adjectives have been used here for the two grandchildren of Kaspar, the speaker or narrator. Though they are not mature enough to clearly understand the inherent contradiction underlying Kaspar's reference to the battle, they are still able to question and counter it. This suggests the difference between how the generation of Kaspar thinks of it, and the way the future will look upon it. While Kaspar's opinion is that of a generation dying out and becoming obsolete, the questions posed by his grandchildren show a new wave of curiosity that will not accept it uncritically as the former does.