ICSE-X-English
08: The Patriot by Robert Browning
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- #Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
- #Section : IIt was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.
- Qstn #1What does the speaker talk about in these lines? What does the third line suggest here? Describe the dominant mood of this stanza.Ans : The speaker talks about the rousing welcome he had been accorded by people earlier. It suggests a huge presence of the crowd that had assembled on the house-tops. This gave the impression as though they were moving and swinging. The dominant mood of this stanza is that of festive joy and cheerfulness.
- Qstn #2What does the phrase 'the church-spires flamed' imply? When did the event, being recalled here, take place?Ans : It implies that the minarets and domes of churches seemed to aflame due to the massive presence of colorful flags put all over them for decorative purpose.
This event took place one year ago.
- Qstn #3'The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway'. Explain.Ans : In this line, the narrator of the poem remembers the grand welcome he was accorded as a hero by people one year ago. This particular line suggests the presence of a huge crowd that had gathered to see and greet him on his arrival. Picturising this, the narrator states that there was so much of excitement and joy in the air that the roofs of houses crowded with people did not appear to be still.
- Qstn #4How was he welcomed?Ans : The first stanza gives a lively description of how, just one year ago, the narrator was welcomed with pomp and ceremony by people from his town. As the narrator says, his path was laden with roses and myrtle, signifying love and honor for him as their hero. The residents of the town have clambered onto their roofs to get a glimpse of the patriot, while the flags of different colors were so high and imposing that the church spires seemed to be surrounded by flames.
- Qstn #5What significance does the line" A year ago on this very day" presents in the context of the poem?Ans : This line is extremely significant as it anticipates the stark irony of the narrator's life, exposing him to paradoxical situations. Besides, it indicates that the narrator was regarded as a hero by his people in the recent past. This makes the readers curious as to how he is treated by his people 'now' or 'today'. Thus, this line reinforces the shift in the speaker's description of what happened in the "past' to what is happening at 'present' quite intelligibly.
- #Section : IIThe air broke into a mist with bells,
The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.
Had I said, "Good folk, mere noise repels
But give me your sun from yonder skies!"
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?"
- Qstn #1What do the first two lines of the stanza suggest? Why did the air break into a mist?Ans : They suggest the celebratory mood of people according to a warm welcome to their hero. They ring bells and raise slogans, and all these mingle with one another to shake the walls that are old.
The air broke into a mist because of the noisy slogans and the ringing bells.
- Qstn #2What do the last three lines suggest about the mood of the crowd?Ans : These people were welcoming him so happy that if he had told them that mere noise and slogans did not please him. And that they should give him the sun, that is there in the sky far away from them, they would have replied, that was executed (done and what else they could do for him the leader').
- Qstn #3Who were they in the following line? What light does the line throw on them?
They had answered, "And afterward, what else?"Ans : The personal pronoun 'They' has been used here for the crowd of people who welcomed the narrator. When the patriot asks them to fetch him their sun from the skies, their answer is reflective of their frivolous nature. They immediately ask the patriot what else would he require, other than the sun. This indicates that though the crowd was eager, they weren't sensible.
- Qstn #4Explain the line: "But give me your sun from yonder skies!"Ans : This is what the speaker as the patriot tells the crowd surrounding him. He tries to tell them that he doesn't want all the cheers and applause, but wants them to fetch something immortal and imperishable for him. This implies that he wants to live in their memories as a great hero forever.
- Qstn #5Which particular trend in modern-day politics does the behavior of the crowd suggest here?Ans : The behavior of the crowd here suggests the trend of hero worship that is so prevalent in contemporary politics. As we notice, the crowd is too excited for a glimpse of the patriot. They treat the patriot as a superman for whom they will not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. This amounts to over glorification or even deification of a leader, paving the way for the emergence of what is sometimes referred to as the personality cult in politics.
- #Section : IIIBlack, it was I who leaped at the sun
To give it my loving friends to keep!
Nought man could do, have I left undone:
And you see my harvest, what I reap
This very day, now a year is run.
- Qstn #1Who is 'T' in the above extract? What does leaping at the sun signifies?Ans : In these lines, the personal pronoun 'I' has been used by the poet for the patriot-hero, i.e. the speaker in this poem. The phrase 'leaping at the sun here implies that the patriot has done extraordinary things for the happiness and welfare of people who love him. He feels that people should reciprocate this by immortalizing him as their hero.