F4 & F5 POEMS

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

Exercise 1
a.
Why were their clothes soaky?
Ans: They were out in the rain and flood waters so their clothes were
wet.
b.
Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took
place in a village?
Ans: "desperately looking for their son's albino buffalo that was never
found. "
c.
What does the phrase bloated carcasses refer to?
Ans: It refers to the dead bodies of animals.
d.
In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply?
Explain.
Ans: The attitude of positive outlook to life's problems. Instead of being
negative and depressed about suffering losses and damages due to
nature's calamities such as flood, people should emulate the power of
positive thinking to move on with life.
ARE YOU STILL PLAYING YOUR FLUTE?
Exercise 1
a.
Who is the persona in the poem?
Ans: The persona is a female person who is reflecting back on someone
whom she is close to and is feeling uneasy about the present.
b.
Write one line from the poem that depicts that people are jobless.
Ans: "my younger brothers unemployed and desparate."
c.
Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a
nation in uncertainty of its future.
Ans: The first is economical, second is political and third is social.
d.
In your own words describe why the poet used the word sick to
describe the rice fields.
Ans: Literally, it means that the rice fields are not producing abundant
harvest but figuratively it means that the values and traditions long
held may now be abandoned and left behind in the pursuit of
modernisation.
Exercise 2
a.
What did the persona mean when she said deserted?
Ans: She might mean that the village is literally abandoned by the
villagers who left it.
b.
Why is the persona feeling guilty?
Ans: The persona feels guilty because she secretly wishes to abandon
her present responsibilities to enjoy thinking about her lover and her
past.
c.
Why is the question Are you still playing your flute repeated as the
starting line of all the stanzas?

Ans: The repetition is a play of words to add interest and to highlight

contrasting ideas within the lines.
d.
In your opinion, is this a romantic poem? Provide reasons for your
answer.
Ans: I think this poem is not a romantic poem as there are more
references to nationalistic elements and personal sacrifices.