Q uestion I

Read the exu-actt given below and a nswer l:he questioru1 that fo llo\\ :
-There's nobody on 1he house-lops now-
Just o palsied few 01 lhe windows sci,
For I.he best of the sight is. all allow.
Al lhe Shambles· Ga1e- or, bener yet.
By the very scaffold's foot. r trow•.,
(i) Who is lhe speaker here? Describe his eondi1fon a1 lhe present
Tl1c ipegkcr Pfthis ~rna is tire pl!triiH (½), At pr~elf!, lie hllS emerc4 tire
Shamblt!s' Gates(½) and 110w bl!inR lt!d to the Jlallm,•slscaffold (½). in the
rain(½) u,ith his hamls til!d (½) amt sto11esjlyi11R at Mm. nbo111 to bl!
e.xecllfed ('½).
( ii) I low have the srune people treated him a year ago?
A )'l!ar UJ(o. tl,is same patriot u,as welcomed by the people(½) and Iris path
was !itrntfffl with fragmented rosl!s (½) and pl!op/1! K'ere mad with :.eat(½) m,d
e11tlwsla!im 10 su trim come back ,,fter Iris Jlrnnd ,ictOl'J' (½). Thi! saml!
peop/1!, u,ho now "'anre,t rite patriot 10 be e.uc11tl!d,j11st o,•n a J'l!Ur tlJlO,
trl!nted /1inr ,.,;th ho11011r (½) and hoppitre:u (½).

(iii) Which 'bells' arc mentioned before and why were they rung? What has mode
most of me people leave the town? Explain lhe line, •Just a !Palsied few al lhe
windows set'.
Tl,e 'bells' that are beit1R referred lo here are lhl! bells ofa church
tower (½). Thi!)' were rung /11 tht! l1011011r ofthe patriots re1um (½).
Most oftl11! people hat/ left the to111n. so as to ,:et to the Shnn,ble's
Gme (½), to watch the patriot get executed 011 the !rcaffold I gallows (½).
This line means 1ha1 011/J' a few people that K'Ue afflicted wit/r
paralysis(½) 1t·ere at tire wi11dows oftheir horMl!S (½).
(iv) What is meant by the Shambles· Goie? Why do lhe people try to be near it?
Whal 'harvest' did the ~pcalccr reap?
Shambles Gau means a p/11u ofe..1:ecution ofo person (¼).
Thrt people tried to be lit Ille Sl,ombll!'s Gntl! or nl!or thl! sc:offold, so
as to gt!I a bettl!r 1•in" oftire l!Xecutio11 (½).
'Harvest' is refe"inR ta tire reward he ROI (½).for tire 1·ictory lie
aclriered for !,is people (½). TJ,e spellkl!r !,as reaped thl! rt!K'ard of l1ate (½)
a11d den1/rfrom tire same people 1111,o once K'elcomed him (½).

(v) What do you think of lhc mentality ofLhc crowd? Which thoughts make him
·safer'?
I tl,ink that tire mentality oft/re croll'd isjick1e-minded (½) and 1!1-i/ (½). as
they llre immediately readJ' to exec11tl! /rim (½),just bet:Jn1Se ofonl! misduJl
rltm 1,e had commined (½); whereas a yellr ago. he was welcomed by rlte
same people for his grand victory(½).

Tire tl,011Rht of1/11!.facr tl,nt 110111 si11u the people h'nd now reK•ardetl
l1im 111i1J, hat/! mid dl!t1tlr, i11sten1I ofloi'I' mid J,011our (½), God will ,row
reward him (½) in hem•en after Iris death (½).
 The Patriot by Robert Browning

Sumfflll')'
n,c plll10I, who Wll5 welcomed o,c:r a yc.sr ago. after his grund. v,ctol'), h} the p..,oplc:.
reminded him of his past. ,incc all th= ..arnc people now 11011.: hun. and hurll.-d ,1onl." al
him. even c1unng his execuuon. llte patriot wa;, reminded of hi, pa,l hccau,c he "a,
amstcd 111d taken 10 the ga\1ows or scaffold 1.0 be hanged rtx lrn, mi,deed,. I le ,,a,
pusang lhroush .ornc ,rreet, in a town .A year ago. the patriot was worshipped a,, a hero.
He was accorded a warm welcome tln hi, retum. after a glorious victor) lh<. patlri wa,
llrCWII with now= and church towc~ were dcc:orated with victory n"s~ Huge crowd,
wen: there IO welcome him Ihe fact that the co1n111110 p<.'tlplc have comph:tcl> forptlttcn
the good deeds of the pamot. make, him fed sad. Th~c same crowd "ho "or--h1ppetl
him like a hero a year ago. have turned again.<;;1 him. Ile reels ~d about the "h1m,1col
nature and ficklc-mH1dedness of the people.People had ldl the 10,, n o r gone to the
Shambles' Gate or quite near 1he scaffold. in order to ha, ea better, icw of the patriot· ~
executton .Only a few parnly,cd people "ere !>llllng at the window~ becau-..e the)' were
Ulllble to walk 10 the pla.:c ot .c,ccuuon.Thc ,, on!. ·harvcsl' in thi, poem mean, reward
.The_paa,oe m:on~1h:s h1?1scll with h,, fate by thinking that 1f he ha, not bt.,'CO rc"ard1.-<l
~ ~ e . he 1, certalfl to be rewarded by God an hca, en . I tc feels !>Ofe 10 the bosom

=
Whal u the tone of the poem n,c Patriot by Aro" ning".'

~ =i~t1s sc\'eral tone, throughout. Overall lhc tone•~ ~orro\\ fut and

~ the first three stanzas lhc: ,-peaker narra1e~ his d . . .

; : y And tn the neitl ~tan1.as 11 is all aboul h . h I goo limes, which i , OO\\ a
~fdhc poem is an eitprcssion of the' • :~~ • c ,a, been rejected by the people.
~~ _.ICXIOWful. · pea er ' gncf and regret, making th,c

die poem.
g\oryth e speaker also . . h. .
and rune. Histo;;~C) s. is realization of the frailtv and
its coune. Thts has ~llnessed 1he nse and fall of many
a gnm ren11ndcr in a -.:11irical lone

~ the end that God shall repay him m

 speaker say -1 am sater so m tne last tine 01 Kotien uro" mng s poem
ot"l
'l'be last three lines of the poem reflects Browning's ~tout rehg1ou,- belief quite Mmi lar
to what was expressed towards the end of The Last Ride 1ogcther. I le belie, e, 1hm
one should nol get all success and enjoyment in the eanhl} \Hlrld l hnt ,, ho,, he can
get that in the heaven after death.

"Paid by the world, what dl•~t thou O\\ c

IMeT'-God might question:°'"' instead,

'Tis God shall repav: I am ~li..'f ,o
The patriot here sa)·s that 1fhe get~ everything in du~ \\.Orld. Ciod ,, ould u,k him. ·•You
have been paid by the '"<>rid. No,, "hat more do you ,,ant from 1111:'!" Ou 1, a, he Im,
not got rea,gnition for what all he hru. done in this world and a, people have
misundcrstoOd his deed,- and punbh1.-d him. God" ill rcpa) him in the he.i, en aficr Im,
death. So. he feels safer no,, to surely go 10 heaven and win Gud· s grace there.

What irony is invol\'ed in the patriot's words "I am safer so" in Rohen Browning· s
poem 'The Patri01'?
The pattict. in Browning's poem. .:;ays that as he has not got recognition for what all he
has done in this world and a~ people have misunderstood his deeds and punished him,
God wilhepay him in the hea, en after his death. So. he feels safer now 10 surely go to
heaven and win God's grace there.

·~Involved here is a dramatic irony. I feel. llus 1s because the other people
dlaae don't know his feelings and thoughts at the moment. rhough the patriot
J( sslfl.ucky and safer for the treatment he receives. the masses gathered there
't think his way.

the patriot received last year fmm the ~'Opie us presented in

•The Patriot'.

aives an account of the grand reception that the

:walkina palh was covered with lots and lots of rose
"'-"'"" path was festooned with these flower for him.

■.r,i_.DCI for him as he passed by. They

oovered with flaming flags
y delighted to
 \wVe IO •repay' to the patriot?
Go4"""lnpay. what !!hall God repay to the patno• m R,,hcrt Ur•'"111ng·, r-1c111
AJlbid. aold
'Ille~ f11MY"I
w: "to _ all h" g0<-.J J~..:J,
say that as he has not gol the rccol!:n111,1n 1l1r
111111 ahebllbem punished wrongly b~ the peopk, no" GoJ >hull ho, c ,,, n:r,1~ h~in
wlbllil.-,C III heaven after his death. This 1s i.l'blr the ,1><:a\..cr ,,bg "'"' "IJl!!l ,,.lier
.:.
11ila ls in line With Browning·, wcll-lnn"n religiou, 1Jcol••it} of gcllin~ r,ml m the
IIW"'II whl& 11 due from the earthl) hti:

Oive ID llllC)OIIIII of the crowd', J1.,;ippro,11I and Ji,ph:a,urc "1th 1he patnlll m the
plllll "TIie P1triOt, an old ~t<:>I) .. hy Robert Brn-.,mng'/
1'1&crowd bll now detached thcn~..eh ,:-. rrom the patnot who,e nchic, emtn• the)
.-.w◄1Mjt,sl a year ago. A, a r,_-.,uh of their d1,p\ea,un: \\.Ith him, 1he patn,,1 ha, 11011,
. .111ed, ooimc:tcd and 1~ being led a,, ay tn be pul 10 dcalh l lu, 1s a bnlhanl
_. '.JNfal llf'lhe liaill)' of pubh, adulanon and 1ncmory iUld licklcne-., of pm1,e u.nd
A.,_flF, ro,es and fame, hut t<l<l,1y he i, left wuh nothing hul -.ham: and

lsGD lbc hou~lops II> cheer fnr n,m, opan from a fc,~ pah,il.'d race~ at lhc
ii walking m the ram. "1th hi~ hand ued lightly with a rope. Some
dlroWin1111onc:s •• him. I h, forehead 1, blccJinQ. I malh he i!-. taken
henpcl to death .
pllb. filled with l'05CS in the poem·· the patriot'' b) Robert

bdbcPetl'III the poem providc:5 u~ w11h. But it 1s only

.o;l llls■IIM must be as a result of !IOmc achievement
:rf!• ~ in war or the assemblage for fighung
ar beiaa nominated as a ruler, or maybe
poemlbat It COGCdned the
Cit:<£ la lbi; JIIIIIOt II seen u a
-~•bylbe
 What are the misdeeds that the patriot has done?

In the poem, people \vere thro\ving stones at the patriot and wanted his death
apparently because of some misdeeds he has done in the last one year. But from the
tone and the language used by the speaker, especially towards the end of the
monologue where he keeps faith in God and hopes to be repaid by the God, it seems
that he is actually innocent and his good works have been misunderstood by the
masses. It might be so that he is guilty of some things he did which he thought were
right.

The patriot might have taken some tough decisions in the government for the long-t
benefits of the people but it caused difficulties in the short term. He might have made
some stricter rules for the good of the country but people misunderstood it. Hf! might
hav~ made some wise movement in the right direction but it was against the publie
sentiment. Anyway, we cannot be sure about what his misdeeds were, but that '!'ti
· g he thought right, but the masses thought wrong.
 Alliteration:

"Roses, roses"
"Myrtle mixed"
" Crowd and cries"
"Dropped down dead"

This use of alliteration adds rhyme and rhythm

to the poem.

Metaphor:
The use of roses in the first stanza has been to
symbolize people's love and affection towards
him.

The celebratory attitude of the people and their

honoring the Patriot has een metamorphosed
as roses.

Glory, power, and immortality have been

metamorphosed as the sun. He asks the men
for the sun as it is the ultimate symbol of power.

"And you see my harvest, what I reap". In this

line, the Patriot's deeds have been referred to as
harvest and the consequences have been
metamorphosed as reaping.

Personification:

"The house roofs seemed to heave and sway".

The roofs of the houses have been given the
human characteristic of heaving and swaying.
This has been done to refer to the crowd on the
roofs and their frenzy on seeing the Patriot,
which is causing them to clamber over each
other and give an impression of swaying.
Imagery:

The poem begins with an image of the past

where the patriot is being welcomed back to
his town with paths laden with roses and
myrtles. The use of roses projects a positive
picture as they symbolize love. The heaving roof
tops are evidence to the fact that the town is a
very cluttered and crowded one.

They create a contrast between the past and the

present, the image of crowded roof tops is
juxtaposed with the image of empty roof tops
and roads.

Rain acts as anegative agent as it creates a

scene of misery and works in changing the
mood of the poem. The Patriot is walking
through the town and is bleeding and inpain.
1
The reference to safety in God sabode ends the
poem on an upbeat note as the imagery is of
positivity and optimism.
TONE
Narrated in a first person account, the Patriot
has an ironic tone. The irony in the poet being
that the people who had, in the beginning,
welcomed him with flowers, they are the ones
who stone him and hang him within the span
of a year.

The poem begins with a retrospective tone

since the first two stanzas are in past tense. The
poet reflects back upon the days when he was
welcomed with rose laden paths.

Then, there is tension in the narration when

the poet mentions the now empty roof tops.
The Patriot's tone becomes laced with agony
and sarcasm when he notes how the people
who apparently were ready to worship him are
now cheering his execution.

The poem ends on an optimistic note as the

Patriot believes that God truly knows who is
moral or immoral, and he will do justice to the
Patriot after his death.

CONCLUSION
Within its six stanzas, The Patriot encompasses
the universal phenomenon of rising and fall
from power. Written in the form of a dramatic
monologue, the fickle ness of public opinion and
the transient nature of fame are the central
themes of this tragic verse by Robe rt Browning.
The picture of crumbling houses of the Victorian
era, heaving housetops, din created by the
public is an exemplar of Browning's superb u se
of imagery. The flow of the poem ensures that
the reader gains sympathy for the patriot. Also,
despite the agony and the anguish of the patriot
throughout the poem, the contrast c r eated in
the e nd by his optimistic note sends out the
message of justice and fairness.

NOTE
The poem traces the patriot's fall from fame and glory
to infamy. There are two perspectives intermixed in the
poem - the Patriot's and the people's. The poem is
presented to us primarily from the patriot's
perspective. In the fifth stanza of the poem, the word
"misdeeds" possibly refers to the people's perspective
about the patriot as a treacherer; "misdeeds" could
also signify the patriot's admission about his wrong
doings.