ENGLISH LITERATURE WORKSHEET

Grade : X Topic : THE PATRIOT

ANNOTATION 1
It 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.

Q1. Who is the speaker of the poem? Whom is the speaker speaking to? How is
speaker welcomed?
 The patriot
 himself
 his path was covered with rose petals and myrtle
 people were cheering for him
Q2. Why was the speaker welcomed?
 Grand celebration as a result of some achievement on the speaker‟s part
 The patriot was seen as a public hero
 people greeted him with love and affection
Q3. Comment on the visual and auditory imagery of the poem.
Visual imagery:
 “It was roses, roses, all the way.”
 “The church spires flames, such flags they had.”
 “Just a palsied few at the windows set.”

Auditory imagery:
o “The air broke into a mist with bells.”
o “The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.”

English-II/Grade X /ICSE/ THE PATRIOT / Page 1 of 4 CAA/SN/2021-22

 ANNOTATION 2
Alack, 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.

Q1. What does the speaker mean by ‘it was I who leaped in the sun’? What does it signify?
 He made an attempt to achieve his ambition
 he did everything a man could have done to make things right
Q2. Explain:
And you see my harvest, what I reap
This very day, now a year is run.
 The terms „harvest‟ and „reap‟ are closely seen as common metaphors for
karma
 the poet uses this to convey that what he is facing is not what he truly deserves
 He says it has been a year since that day when he was welcomed by his
countrymen
Q3. What is the message conveyed through the poem?
• hope and faith in God
• people like the patriot can turn defeat into victory and sorrow into joy
• with purity of heart and unflinching faith in God‟s justice
• believe that God would reward for one‟s good deeds and make him feel safe and
secure

ANNOTATION 3
There's nobody on the house-tops now---
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles' Gate---or, better yet,
By the very scaffold's foot, I trow
Q1. Why is there nobody on the roof-tops now?
• people had gathered at the Shambles‟ Gate
• to see the patriot‟s execution
• people wanted to be where the action is taking place

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Q2. What does the poet mean by ‘a palsied few’? What is referred to as the best sight?
How is the setting different now?
• old men who are taken down by palsy (a disease) and unable to cross the
threshold of their houses
• the gate of the slaughter house or the very foot of the scaffold
• The place is empty. There is nobody on the roof top to cheer him.

Q3. In what context does the poem illustrate the inconsistent behavior of the public?
• the poem portrays how love, respect and honour given to someone is
momentary; is subjected to erratic changes
• the patriot was acknowledged as a God a year ago but today he is being taken to
the scaffold to be executed
• the same public who threw roses and myrtle on his way now made him bleed by
throwing stones at him
• earlier the house roofs seemed to heave and sway to welcome him in the town
but today he is completely secluded by the same people

**************THE END*************

English-II/Grade X /ICSE/ THE PATRIOT / Page 3 of 4 CAA/SN/2021-22