DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, INDORE

Session 2023-24
CYCLE- 13
1 December 2023- 22 December 2023
LITERATURE-
Lesson 12- The Human Season(Poem)(Detailed)
Lesson 16- A Comedy of Manners(Play) (Detailed)
GRAMMAR-
Lesson 10-modals
READING-
Unseen Passage
Vocab Jam

Lesson 12
The Human Seasons
By- John Keats
I Pre-reading activity-
Write few lines about the season you like the most. Also write the
reason.

II Difficult words-
1. lusty
2. luxuriously
3. honied
4. ruminate
5. coves
6. contented
 7. idleness
8. mists
9. unheeded
10.mortal
III Word meanings-
1.lusty- bursting or overflowing with good health
2.ruminate – think deeply
3.unheeded – neglected, ignored
4. coves – small sheltered place
5. mortal – temporal, one that is bound to come to an end or die

IV Antonyms-
1. high x low, little
2. close x distant, faraway
3. pale x bright
4. contented x discontented
5. mortal x immortal

V Reference to Context-
“He has his summer, when luxuriously… ..”
a) Name the poem and the poet.
Answer- The name of the poem is ‘The Human Seasons’ and the
poet is John Keats.

b) Who is being referred to as 'he'in these lines?

Answer-' He' in these lines is referred to as man.
 c) What happens when he has his summer?
Answer- When man is in the stage of summer (youth) he dreams of a
good future and explore new areas to achieve his dreams.

VI Short Answer Type Questions-

a) How has the poet described the Spring season of a human’s
life?
Answer- Keats has presented the Spring season as “lusty” to show the
resemblance between Spring season and the excitement and
vigour of childhood. It is the first stage of life and it is the
period from the birth till childhood. This period is
characterised by physical strength, innocence, and an
enormous enthusiasm for play and fun. We are healthy, our
minds are clear, and anything looks feasible during the Spring
season, which is the childhood of human life. Because of this,
we are able to take in all the beauty with ease and without any
burden.

b) How does the poet describe the summer season of a

human life?
Answer- Youth, the second stage of human life, is compared to the
summertime. We are now transitioning from being children to
being adults; we are no longer lusty, but our minds are
introspective. The ideas are considered more carefully and
digested, similar to how a cow chews and rechews(ponder
more/ruminant) its cud. A person experiences happiness and
enlightenment that is "nearest to heaven."

c) How does the poet describe the Autumn season in the

poem?
Answer- The middle age, which has been compared to the Autumn
season, is the third stage of a person's life. As we progress
through this stage, we realise the reality of life and
 comprehend what is right. He harnesses his "wings" of
imagination to retreat inside his thoughts. He is contended to
allow to pass things like a “threshold brook” as he has attained
composure of mind.

d) How does the poet describe the Winter season of a

human?
Answer- Winter season is compared to the old age. It is the final stage
of a person's existence. It serves as a reminder of our "mortal
nature." The term "pale misfeature" refers to a man's pale
physical appearance and declining health. He mentally gets
ready to depart this world. Just as winter brings an end to the
year, old age brings an end to our lives.
VII Long Answer Type Question
How are the different stages in the life of a human being similar to
the seasons?
Answer-‘The Human Seasons’ is a sonnet(a fourteen-line poem)
written by John Keats. He strengthens the connection between
humans and nature by showing a parallelism between the two. Spring
season stands for childhood, Summer for maturity, Autumn
represents the middle age when men wait the final moment and
Winter is for death. Like every season has characteristic of its own,
human being passes through different stages experiencing their
unique emotions and ideas. The phases of life are temporary whereas
seasons also seem to be temporary.

VIII-Figures of speech used in the poem-

1) Alliteration-
It is the repetition of a sound to create a musical effect.
Examples-
“when his wings”
 Here, the sound ‘w’ is repeated.
2)Repetition-
It is the repetition of a word or phrase or line to put emphasis.
Examples:
The phrase “he has his” is repeated in the poem.
3) Symbolism-It is a mark, sign or word that implies an idea, object
or relationship. It allows the reader to go beyond what is known or
seen.
Examples-
i)Spring season symbolises childhood.
ii)Summer season symbolises the young age.
iii) Autumn season symbolises the middle age.
iv) Winter season symbolises the old age and death.

4)Imagery-
It is the use of words that creates pictures in the minds of the reader
or listener.
Examples-
i) “Spring’s honied cud of youthful thoughts he loves”
Here, the idea or thought in youth is a sweet food that is chewed and
rechewed(thinking deeply more). A man can reflect on things with
clarity after giving them some thought.
ii) “when his wings/ He unfurleth close…” portrays man’s soul as a bird
wraps its wings. It means that in the middle age the human controls
his higher imagination and becomes introspective and wiser.
IX Dictation

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