The Patriot

By Robert Browning
Figures Of Speech
1. The poem is a dramatic monologue
2. Alliteration - It is the close repetition of consonant sound, usually at
the beginning of words. For eg:- with myrtle mixed in my path like
mad, In triumphs, people have dropped down dead, The
church-spires flamed, such flags they had
3. Metaphor - It is a comparison between two things which is implied
but not clearly stated. The use of roses symbolises people’s love
and affection towards the patriot. Glory, power and immortality
have been symbolised by the sun and he asks the people for the
sun as it is the ultimate symbol of power.
4. Personification - In it an inanimate object or abstract concept is
spoken of as if it had human attributes and feelings. 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 the impression of swaying.
5. Hyperbole - It is an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.
For eg:- “And afterward, what else?” Here the patriot asks the
crowd to give him the sun so it's as if they would literally bring the
sun for him at that moment.
6. Pathetic Fallacy - It is a literary device for attributing human
emotions and conduct to all aspects within nature. For eg:- “I go in
the rain” adds to the depressed mood, and could be seen as a sign
of the speaker’s inner crisis.
7. Irony - The irony in the poem is that the people who had, in the
beginning, welcomed the patriot with flowers, were the ones who
hurled stone at him after a year.

Questions & Answers

1. Who is the speaker of the above lines? Why is his path filled with
roses?
Ans. The speaker of the above lines is a national hero. He is looked
upon as a patriot. He is given a rousing welcome when he comes Roses
are strewn all over his path in his honour. Roses are a symbol of love
which shows the public’s love and appreciation to the Patriot.

2. What significance does the line “A year ago on this very day” hold
in the poem?
Ans. The line “A year ago on this very day” is significant because it helps
the readers to grasp the speaker’s glory filled with the past. This line tells
us that the speaker is talking about a past event that happened exactly a
year ago. In a flashback, the speaker is reminded of his pleasant past
experience. That gives the readers a hint that he is probably now in a
situation that is in complete contrast to the one he describes here.

3. Which figure of speech is given in “with myrtle mixed in my path

like mad?” What does the myrtle symbolise here?
Ans. Alliteration is the figure of speech used in this line, 'm' sound is
repeated thrice-'myrtle", mixed and 'mad'. The flower myrtle is white in
colour and symbolises respect. It means that the people of the patriot’s
town used to respect him a lot

4. Who are they in the following line? What light does the line throw
on them? “And afterward, what else?”
Ans. The word ‘They'' in the above line referred to the crowds of the
people who had gathered to welcome the patriot. The line means that
the people swayed with such enthusiasm that if the patriot had asked for
the sun they would have offered him the same. This line indicates hero
worship. People are so intoxicated with enthusiasm that they are willing
to go to any extent to serve their hero.

5. What kind of reception had the speaker received then? How can
you say so?
Ans. The speaker was given the most astonishing reception. Almost
everybody came to welcome him. His walking path was covered with lots
and lots of rose petals, with myrtle mixed in them. The path was
festooned with these flowers for him.
People standing on the roofs of their houses cheered for him as he
passed by. They were overjoyed to see him. The spires of the church
were covered with flaming flags that the people had put up for a
celebration. The air broke into a mist with bells meaning that the sound
of the bells (which were ringing in the honour of his victory). The cries of
joy were so loud that they shook the walls of the houses.Thus, the
speaker received a grand welcome.

6. Who is I in the above extract? What does leaping at the sun signify?
Ans. The speaker is 'I' in the above extract. The sun implies the most
difficult object to attain. Leaping at the sun alludes to the mythical story
of lcarus. He glued wings with wax and tried to reach the sun. He was
successful in flying up. However, when he flew more and more up
(closer to the sun), the wax began melting away and finally the wings got
detached from his body. He fell down and died. The moral of this Greek
Tale is that one should never do something beyond limits or else it leads
to his downfall.

7. Why did the speaker leap at the sun? Which words tells you that
the speaker is being regretful?
Ans. The speaker leapt at the sun for the sake of his countrymen and
was over-ambitious. He went beyond his limits to please his countrymen.
was quite a difficult task which no one else could have done if he had left
it undone. However, as time went by, his countrymen’s attitude changed
and proved to be ungrateful. He is being treated as a traitor. Having
done too much, he now repents over his struggle as it has led him to
face this day i.e. the day on which is going to be executed.

8. Explain what ‘harvest’ the speaker is referring to?

Ans. By the word ‘harvest’, the speaker is referring to the reward he got,
for the victory he got for his people. The speaker has reaped the reward
of hate and death from the same people who once welcomed him. He is
dishonoured and is being led to the gallows like a criminal.

9. The speaker uses the phrase ‘loving friends’. Do you really

consider these loving? Why?
Ans. The speaker trusted people. He calls them loving friends. But his
friends turned their backs on him in the hour of his adversity. Nobody is
there to comfort and console him. They cannot be considered 'Ioving'.

10. State whether the speaker feels sad about the past.
Ans. The poet feels sad about the past. He recalls the events of the year
past with a heavy heart. He regrets having served people who loved him
a year ago but hate him. Despite his sadness, he is optimistic. He hopes
he will be rewarded for his service in heaven.

11. Compare the scene on the house-tops a year ago and now as
mentioned in the extract above.
Ans. A year ago the house tops were crowded with people. Almost
everybody was there to have a glimpse of him. The house-roof were full
of people that the roofs seemed to sway, but everything has changed
over a year's time. There is nobody on the housetops now except for a
few suffering from palsy i.e. they are without any pity or love for the
patriot. People have gone to the Shambles’ Gate to watch him being
hanged.

12. What according to you has changed the situation?

Ans. There’s nobody on the house-tops now because the situation has
turned against the Patriot. The speaker was everybody's darling hero a year
ago. They showered roses on him when he arrived. But the speaker has
done something so bad that everybody hates him. Due to his ‘year’s
misdeeds’ the same public who honoured him as a hero is ready to put
him to death.

13. What difference is seen in people’s attitude towards the Patriot

earlier and now?
Ans. People hero-worshipped the speaker a year ago and was welcomed by
the people with roses and myrtles. They looked upon him as a patriot and
their savior. Now they look upon him as a traitor. The same public hurled
stones at him after a year. They hate him, and want to see him hanged
soon. This shows his downfall from a beloved hero to a condemned
traitor.
 14. What is referred to as the ‘the best of the sight’? Why?
Ans. The scene of the execution of the Patriot at the Shambles’ Gate is
the best of the sight. People are not eager to see him led through the
streets and want him to be put to death for his year’s misdeeds. People
are eager to see him draged to the streets and hanged at the gallows.

15. Where is the speaker being taken? Why?

Ans. The speaker is being taken to the Shambes’ Gate to the gallows to
be executed there. The speaker's hands are tied behind his back and he
is being dragged through the streets of gallows. Probably he has
committed something grave. But the poet does not tell about the
misdeed the speaker did. So, it cannot be determined that the
punishment is justified. But the speaker thinks it is unjust.

16. Where is I going in the rain? What does the rain symbolize?
Ans. "I", the speaker is being led to gallows because he is going to be
hanged. The rain here symbolizes that the patriot gets wet by the rain
losing his dignity. It also symbolizes the patriot’s misery and misfortune.
He is drenched to the bone looks very miserable.

17. Meaning of ‘A rope cuts both my wrists behind;’

Ans. The speaker is treated in the most inhuman way. He is treated like
a most hateful traitor. His hands are tied so tightly that ropes are cutting
his skin. It signifies a deep hatred in among the public for the patriot.

18. How does the poem reflect the theme of fickleness of public?
Ans. The story portrays that how love, respect, honour is given to
someone is momentary and is subject to erratic changes. The centre of
the poem is a patriot who is in a critical situation. Only a year ago, he
was acknowledged as god-like by the public. He was given a hero’s
welcome on his arrival in the town. But today he is being taken to the
scaffold to be executed.

19. Whose forehead bleeds? Why? How was he treated earlier?

Ans. The speaker's forehead is bleeding because someone has flung a
stone on him. His hands are tied so tightly that he can not move his
hand. So, he cannot touch his blood but feel it flowing down. Having his
head down because of humiliation he is just feeling the stones which
have made his forehead bleed. He is not angry at all because he
considers this pain, blood and humiliation as the punishment for some
misdeed which he committed in the past. Earlier , a year ago,roses, not
stones, were showered.

20. Where does the speaker enter? Where does he go after that?
Ans. A year ago the speaker was given a hero’s welcome. Now he is
going out of the town to the scaffolds to be hanged.

21. Explain ‘In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.’ Which
figure of speech is used here?
Ans. The speaker means to say that some people died while they were
still glorified. Thus they were rewarded by the world. He might view his
situation as a victory, as this implies. He sees himself as having won
even in defeat because he thinks he stood up for what was right.The
poet has used alliteration. The 'd' sound in 'dropped down dead' is
repeated.

22. When does the speaker feel safe? Why?

Ans. Browning’s message in the poem is one of faith in God and
optimism. Even though the world thinks that the patriot has done
something wrong, he knows he has done everything he could. Death is
not the end. He feels safer now. He hopes that since he did not receive
hte reward for the work he had done in this world, he will be rewarded by
God.God is indebted to him.Thus,the poem reflectsBrowning’sfaithinGod

23. Explain the theme of Rise and Fall Of Glory.

Ans. The poem depicts the theme of sudden Rise and Fall of Glory of
man. Within a span of one year, the patriot experiences both love and
lovelessness. One year ago, he was welcomed by the public with roses
and myrtles. This shows his downfall from a beloved hero to a
condemned traitor. However, the same public hurled stones at him after
a year. It can also be deduced that it was his vaulting ambition that he
took a step too far, and it was his error that led him to cross boundaries
and lose popularity.