… FACTUAL QUESTIONS …
What’s the difference between ‘hear’ and ‘listen’?
Ans.
‘Hear’ means perceiving with the ear the sound made by someone or something and ‘listen’ means willfully paying attention to a sound.
How old is the speaker in the poem?
Ans.
According to me the speaker in this poem would be a young, teenager.
Who is he/she talking to?
Ans.
He/she is talking to those people who are constantly advising him and trying to solve his problems.
What must have happened before the speaker says all this ?
Ans.
I think the speaker must have had some emotional stress and instead of understanding the speaker’s thought, those listeners must have tried to advise him and solve his problems.
Why did the stranger’s admiration for Taffy grow?
Ans.
The shark’s tooth on stranger’s necklace was a magic shark’s tooth, and he was always told that if anybody touched it without his leave they would immediately swell up or burst, but taffy doesn’t swell up or burst. This made stranger’s admiration for Taffy grow.
Is the speaker aware of his shortcomings ?
Ans.
Yes, the speaker is aware of his shortcomings.
Does he/she want to improve ?
Ans.
Yes, the writer wants to improve.
Is he/she confident that he/she can improve?
Ans.
Yes he/she is confident enough to improve.
How does he/she want to work it out?
Ans.
He/she will continue to pray to God but he/she wants to work out the solutions for himself/herself on his own.
Is the poet willing to listen to others? Discuss how you can be a good listener.
Ans.
Yes, the poet is willing to listen to others. I can be a good listener if I pay attention to what a person is saying without interruptions. To be a good listener I will maintain eye-contact with the speaker.
… ENGLISH WORKSHOP…
1. The poet uses a free, conversational style in his poem. It is also called Colloquial style. Pick out and write down such lines or expressions that support the above statement
Ans.
(a) When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked.
(b) Listen ! All I ask is that you listen.
(c) When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.
(d) So please listen, and just hear me.
(e) Don’t talk or do – just hear me.
2. Put the following expressions in a table of Do’s and Don’ts as expressed by the poet.
(a) Please listen.
(b) give me advice.
(c) tell me why.
(d) solve my problem
(e) just hear me.
(f) accept as a simple fact
(g) contribute to my fear
(h) wait a minute
Ans.
3. Write in your own words :-
(a) What does the listener do when the poet asks him to just listen? Give 3 points.
Ans.
When the poet asks the listener to just listen to him, the listener gives (i) him advice (ii) tells him the reason to why he shouldn’t feel depressed (iii) tries to solve his problem.
(b) Why does the poet remark that advice is cheap?
Ans.
The poet remarks that advice is cheap because everyone is willing to give advice. Just an amount as small as 20 cents can get you two of the greatest advisors Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper referring to their advice column in the paper.
(c) Which two facts show that the poet is confident of overcoming his irrational feeling ?
Ans.
The two facts that show that the poet is confident of overcoming his irrational feeling are: (i) He says he will understand what is behind this feelings. (ii) He says that when the answers become obvious he will not need any device
4. According to the poets, how does God help people, when they pray to him for help?
Ans.
When people pray to God for help, God just listens and lets you work it out for yourself. God is mute, He doesn’t give advice or try to fix things.
5. Why should one learn to tackle ones problems by one’s own self?
Ans.
One should learn to tackle ones problems by one’s own self because It helps us to build self confidence and also, become self-aware.
6. Why should seniors not over-protect or over-pamper juniors?
Ans.
Seniors should not over-protect or over-pamper juniors, as it will lead to a certain level of dependency factor. They will get emotionally weak and will not be able to handle tougher situations in their lives.
7. Find out and write down some proverbs/axioms/quotations that convey a message similar to ‘Self help is the best help.’
Ans.
(1) Your biggest enemy is you yourself! So, be your own best friend.
(2) “Make the most of yourself….for that is all there is of you.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
(3) “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” — Albert Einstein
(4) Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.
9. Write an informal letter from a teenager to his/her parent, expressing a few thoughts from the poem.
(My dear …../Dearest ……./Hi! ….. Are you surprised to see this letter? I wanted talk to you about this, but then I thought I will be able to express myself better in a letter…. Love,/Yours lovingly/Yours …………)
Ans.
House No. A/4
Sunder baug lane,
Kamani,
Mumbai 400070
08th December, 2019
Dearest Mom,
Hi! Sorry, sorry, dear Mom. Are you surprised to see this letter? I wanted to talk to you about this, but then I thought I will be able to express myself better in a letter. Mother I know that I had a fight with my uncle about the property, and for that I just wanted you to only listen me. I knew that something is going wrong at times and I will understand it at some point or the other. It will take time, but one day, my problems will be solved on its own. I am sorry, but I don’t need anyone’s advice anymore. I have learned to solve my problems by myself. If I have not even considered your good advice, then I am sorry for that. I still need your advice but I want to learn from myself. I have to decide my own path in the world. Please try to understand me.
Love you always.
Your loving son,
Abhinav
10. Read aloud a couple of stanzas of the poem ‘Invictus’ and ‘Please Listen’. In what ways do they differ? Think and fill up the table with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
Ans. 