If- (Poem) - Lecture notes 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 PDF

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Unit 1 Chapter 4

If (Poem) If (Poem) Textual Activities Questions and Answers Activity -1 (Read and Respond) Question 1. The first stanza of ‘If’ speaks about the need for self-confidence. Do you agree? Why? Answer: Yes, I agree. Without self-confidence, nothing worthwhile can be achieved. Question 2. What does the poet say about patience? Answer: Successful people exercise patience. Without patience, nothing can be got. In English they say, “Slow and steady wins the race’ and ‘Haste makes waste’. Question 3. Explain the poet’s views on honesty and fortitude of character. Answer: The poet says that even if people tell lies to you, never follow their examples and start telling lies. A liar is not respected in the society. A liar may succeed temporarily but in the long run he is bound to fail and will be put to shame. Question 4. Lines 5-7 speak about the need for righteous behaviour in the face of unrighteousness. How far do you agree? Answer: I fully agree with the view that in the face of unrighteous behaviour, we should face it with righteous behaviour. If somebody is bad, we don’t have to become bad and follow his ways. We should learn to conquer hatred with love. Question 5. What is the poet’s approach to dreams and longings? Answer: It is good to dream but we should not let dreams become our master. We can have longings, but we should never take crooked paths to achieve them. We can think, but our thoughts must not be our aim. Our aim is to act and achieve. Question 6. The poet believes that success comes from self control and a true sense of the value of things. Express your views on this. Answer: I fully agree with the poet’s views on these aspects. Success comes from self-control and a true sense of the value of things. We should know that all that glitters is not gold. Without self-control we will go astray. Unless we know the true value of things, we may spend our time and energy trying to get things that have no true value. Appearances can be deceptive.

Question 7. ‘Never breathe a word about your loss. ’ What impression do you get about the poet when you read this? Answer: I feel that the poet is a strong-willed person. He can keep his secrets. He does not want people’s sympathy. He has fortitude and courage to suffer his adversities without sharing them with others. Question 8. What is the message conveyed in the last stanza of the poem? Answer: You can talk with the crowds, but you should not become one of them and lose your virtue. Even when you walk with kings, you should not lose sight of the ordinary people. You should be beyond getting hurt by your enemies or friends. All kinds of people should be able to count upon you for help. You should forgive and never rush to punish the offender. If you can do all these things you can enjoy on this earth as if you are its master. Activity – II (Read and Reflect) Question 9. What is the central theme of the poem? Answer: The central theme of the poem is the qualities of greatness or the traits of a perfect man. Question 10. What, according to the poem, are the two impostors of life? Answer: According to the poem the two impostors of life are Triumph and Disaster. Question 11. What, according to the poet, should be one’s attitude to unexpected loss? Answer: According to the poet one’s attitude to unexpected loss should be one of indifference. Triumphs and Tragedies are part of life. Don’t be overjoyed at the successes and don’t be dejected at the failures. If you happen to have a loss, don’t tell anyone. Accept it with fortitude. Question 12. What is the poem about? (Consider the speaker, theme, symbols, comparisons, contrasts and conflicts.) Answer: The speaker here is a father. He is speaking to his son about the qualities that are needed to become a successful man, a perfect man. The theme is the attainment of perfection. To make his ideas clear, the speaker has used many symbols. There are symbols like ‘pitch -and-toss’ (suggesting gambling), ‘force heart, nerve and sinew’ (suggesting gathering of strength) and ‘sixty seconds worth of distance run’ (suggesting delayed reaction). There are fine contrasts in ‘triumph and disaster’, ‘kings and common people’ and ‘friends and foes’. There are conflicts in ‘risking it on one turn of pitch-and-loss’ and ‘loving friends hurting you’. Question 13. Identify the poetic form, figurative language and poetic structure.

Answer: It is a lyrical poem with four stanzas consisting of four octaves (a group of eight lines). The poem is in rhyme although the rhyming scheme is different in various stanzas. In the first stanza it is aaaa, bcbc. The poet has figurative language with a lot of metaphors, personification, parallelisms, climaxes, etc. It is a didactic poem telling us what to do and what not to do to enjoy life and to be a perfect man. Question 14. When the poet says, ‘If you can dream – and not make dreams your master, he is personifying dreams, i.e. dreams are spoken of as masters who can control our lives. In this case, dreams assume a human role/quality. Answer: Pick out other expressions where the poet uses personification. a) Triumph and disaster treated as impostors. b) Will which says ‘Hold on’. ‘Unforgiving minutes’ is a metaphoric expression as it refers to time that waits for no man; it is like a race where every second is important. Now, identify other metaphoric expressions used in the poem. Deal in lies, twisted by knaves, one heap of all your winnings, breathe a word, unforgiving minute, sixty second’s worth of distance Question 15. What do knaves represent? Answer: Knaves represent dishonest people. Question 16. What other symbols are used in the poem ‘If’? Answer: a) Deal in lies b) Making one heap of all your winnings c) Risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss d) Breathe a word e) Force your heart, nerve and sinew Notes: 1. Personification : Speaking of things and animals as if they are persons with human traits and qualities. Example: Death steals our life; he is very cruel. 2. Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing or person is spoken as another. Example: K.S. Chitra is a nightingale. 3. Symbol : A symbol is an object that represents an idea, image or an action. We see different symbols on our roads to warn us. Example: Red Light is the symbol of danger.

Activity – III (Appreciation)

Question 17. Based on the responses you have got, prepare an appreciation of the poem ‘If ’ (Consider theme, language, style, figures, symbols, relevance) Answer:

The poem ‘If is written by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling is an English short-story writer, poet and novelist. He is chiefly known for his stories and poems about the British soldiers in India. He also wrote stories for children. In the poem a father tells his son how to be happy and how to be a perfect man. So many conditions have to be fulfilled if one is to become a perfect man. He should not lose his head, even when others around him have lost theirs. He has to trust himself when all people doubt him. He should wait and shouldn’t be tired of waiting. When people tell him lies, he should not follow their example. People may hate him but he should not hate them. He should not try to look too good and try to talk too wise. He should dream, but should not make dreams his master. He should think but shouldn’t make thoughts his aim. He should view Success and Failure equally. Even when the results of his hard work are destroyed, he should be ready to build them up again. He should not tell others about his loss. He should persevere, always being optimistic. He should keep talking with the crowds but maintain his virtue. He can walk with kings but shouldn’t lose the common touch. Neither his friends nor his enemies should be able to hurt him. All men should be able to count on his help. He should forgive people who have offended him. If he can do all these things the Earth and everything in it will be his and he will be a successful man. The poem has rhyme and it has good sound effects. It has fine imagery, The mood is one of joy and optimism. The language used is simple. There are a lot of symbols and figures of speech in the language, especially personification.

The message of the poem is to be happy and successful in life. The poem talks of conditional fulfilment. If certain conditions, as specified in the poem, are fulfilled, one can be a perfect man, enjoying his life. ‘If is the most famous poem of Kipling. It attracted nation-wide attention. It soon became a very popular anthem. Activity – IV (Conditionals/lf Clause) In the poem ‘If’ we find many If clauses. If clauses are called conditional clauses. If clause (Subsidiary clause)

Main clause

If you can keep your head when all about you are

• Yours is the earth and everything that is in it.

losing theirs ………………………………………….

…… You’ll be a man, my son.

………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………….

Answer: Here is the list of ‘If Clauses in the poem: If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, …. if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you If you can wait and not be tired of waiting, If you can dream,… If you can think, … If you can meet with triumph and disaster, …. If you can bear to hear the truth, …” If you can make one heap of all your winnings, … If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew,… If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, …. If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, …. If all men count with you, …. If you can fill the unforgiving minute Usually, there are three common patterns with ‘If which are often called first, second, and third conditionals.

Tense Conditional Nature clauses

Example

Main If clause clause

If you work with confidence, you will Will / shall / First

If+

Open

succeed.

can / may condition If you get here before

conditional present + infinitive

eight, we shall catch the early train.

Would / should /

If I worked with Unlikely

confidence I would

to be

succeed.

fulfilled

If I knew her name, I

Second If + past could / conditional might + infinitive

would tell you.

Would / If you had gone should / there, you could have Third

could /

Unreal

might +

past

have +

situation

If + past

met him.

conditional perfect

If I had worked with confidence, I would past have succeeded. participle

Answer: The first type is called Probable or Likely or Open condition. The second type is called Improbable or Unlikely or Imaginary condition. The third type is called Impossible or Unreal Past condition. We make these conditions by changing the tenses in the clauses. → Let us take one example: a) If you call, I will come. (Probable) (If clause Present tense, Main Clause Future) b) If you called, I would come. (Improbable) If clause Past, Main Clause Conditional). c) If you had called would have come (Impossible) If Clause – Past Perfect, Main clause Conditional Perfect. → Here is the formula: If – present, Main Clause Future (Probable) If – past, MC Conditional (Improbable) If- past perfect, MC Conditional Perfect (Impossible) Now Look at the examples given in the Text on p. 33. Let’s Practise Question 18. Complete the conditional sentences to get the full story. Once upon a time, a cat bit a mouse’s tail off. ‘Give me back my tail,’ said the mouse. And the cat said, ‘Well, I would give (give) your tail back, if you fetched me some milk. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’ The mouse, however, went to a cow. ‘The cat will only give (give/ only) me back my tail if I fetch her some milk.’ And the cow said, ‘Well, I would give you some milk, if you ______________ (get) me some hay. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’ The mouse, however, went to a farmer. ‘The cat will only give my tail back if the cow ______________ (give) me some milk. And the cow ______________ (only/ give) me some milk if I get her some hay.’ And the farmer said, ‘Well, I would give you some hay if you ______________ (bring) me some meat. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’ The mouse, however, went to a butcher. ‘The cat will only give my tail back if the cow ______________ (give) me some milk. And the cow will only give me some milk if she ______________ (get) some hay. And the farmer ______________ (only/ give) me some hay if I get him some meat.’ And the butcher said, ‘Well, I would give you some meat if you ______________ (make) the baker bake me a loaf of bread. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’ The mouse, however, went to a baker. ‘The cat ______________ (give/ only) my tail back if I fetch her some milk. And the cow ______________ (give/ not) me some milk if I don’t get her some hay. And the farmer will only give me some hay if the butcher ______________ (have) some meat for him. And the butcher will not give me some meat if you ______________ (bake/ not) him a loaf of bread.’

And the baker said, ‘Well, I ______________ (give) you a loaf of bread if you promise never to steal my corn or meal.’ The mouse promised not to steal, and so the baker gave the mouse a loaf of bread; the mouse gave the butcher the bread. The butcher gave the mouse some meat; the mouse gave the farmer the meat. The farmer gave the mouse some hay; the mouse gave the cow the hay. The cow gave the mouse some milk; the mouse gave the cat the milk. And the cat gave the mouse her tail back. But imagine what would have happened otherwise: If the mouse had not promised (promise/ not) never to steal the corn or meal, the baker would not have given (not/give) the mouse the bread. If the baker ______________ (not/ give) the mouse the bread, the butcher ______________ (refuse) to give her the meat for the farmer. If the butcher ________________ (refuse) her any meat, the farmer ________________ (not be) willing to give the mouse the hay. If the farmer ________________ (not/ be) willing to give the mouse the hay, the mouse ______________ (not/ receive) the milk from the cow. If the mouse ______________ (not/ receive) the milk from the cow, she ______________ (not/ get) back her tail. Answer: got, gives, will only give, brought, gives, gets, will only give, made, will only give, will not give, has, don’t bake, will give. had not given, would have refused, had refused, would not have been willing had not been, would not have received, had not received, wouldn’t have got Extended Activities Activity -1 (Read and Respond) Question 19. Read the extract from the newspaper article: Teacher’s Pride Many of the old teachers of the University College in the city would have felt a thrill of pride and joy, on reading in the newspapers the news that their old student Arun M. Kumar has been selected by President Obama to a very important post in his government. Arun is now Assistant Secretary and Director-General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, in the Department of Commerce. The President has spoken appreciatively of the new team he has chosen. A rare honour, indeed, and well-deserved recognition of merit. Arun did his three-year undergraduate course in Physics in the University College. I taught that class their English prose. It was a very bright class, with some of the students brilliant without any self-consciousness of their brilliance. And Arun was among the most brilliant. Well-read in many subjects, keen in understanding, quick, sensitive, and cultured beyond his years in his responses, it was a privilege and a pleasure to have him in my class, and sometimes, to discuss things with him outside the class. Over the years, as his mind matured, his sense of language had become fine – a sure pointer to deeper changes. Confined to my academic pursuits, I know little about the wider world of Arun’s enterprises. To see him trusted with

the intricate problems of international finance is enough to make me feel that his choices and decisions were right. Arun and his friends were responsible for starting the Science Society of Trivandrum for the benefit of school children. It has done a lot of good to school students, both in terms of financial help and academic training. List out the special qualities you have noticed in one of your classmates: Answer: Brilliant, cheerful, sociable, hardworking, well read, sensitive, generous, sociable, humble, cultured, has initiative, humorous, optimistic My friend John is liked by all the students in the class. He is brilliant and he always gets the top marks and the teacher is never tired of praising him. John comes from a wealthy family. His father is a magistrate and his mother is a lecturer in a college. But he is very humble and he never shows off to others. He is always cheerful and has a smiling face. He is well-read and hardworking. His general knowledge is great. He is a voracious reader and he seems to know about all things under the sun, and even beyond! He is very generous and is always willing to help the weak. He is very sociable. He is polite and respectful to teachers and elders. He always greets them when he meets them. He is cultured in his behaviour. He is very humorous and he has the knack of telling very amusing stories. He is optimistic and a strong believer in God. He has many leadership qualities and he takes initiatives in many things. John is an ideal student. Activity – II (Cohesive Devices – Practice) Question 20. Fill in the blanks using the appropriate cohesive device from the ones given in brackets. 1. All the assignments should be submitted on time, …………………, they will not be evaluated. 2. The price of petrol has gone up considerably in the last few years …………………, the sale of cars has not seen any decrease. 3. Cycling is a good exercise …………………, it helps you to save money, (however, moreover, consequently) 4. Desktop computers are cheaper and more reliable than laptops; …………………, they last longer. (whereas, furthermore, alternatively) 5. There is a stiff competition between mobile phone companies to win customers …………………, they are slashing prices to attract customers, (as a result, in contrast, in conclusion) Answer: 1. Otherwise 2. However 3. Moreover 4. Furthermore 5. As a result Activity – III (Documentary): Question 21. Prepare a presentation on the life and works of an eminent person who has overcome many

obstacles/difficulties and become successful in life. Answer: Helen Keller : She was an American lecturer and writer who overcame severe physical disabilities, inspiring many other people to similar accomplishments. Deaf and blind from the age of 19 months, Keller learned to communicate with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller to read Braille and to “listen” by feeling a speaker’s face. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904 and authored a number of books about her experiences. Helen Keller (1880-1968) was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the daughter of wellto-do parents: Arthur Keller, a former officer in the Confederate army, and Kate Adams. When 19 months old, Helen was stricken with an acute illness that left her deaf and blind. In a short time, she forgot the few words she knew and became silent. She made use of signs to get what she wanted, but when her parents or the family servants did not understand her, her frustration found an outlet in screaming and tantrums. In the 1880s people who were both deaf and blind were classified in law as idiots. A doctor who examined Keller, however, thought that her intelligence could be developed. On the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, who was also a teacher of deaf people, Keller’s parents got a teacher for the Blind. The teacher’s name was Anne Mansfield Sullivan (later Macy). Thus began an association that lasted until Sullivan’s death in 1936. Sullivan’s first task was to break through t...