chapter 4
1. Pair work
Talk to your friend about all the things related to ‘Seven.’
For example : Seven wonders of the world.
Pair up with your partner and name those given below all of the under :
(a) The seven wonders of the world
Ans: Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids of Egypt.
(b) The seven continents
Ans: Asia, Antarctica, North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Australia.
(c) The seven colours of the rainbow
Ans: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.
(d) The seven notes of the music
Ans: Shadja, Rishabh, Gandhar, Madhyam, Pancham, Dhaivat, Nishadha in classical music. These are shortened to Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha Ni in Hindustani music.
(e) The seven seas of the world
Ans: Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and the Southern Ocean.
(a) Life is a keyboard,
because if you press the right keys, you have typed a good destiny.
(b) Life is a rollercoaster ride,
because sometimes it takes you up and sometimes it takes you down. But it’s a fun ride in the end and full of exciting experiences.
(c) Life is a canvas,
because you get to choose the colours and paint it the way you like.
(d) Life is a mountain,
because you have to work hard to get to the top, but the view from there is worth the climb.
(e) Life is like a flute,
because it all depends on how you play it.
(f) Life is like a song,
because it has notes that are high and low, but it takes both to make it melodious.
(g) Life is like an onion,
because you peel off layer after layer, and sometimes it makes you weep.
1. Read the words in given clouds. Match them with what they signify.
Ans: Stage – Life
Characters – Roles played by human beings
Script – Situation incidents
Dialogues – Conversation
Entry – Birth
Exit – Death
3. Write down in your own words the differences between the following stages of a man’s life.
1st Stage and 7th (Last) Stage
Ans: In the second stage, as a school boy, he carries his school bag and creeps unwillingly to school whining all the way. In contrast, as a solider in the 4th stage, he takes strange oaths and has a beard like a leopard. He is jealous of others’ successes and gets into quarrels at the drop of a hat. He is willing to put his life in danger to gain temporary reputation.
3rd stage and 5th stage
Ans: In the 3rd stage, as a lover he sighs like a furnace in separation. He writes sad poems and describes his beloved’s beauty. In the 5th stage, however, he is the judge who has a fair round belly, as he is well fed and full. He has severe eyes and his beard is formal. He uses wise sayings and gives examples to explain his points.
1st Stage and 7th (Last) Stage
Ans: In the first stage, man is an infant, crying and vomiting in the nurse’s arms.
In the seventh (last) stage, he enters old age — a second childhood. He loses his senses like taste and sight and depends on others for everything. Thus, old age resembles infancy, and life comes full circle.
4. Pick out lines that contain Imagery (a picture created in the mind by using words) of the following people.
(a) School boy (2nd stage)
Ans: Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel, and shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school.
(b) Soldier (4th stage)
Ans: Bearded like the pard, sudden and quick in quarrel.
(c) Judge (5th stage)
Ans: In fair round belly with good capon lined, with eyes severe and beard of formal cut.
(d) Senior citizen (6th stage)
Ans: Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, with spectacle on nose and pouch on side.
6. Think and write on your own.
(a) What is the theme/central idea of this poem ?
Ans: The theme/central idea of the poem is that just like characters in a play perform their role and make an exit, in life, we must play our parts and make an exit. Our entrance and exit in this world is predetermined and we have no control over it but we can do our best with what we have control over i.e. choose to play our parts or roles well. The duration of our role is not important; what is important is the impact we leave on everyone’s heart and mind while we are here by playing our parts well.
(b) Which two stages of man, described by Shakespeare, sound humorous ? Say why.
Ans: The fifth stage when the man is a justice and the sixth stage is humorous. Shakespeare has used vivid imagery to describe these two stages. The sight of a round-bellied justice using wise sayings and examples invokes humour. Similarly, we can actually visualise the senior citizen in loose pantaloons, spectacles on the nose and a pouch on his side. This adds humour to the otherwise serious poem.
(c) The last (7th) stage of life sounds very sad and miserable. How can you make old age also cheerful and happy?
Ans: We can make old age cheerful and happy by living our lives to the fullest right from the time we are young. We should make sure to create enough cheerful memories when we are young, so that during the olden days, we have a smile on our faces. Moreover, knowing that death is inevitable and accepting old age with grace is the way to a
7. (A) The poem is entirely metaphorical. Pick out the comparisons from the poem.
(a) world
Ans: stage
(b) actors
Ans: men and women
(c) birth and death
Ans: entrance and exit
(d) school boy
Ans: snail
(e) the lover’s sigh
Ans: furnace
(f) spotted leopard
Ans: soldie
(g) last stage (old age)
Ans: second childhood
(B) Pick out from the poem two examples of each.
(a) Simile
Ans: (1) creeping like snail
(2) And then the lover sighing like furnace
(b) Onomatopoeia
Ans: (1) Then the whining schoolboy
(2) And whistles in his sound
(c) Alliteration
Ans: (1) His youthful hose, well saved a world too wide
(2) Made to his mistress’ eyebrows
(d) Metaphor
Ans: (1) All the world’s a stage
(2) And all men and women merely players
(e) nversion
Ans: (1) And one man plays many parts in his time
(2) Creeping like snail, unwillingly to school
(f) Transferred Epithet
Ans: (1) With a woeful ballad
(2) Into the lean and slippered pantaloon
