KEEPING QUIET, BY PABLO NERUDA CBSE GRADE 12, ENGLISH CORE

KEEPING QUIET

BY  PABLO NERUDA

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Read the following extracts and answer the following:

1. Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)Why does the poet ask us to count to twelve?
(c)Why does the poet ask us to keep still?
(d) Find words from the line which mean.
(ii) Say number (iii) Quiet and motionless.
Ans:
(a)It is from “Keeping Quiet”, by Pablo Neruda who was a Nobel Prize awardee for Literature
(b)Number 12 is an important number in the calendar. There are only twelve numbers on the clock to measure hours as well as 12 months in a year. Therefore, the poet indirectly asks us to count till the day or an year ends.

(c)The poet asks us to be silent because too much rush and unwanted conversations will lead us to the dark pits of misfortune

(d) (i) count (ii) still

 

2. For once on the face of the Earth let’s not speak in any language, let’s stop for one second, and not move our arms so much.
(a) What do you mean by “on the face of the earth”?
(b) ‘Let’s not speak in any language’, says the poet. Why?
(c)What should we not do for a second?
(d) What is the poetic device in the line “not move our arms so much”?

Ans:
(a) It means all over the earth
(b) The people use different languages in the world. Different languages keep the people in different strata. Because of the ego and the people indulge in wars and make their world insecure. If they do not talk too much, there will have peace and harmony.

 (c) We should not shake our arms for a second; it means we should not use arms and ammunitions for harmful activities

 (d) “Arms” means our hands. It also means weapon, including bombs, guns etc. Here, the poetic device is “pun”.

3. It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines, we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.
(a) What do you mean by “exotic”?

 (b)What will happen if there is no rush or sound of machines?
(c)What sort of moment will it be?
(d)How would all of us feel at that moment?

Ans:

(a) Unusual, enticing, attracting

 (b)There will be peace of mind and pleasure.

(c) It will be a very enticing and beautiful moment.
(d) All of us would enjoy the sudden strangeness of that moment. There would not be war or enmity.

 

4. Fishermen in the cold sea would not harm whales and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
(a)What do fishermen usually do in the cold sea?
(b)What does the poet ask fishermen not to do?
(c)What has happened to the man gathering salt?
(d) What should the man gathering salt do?

Ans:

(a)Fishermen usually catch fish, particularly big fish in the cold seas.
(b)The poet asks fishermen not to hurt or injure the whales in the seas.
(c) While gathering salt the man has injured his own hands. Pieces of salt are sharp edged
(d) He must take care of his hurt hands and introspect.

5. Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers in the shade, doing nothing.
(a) What do you mean by green wars?
(b)What sort of wars is mentioned in the above lines?
(c)What kind of victory will it be?
(d) How should the lovers of war behave?

Ans:

(а) Green wars are wars against the environment. They would kill the environment.

 (b) In these lines the poet mentions with wars with poisonous gas and fire arms like bombs
(c) Victory without survivors will not be a victory. Without survivors how one can celebrate victory, it will be a colourless and meaningless victory.

 (d) They should put on clean clothes and walk holding their brothers’ hands to some shades in a peaceful air and sit under the trees doing nothing.

 

6. What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity. i Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness of never understanding

ourselves and of threatening ourselves with death.

(a)What does the poet want? What should it not be confused with?
(b)Explain: 7 want no truck with death’.
(c)What do people pursue single-mindedly? Which is the better course the poet suggests?
(d)When can a huge silence do us good?
Ans:
(а)The poet is advocating for silence or stillness. Stillness should not be confused with total inactivity or death.
(b)Total inactivity brings death. The poet refuses to associate with death. Thus, he is not advocating for death. The death and inactivity are different
(c)The People pursue single-mindedly on only one thing that they keep their lives moving. ..The poet suggests that it would be better if they give themselves rest for some time.
(d)A huge silence can do us a lot of good when we are disappointed at not understanding ourselves or threatening ourselves with death.

 7. Perhaps the Earth can teach us as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

(a)What can the Earth teach us?
(b)What remains alive when everything seems dead?
(c) “and later proves to be alive” What does it mean?
(d)What does the poet ask us to do?
Ans:
‘(a) The earth can teach us a lesson on how to live on it and that it will never die (b)Only the earth remains alive when everything seems dead.
(c) It means when everything seems dead the earth proves that it will never die.
(d) He asks us to keep quiet while he is counting up to twelve.

SHORT ANSWERS

1. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem? 

Ans: We do not understand ourselves and do rash actions. All disasters and calamities are created by man. Man becomes his own threat and enemy. It is a sad state and disaster of his life.

2. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

Ans: The poet wants to show that under apparent stillness, life can still exist as a seed which is in the state of stillness. But it has life in it. One day it will grow. To prove his point, he invokes the earth as a living symbol. The earth will never die. This idea is beautifully explained in the following lines – “as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive’.

3. How will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us? 

Ans: Keeping Quiet for duration of counting up to twelve will provide us a short peace of mind and also one can introspect oneself. Most of the problems are caused due to hurry and rush. They will create angry and violence. Hence, keeping still gives us peace and happy.