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4.A Considerable Speck-Poem

The document discusses a speaker who notices a tiny mite on a sheet of paper he is writing on. The speaker observes the mite's intelligent behavior as it pauses to assess potential threats and rapidly moves across the paper to escape danger. Though small, the speaker recognizes that the mite possesses a mind and individuality worthy of respect.

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192 views2 pages

4.A Considerable Speck-Poem

The document discusses a speaker who notices a tiny mite on a sheet of paper he is writing on. The speaker observes the mite's intelligent behavior as it pauses to assess potential threats and rapidly moves across the paper to escape danger. Though small, the speaker recognizes that the mite possesses a mind and individuality worthy of respect.

Uploaded by

rudrachowdhury7bpvm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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4.

A CONSIDERABLE SPECK
Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions
1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7. (b) 8. (c) 9. (c) 10. (d)
11. (b) 12. (c) 13. (d) 14. (a) 15. (b)
Section B: Context Questions
I. (i) When he was writing something and had lifted his pen to mark a period. He was busy
writing so the speck would not have been in his line of vision.
(ii) He was about to mark a period i.e., put a full-stop and probably think what to write next.
(iii) The spell on the paper—that was strange. In reality it was a tiny mite.
(iv) The tiny mite had its own mind-feelings as well as decision-making power.
(v) The speck appears insignificant but it has a mind of its own and the ability to wander
anywhere on the paper making the speck a significant thing. Thus, it justifies the title
of ‘considerable speck.’

II. (i) Intelligence because it knew it had to move fast to preserve itself.
(ii) The mite seemed to tiny to have feet. It was able to move swiftly across the paper
implying it had feet, proving the speaker’s belief incorrect.
(iii) The mite ran frantically around the paper in an act of self-conservation proving it did
not want to die.
(iv) It stopped in the middle of the sheet of paper. It did not know what to do and resigned
to its fate.
(v) The speaker appears to be all-powerful and decide what would be the mite’s fate as the
last line clearly says ‘to accept whatever I accorded it of fate’.

III. (i) The speaker says he lacks collectivistic regimenting love. He appreciates the
individuality of the mite.
(ii) The poet is criticising the principle of collectivism that is used against individualism.
This is a reference to communism where emphasis was on the needs of the group as a
whole and not the individual. Thus, this is a satire on the tendency of people to follow
the group or community instead of their individual identity.
(iii) The poor microscopic item is the mite which is tiny and at the mercy of the speaker.
It suggests that the speaker respects the individuality of even a tiny creature.
(iv) The speaker respects the individuality of the tiny mite who tried its pest to preserve
itself. I think the speaker was right in doing so because even the tiniest living being
has the right to live.
(v) This extract is about the individual thinking, imagination and creativity of the mite
which is better than the herd-mentality of communism that is sweeping the world. This the
theme of faculty of mind, its imagination and creativity is strengthened in this extract.

IV. (i) The speaker has a ‘mind’ implying he can think for himself. He has imagination and
creativity as a result. His individuality is conveyed by this assertion.
(ii) The speaker finds the speck also has a mind. It can think and perceive danger and
immediately act upon it. That is how the speaker realises the speck has a mind.
(iii) The speaker spares it life and allows it to rest on the sheet of paper. The speaker realises
that the speck has a mind and intelligence which is absent in humans in the world so
he did not punish the mite.
(iv) The speaker is against the herd mentality or collectivism where the group takes
importance over the individual and individuals lose their mind, i.e., their intelligence and
creativity. The mite displays individual intelligence and the will to preserve it the speaker
respects this tiny display of mind.

(v) The central theme of the poem, ‘A Considerable Speck’ is the importance of the human
faculty of mind, its imagination and creativity. The poet recognises and appreciates the
use of mind by an inconsequential mite, which appears on a sheet of paper on which
he was writing something. The mite uses it mind imagination and creativity to preserve
itself which is better than humans who influenced by the principle of collectivism.

V. (i) The small mite is referred to as ‘it’. It paused to check if the pen was a friend or a foe,
who would destroy it.
(ii) It paused to think probably the ink made it feel it was not safe so it started racing
wildly. The speaker was writing so the ink was not dry.
(iii) It smelt or drink the wet ink to check whether it was safe or not. It ran until it reached
the middle of the paper.
(iv) The speaker has beautifully described how the mite pauses on getting suspicious about
speaker’s pen doing harm to him and then races wildly, creeping, faltering, hesitating
and finally, recoiling itself in desperation, accepting its fate and dozing off in the middle
of the sheet of paper.
(v) The speaker allows the mite to live, in fact to sleep and recuperate. He appreciates the
fact that the mite has a mind of its own and it can decide for itself. Thus justifying the
theme of human intelligence—its imagination and creativity that sets a human apart
from other living beings.

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