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RTC Questions (Hornbill)

The document contains extracts and questions from two poems, 'The Voice of Rain' by Walt Whitman and 'Father to Son' by Ted Hughes. Each extract is followed by questions and answers that explore themes such as the personification of rain, the emotional distance in a father-son relationship, and the cyclical nature of life. Key literary devices such as personification, metaphor, and allusion are identified throughout the analysis.

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38 views5 pages

RTC Questions (Hornbill)

The document contains extracts and questions from two poems, 'The Voice of Rain' by Walt Whitman and 'Father to Son' by Ted Hughes. Each extract is followed by questions and answers that explore themes such as the personification of rain, the emotional distance in a father-son relationship, and the cyclical nature of life. Key literary devices such as personification, metaphor, and allusion are identified throughout the analysis.

Uploaded by

gunishka19
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT QUESTIONS

THE VOICE OF RAIN

Extract 1:

"And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,​


Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:"

Questions:

1.​ Who is the speaker in these lines?


2.​ What is meant by "soft-falling shower"?
3.​ What does the phrase "gave me an answer" signify?
4.​ Why is the poet surprised?
5.​ What literary device is used in "soft-falling shower"?

Answers:

1.​ The poet, Walt Whitman, is the speaker.


2.​ "Soft-falling shower" refers to the gentle and continuous rain.
3.​ The phrase suggests that the rain is personified and responds to the poet’s question.
4.​ The poet is surprised because rain, an inanimate thing, speaks to him.
5.​ Personification is used, as the rain is given human-like qualities.

Extract 2:

"I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,​


Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea."

Questions:

1.​ How does the rain describe itself?


2.​ What does "eternal" suggest in this context?
3.​ What is the significance of "impalpable"?
4.​ How does the rain originate according to these lines?
5.​ Identify the figure of speech in "I am the Poem of Earth."

Answers:
1.​ The rain describes itself as "the Poem of Earth," meaning it is essential and beautiful like
poetry.
2.​ "Eternal" suggests that the rain follows a continuous, never-ending cycle.
3.​ "Impalpable" means something that cannot be touched; it refers to water vapor rising
invisibly.
4.​ The rain originates from water bodies and land, rising as vapor.
5.​ Metaphor is used in "I am the Poem of Earth," comparing rain to poetry.

Extract 3:

"For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfillment, wandering​


Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns."

Questions:

1.​ What is compared to a song in these lines?


2.​ What does "issuing from its birth-place" mean?
3.​ What does "reck’d or unreck’d" mean?
4.​ How does this relate to the cycle of rain?
5.​ What is the central idea conveyed in these lines?

Answers:

1.​ The rain is compared to a song, suggesting that both originate, travel, and return.
2.​ It means coming from its source or origin.
3.​ "Reck’d or unreck’d" means whether it is cared for or ignored.
4.​ Just like a song fulfills its purpose and returns, rain evaporates, forms clouds, and falls
back as rain.
5.​ The poet highlights the eternal cycle of nature and its beauty.

FATHER TO SON

Extract 1:

"I do not understand this child

Though we have lived together now

In the same house for years."

Questions:
1. Who is "I" in the above lines?

2. What does the father confess in these lines?

3. Why does the father say "we have lived together now in the same house for years"?

4. What is the tone of the father in these lines?

5. What does this extract reveal about the father-son relationship?

Answers:

1. "I" refers to the father.

2. The father confesses that he does not understand his son despite living together for years.

3. He wants to emphasize the emotional distance between them, even though they share the
same home.

4. The tone is sad and regretful.

5. The extract reveals the growing communication gap and emotional detachment between the
father and son.

Extract 2:

"Yet have I killed

The seed I spent or sown it where

The land is his and none of mine?"

Questions:

1. What does the word "seed" symbolize here?

2. What does the father mean by "killed the seed"?

3. What is meant by "the land is his and none of mine"?

4. Why does the father feel disconnected from his son?

5. Identify the figure of speech in "the land is his and none of mine."

Answers:1. "Seed" symbolizes the son, who was nurtured by the father.

2. The father wonders if he has failed as a parent, leading to emotional distance.


3. The son has grown up with his own ideas, thoughts, and world, which the father feels he is
not part of.

4. The father feels that despite his efforts in raising his son, they have no emotional bond.

5. Metaphor is used, comparing the son's individuality to land that the father does not own.

Extract 3:

"We speak like strangers, there’s no sign

Of understanding in the air."

Questions:1. How do the father and son communicate?

2. What does "speak like strangers" imply?

3. What does "no sign of understanding" suggest about their relationship?

4. What emotion is expressed in these lines?

5. What is the central theme reflected in these lines?

Answers:1. They communicate formally and distantly, without warmth.

2. It implies that they do not connect emotionally, despite being family.

3. It suggests that they fail to understand each other’s feelings and perspectives.

4. The emotion expressed is sadness and helplessness.

5. The central theme is the generation gap and lack of communication in relationships.

Extract 4:

"I would have

Him prodigal, returning to

His father’s house, the home he knew."

Questions:1. What does the father wish for?

2. Explain the reference to "prodigal."

3. What does "the home he knew" signify?

4. Why does the father want his son to return?


5. What literary device is used in "prodigal, returning to his father’s house"?

Answers:1. The father wishes for his son to return home and rebuild their bond.

2. "Prodigal" refers to the biblical story of the Prodigal Son, who returns home after being lost.

3. It signifies the childhood home where the son once felt comfortable and connected.

4. The father longs to mend their broken relationship and regain their lost closeness.

5. Allusion is used, referring to the biblical story of the Prodigal Son.

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