20th Century Poetry Previous Year Brief (2013-22)

20th Century Poetry Previous Year Brief (2013-22)

 

Brief – 2013

(a) What is the occasion of Dylan Thomas’ poem “Poem in October”?

Ans. This is a wonderful lyric to celebrate his thirteenth birthday.

(b) What does the phrase ‘October blood’ mean? 

Ans. The red-colored autumnal leaves.

(c) When was the poem “Morning Song” written?

Ans. In 1961.

(d) What incident hurt Sylvia Plath very much?

Ans. Plath’s mother refuses to attend to her children at Plath’s father’s funeral.

(e) What does “The Second Coming” refer to?

Ans. The coming of new, destructive, good, and happy things.

(f) What does Eliot mean by ‘unreal city’?

Ans. Landon is cut off from both natural and spiritual sources of life.

(g) What is the last line of the poem “The Waste Land”?

Ans. “Shantih, shantih, shantih”

(h) Who is Michelangelo? 

Ans. A great Italian sculptor, painter, and poet of the early sixteenth century.

(i) Why does Yeats want to go to the Lake of Innisfree?

Ans. To escape from the fever and fret of his life.

(j) What is terrible beauty”?

Ans. The heroic achievement involved the deaths of many people.

(k) Who is Maud Gonne?

Ans. Maud Gonne is the Beloved of Yeats

(L) Who is addressed by Sylvia Plath in the poem “The Rival”?

Ans. Her husband.

 

Brief – 2014

 

(a) What will the poet build in the Isle of Innisfree?

Ans. A small cabin or hut with clay and wattles.

(b) What does Falcon stand for in the poem “The Second Coming”?

Ans. A Symbol of Mankind or the intellect, science, technology, and so on.

(c) What is the poem “Easter 1916” about?

Ans. The nationalist uprising of the Irish people against British rule.

(d) Name some water creatures we find in the poem “Poem in October.”

Ans. Mussels, Heron, Seagull, snails, and so on.

(e) How does Madame Sosostris foretell?

Ans. With the help of her Tarot pack of cards.

(f) What does the blindness of one eye of the merchant symbolise? 

Ans. His religious eye is blind.

(g) What does the word ‘rose’ mean in the sentence “And I rose in rainy autumn”?

Ans. The word ‘rose’ means ‘born’. That means  Dylan Thomas was born in October, a month of autumn.

(h) Why does the poet want to sail to the holy city of Byzantium?

Ans. Being old and unfit for the world of the senses.

(i) How is the weather on the hilltop in the poem “Poem in October”?

Ans. Bright weather.

(j) How does Sylvia Plath make a comparison between a child and a cat?

Ans. Plath thinks that a child sucks mother’s nipple or swallows milk in a manner as a car does.

(k) What is the poem “Crossing the Water” about?

Ans. A mystical journey of the soul in the underworld.

(l) Why does Prufrock want to be Lazarus?

Ans. By wishing to be Lazarus, he imagines himself as the representative of the dead people; that is why he wishes to tell the lady about his experience.

 

Brief – 2015

 

a) What does terrible beauty signify in the poem “Easter 1916”

Ans. The heroic achievement involved the deaths of many people.

b) How does Prufrock visualise death?

Ans. He visualises death, that the eternal Footman is coming near him and mocking at his cowardice, and he is afraid of death naturally.

c) How does Dylan Thomas Celebrate his birthday?

Ans. By observing the games of water creatures like mussels, herons, and seagulls, by listening to the songs of birds, and by enjoying the beauty of nature.

d) Who are the “dying generation”? 

Ans. The young men and women, all the creatures, fish, flesh or fowl’ in the fullness of their powers, are the ‘dying generation’.

e) What kind of man is Profrock?

Ans: A neurotic modern lover.

f) What does Innisfree stand for? 

Ans. Innisfree is an imaginary island of Yeats.

g) Who is the hyacinth girl?

Ans. A young and beautiful lady of the present age who has been forgotten by her lover.

h) What is the central image in the poem, “The Rival”?

Ans. The Moon.

i) What does the title “Crossing the Water” signify?

Ans.  A mystical journey of the soul in the underworld.

j) What is the poem “Words’ about?

Ans. About the act of writing.

k) Who is Tiresias?

Ans. A seer of Thebes during the time of King Oedipus, and he is a blind prophet.

l) What does “gyre mean in Yeats’ poem ‘The Second Coming?

Ans. It stands for the pathways on the sides of streets for pedestrians, usually made of stones.

 

Brief – 2016

 

(a) What does the title ‘The Second Coming’ signify?

Ans: The coming of new, destructive, good and happy things.

(b) Why does April appear to be the cruellest month?

Ans. Generally, April is considered to be a happy month, the beginning of spring, but for the modern man, it appears to be a cruel month because he has no desire for regeneration.

(c) Why will not ‘mermaid’ sing for Prufrock?

Ans. In Greek myths, mermaids sing to brave and heroic men. But Prufrock is timid, unsure, and afraid to take action. So, the mermaids will not sing for him because he is not a heroic or confident person.

(d) Who is Fisher King?

Ans. A mythical figure.

(e) On what occasion was ‘Poem In October’ written?

Ans.  A wonderful lyric to celebrate his thirteenth birthday.

(f) What does ‘New Statue’ refer to in the poem ‘Morning Song’? 

Ans. The newborn child.

(g) What does ‘falcon ‘symbolize in the poem ‘The Second Coming”?

Ans. A Symbol of Mankind, or the intellect, science, technology, and so on.

(h) Who is Madame Sosostris?

Ans. Madame Sosostris is a fictional fortune-teller in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.

(i) What is ‘interior monologue”?

Ans. An interior monologue is a literary technique that shows a character’s inner thoughts and feelings.

(i) Who is Mac Bride in the poem ‘Easter 1916’?

Ans. Husband of Maud Gonne.

(k) What is the source of the subtitle “What the Thunder Said”?

Ans. From the parable embodying the divine message of thunder as found in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V.

(l) Who is ‘Lazarus’?

Ans. The brother of Mary and Martha.

 

Brief – 2017

 

a) In which year did the historical ‘Easter Rising’ take place?

Ans. In 1916.

b) What is ‘Spiroties Nundi’?

Ans. A Collection of images that gives the shape of a fearful beast with the body of a lion and the head of a man.

c) What is the significance of ‘gyre’ in the poem ‘The Second Coming”?

Ans. It stands for the pathways on the sides of streets for pedestrians, usually made of stones.

d) Whose rivalry do you find in the poem ‘The Rival”?

Ans. The rivalry between husband and wife.

1. e) What are the threefold meanings of the voice of Thunder ‘Da’?

Ans. First Da means Datta, second Da means Dayadham, and the third Da means Damyata.

1. f) What does ‘Byzantium’ symbolise in the poem “Sailing to Byzantium”?

Ans. An ideal country of culture and wisdom.

1. g) What is the significance of the subtitle ‘The Fire Sermon’?

Ans. The subtitle ‘The Fire Sermon’ expresses Lord Buddha’s great sermon to his disciples against the fires of anger, lust, and malice, the temptations that consume human beings.

1. h) What does the word ‘rose’ mean in the sentence “And I rose in rainy autumn”? 

Ans. The word ‘rose’ means ‘born’. That means  Dylan Thomas was born in October, a month of autumn.

1. i) How does the “Waste Land” end?

Ans. “Shantih Shantih Shantih”

1. j) Why does the poet want to go to the Lake of Innisfree? 

Ans. To escape from the fever and fret of his life.

1. k) What are the major themes of the poem “The Waste Land”?

Ans. the disintegration of modern civilisation, sexual perversion, loss of faith and moral values, and so on. 

1. l) Which city is called “unreal city”?

Ans. Landon is called “unreal city.”

 

Brief – 2018

 

(a) What does the falconer symbolize in the poem ‘The Second Coming”?

Ans. In Yeats’s poem The Second Coming, the falconer symbolises God, spiritual control, or the guiding force of religion, like Christianity.

(b) What do you mean by ‘Murmur of maternal lamentation’? 

Ans. Cries of mothers lamenting the loss of their children during the Russian Revolution of 1917. 

(c) What does Dylan Thomas mean by ‘twice told fields of infancy”?

Ans. The Glorious visions and wonders of childhood. 

(d) How does a mother resemble a cloud? 

Ans. In giving birth to a child.

(e) What does ‘interior monologue’ refer to?

Ans.  An interior monologue is a literary technique that shows a character’s inner thoughts and feelings.

(f) What do you understand by “The Second Coming”? 

Ans. The coming of new, destructive, good and happy things.

(g) What is the central image of the poem, “The Rival”?

Ans. The moon.

(h) Who is the ‘Phoenician Sailor”? 

Ans. Phlebas. 

(i) What is ‘Ganga’?

Ans. A River in India.

(i) What does ‘terrible beauty’ refer to in Yeats’ poem ‘Easter1916″?

Ans. The heroic achievement involved the deaths of many people.

(k) What is ‘October Blood”?

Ans. The red-coloured autumnal leaves.

(l) Who is Maud Gonne?

Ans. Beloved of W.B. Yeats.

 

Brief – 2019

(a) What does ‘red rock’ stand for in ‘The Waste Land’? 

Ans. The ‘red rock’ stands for spiritual refuge and hope in a barren, lifeless world.

(b) Who is Lazarus”?

And: The brother of Mary and Martha.

(c) What does eternal footman imply in the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”?

Ans. The difference between good and great.

(d) What does ‘Black’ symbolise in the poem “Crossing the Water’?

Ans. Full Darkness.

(e) What is the poem ‘Easter 1916’ about?

Ans. The nationalist uprising of the Irish people against British rule.

(f) On what occasion was the poem ‘Poem in October written?

Ans.  A wonderful lyric to celebrate his thirteenth birthday.

(g) What is Byzantium famous for?

Ans. Birth of Jesus Christ. 

(h) What is a Mermaid?

Ans. A mermaid is a mythical sea creature with a woman’s upper body and a fish’s tail, known for singing to brave men in Greek myths.

(i) What does ‘a tattered coat’ stand for?

Ans. Escaping from reality into the world of art.

(j) What figure of speech lies in the phrase “restless night’?

Ans. Metaphor.

(k) What do the white horses symbolize?

Ans. The Balance of wisdom and power.

(l) What is the meaning of the voice of thunder-Da, Da, Da?

Ans. First Da means Datta, second Da means Dayadham, and the third Da means Damyata.

 

Brief – 2020

What does Innisfree stand for?

Ans: Innisfree is a small and idyllic land in Lough Hill, Ireland.

What does the title, “The Second Coming”, refer to?

Ans:- ‘The Second Coming’ is the coming of a new destructive god and the Change of Christian values.

What does the falcon stand for in the poem “The Second Coming”?

Ans: The falcon is a symbol of mankind or the intellect, science, technology, rationalism, etc.

Who according to the poet are the dying generations?

Ans: The dying generations are the young men and women, and all living creatures—fish, flesh, or fowl.

Who is Prufrock?

Ans:- The protagonist of the poem ‘The LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock’. He represents the modern man suffering from indecision and a lack of courage.

Who is Madame Sosostris?

Ans: Madame Sosostris is a fictional fortune-teller in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.

What do you understand by ‘unreal city’?

Ans:- In the poem, ‘unreal city’ refers to London. 

Who is Fisher King?

Ans: The Fisher King is a mythical figure in Miss Jessie Weston’s book ‘From Ritual to Romance’. 

On what occasion was “Poem in October” written?

Ans:- To celebrate the Poet’s thirtieth birth anniversary.

How is the weather on the hill-top in the poem “Poem in October”?

Ans:- It is a summer day, and the weather is very hot on the hill-top.

What is the theme of the poem “The Rival”?

Ans:- Rivalry, conflict, and animosity between husband and wife.

What is the poem “Words” about?

Ans:- The poem “Words” is about the act of writing.

 

Brief – 2021

 

(a) On what occasion was ‘Poem in October’ written?

Ans. Dylan Thomas wrote “Poem in October”, a wonderful lyric to celebrate his thirtieth birth anniversary.

(b) What does ‘a tattered coat’ stand for in ‘Sailing to Byzantium’?

Ans. ‘A tattered coat’ stands for an old man, compared to a scarecrow dressed in worn-out clothes.

(c) What does the phrase ‘a fat gold watch’ refer to in the poem ‘Morning Song’?

Ans. The phrase “a fat gold watch” refers to the newborn baby. 

(d) Who is the ‘Fisher King’ in ‘The Waste Land’?

Ans. The Fisher King is a mythical figure in Miss Jessie Weston’s book ‘From Ritual to Romance’. 

(e) Who is Mac Bride in ‘Easter 1916’?

Ans. Husband of Maud Gonne.

(f) What is the central image in the poem ‘The Rival’?

Ans. The moon is the central image in the poem, “The Rival”. 

(g) What does the epigraph to “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ suggest?

Ans. The epigraph to The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock suggests a confession. 

(h) Who is ‘Belladonna’ in ‘The Waste Land’?

Ans. In Italian, ‘Belladonna’ means a beautiful lady, but in English a deadly flower. 

(i) What does ‘Spiritus Mundi’ symbolize in W.B. Yeats’ ‘The Second Coming’?

Ans. Spiritus Mundi symbolises the collective unconscious or world spirit that reveals a terrifying new force—the Egyptian Sphinx—whose arrival signals the end of the current civilisation.

(j) Why does Sylvia Plath use horse imagery in her poem ‘Words’?

Ans. Plath uses horse imagery to show strong creative energy and the powerful movement of words.

(k) Why does Yeats want to visit the Lake Isle of Innisfree?

Ans. Yeats wants to visit the Lake Isle of Innisfree to find peace and escape the busy, stressful life of the city.

(l) What does ‘black’ signify in the poem “Crossing the Water’? 

Ans. In the poem, ‘black’ symbolises the land of the dead, like a journey across the river to the afterlife.

 

Brief – 2022

 

(a) Name the birds mentioned in the poem “Poem in October”. 

Ans. The birds mentioned are the heron, seagull, rook, water-bird, lark, blackbird, owl, and singing bird.

b) What prompts Yeats to sail to Byzantium? 

Ans. Being old and unfit for the world of the senses, the poet wants to sail to the holy city of Byzantium.

(c) What does the ‘rough beast” symbolize in “The Second Coming”?

Ans. The ‘rough beast’ symbolises violent destruction and chaos that will end the old Christian civilisation.

(d) What does the poet mean by “terrible beauty”?

Ans. The heroic achievement involved the deaths of many people.

(e) What is an epigraph?

Ans. An epigraph is a quotation or motto at the beginning of a book or part of a poem. It relates to the content of the work in which it is quoted.

(f) What kind of man is Prufrock?

Ans. Prufrock is a nervous, insecure middle-aged man who lacks the confidence to express his love or take action.

(g) Which city has been called an “unreal city”?

Ans. London has been called an “Unreal City.”

(h) Who is Maud Gonne?

Ans. Beloved of W.B. Yeats.

(i) What does the phrase ‘October blood’ refer to in the poem “Poem in October”?

Ans. The phrase “October blood” refers to the red autumn leaves fallen from the trees.

(j) Who is addressed by Sylvia Plath in the poem “The Rival”?

Ans. Her husband is addressed in the poem. 

(k) What does the “Pale hand” signify in the poem “Crossing the Water”?

Ans. The “pale hand” means the hand of a dead person, and shows that the people are travelling in the world of the dead.

(l) Who are great light borrowers?

Ans. The moon in the sky and the husband, according to the speaker (wife) are great light borrowers.