Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945
Stretched: spread
Gazed: looked intently
Collapsed: fell down
Timber: pieces of
broken wood
Mangled: crushed/damaged
Weird: eerie/strange
Jutted: stuck out
Dislodged: took out
Detachedly: indifferently
Gushed out: flowed
quickly
Scared: frightened
Emerged: came out
Stumbling : tripping
Tripped : caught
your foot on something and almost fell
Gasped out: breathed
with difficulty
Tilted : bent to one side
Distress : misery
Crept: moved very slowly
Scarecrows : the people
are compared to the sticks placed in fields to frighten crows
Dismayed: shocked
Came across: met by chance
Marred: damaged/ruined
Anguish : pain
Line-wise explanations
Lines 1-4
The speaker (a doctor), out in his
garden, describes what he saw on that fateful day. It was a calm, pleasant
morning. The doctor was half-clad as he was enjoying a relaxed day. He looked
at the leaves shaking and shadows. Then all of a sudden there was a strong
flash of light, followed by another. It surprised and shocked him
Lines 5-13
The lines refer to a horrible scene.
The doctor saw his stone lantern was lit by something. He thought they must be
magnesium flares Soon the roof and the walls of his house fell down in a heap
of wood. There was dust rising up from the pile. The doctor was shocked to find
himself naked his drawers and the undershirt that he was wearing were gone. A
small piece of wood was sticking out of his thigh. His right side was bleeding
profusely, and so was his cheek. He dispassionately pulled out a shard of glass
from his torn cheek. All this time he was trying to comprehend what had
happened
Lines 14-25
As the speaker was trying to
understand what had happened, he wondered where his wife was. He called her
aloud. "Where are you Yecko-san? He found that his artery was punctured
and was bleeding. He feared he would die. He again called out to his wife in
panic Yecko-san, weak, frightened and blood-stained, holding her elbow,
appeared. The doctor assured her that they would be all right and suggested her
going out of the house immediately. On their way in the street they tripped on
by something-it was the head of a dead man who had been crushed under a gate.
The couple stood by him, scared
Lines 26-35
The couple saw before them a house
that tilted, swayed and fell down with a crash Fire rose up from the heap of
dust and was spread by the wind. The couple realized that as they were injured
they must go to a hospital. The doctor's selflessness comes to the fore when we
learn as to how in his own precarious condition he thought of helping his staff
Though he did not know how he could help them His legs failed him as he had
this thought. He sat down. He was thirsty and tired. His breath was short. Then
he go up to go. It shows his strong will to survive
Lines 36-45
The realization that he was naked
strangely made the doctor feel no shame It was such a situation in which one
could not bother about social niceties and traditions A soldier handed him a
towel to wrap his legs. He failed to do so because his legs had gone stiff with
dried blood. In desperation, he asked his wife to go on ahead. She reluctantly
obeyed him. After she had left him, the doctor was suddenly seized by a
dreadful loneliness. His body was failing his still agile mind.
Lines 46-53
What the doctor saw was horrifying.
Some people looked like ghosts as they walked. Some others looked scarecrows.
All were dumb. Their arms were stretched out as they walked. The friction on
their burns caused them much pain, so they could not bear to touch their
wounds. They were all heading towards the hospital for some possible help
Lines 54-63
The doctor then saw a woman with a
child, both were naked An absurd idea flashed across the speaker's mind had
they come straight from their bath? It was, of course a silly idea. Again, he
saw another naked man. Then he had the realization that some strange thing had
deprived them of all of their clothes. There was then an old woman lying on the
ground, writhing with pain, but she made no sound. In fact, all the victims.
including the doctor-speaker, were silent. No one uttered a word or a cry of
pain
These horrifying images reveal the
deadly aspect of war. We feel revulsion for those war-mongers who cause such
mass-scale destruction and damage.
Text-Based Multiple
Choice Questions
Answer the following questions by choosing the most
appropriate options.
1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
(a) the poet
(b) a wounded person
(c) a doctor
(d) none of the above
2. What kind of morning was referred to by the
doctor?
(a) hot and sultry
(b) rainy
(c) calm and warm
(d) chilly
3. Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) The doctor lit up his stone lantern.
(b) The doctor’s clothes were inexplicably gone.
(c) The doctor’s wife came out, numb and scared.
(d) One of the doctor’s cheeks was torn by a piece of glass.
4. What was it that made the couple trip?
(a) a stone
(b) a dead body
(c) a piece of wood
(d) the head of a dead man
5. The idea of helping his staff reveals that the
doctor was …… by nature.
(a) generous
(b) conscientious and selfless
(c) silly
(d) weird
6. The doctor’s wife left him quite ………… .
(a) reluctantly
(b) indifferently
(c) ruthlessly
(d) willingly
7. Who provided the towel to the doctor?
(a) a soldier
(b) an injured man
(c) a woman
(d) his wife
8. ‘I was still naked, but I felt no shame’.
The line shows that the doctor was ……….
.
(a) shameless
(b) numb and dazed
(c) indifferent
(d) strong-willed
9. How did the doctor feel when his wife had gone?
(a) sad
(b) sorrowful
(c) terribly lonely
(d) cheerful
10. What kind of tone is adopted by the speaker?
(a) sentimental
(b) detached
(c) ironic
(d) sarcastic
11. What time of day does the poem begin?
(a) Night
(b) Dawn
(c) Afternoon
(d) Morning
12. What does the doctor compare the initial flashes
to?
(a) Lightning
(b) Fireworks
(c) Magnesium Flares
(d) Exploding Cars
13. Who is the author of the poem?
(a) Vikram Seth
(b) Salman Rushdie
(c) Ruskin Bond
(d) Preeti Shenoy
14. The poem is written in the form of a –
(a) journal entry
(b) diary entry
(c) folklore
(d) ballad
15. Identify the poetic device- “Of shimmering
leaves and shadows. Suddenly.”
(a) Onomatopoeia
(b) Alliteration
(c) Metaphor
(d) Simile
16. Identify the poetic device- “The morning
stretched calm.”
(a) Onomatopoeia
(b) Alliteration
(c) Metaphor
(d) Personification
17. Identify the poetic device- “I saw the shadowy
forms of people, some
Were ghosts, some scarecrows, all were
wordless dumb “
(a) Onomatopoeia
(b) Alliteration
(c) Metaphor
(d) Personification
18. Identify the poetic device- “Stumbling to the street
We fell, tripped by something at our
feet.”
(a) Onomatopoeia
(b) Enjambment
(c) Metaphor
(d) Personification
19. Which of the following sentences best describes
the meaning of ‘tripped’ as has been used in the poem?
(a) All the kids tripped up the stairs.
(b) I tripped over the tiny pet dog several times.
(c) A mischievous boy tripped off the alarm.
(d) While tripping through the Himalayas, do stop at Rohtang pass.
20. Which of the following words mean “shocked”?
(a) dismayed
(b) distressed
(c) dislodged
(d) detachedly
Answer:
1. (c) a doctor
2. (c) calm and warm
3. (a) The doctor lit up his stone lantern.
4. (d) the head of a dead man
5. (b) conscientious and selfless
6. (a) reluctantly
7. (a) a soldier
8. (b) numb and dazed
9. (c) terribly lonely
10. (b) detached
11. (d) Morning
12. (c) Magnesium Flares
13. (a) Vikram Seth
14. (a) journal entry
15. (b) Alliteration
16. (d) Personification
17. (c) Metaphor
18. (b) Enjambment
19. (b) I tripped over the tiny pet dog several times.
20. (a) dismayed
Comprehension Passages
Passage 1
The morning stretched calm,
beautiful, and warm.
Sprawling half-clad, I gazed out at
the form
Of shimmering leaves and shadows.
Suddenly
A strong flash, then another,
startled me.
I saw the old stone lantern brightly
lit.
Magnesium flares? While I debated
it,
The roof, the walls and, as it
seemed, the world
Collapsed in timber and debris, dust
swirled
Around me in the garden now and,
weird
My drawers and undershirt
disappeared.
(i) Who is the speaker? Where was he
at the moment? What pleased him?
Answer: The speaker is a doctor. He
was in his garden, half-clad. The calm and warm morning pleased him.
(ii) What happened suddenly? What
thought came across the speaker's mind?
Answer: There were two strong
flashes of light that startled the speaker. He thought they could be magnesium
flares lighting his stone lantern.
(iii) What happened to the house and
the speaker's clothes?
Answer: The roof and walls of his
house collapsed. His drawers and undershirt disappeared in the debris.
(iv) Whom did he call later in
panic? What were his fears?
Answer: He called out his wife
Yecko-san in panic. He feared that his artery was punctured and he would die of
bleeding.
(v) In what physical condition were
the doctor and his wife?
Answer: Both the doctor and his wife
were badly injured, bleeding and scared.
Passage 2
Read the extract given below and
answer the questions that follow:
A splinter jutted from my mangled
thigh.
My right side bled, my cheek was
torn, and I
Dislodged, detachedly, a piece of
glass,
All the time wondenng what had come
to pass.
Where was my wife? Alarmed, I gave a
shout,
"Where are you, Yecko-san? My
blood gushed out.
The artery in my neck? Scared for my
life,
I called out, panic-stricken to my
wife.
(i) What had happened on that calm
morning?
Answer: There were two flashes of
light and the speaker's house collapsed in the explosion.
(ii) What did the doctor notice
about his injuries?
Answer: He found a splinter in his
thigh, his right side and cheek bleeding. He had a piece of glass in his cheek
which he detached.
(iii) Why did the doctor think he
would die?
Answer: He feared his artery in the
neck was punctured and he would die of excessive bleeding.
(iv) What did the doctor decide?
What happened as he and his wife came out of their house?
Answer: He decided to come out of
the damaged house with his wife. On their way they tripped over a crushed head
of a dead man.
(v) What should have been the cause
of shame to the speaker? Why did he not feel any shame?
Answer: Being naked in public should
have been shameful. But the doctor did not feel any shame as it was an
extraordinarily unusual situation.
Passage 3
Pale, bloodstained, frightened,
Yecko-san emerged,
Holding her elbow 'We'll be fine, I
urged –
'Let's get out quickly.’ Stumbling
to the street
We fell, tripped by something at our
feet.
I gasped out, when I saw it was a
head:
‘Excuse me, please excuse me – ‘He
was dead:
A gate had crushed him. There we
stood, afraid.
A house standing before us tilted,
swayed,
Toppled, and crashed Fire sprang up
in the dust,
Spread by the wind. It dawned on us
we must
Get to the hospital: we needed aid.
(i) Where was the speaker? Why was
he afraid of his life?
Answer: The speaker was in his
damaged house. He feared that he would die of excessive bleeding from his
wounds
(ii) Why did the speaker have to
assure his wife that they would be fine?
Answer: The speaker have to assure
his wife that they would be fine because she was also injured and scared after
the devastating explosion.
(iii) What startled them on the way?
Answer: They tripped over a crushed
head of a dead man, and it startled them on the way.
(iv) Why did the doctor feel no
shame on his nakedness?
Answer: The situation was
extraordinary grave and tense. So the social norms did not matter then.
(v) What did the doctor notice about
the wounded people heading towards the hospital?
Answer: Many were moving like ghosts
and scarecrows, with arms stretched out in pain
Passage 4
And I should help my staff too.
(Though this made
Sense to me then, I wonder how I
could).
My legs gave way I sat down on the
ground.
Thirst seized me, but no water could
be found.
My breath was short, but bit by bit my
strength
Seemed to revive, and I got up at
length.
I was still naked, but I felt no
shame.
This thought disturbed me somewhat,
till I came
Upon a soldier, standing silently,
Who gave the towel round his neck to
me
My legs, stiff with dried blood,
rebelled. I said
To Yecko-san she must go on ahead.
(i) What was the speaker by
profession? Who was with him? Where were they going and why?
Answer: The speaker was a doctor. He
was with his wife Yecko-san. They were going to a hospital for treatment of
their injuries.
(ii) How did he feel about his
physical condition at the time?
Answer: He felt weak, thirsty and
breathless, but he prompted himself to move on.
(iii) 'I was still naked, but I felt
no shame Comment.
Answer: Social norms did not matter
in that extraordinary situation after the devastating explosion.
(iv) Why did he ask his wife to
leave him and go ahead?
Answer: He asked his wife to leave
him and go ahead because he was slowing down due to his weak physical condition.
(v) What did he observe about a
woman with a child later in the context?
Answer. He saw them naked and had a
fleeting silly thought if they had just bathed.
Passage 5
She did not wish to, but in our
distress
What choice had we? A dreadful
loneliness
Came over me when she had gone. My
mind
Ran at high speed, my body crept
behind
I saw the shadowy forms of people,
some
Were ghosts, some scarecrows, all
were wordless dumb -
Arms stretched straight out,
shoulder to dangling hand;
It took some time for me to
understand
The friction on their burns caused
so much pain
(i) Why was the doctor's wife
reluctant to leave him?
Answer: The doctor's wife was
reluctant to leave him because she did not want to abandon him in his weak
condition.
(ii) 'My mind/Ran at high speed, my
body crept behind.’ Explain.
Answer: Though mentally alert, the
doctor's body had become very weak.
(i) How did people look like? What
had happened to them?
Answer: People looked like ghosts
and scarecrows being injured in the explosion.
(iv) Why were some people moving
with stretched hands?
Answer: Some people were moving with
stretched hands in order to avoid contact and friction of their burnt skin
which caused immense pain.
(v) What common thing among the
victims of the holocaust was noticed by the doctor on his way to the hospital?
Answer: All were moving in silence,
without uttering any words.
Passage 6
They feared to chafe flesh against
flesh again.
Those who could, shuffled in a blank parade
Towards the hospital, I saw,
dismayed,
A woman with a child stand in my
path-
Both naked. Had they come back from
the bath?
I turned my gaze, but was at a loss
That she should stand thus, till I
came across
A naked man-and now the thought
arose
That some strange thing had stripped
us of our clothes.
The face of an old woman on the
ground
Was marred with suffering, but she
made no sound.
Silence was common to us all. I
heard
No cries of anguish or a single word.
(i) What had happened on that
fateful day? What happened to the Speaker?
Answer: There was a devastating
explosion in Nagasaki. The speaker was injured and stripped of his clothes.
(ii) Why did the speaker ask his
wife to come out of the house immediately?
Answer: The speaker asked his wife
to come out of the house immediately because their house was damaged and they
needed urgent medical care for their injuries.
(iii) What did he observe on the way
to the hospital?
Answer: On the way to the hospital he
observed that people looked like ghosts or scarecrows, with stretched hands,
naked and silent.
(iv) What kind of reaction was given
by the doctor on seeing a woman with a child, both naked? Was it appropriate in
the context?
Answer: He fleetingly wondered if
they had just bathed. It was a silly thought in the context.
(v) Explain the last two lines of
the extract.
Answer: All the victims were silent
with pen and anguish. No one cried out or spoke a word.
Morning Star workbook answers/solutions
Multiple Choice Questions II
1. The poem begins with morning being:
A. Beautiful and warm
B. Chilly and morose
C. Unpleasant and humid
D. Cold and dreary
Answer: A. Beautiful and warm
2. What did he wonder when he saw the old stone lantern
light up?
A. Whether it was going to be very
hot that day
B. Whether there was a short circuit
C. Whether it was hit by the
magnesium flares seen during the War
D. None of the above
Answer: C. Whether it was hit by the
magnesium flares seen during the War
3. What was weird around the narrator after the flashes?
A. His clothes had vanished
B. The buildings had collapsed
C. There were soldiers everywhere
D. People were walking like
scarecrows
Answer: A. His clothes had vanished
4. Why did the poet's drawers and undershirt disappear?
A. Someone stole them.
B. The poet misplaced.
C. The poet forgot about them.
D. They got burnt.
Answer: D. They got burnt.
5. What scared the doctor when he felt blood gush out?
A. His wife was injured too.
B. They were dying.
C. The blood was from the jugular
vein.
D. He might have been shot.
Answer: C. The blood was from the
jugular vein.
6. What did the narrator say consoling his wife?
A. Help would arrive soon.
B. They'd be fine.
C. They had no other choice.
D. The hospital was near.
Answer: B. They'd be fine.
7. People were walking naked on the road because:
A. They were protesting.
B. They were helpless.
C. Their clothes got burnt.
D. They were shocked.
Answer: C. Their clothes got burnt.
8. What did the poet wonder when he saw a woman and a child,
both naked?
A. Whether they got hurt badly
B. Whether they were very poor
C. Whether they rushed to save their
lives and forgot to wear clothes
D. Whether they had come out
straight after a bath
Answer: D. Whether they had come out
straight after a bath
9. Why were people walking with 'Arms stretched out'?
A. Because they were burnt
B. Because they were bleeding
C. Because of the pain when the
burnt wounds rubbed against each other
D. Because the blood was gushing out
of their wounds
Answer: C. Because of the pain when
the burnt wounds rubbed against each other
10. Why were all the people speechless?
A. Because their wounds were aching
B Because they all were shocked
C. Because they could not cry in
spite of their pain
D. Because they were not allowed to
speak
Answer: C. Because they could not
cry in spite of their pain
11. The poem depicts:
A. Human resilience
B. Absolute helplessness
C. Aftermath of War
D. Personal anguish
Answer C. Aftermath of War
12. Destruction by bombs signifies
A. Humanity deprived of its human
nature
B. Helplessness
C. Death and destruction
D. Loneliness of man
Answer: C. Death and destruction
13. Upon seeing the fire spring up from dust what 'dawned
on' the doctor?
A. He should go to the hospital
B. He needed help
C. His staff needed help
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
14. What does the line 'shuffled in a blank parade' mean?
A. Walked involuntarily as if in a
trance
B. Anguished involuntarily
C. Human figures built with sticks
and placed in farmlands
D. Complaints of pain
Answer: A. Walked involuntarily as if
in a trance
Context Questions and Answers
Extract 1
The morning stretched calm,
beautiful, and warm.
Sprawling half-clad, I gazed out at
the form
Of shimmering leaves and shadows.
Suddenly
A strong flash, then another,
startled me.
I saw the old stone lantern brightly
lit.
Magnesium flares?
(i) How is the morning described in
the extract? In what mood was the narrator?
Answer: The morning is described as
calm, beautiful, and warm. The narrator was relaxed and leisurely, gazing at
the tranquil scene around him.
(ii) What startled the narrator?
What did he think of it?
Answer: The narrator was startled by
two strong flashes of light. He initially thought they might be magnesium
flares.
(iii) What was the impact of the
explosion on the place and the people?
Answer. The explosion caused the
collapse of the roof walls and seemingly the entire world, creating widespread
destruction. The people, including the narrator were injured disoriented and
confused, struggling to comprehend what had happened.
(iv) How much did the narrator personally
suffer in the explosion?
Answer: The narrator was seriously
injured, he had a splinter embedded in his mangled thigh, his right side was
bleeding, and his cheek was torn. He also had to dislodge a piece of glass from
his body, all the while feeling detached from the situation.
(v) Give the meaning of
(a) "The morning stretched
calm, beautiful, and warm."
Answer: The morning was peaceful,
with a serene and pleasant atmosphere.
(b) "A strong flash, then
another, startled me."
Answer: The narrator was surprised
and alarmed by sudden, bright, flashes of light that disrupted the calm morning.
Extract 2
The artery in my neck? Scared for my
life,
I called out, panic-stricken to my
wife.
Pale, bloodstained, frightened,
Yecko-san emerged,
Holding her elbow.
(1) What made the blood gush out?
Why was the narrator panic-stricken?
Answer: The narrator feared that his
neck artery had been damaged, which caused him to panic and fear for his life.
(ii) What in the extract shows that
Yecko-san was badly injured?
Answer: Yecko-san was described as
pale, bloodstained, and frightened, indicating she was seriously hurt, and she
was holding her injured elbow.
(iii) What did the narrator tell his
wife, consoling her? What does it say about the narrator?
Answer: The narrator reassured his
wife by saying, "We'll be fine," even though they were both badly
injured. This shows that the narrator was trying to stay calm and comforting his
wife despite the severity of the situation.
(iv) Describe the object they found
on the street. What was the reaction of the narrator after finding the object?
Answer: The object they found on the
street was a severed head. The narrator, in shock and disbelief, uttered
"Excuse me, please excuse me." showing his confusion and horror.
(v) By giving two examples, state
how an atmosphere of fear was created by the explosion in the minds of the
narrator and his wife.
Answer
The narrator's fear that his neck
artery was severed created a sense of immediate danger.
Finding a severed head on the street
intensified the horror and fear they were experiencing.
Extract 3
A gate had crushed him. There we
stood, afraid.
A house standing before us tilted,
swayed,
Toppled, and crashed. Fire sprang up
in the dust,
Spread by the wind.
(i) Who was dead? What had killed
him?
Answer: A man was dead killed by a
gate that had crushed him during the explosion.
(ii) Describe the strange things
that happened as stated in the extract.
Answer: A house in front of them
tilted, swayed, and then collapsed, which was followed by a fire that spread
through the dust, carried by the wind.
(iii) Immediately after the extract,
what two decisions does the narrator make?
Answer: The narrator decides that
they need to get to the hospital for aid, and he also plans to help his staff
at the hospital.
(iv) Why couldn't the narrator aid
his staff at the hospital?
Answer: The narrator's legs gave
way, and he was physically unable to continue, leaving him incapacitated.(injured)
(v) What physical inconveniences did
the narrator suffer after the incidents referred to in the extract?
Answer: The narrator suffered from
thirst, shortness of breath, and stiffness in his legs due to dried blood. He
also felt physically weakened and drained.
Extract 4
Seemed to revive, and I got up at
length.
I was still naked, but I felt no
shame,
This thought disturbed me somewhat, till
I came
Upon a soldier, standing silently.
Who gave the towel round his neck to
me.
(i) Why was the breath of the
speaker short?
Answer: The narrator's breath was
short because of the physical trauma and exhaustion caused by the explosion.
(ii) The narrator was conscious that he was naked.
Who helped him? How did the offer help the narrator to have self-confidence?
Answer: A soldier standing silently
gave him the towel around his neck. This small act of kindness gave the
narrator some sense of dignity and self-confidence in a moment of vulnerability.
(iii) Why did he send Yecko-san
alone to the hospital? How did he justify his decision to let his wife go alone
to the hospital?
Answer: The narrator sent Yecko-san
alone to the hospital because he was too weak to continue. He justified it as
their only option under the circumstances, as they both needed medical
attention.
(iv) What did the narrator feel when
Yecko-san left for the hospital? Explain the symbolism.
Answer: The narrator felt a dreadful
loneliness when Yecko-san left. This symbolizes the isolation, and despair
brought on by the aftermath of the explosion.
(v) Describe the appearance of the
people whom the narrator saw.
Answer: The people appeared as
shadowy forms like ghosts or scarecrows with their arms stretched out due to
the pain from burns. They moved in silence, resembling a lifeless, blank
parade.
Extract 5
I saw the shadowy forms of people,
some
Were ghosts, some scarecrows, all
were wordless, dumb –
Arms stretched straight out,
shoulder to dangling hand;
It took some time for me to
understand
The friction on their burns caused
so much pain.
They feared to chafe flesh against
flesh again.
(i) What does the speaker mean by
"shadowy forms of people? Why were they looking so?
Answer: "Shadowy forms of
people" refers to the survivors of the explosion, who looked ghostly and
deformed, moving slowly and painfully due to their severe burns.
(ii) Explain briefly the horrifying
effect of the bombing on the people, as described in the extract.
Answer: The bombing left people
badly burned and disfigured. They moved with their arms outstretched to avoid
further pain from their burns, and they were silent and in shock.
(iii) What caused the pain as the
victims of the bombing moved? What is the suffering of the narrator as well as
his wife in the poem?
Answer: The friction between burned
flesh caused immense pain when they moved. Both the narrator and his wife
suffered severe physical injuries and emotional distress as they tried to
survive the aftermath.
(iv) Give the meaning of the
following:
(a) "Feared to chafe flesh
against flesh again"
Answer. The victims were afraid of
rubbing their burned skin against their own bodies, which would cause further
pain.
(b) "Shuffled in a blank
parade"
Answer: The survivors moved slowly
and mechanically, as if in a lifeless procession, their minds numbed by the
horror they had endured.
(v) How does the poet create an
atmosphere of fear, panic, and horror in the poem?
Answer: The poet uses vivid imagery
of destruction injury, and silence to evoke the terror of the bombing. The
description of ghostly, disfigured people, the narrator's injuries, and the
lifeless movements of the survivors contribute to the atmosphere of fear and
horror
Extract 6
Had they come back from the bath?
I turned my gaze, but was at a loss
That she should stand thus, till I
came across
A naked man-and now the thought
arose
That some strange thing had stripped
us of our clothes.
The face of an old woman on the
ground
Was marred with suffering, but she
made no sound.
Silence was common to us all. I
heard
No cries of anguish or a single word.
(i) Who are "they"
referred to in the extract? Why does the narrator doubt whether they had come
back from the bath?
Answer: "They” refers to the
naked survivors the narrator encounters. The narrator wonders if they had come
back from the bath because of their nakedness, but he quickly realizes that the
explosion had stripped them of their clothes.
(ii) The poem often refers to the
nakedness of the body. Figuratively, besides the bomb explosion, who else is
responsible for making them naked of clothes as well as human dignity? How?
Answer: Figuratively, the bomb and
the war itself are responsible for stripping the survivors of their dignity,
leaving them exposed and vulnerable, both physically and emotionally.
(iii) What is meant by:
"Silence was common to us all."?
Answer: This means that all the
survivors were in a state of shock and unable to speak or express their
anguish. The traumatic event had rendered them speechless.
(iv) Describe the physical and
psychological sufferings shown in the extract.
Answer: Physically, the people were
naked, injured and disfigured, like the old woman whose face was marred by
suffering. Psychologically, they were in shock, unable to speak or express
their pain.
(v) What has appealed to you in the
poem? Give two examples to justify your opinion.
Answer: The vivid imagery: The
poet's use of powerful descriptions such as the ghostly figures with
outstretched arms, effectively conveys the horror of the situation.
The emotional depth: The narrator's
detached yet poignant reflections on the destruction around him add a layer of
emotional complexity to the poem.
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