How pleasant to know Mr. Lear! Summary was question answers

 

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear,

Who has written such volumes of stuff.

Some think him ill-tempered and queer,

But a few find him pleasant enough.

His mind is concrete and fastidious,

His nose is remarkably big;

His visage is more or less hideous,

His beard it resembles a wig.

He has ears, and two eyes, and ten fingers,

(Leastways if you reckon two thumbs);

He used to be one of the singers,

But now he is one of the dumbs.

He sits in a beautiful parlour,

With hundreds of books on the wall;

He drinks a great deal of marsala,

But never gets tipsy at all.

He has many friends, laymen and clerical,

Old Foss is the name of his cat;

His body is perfectly spherical,

He weareth a runcible hat.

When he walks in waterproof white,

The children run after him so!

Calling out, "He's gone out in his night-

Gown, that crazy old Englishman, oh!"

He weeps by the side of the ocean,

He weeps on the top of the hill;

He purchases pancakes and lotion,

And chocolate shrimps from the mill.

He reads, but he does not speak, Spanish,

He cannot abide ginger beer;

Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish,

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!

Summary of the Poem

The poem How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear talks about the life of an old man. It is presented in a humorous ironic manner in the poem. All you need to know and learn about this chapter is given below.

The poet is delighted to know Mr. Lear who has written volumes of work. From the poem we can understand that Mr Lear is a writer who has already written and published a humongous amount of work.

Some tend to call him ‘ill-tempered’ and ‘queer’ while others find them ‘pleasant’. There are multiple and various opinions on the person from the public. The poet then goes on to describe and narrate about his physical appearance and his mental condition.

His mind is said to be concrete and mysterious in the poem. It means that he thinks very practically. He has got a remarkably big nose, that makes him look not so pleasant. The poet compares his beard to that of a wig. Like any other human being he has also got two ears, two eyes, ten fingers including two thumbs.

As we move forward we get to know more about his livelihood and interests. He used to be a singer but now he is just dumb. He has friends among the layman and clerical level. This implies that he is good and well versed in dealing with people from different backgrounds and social class. He has got a pet cat and its name is ‘Old Foss’.

Later the poet again goes on to describe his physical appearance. Mr Lear is said to have a perfectly spherical body. And he wears a runcible hat. The word ‘runcible’ is a nonsensical word created by the poet to bring in the effect. It does not contain meaning.

Soon the poet gives a glimpse into Lear’s mental condition. We understand from the poem that Mr Lear goes to the side of the oceans and on top of the hill to weep. Mr Lear’s usual grocery shopping will include pancakes, lotions and chocolate shrimps from the mill.

Even though he can read Spanish cannot speak the language. He hates Ginger beer. The poet concludes the poem by mentioning Lear's upcoming pilgrim days. A pilgrimage is usually undertaken in old age to have a peaceful death. The last two lines are a direct implication of his old age and his journey to death.

The poem touches upon the physical, mental, emotional and social conditions of the character in a humorous manner. The poet can be seen to be doing a self portrait or rather self analysis through the poem.

Stanza 1:

Introduction:

The poem begins by stating how "pleasant" it is to know Mr. Lear, immediately establishing a positive tone. 

Contrasting opinions:

However, the following lines reveal that some consider him "ill-tempered" and "queer," creating an initial tension between the seemingly positive introduction and the negative descriptions of Mr. Lear. 

Stanza 2:

Mental Focus:

Mr. Lear's mind is described as "concrete and fastidious," meaning he is very detail-oriented and focused on facts, not abstract concepts.

Physical Appearance:

His appearance is further detailed with a "remarkably big nose" and a beard resembling a wig, adding to the unusual and slightly comical image. 

Stanza 3:

Ordinary Human Traits:

Despite his quirks, the poet emphasizes that Mr. Lear has normal human features like two eyes, two ears, and ten fingers, suggesting he is not entirely outlandish. 

Past as a Singer:

A hint of his past is revealed with the mention that he used to be a singer, but is now considered "dim". 

Stanza 4:

Social Life:

Mr. Lear is said to have a variety of friends including ordinary people and clergymen, indicating he is not completely isolated.

Pet Cat:

The description of his pet cat named "Old Foss" adds a touch of normalcy to his eccentric lifestyle. 

Stanza 5:

Physical Description Continued: His body is described as "perfectly spherical" and he is said to wear a "runcible hat," further emphasizing his unusual appearance. 

Stanza 6:

Emotional Sensitivity:

Mr. Lear is portrayed as easily moved, "weeping by the side of the ocean" and "on the top of the hill," suggesting a melancholic side.

Odd Preferences:

His unusual tastes are highlighted with the mention of buying "pancakes and lotion" and "chocolate shrimps". 

Final Stanza:

Reiteration of Pleasantness: The poem concludes by reiterating how "pleasant" it is to know Mr. Lear, despite the previously mentioned eccentricities, leaving the reader with the lingering question of whether the "pleasantness" is truly genuine or ironic. 

Overall, the poem uses humour and irony to portray Mr. Lear as a character with an unusual combination of traits, making the idea of finding him "pleasant" both amusing and thought-provoking. 

In the poem How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear, the poet has sketched a pen portrait of Mr. Lear.

In the first stanza the poet says it is very pleasant to know Mr. Lear. He has written many volumes on something. Some people think is ill-tempered and unusual; a few think him he is quite pleasant.

In the second stanza the poet says Mr. Lear’s mind can focus on facts and figures, not on abstract concepts. He is very particular about keeping things in order around him. His face is very ugly; and his beard resembles a wig.

Like all other human beings, he also has two years, two eyes, and ten fingers. His thumbs don’t look like thumbs; they look like fingers. He used to be a singer once. However, he is quite dimwit now.

He sits in a room surrounded by hundreds of books. He also has many friends. Some of them are ordinary men and women and some are clericals. He has a cat named Foss. He is rotund and wears a hat with sharp edge.

When he walks in waterproof white dress, children run after him making fun of him and call him crazy.

He often remains sad and weeps by the ocean and on the top of the hill; he likes pancakes, lotion, and chocolate shrimps.

He is an avid reader but does not speak much. He does not like ginger beer; but after the pilgrimage is over, he likes it.

It is really very pleasant to know Mr. Lear

Glossary

fastidious: very careful about details, particular, or fussy.

visage: a person's face.

hideous: extremely ugly

clerical: relating to the clergy or church

sceptical: doubting or questioning

melancholy: a feeling of pensive sadness

pilgrimage: a journey to a sacred place

lotion: a liquid applied to the skin

ere: before 

Comprehension Questions 

A. Replace the incorrect words in these sentences with the correct ones. Rewrite the sentences.

1. Mr. Lear has a sharp mind and an attractive appearance.

2. Some people think of him as an intelligent man.

3. His nose is particularly small.

4. Mr. Lear doesn't sing any more.

5. His cat has a spherical body.

6. Mr. Lear is happy when near the ocean or on a hill.

7. The poet was unhappy to have met and known Mr Lear.

Ans. 

1. Mr Lear has a concrete and fastidious mind and a more or less hideous appearance.

2. Some people think of him as ill-tempered and queer.

3. His nose is remarkably big.

4. Mr Lear used to be one of the singers, but now he is one of the dumbs.

5. Mr Lear's body is perfectly spherical.

6. Mr Lear weeps when near the ocean or on a hill.

7. The poet was happy to have met and known Mr. Lear.

B. Answer these questions.

1. Which two opinions about Mr. Lear have been expressed in this poem?

2. What kind of a mind does Mr. Lear have?

3. Describe Mr. Lear's appearance in your own words.

4. What things does Mr. Lear purchase?

5. What kind of friends does Mr. Lear have?

6. What do you think the poem is about?

Ans.

1. Two opinions about Mr. Lear are that some people think of him as ill-tempered and queer, while others find him pleasant enough.

2. Mr. Lear has a concrete and fastidious mind.

3. Mr. Lear has a hideous appearance, a remarkably big nose, and a spherical body.

4. Mr. Lear purchases pancakes, lotion, and chocolate shrimps.

5. Mr. Lear has many friends, including laymen and clerical friends.

6. The poem is about the eccentricities and characteristics of Mr. Lear.

C. Think and answer.

1. Pick out two characteristics of Mr. Lear which show that he is an ordinary man.

2. The word 'runcible' is a made-up word. What do you think it means?

3. How can we tell that the poet is not vain about his appearance?

4. What does the line Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish mean?

Ans. 

1. Two characteristics that show Mr. Lear is an ordinary man are that he weeps by the ocean and on hills, and that he purchases everyday items like pancakes and lotion.

2. The word "runcible" might mean something fancy, whimsical, or fantastical, given its made-up nature.

3. We can tell the poet is not vain about his appearance because he describes Mr. Lear's appearance in humorous and unflattering terms.

4. The line "Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish" means that before Mr. Lear's life journey comes to an end.

D. Match the words with their antonyms.

1. concrete: a appear

2. fastidious: b. beautiful

3. hideous: c. vague

4. resembles: d. reject

5 abide: e. careless

6 vanish: f. differs

Ans.

1. concrete - vague

2. fastidious - careless

3. hideous - beautiful

4. resembles - differs

5. abide - reject

6. vanish - appear

E. Write examples of alliteration from the poem.

Ans.

1. "summer's sunshine" (repetition of the "s" sound)

2. "singers" and "so" (repetition of the "s" sound)

3. " had borne my breath away" (repetition of the "b" sound)

4. " the roses, red and white" (repetition of the "r" sound)

5. " my spirit flew in feathers then" (repetition of the "f" sound)

6. " summer pools could hardly cool" (repetition of the "c" sound)

7. " I’m farther off from heav’n" (repetition of the "f" sound)

N.B. The materials are collected from different sources including Meta AI.