EXERCISE
Thinking About The Poem
Q1. Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, “I think I could turn and live with animals…”. What is the poet turning from?
Answer: The poet is truning from the worried. Whining and sweating life of human beaings. He find them placid and self-contained. He wishes that he remains always with animal.
Q2. Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.
Answer:
(i) Human becomes eich or poor but amimals do not.
(ii) They teach and discuss with other also, for there sins and ceimas but animal deo not.
(iii) Human get tensed and make other also, for their sins and crimes. They get awake in the dark and weep for them.
Q3. Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this in groups.
Answer: Yes, humans kneel to other humans who livedd thousands of years ago. They worship their ancestors and curry favour from person who have high positions and greater influences.
Q4. What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class. (Hint: Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and Wordsworth, which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature. What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose to ignore or deny?)
Answer: The 'tokens' for him are the poet says he may have dropped long ago and which the animals above kept for him are the token of respect, love care, happiness, acceptences and sitisfaction.
