6th Standard, English POEM – 1
MARCH
Glossary :
twitter – (of the bird) to make a number of short rapid sounds
doth – old form of does
glitter – shine brightly with flashing points of light
retreat – go back, especially when forced to do so
fare ill (v) – be unsuccessful
ploughboy – (in olden times) a boy who leads a horse that is pulling the plough
whoop – make a loud cry (as of joy)
fountain – a natural spring of water
prevail – gain control, victory; win a fight
scene – something spread out to view
anon – in a short time, soon
Pre-reading task :
1. How many seasons do we have in a year? (Spring, summer, autumn and winter)
Answer: There are four seasons in a year. They are spring, summer, autumn (fall), and winter.
According to the Indian calendar there are six rithus- Vasantha, Greeshma, Varsha, Sharath, Hemantha and Shishira.
2. Which season comes after winter?
Answer: The season that comes after winter is spring.
3. What changes do we see in Nature in spring?
Answer: In spring, nature experiences a revival after winter, with warmer temperatures, longer days, and the awakening of dormant life. Plants begin to grow and bloom, animals emerge from hibernation, and new life, like baby animals, is often born. The season is characterized by increased daylight, milder weather, and the blossoming of flowers, creating a vibrant and colorful environment.
Exercises
Shall we talk a little about this poem?
1. Complete these sentences with the best choice given
a. The poet is watching the scene from a place
i) near a lake iii) near a field
ii) Near a stream iv) on the top of a hill
Answer: ii) near a stream
b. In the first five lines of the poem the poet is speaking to
i) himself iii) two friends
ii) a companion iv) a group of people
Answer: i) himself
c. The ploughboy is making loud cries
i) to talk to the horses
ii) to call out to other workers
iii) just to shout with joy
iv) to give signals to the ploughman.
Answer: iii) just to shout with joy
2. Talk to your partner about the points raised in the questions below. Write down what you say:
a. Who are at work?
Answer: oldest and the youngest are at work with the strongest.
b. Why are the cows not raising their heads?
Answer: The cows not raising their heads because they are grazing the grass.
c. What is the ploughboy doing?
Answer: The ploughboy is whooping ‘anon – anon’ on the top of the hill.
d. Why does the poet say that the snow is only on the top of the bare hill?
Answer: In that spring season (March) the snow will be only at the top of the hill. The snow at the other parts will be melt because of the warm season.
e. Why is the poem called “March”?
Answer: The poet describes the incidents of a March month. So the poem called as “March”.
f. Pick out the rhyming words in the poem and write them down.
Answer: The rhyming words in the poem are,
Crowing-flowing, twitter-glitter, youngest-strongest, grazing-raising, sun-one, defeated-retreated, ill-hill, mountains-fountains, sailing-prevailing, anon-gone
Writing :
3. The poet uses two figures of speech – a personification and a simile. Find them and explain them in 6 to 8 sentences.
Answer: Simile is a word or phrase that compares something to something else, using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, for example ‘face like a mask’ or ‘white as snow’; the use of such words and phrases. Examples in the poem are,
- Like an army defeated The snow hath retreated,
- There are forty feeding like one!
Personification is a literary device where human qualities or actions are attributed to inanimate objects, abstract ideas, or animals. Examples in the poem are,
- The green field sleeps in the sun
- Small clouds are sailing
a) Do the exercise given below working with your partner.
As we read this poem, we see beautiful scenes of Nature and rural land. Wordsworth makes us hear sounds of birds and voices of men, women, boys and girls busy at farm work. One can imagine even the heavy breathing of cows as they graze ravenously. Wordsworth stands above and wonders on the change March has brought with it.`
