F. LET’S READ AND UNDERSTAND
1. What does the poet think of all things?
Ans: The poet thinks that all things are bright and beautiful.
2. Who has made all these things?
Ans: God (the creator) has made all these things.
3. What are the little things mentioned in the poem?
Ans: Birds and flowers are the little things mentioned in the poem.
4. How does the poet describe the beauty of flowers?
Ans: The poet describes that the flowers have glowing colours that make them beautiful.
5. How does the poet describe the little birds?
Ans: The poet describes that the god has given tiny wings to the little birds.
6. How is the mountain described in the poem?
Ans: The mountain top is purple-headed.
7. Why does it appear so?
Ans: It appears so when the rays of the setting sun fall on it.
8. What brightens up the sky?
Ans: The sunset and the morning brightens up the sky.
9. How does the sky look during the sunset?
Ans: The sky looks red during the sunset.
10. Which are the two seasons mentioned in the poem?
Ans: Winter and Summer are the two seasons mentioned in the sky.
11. Why does the poet consider the summer sun pleasant?
Ans: In comparison to India, the climate of Western countries are usually cold. In the summer season, the sun gave mild heat that makes everyone a pleasant feeling. So poet considers the summer sun as pleasant.
12. What do we enjoy in the green wood?
Ans: We enjoy the beautiful scenery of tall trees in the green wood.
13. How are the meadows useful for us?
Ans: Children usually play outdoor games in the meadows. So meadows are useful for us.
14. Where do the rushes grow?
Ans: The rushes grow near water.
15. Why do people gather rushes?
Ans: People gather rushes to dry them up and use it for making mats.
16. Why has God given us eyes?
Ans: God gave us eyes to see and enjoy the beauty of nature created by him.
17. What should our lips tell?
Ans: Our lips should tell the greatness of God for creating this nature.
18. How does the poet describe God?
Ans: The poet describes God as Almighty. He is the maker of Heaven and Earth.
G. LET’S APPRECIATE
The poet describes many things in the poem. Make a list of the things described in the poem.
Ans: The things described in the poem are little flowers, little birds, the purple-headed mountain, the running river, the sunset, the bright morning, the cold winter, the pleasant summer sun, ripe fruit in the garden, tall trees in the green wood, the meadows, and the rushes.
1. Which of the things are bright and which of the things are small?
Answer:
Bright things are:
i) Colours of the little bird and little flower.
ii) purple-headed mountain and river
iii) sunrise and sunset
iv) the sky
v) the summer sun
vi) the greenwood
vii) the meadows
Small things are:
viii) the little flower
ix) the little bird
x) tiny wings
2. Which are the lines in the poem where the poet expresses his gratitude to God?
The lines in the poem where the poet expresses his gratitude to God are as follows.
The Lord God made them all (Line 4)
He made their flowing colours (Line 7)
He made their tiny wings (Line 8)
He gave us eyes to see them (Line 21)
And lips that we might tell (Line 22)
How great is God Almighty (Line 23)
3. Is this poem a description or a prayer?
Answer: This poem is a description that gives a beautiful description of various wonderful things of God.
4. Why do you think so?
Answer:
This poem “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is more of a description. The word ‘prayer’ means a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God for His help and blessings. In this poem, the poet expresses his deep gratitude to God as the maker of all things bright and beautiful, wise and wonderful, and all creatures great and small. That is why the poet feels obliged and says some words in praise of him.
Activity II:
(a) Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate words given in brackets and read the lines.
1. God has given it _________.
2. So it can _________.
3. And it beautifully _________.
4. While going up in the _________.
(fly, sings, sky, wings)
Answers:
1. God has given it wings.
2. So it can fly.
3. And it beautifully sings.
4. While going up in the sky.
(b)
1. The meadows look _________.
2. Where we run and _________.
3. And the river is _________.
4. Where we bathe _________.
(play, every day, clean, green)
Answers:
1. The meadows look green.
2. Where we run and play.
3. And the river is clean.
4. Where we bathe every day.
Activity III:
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
1. He gave us ears to _________.
2. He gave us ___ to see _________.
3. He gave us to taste things _________.
4. He gave us skin to _________things.
5. He gave us nose to _________.
6. We enjoy God’s creation through the five _________.
Answers:
1. hear
2. eyes
3. tongue
4. feel
5. smell
6. senses
Activity IV:
Given below are some clues. Pick up the lines of the poem following the clues.
flower __________________________________
colour __________________________________
bird __________________________________
wings __________________________________
Now compare these lines with the appropriate stanza of the poem. What change in the rhyming pattern do you mark?
flower Each little flower that opens a color
color He made their glowing colors bird
bird Each little bird that sings wings
wings He made their tiny wings
The rhyming pattern of the original stanza in the poem and the above stanza is different. In the original stanza, the last word of a line rhymes with the last word of the alternate line, but in the above stanza, the last word of a line rhymes with the last word of the next line.
Let Us Write:
Read the line: The tall trees in the greenwood.
Trees are useful for mankind in many ways. Given below are some clues. Write a few lines on each.
Tree
Construction of a house (ଘର ନିର୍ମାଣ)
Furniture (ଆସବାବପତ୍ର)
Rainfall (ବର୍ଷା)
Temperature control (ତାପମାତ୍ରା ନିୟନ୍ତ୍ରଣ |)
Soil erosion (ମୃତ୍ତିକା କ୍ଷୟ |)
Deforestation (ଜଙ୍ଗଲ ନଷ୍ଟ)
Afforestation (ବୃକ୍ଷରୋପଣ)
Answer:
Trees
Construction of a house (ଗୃହ ନିର୍ମାଣ):
Wood is necessary for the construction of a house. Its use was more in making traditional houses in the recent past. It was used mainly as pillars and bars. Presently it is used mainly for making doors and windows. Its use has been reduced only because of its costliness and less availability. It is our duty to save trees.
Furniture (ଆସବାବପତ୍ର):
Wooden furniture has an all-time great demand. Even though they are expensive today people still go for it because their value is incomparable. We get wood from trees which are used in making sofa-set, cot, cupboard, almirah, wardrobe, chair and table, bench and desk, dining table, etc. Thus trees in the form of furniture give us comfort and luxury.
Rainfall (ବର୍ଷା):
Rainfall also depends on the trees. The leaves of the trees release huge quantities of water vapor into the atmosphere which helps in the formation of clouds. The areas, which have more trees, receive more rainfall. So we see heavy rainfall in forests. Deserts have scanty rainfall because there are no trees.
Temperature control (ତାପମାତ୍ରା ନିୟନ୍ତ୍ରଣ):
Trees are our real friends. When we sit under a shady tree in the hot summer, we feel relaxed. When the temperature rises, it is the tree that comes to our rescue. Its branches and green leaves help to absorb the heat and do not allow it to reach us. The trees provide shade for the animals in the summer.
Soil erosion (ମୃତ୍ତିକା କ୍ଷୟ):
Soil erosion has become a tough problem today. Recently soil erosion in coastal lines has created a panic. It happens largely due to the loss of trees. It is the tree roots that bind the soil tightly and does not allow the soil to erode away. Deforestation is a cause of soil erosion. Loss of soil has certain bad consequences which are to be avoided. Let us not cut trees to avoid an unpleasant situation ahead.
Deforestation (ଜଙ୍ଗଲ ନଷ୍ଟ):
Deforestation means cutting down trees in the forests. Presently we come across such activities all over the world. Mostly, deforestation is done for the establishment of factories and new colonies, towns, and offices. Due to this, we are losing large hectares of forest every year. It has certain evil effects like soil erosion, earthquake, flood, cyclone, scanty rainfall, and rise in temperature. The animals will be the worst sufferer of deforestation as they will lose their habitat and food. It is definitely a step toward destruction.
Afforestation (ବୃକ୍ଷରୋପଣ):
Afforestation is the process of planting trees on bare land in order to create a forest. It has become a need today as we have lost most of our greenery. Deforestation has caused much damage to us. We are to continue afforestation to fill up the loss caused by deforestation. Afforestation can check soil erosion, flood, cyclone, earthquake, and many other disasters. Let’s join in this great work of afforestation to make the world a safe place for human habitation.