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For Elkana PDF Free Download
Chapter 8: For Elkana
The warm April evening
tempts us to the breezes
sauntering across the lawn.
We drag our chairs down
the stone steps and plant them there.
Unevenly, to sit or rather sprawl
in silence till the words begin to come.
My wife, as is her way,
surveys the scene, comments
on a broken window-pane.
Suggests a thing or two
that every husband in the neighbourhood
knows exactly how to do
except of course the man she loves
who happened to be me.
Unwilling to dispute
the obvious fact
that she is always right,
I turn towards the more
attractive view that opens up
behind my eyes and shuts her out.
Her voice crawls up and down the lawn,
our son, who is seven,
hears it—and it reminds him of something.
He stands before us,
his small legs well apart,
crescent-moon-like chin uplifted
eyes hard and cold
to speak his truth
in masterly determination:
Mummy, I want my dinner, now.
Wife and husband in unusual rapport
state one unspoken thought:
Children Must be Disciplined.
She looks at me. I look away.
The son is waiting. In another second
he will repeat himself.
Wife wags a finger.
Firmly delivers verdict: Wait.
In five minutes I’ll serve you dinner.
No, says the little one,
not in five minutes, now.
I am hungry.
It occurs to me the boy is like his father.
I love him as I love myself.
Wait, darling, wait,
Mummy says, wait for five minutes
But, I am hungry now,
declaims the little bastard, in five minutes
I won’t be hungry any more.
This argument appeals to me.
Such a logician deserves his dinner straightaway.
My wife’s delightful laughter
holds the three of us together.
We rise and go into the house.
| Author | NCERT |
| Language | English |
| No. of Pages | 5 |
| PDF Size | 0.5 MB |
| Category | English |
| Source/Credits | ncert.nic.in |
NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Chapter 8 For Elkana
1. Comment on the subtlety with which the poet captures the general pattern of communication within a family.
Answer:
In the poem ‘For Elkana’ the poet has depicted a scene of a common Indian home. On one April evening, walking on the porch, the wife explains a few issues which the husband is unconcerned about, as he thinks that any man in his neighborhood would have an answer to them. The lady is keen to discuss the issues with no disturbance and asks for the attention of her husband. It is a typical normal way of how a conversation occurs between a husband and a wife, let it be on any topic under the sun. The husband thinks the talk is not relevant and ignores it. He thinks that the issues which his wife is discussing are too simple to spend his time on and in a funny way declares that his wife is correct in order to avoid any further arguments. It might be interesting for the reader to find that during an argument, the poet doesn’t forget to explain about the wife’s love for her husband.
2. Poetic effect is achieved in the poem through understatement and asides. Discuss this with examples.
Answer:
The effect created by an aside or an understatement is the realistic visual imagery in the mind of the reader while reading the poem. While reading the poem, the reader’s mood becomes similar to the mood of the poet while composing it. The setting overwhelms the reader through which their mind is captivated by the poet. Hence, the adjectives used not only beautify but also create a clear picture of the scene. The details about the surroundings, background and the characters that infuses the reader’s mind, helps them understand the poet’s feeling or about what he wants to convey through the poem.
The details of the environment explained by the poet like “on a broken window pane” imparts an image of the characters and the house in which they live. The emotional impact is curated when the poet recalls “the man she loves who happened to be me” in between an argument, making it clear that even if numerous discussions or debates occur, the relationship between a wife and a husband is everlasting and cannot be questioned. The poet also explains about his son playing around and he describes his body language in depth. With “his small legs well apart” he demanded dinner from his mother. The growing up little boy, whose body language explains his attitude, “his crescent-moon-like chin uplifted, eyes hard and cold” shows his determination. These create cascading images in the reader’s mind while reading the poem.
NCERT Class 11 English Textbook Chapter 8 With Answer PDF Free Download