Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2
1. To what elements are Keats’s odes—’Ode to a Nightingale’ and ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ are addressed ?
An ode is a verse form in the form of an address. Ode to a Nightingale is addressed to a nightingale, a little bird of nature. Ode on a Grecian Urn, on the other hand, is addressed to a marble vase of ancient Greece.
2. Did Keats hear any song of the nightingale?
While staying with his friend Brown in the latter’s place at Hampstead, Keats heard the song of a nightingale that had built its nest in a nearby little forest. Of course, Keats did not write the poem, while listening to the bird. He actually wrote it one morning, after hearing this song possibly for several nights.
3. What was the immediate impact of the song of the bird on the poet ?
The immediate effect of the song on Keats is one of stupefication and bewilderment. The poet was possessed of a sense of drowsiness and he seemed to have passed into oblivion.
4. ‘Lethe words had sunk’-What does the poet mean by this?
Lethe, according to the classical mythology, is a river of forgetfulness. The souls of the dead were supposed to be immersed in it to make them forget their past life. Keats refers to the term in the sense of utter forgetfulness that the song of the nightingale has caused to him.
5. Which is the ‘light-winged Dryad‘ and why?
Keats means by the ‘light-winged dryad’ the little bird, nightingale. The ‘dryad’ is the goddess of the forest. The poet likens the nightingale to this, because the bird lives in the forest and has little light wings.
6. What is meant by ‘a beaker full of the warm South’?
Keats means here a beaker, full of wine, manufactured in the Southern part of Europe, such as Provence of France. This is a tropical, rather warm, region.
7. What is blushful Hippocrene?
Hippocrene, according to the classical mythology, was a fountain in Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses. The water of that fountain was supposed to give a poetical inspiration. ‘Blushful is used here in the sense ‘blushing’ , ‘red-glowing. The expression is used by Keats in the sense reddish wine.
8. She stood in tears amid the alien corn’ -Who did stand and what was the alien corn ?
The reference is here to Ruth, a character in the Old Testament, who, after her husband’s death, followed her mother-in-law Naomi to Judah. ‘Alien corn’ means the cornfield of a foreign land. The cornfield of Judah where Ruth worked is meant here.
9. What does the poet want to forget ?
The poet wants to forget the deep tragedy of human life. There is nothing comfortable or hopeful in the world of man. Old age and youth are equally subjected to decay. Love and beauty are equally transitory. Sorrows and suffering are too common and deep here. The poet seeks to escape all this. So he wants to forget the bitter tragedy of human life.
10. “Tender is the night, ……….”. -How does the poet present the night?
The poet reaches the forest of the nightingale by the flight of his poetic fancy. He has a highly romantic imagination of the place. The night is, perhaps, sweet and lovely. The moon shines overhead. It is just in the central position of the sky. It is surrounded by numerous stars. The moon seems to be the queen of the fairies. The stars that surround it are the fairies.
The entire description of Keats is imaginary. He imagines the beauty of the night. He also thinks that he is sitting just under the tree wherefrom the nightingale sings.
11. “Thou wast not born for death ………….”—What does this signify?
Keats looks upon the nightingale as too beautiful to die. Of course, he actually means here not any individual bird, but its song which represents the entire class of the nightingale. The song of the nightingale is a thing of beauty. It is, therefore, a joy for ever. Its appeal remains ever fresh and forceful.
It is not subjected to any change or decay. In human society, there is the sad conflict between one generation and another. But the nightingale’s song lives above all conflicts and competitions. It has the same appeal to all classes at all times. It remains a delight to the rich and the poor, the old and the new. Its appeal is universal.
12. “Forlorn ! the very word…..” 11-Who does say this and where? To what ‘the very word’ is likened?
Keats in his poem Ode to a Nightingale says this. The word ‘forlorn’ (meaning loneliness) is likened to ‘abell’ in the conclusion of the poem.
13. “Forlorn ! the very word…..”-Bring out the poet’s feeling here.
The poet’s fancy of the romantic world of the nightingale is disturbed by the hard reality of his life. The very word ‘forlorn’ of the previous stanza reminds him of the forlorn condition of his own life. It brings him back to the hard reality of his present situation. He realizes that his dream of the nightingale has come to an end. His imagination can no more last. In fact, man’s imagination has not as much power as it is usually thought. It cannot long stand against the rough reality of life.
14. What is Hemlock? Why does the poet refer to it?
Hemlock is a poisonous plant. Its juice has a highly sedative effect. Keats refers to ‘Hemlock’ in order to indicate his mental state on hearing the song of the nightingale.
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Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale
Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale
Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2 Ode to a Nightingale Questions and Answers Marks 2