By Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was an American poet , essayist ,and journalist . Whitman is among the most influential poets . He is often called 'The Father Of Free Verse .
' Song of the open road ' is taken from his ,' Leaves of the Grass '. It is a
Poetry collection book .It is written by Walt Whitman . The poems in this collection is a beautiful blend of self awareness , free will and tenderness of heart . The poet says journey is a test of wisdom and it can not be tested in any school or university . The road is something every one uses .The road signifies 'mobility ' .
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Difficult words and their meanings
Afoot = On foot
light hearted = happy mood
path = road
Henceforth = from this time
Whimper = a sob
querulous = often complaining
delicious = tasty /happy
burden = load
get rid of = released from problems
in return = in exchange
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Figures of speech :
1) Line no.1
' Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road , '
Name of the figures of speech -. - Inversion
Explanation :- The prose order is not correct . The correct prose order is -
I take to the open road afoot and light-hearted .
2) line no. 3
The long brown path before me leading ............
Name :- Alliteration :
Explanation :- ( in the word 'brown ' and 'before )
The sound of 'b' is repeated pleasingly for greater poetic effect .
3) Line no. 5
Henceforth I ask ......,I myself .... ........fortune.
Name of the figures of speech :
Repetition .
Explanation:
The word ' I ' is repeated pleasingly for the greater poetic effect .
4 ) Line no. 07
Henceforth .......no more , postpone no more , need nothing ,
Name :- Repetition :
Explanation :- Word ' no more ' is repeated .
5) Line no. 09
Done with indoor complaints , libraries, querulous criticism ,
1) Alliteration : sound of ' c ' is repeated pleasingly for the greater poetic effect .
2) Tautology :
Explanation :-. The words ' Complaints'. and ' querulous '
expresses the same meaning .
6) Line no. 11
' Strong and .............. open road .
Inversion :
Explanation :- Prose order is not correct . The correct prose order is -
I travel the open road strong and content .
7) Line no. 16
' Still here ......... delicious burdens '
Metaphor :
Explanation :- Old sweet memories are indirectly compared with something delicious .
8) Line no .17
' I carry them ........I carry ...................... Wherever I go ',
Repetition :
The word ' I ' is repeated .
9) Line no. 18
I am ........................ in return .
Repetition :
The word ' I ' is repeated .
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Themes
The main theme of this poem is ' freedom ' .
The other is ' joy of life and optimism '
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BRAINSTORMING
A1 ( i ) Pick out the lines showing that the poet is prepared to enjoy every moment of his journey .
Answer :
The following lines from the poem show that the poet is prepared to enjoy every moment of his journey
a) Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
b) The long brown path before me leading wherever I Choose .
c) Henceforth I whimper no more , postpone no more ,need nothing ,
d) Strong and content I travel to the open road .
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(ii)
By ' old delicious burdens ' the poet means -
a) the luggage
b) the food he carries
c) the stress he bears during the travels
d) Sweet memories of the past .
Answer :-
(d) Sweet memories of the past .
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(iii) The poet is a person who is free from all inhibitions . Discuss how the concept of ' freedom ' is expressed in the poem .
Answer:-
According to the poet , human beings are free by birth . The poet wants to tell his reader that every person should enjoy the freedom . One should not bother about ones social status , whether they are rich or poor. According to the poet, being free means being able to do anything that gives happiness .' The open road ' means open to all and free to all to enjoy individual freedom . It teaches us to live amicably with others . Freedom means living happily through the sweet memories of good and kind people . He emphasizes the freedom of traveling .
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A2 (i) Following are the activities of the poet related to his journey on the road , Divide them into two parts as
'activities the poet will practice ' and
' activities he will not practice ' .
a) Walking along the road though he does not know where it reaches .
b) Complaining about the discomforts during the journey .
c) Postponing the journey
d) Praying for good fortune
e) carrying the fond memories of the good people
f) Creating contacts with famous and influential people
g) Striving to achieve high and bright success
h) Reflecting and developing his own 'self '
Answer -
Activities that the poet will practice are --
(a) ; (e) ; and (h)
Activities that the poet will not practice are ----
(b) ; (c) ; (d) ; ( f) ; and ( g )
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(ii) Write down the traits the poet exhibit through following lines . One is done for you .
a) Henceforth ,I ask for no good fortune - I myself am good fortune :
Traits - Self - confidence
b) Henceforth , I whimper no more , postpone no more,need nothing ---
Answer -----
Self-confidence
c) I do not want the constellations any nearer -----
Answer --- No -greedy nature / self controlled
d) I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them ---
Answer ---- self awareness
e) I am filled with them - I will fill them in return ---
Answer ------ gratefulness
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( iii ) ' Healthy ,free ,the world before me ' .
Express your views regarding
the above line .
Answer ----
The above line tells us that the world is healthy , free and unbiased . One is free to go anywhere .The poet loved to explore and like to meet all types of people.
He is free from burdens ,cares , stresses and sorrows .
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A3 - The poet has used many describing words such as 'healthy ' in this poem . Make a list and classify them as -
a) For the world ------ free
b) for himself ----------- Strong and content , light-. hearted
c) for the road ---------- open , long brown
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A4 ( ii ) The road in the poem does not mean only the road to travel . The poet wants to suggest the road of life. Explain the metaphor with the help of the poem .
Answer -
Example of metaphor : line no.3
1) ' The long brown path before me leading wherever I Choose '
The long brown path is indirectly compared with the life . It is a road of life .
As the dirt road ( brown path ) is not easy to travel , similarly the journey of life is not easy .one should learn the art of enjoying the life as it comes .
2) ' Still here I carry my old delicious burdens ' ( line no. 16)
Old sweet memories are indirectly compared with delicious burdens .
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(iv) There are certain words that are repeated in the poem .for example ' no more ' ( in line 7 )
Find out other similar expressions .
Explain the effect they have created in the poem .
Answer ----
Similar expressions :
1 ) ' good fortune ' ( in line 5 )
2) ' carry them ' ( in line 17 )
The words are repeated for the poetic effect .
(v) The use of personal pronoun ' I ' is evident and prominent in this poem . Give reasons .
Answer :-
In this poem , the poet speaks on a 'personal freedom ' . Through the lines of the poem , he explains his state of mind . As , he is narrating and sharing his personal memories , it is written in the first person 'I '.
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A 5
Write a poetic appreciation of the poem ' Song of the Open Road '.
Poetic Appreciation
2:1 Song Of The Open Road
By - Walt Whitman
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With the help of the following points , write a poetic appreciation of the poem 'Song of the Open Road'.
Points :-
* About the poem / poet and the title
*The theme
*Poetic style
*The language / poetic devices used in the poem
* Special features
* Message, values morals in the poem
*Your opinion about the poem
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Appreciation :
The name of the poem is 'Song of the Open Road ' . It is written by an American poet Walt Whitman .
The title of the poem is apt to get the meaning of the poem . It tells about the free world .The word , ' Open Road ' , in the title of the poem tells us that it is not the common road to travel but it is the road of life .The road signifies mobility .The poet argues against staying in one place for too long. One can take the road as a point to start over towards something new.
Theme :-
The Main theme of the poem is 'Freedom '. Joy of life and Optimism are other themes . The poem tells the readers to leave their difficulties behind and enjoy the freedom of life .
Poetic style :-
This poem is written in a free verse . It means it is free from the limitations of regular metre or rhythm . It is free from artificiality
of a typical poetic expression .
The language / Poetic devices :-
The language of the poem is very lucid and simple . It is very easy to understand . It is free from artificiality of a typical poetic expression . It is written in a free verse .
The figures of speech used in the poem help to enhance the beauty of the poem .
The figures of speech used in this poem are , Metaphor , Paradox, Free Verse , Alliteration and Repetition .
In the expression ' Old delicious burdens ', the figures of speech is paradox . It implies that the poet has many sweet memories of the people and places which he would like to remember forever .
Skillful use of the figures of speech increases the charm of the poem .
Special features :
Whitman separates this poem
into four separate stanzas . The first stanza contains only 3 lines ; other stanza contains 4 lines . The lines are unrhymed . Phrases like ' light hearted 'and 'querulous criticism ' are interesting . Imageries such as 'Constellations ' and' Brown path ' are effective .
Message , Values ,Morals in the poem :-
It teaches us to be optimistic and burden free . It tells the readers that social status is not a barrier , if you want to enjoy the life truly . People from all categories should come together forgetting the social status .
Your opinion about the poem :
It is an inspirational poem . It encourages the reader to spare Some time from their domestic attachments and enjoy the life in the healthy and free world .
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(II) Write four to six lines of free verse on the topic ' The road that leads to my college '. Express that it is the road of knowledge and bright future .You may begin like this :
' Every day I tread with the bag of books .................
Answer -------
Every day I tread with the bag of books on the road that leads to my college ,
The road is crowded With pink, blue and green ,
My parents send me there ,
to learn to read and write .
It is the temple of knowledge,
and every one should go there to worship ,
I believe it , because my parents believe it .
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_____________Thank You ___________
Excellent work sirji
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