QUE- 1- COMPLETE POEM : WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE
POEM :
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert
sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
QUE-2-CENTRAL IDEA OF WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR POEM:
THEME :
Where the Mind is Without Fear is poem from Rabindranath’s poetical
work "Naivedya' which was published in the Bengali year 1308. This collection of one hundred poems,
entitled with ‘Naivedya‘, was dedicated to his 83 year old father 'Maharshi
Debendranath Tagore'. The poem was translated into English by the post himself. In 1913
Macmillan & Co. first published a popular edition of the English Gitanjali before Nobel
prize award.
The poem is about to true freedom.
According to the tagore, true freedom is an inner ownership of a person who can be
realized only with God’s help. It means moral and spiritual uplift of the person
with celestial guidance. Freedom should give courage to our country people to follow
the path of knowledge and truth. It should release from narrow prejudices and
superstitions and make them sincere in word and action.
Following are the main themes of the poem "Where The Mind Is Without Fear" are:
• Desire for Freedom
• Desire for Unity
• Desire for Rationality
• Desire for a Society Free from Evils
QUE-3- SUMMARY OF WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR POEM:
SUMMARY :
The poet is not happy with the present condition of the country.
The poet honestly prays to God to awake his country people with an offensive fright and
make country an ideal place to live peacefully. By the God aids, the men and women
of the country will get true freedom one day. The poet dreams about a nation where people
would be knowledgeable. For this, country men and women must be
fearless in their mind in behavior. There must not be any barrier find the path of
knowledge and truth Indians must be free from all bad habits and dead traditions.
Our country people must be honest and must do their best to achieve perfection in an
every field of word and action. The poet prays to the God for achieving the true
freedom of mind and character not only freedom from British rule.
QUE- 4- LINE BY LINE EXPLANATION OF WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR POEM:
Explanation :
1=> “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”-
The poet wishes that his country people should be free from all kind of fear.
They should be able to live and think independently and fearlessly.He wishes
that People of his country hold their heads with self-respect and dignity.
2=>” where knowledge is free”–
The poet dreams of a nation where knowledge would be free without any distinction. Education should not be restricted to the upper class only but everybody should be allowed to acquire knowledge with equal at the same place.
3=> “Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls”–
. The poem Imagine that our country people are not divided into small groups on the basis of their caste, creed, language, region, eating heabits, traditions etc.
4=>" Where words come out from the depth of truth" –
The poet wants a nation Where people speak from their conscience; where people are honest and truthful from the depth of their hearts.
5=>" Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection"-
The poet wants everyone of country work hard to reach their goal and to reach perfection, Here people never should be fell tired by working and they feel fresh efforts to improve themselves and achieve perfection in all fields of life. They should not be lazy and ignoring their duty.
6=> " Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreamy desert sand of dead habit" –
The poet compares logical thinking to a clear stream and in the next line compares dead habits beliefs to a dreary desert. Logic should rule over old baseless beliefs.
7=> Where the mind is led forward by thee onto ever widening thought and action–
The poet wishes his countrymen should be open-minded and do something unusual or extraordinary, overcoming the narrowness of mind.
8=> Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake–
In the final line of the poem, the poet addresses the God as ‘Father’. He asks him to awaken his country people into such a ‘heaven of freedom’ where where spiritual outlook, universal brotherhood, free education, unity, peace, truth, reason, love, lofty thoughts and noble actions will reign supreme. The poet fervently prays to God to lead his country to such a ‘heaven of freedom’.
QUE- 5- SHORT ANSWER TYPE OF QUESTION AND ANSWER:
QUESTION-1 : What is meant by "Knowledge is Free"?
Answer : Knowledge is free means that everyone has a right to education and gain knwoledge from tha same place with out any barrier.
QUESTION-2 : What narrow domestic walls are referred to by the poet?
Answer : The narrow domestic walls are those of caste, creed, religion, colour, and superstitions.
QUESTION-3 : Whom is the poem addressed to? or the "Thee" refer to:
Answer : The 'thee' in the above extract refers to the Almighty God to whom the poem is dedicated and poet calls him Father.
QUESTION-4 : Why does the poet compare "dead habit" to "dreary desert"?
Answer : The poet compare "dead habit" to "dreary desert" because a person loses his way in dreary desert. In the same way a person can loses his way of life due to bad habits.
QUESTION-5 : Why does the poet compare reason with a stream ?
Answer : The poet compare reason with a stream because a stream is clear and everflowing towards its destination and reason of a person must be clean and everflowing towards his goal.
QUESTION-6 : What could be the dangerous if knowledge is restricted?
Answer : If knowledge is restricted mean various blocks are imposed on the people trying to acquire knowledge on the basis wealth, caste, class, gender, religion, etc. The society will divided into groups and that must be a bad condition for any country. This will be harmful for the wealth of country in all aspects.
QUESTION-7 : Do you agree with the poet when he states that we must always give importance to "truth"?
Answer :Yes, I agree with poet due to the truth prevails in the end. No matter how bitter it is to experience, a single truth is better than thousand sugar coated lies.
QUESTION-8 : What does "from the depth of truth" refer to?
Answer : In this poem this phrase "from the depth of truth" refers to honesty. This phrase is used to urge Indians to be courageous and speak their hearts out before the world.
QUESTION-9 : What does the phrase "tireless striving" mean?
Answer :This phrase "tireless striving" is used to urge his countrymen to do all break free from inactivity and struggle hard constantly to achieve perfection with tiring.
QUESTION-10 : Name and explain the figure of speech in "clear stream of reason"?
Answer : Metaphor figure of speech is used by poet because "reason" has been compared to "a clear stream".
QUESTION-11: Name and explain the figure of speech in "Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection".
Answer: Personification figure of speech is used in "Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection".
QUESTION-12:Give two examples of alliteration from the extract.
Answer: Give two examples of alliteration from the extract.
1-Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.
2- Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
QUE-6-LONG ANSWER TYPE OF QUESTIONS:
QUESTION:1- What attributes of Rabindranath Tagore does the poem reflect?
Answer:- The poem "Where the Mind is Without Fear"
reflects about the poet his love for his countrymen,
his patriotism and his faith in God. Moreover,
the poem concern the poet’s disgust for falsehood,
ignorance, laziness, superstitions and other social evils.
This also shows his clear thinking, his broad outiook, his scientific attitude and his emphasis on hard work.
QUESTION:2- Which type of Figures of Speech in the poem "Where the mind is without fear" you found?
Answer:- Alliteration figure of speech->
1-head held high
2-deary desert of sand of dead habit
Metaphor figure of speech->
1-narrow domestic walls
2-clear stream of reason
3-dreary desert sand of dead habit
Personification figure of speech->
1-Where tireless striving stretches its arm towards perfection.
QUESTION:3-Why does the poet compare "Dead Habits" to "Dreary Desert" ? explain these two terms and compare in your own words.
Answer:- In the poem "Where the Mind is Without Fear",
the poet compares "reason’ to a clear stream" because
Reason or logical thinking is the thing that makes a nation progressive.
Logical thinking helps us take new decisions and accept changes instead of sticking on age old ideas.
That is why reason is compared to a clear stream that can wash out any stagnant object on its way.
On the other hand, "dead habits" make a nation stagnant because
Dead habits oe evil thought are compared to desert sands because these
superstitious beliefs block the way of progress.
A man lost his way in desert and it can block the way of a person.
Dead habits are as choking as the desert for something fresh and progressive.
QUESTION:4-Critically evaluate the poem "Where the mind is without fear" as per your perception.
Answer:-Although This poem is a very beautiful with lots of fabulous words of appreciation,
Many critics may be find in the poem like it is unrealistic and unworkable.
We can not expect from the people having only all kind of vitues.
The world is full of virtuous people who always speak the truth and lead honesty,
but there are lots of people are not liking these virtues. In the poem the beauty make instant
apeal poetic figure of speech simile, metaphor and personification. The poet seems world should not grouped
but as human it is rare condition which made possible.
QUESTION:5- >Write a brief note on Tagore as a poet.
Answer:- Rabindranath Tagore hasv nick name "Kabiguru / Gurudev", was born on 7 May 1861.
He was a famous poet, philosopher, and artist. He wrote many stories, novels, poems, and dramas.
Tagore was also a cultural reformer and modernized Bengali art. Tagore was also a musician and painter.
He wrote around 2,230 songs. Tagore's many poems and songs are parts of his novels and stories.
Tagore the only person in the world to have written the national anthems of two nations.
He was called gurudev who reshaped his regional literature and music. His first book published when he
was 17 years old young boy. He wrote primarily in Bengali language and translated his work into English also.
He was first Indian awarded by Nobel prize in 1913 in literature. His major works include Gitanjali
(a world-famous poetry book), Gora, Balaka, Sonar Taru, chitali, Ghare-Baire, and many other works of literature and art.
QUESTION:6- Find out the elements of petriotism in the poem "Where the mind is without fear."
Answer:- In this poem Rabindranath Tagore ji Dearm about country freedom and pray to the almighty God. He wishes that his country people must awake for freedom and everyone should live without fany fear and with full self respect. Hi wishes that his country people take free education with out any boundation i.e. everyone is free to gain knowledge from same place without any categorisation (caste, color and creed) He dreams that nation must not be divided in domastic fight, religion, casteism et. This reveals poet's petriotismic view.
QUESTION:7-What are the two qualities of mind presented in the poem?
Answer:-The two main qualities of mind presented in the poem are:
=> Fearlessness
=> Mindedness
the poet think that everyone should be clean and ever flowing towards their objective. they must not feel tired, bored and stagnant. Mind should be led forward by the God into ever widening thought and action.
QUE-7- WORDS AND THEIR MEANING:
Answer :
broken up– divided into
fragments– small groups or pieces
domestic- pertaining to family
narrow domestic walls- narrow- minded family prejudices.
tireless– untiring.
striving– efforts.
tireless striving - continuous efforts and struggle
stretches– holds out.
perfection-an ideal state, moral and spiritual excellences.
the clear stream of reason– reason is spoken of as a stream of clear water.
lost its way– digressed from the right path.
dreary– dry dull.
desert sand– Dry barren land where nothing can be produced.
dead habit– old, antiquated, lifeless habits, customs, beliefs, dogmas, superstitions, etc.
ever-widening- forever broadening one’s outlook.
led forward– inspired, guided.
by thee– by God.
my Father– the Almighty God, Creator of the universe.
let my country awake– rise and live in this heaven of freedom.
QUE-8- Match the terms with their given meanings
| Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ |
| (1) Humanism | (a) Concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment. |
| (2) Patriotism | (b) Holding liberal views |
| (3) Internationalism | (c) Quality of being patriotic : vigorous support for one’s country. |
| (4) Liberalism | (d) State or process of being international. |
| (5) Environmentalism | (e) A rationalistic outlook towards humans rather than a divine or supernatural one. |
| Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ |
| (1) Humanism | (e) A rationalistic outlook towards humans rather than a divine or supernatural one. |
| (2) Patriotism | (c) Quality of being patriotic / vigorous support for one’s country. |
| (3) Internationalism | (d) State or process of being international. |
| (4) Liberalism | (b) Holding liberal views. |
| (5) Environmentalism | (a) Concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment. |
