H.S 2ND YEAR POEM-3 KEEPING QUIET

           

 Poet name: - Pablo Neruda

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE POEM (IN ENGLISH)

In this poem, the poet brings out the importance of quiet introspection. It can transform not only the life of an individual, but also the face of the earth. The poet says that it does not need much time to look within and examine oneself. It will take only as long as it will take to count to twelve. During this time of introspection, one should keep still and say nothing at all. It will give him a strange feeling of togetherness with all others. He will come out of all kinds of selfishness and cruelty. Thus a man will win peace not only for himself, but also for all the world. There will be no wars and all men will live like brothers.

The poet says that his advocacy of quietness and stillness should not be confused with total inactivity. In fact, what he says is concerned with life, not with death. Activity is the very essence of life. Inactivity is death. But for a fresh, better and useful activity, a little stillness and silence is a must. The poet illustrates his point by giving the example of the earth.

In winter, the earth becomes so still and silent that it seems to be dead. But later in spring, it is proved that it is alive, not dead. It has new beauties and colours added to it. Similarly, after a little stillness and silence, man can resume his activities in a fresh and better manner.

Here, the poet imagines the change that introspection can bring about in different people. He says that fishermen roaming in the cold sea would stop harming whales. They will fish only that much as is necessary for their life. The man collecting salt from seashore would look at his hurt hand and be satisfied with as much as he has already collected. People who keep seeking fresh wars, those who prepare fatal gases and weapons for wars, people who want to win wars even though no survivors are left after the war- all these would find themselves completely changed through introspection. Now they will no longer spend their lives fighting their enemies. They won’t stain their clothes with the blood of their enemies. They will look upon their brother. Now they will wear clean clothes and walk about with their brothers.

कविता  की  विस्तृत  व्याख्या (हिन्दी में)

इस कविता में कवि शांत आत्मनिरीक्षण के महत्व को सामने लाता है। यह न केवल एक व्यक्ति के जीवन को बदल सकता है , बल्कि पृथ्वी का चेहरा भी बदल सकता है। कवि कहता है कि  अपने अन्दर झांकने और स्वयं की जाँच करने के लिए अधिक समय की आवश्यकता नहीं है। यह केवल बारह तक गिनने में जितना समय लगेगा, उतना ही लगेगा। आत्मनिरीक्षण के इस समय के दौरान, किसी को भी कोई बात नहीं करनी चाहिए और कुछ भी नहीं कहना चाहिए । यह उसे अन्य सभी के साथ एक अद्भुत (Strange) सा एहसास देगा। वह सभी तरह के स्वार्थ और निर्दयता से बाहर आ जाएगा। इस प्रकार एक आदमी न केवल अपने लिए, बल्कि सारी दुनिया के लिए भी शांति लाएगा। कोई युद्ध नहीं होगा और सभी लोग भाइयों की तरह रहेंगे।

कवि कहता है कि और निश्छलता के तरफ में उसके तर्क का अर्थ सम्पूर्ण निष्क्रियता नहीं मान लेना  चाहिए। वास्तव में, वह जो कहता है वह जीवन से संबंधित है, मृत्यु से नहीं। गतिविधि(Activity) जीवन का बहुत सार है। निष्क्रियता  का अर्थ  मृत्यु होता है। लेकिन एक नई, बेहतर और लाभकारी काम करने के लिए थोड़ी सी खामोशी और जरुरी होती है। कवि पृथ्वी की मिसाल देकर अपनी बात को स्पष्ट करता है।

सर्दियों में, पृथ्वी इतनी स्थिर और मौन (still) हो जाती है कि यह मृत प्रतीत होती है। लेकिन बाद में वसंत मौसम में, यह साबित हो जाता है कि यह जीवित है, मरा नहीं है। इसमें नई सुंदरताएँ(Beauty) और रंगों आ जाते है। इसी तरह, थोड़ी शांति और चुप्पी के बाद, मनुष्य अपनी गतिविधियों(activity) को नए और बेहतर तरीके से फिर से शुरू कर सकता है।

यहाँ, कवि उस बदलाव की कल्पना करता है जो आत्मनिरीक्षण के द्वारा विभिन्न लोगों में ला सकता है। उनका कहना है कि ठंडे समुद्र में घूमने वाले मछुआरे व्हेल को नुकसान पहुंचाना बंद कर देंगे। वे केवल उतना ही मछली पकड़ेंगे जितना उनके जीवन के लिए आवश्यक है। समुद्र के किनारे से नमक इकट्ठा करने वाला व्यक्ति अपने आहत हाथ को देखेगा और उससे उतना ही संतुष्ट होगा जितना कि वह पहले ही एकत्र कर चुका है। जो लोग नए युद्धों की मांग करते रहते हैं, जो लोग युद्ध के लिए घातक गैस और हथियार तैयार करते हैं , ऐसे लोग जो युद्ध जीतना चाहते हैं, भले ही युद्ध के बाद कोई बचा नहीं हो- ये सभी खुद को आत्मनिरीक्षण के माध्यम से पूरी तरह से बदल पाएंगे। अब वे अपने दुश्मनों से लड़ते हुए अपना जीवन नहीं बिताएंगे। वे अपने कपड़ों पर दाग नहीं लगाएंगे उनके दुश्मनों का खून से। वे अपने शत्रु को भाइयो की तरह समझेंगे। अब वे साफ कपड़े पहनेंगे और अपने भाइयों के साथ घूमेंगे।

Very Short-Answer Type Questions 

Q.1.How Long does the poet want to stay still? 

Ans:-The poet wants o stay still for the time it would take to count to twelve.

Q.2.What does he hope to achieve by keeping quiet?

OR What will “keeping quiet help us achieve?    2018

Ans:- By keeping quiet, he hopes to restart his activities afresh in a better and more purposeful manner.

Q.3.What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms so much’?   

Ans:- The poet means to say that we should not only keep quiet but also not move our body even a little.

Q.4.What does the poet expect of the fishermen and why?    

Ans:- The poet expects the fishermen not to harm the whales in the cold sea.

Q.5.What do the hurt hands imply?

Ans:- The hurt hands imply the danger of being greedy and unsatisfied. The hurt hands warn man that he should stop collecting salt more than he needs.

Q.6.What will the man gathering salt do?

Ans:- He would look at his hurt hands.

Q7.What do you think is meant by ‘Green wars’?

Ans:- ‘Green wars’ means new and fresh wars caused by men all over the world.

Q.8. Who is the poet speaking to?                

Ans:- The poet is speaking to all those people who realize the value of quiet introspection.

Q.9. What would be the movement like?     

Ans:- It would be a very sweet and unusual moment, There would no hurrying and no noise. In this silence, we would feel ourselves as one with all others.

Q.10.How are the wars fought?

Ans:- They are fought with fatal gases and fatal weapons of firing.

Q.11. how, according to the poet, can men come out of their love for was and start living like brothers?

Ans:- Men can do so by finding a little time for quiet introspection.

Q.12. Pick out the phrase that underlines the inhumanity of war?

Ans:-Victory with no survivors.

Q.13. What does the poet want?

Ans:- He wants all of us to find a moment for quiet introspection.

Q.14. What does he want us not to confuse it with?

Ans:- He does not want us to confuse it with total inactivity.

Q.15. What does he think about life?

Ans:- He think of life as something connected with activity.

Q.16. What, according to him, does inactivity amount to?

Ans:- According to him, inactivity amount to death.

Q.17. What does the earth teach us?  2018

Ans:- The earth teaches us that by suspending our activities for a short while, we can start them afresh in a better manner.

Q.18. Why does the poet count up to twelve?     2018

Ans:- To give the reader a little time for introspection.

Q.19. What will keeping quiet helps us achieve?

Ans:- It will help us to achieve an inner maturity.

Q.20. What does he want us to do for one second? 

Ans:- He want us to not to speak in any language for one second.   

Q.21. Why does the poet want us to keep quiet?

Ans:- The poet want us to keep quiet so that during this time we  may do quiet introspection.

Q.22. What is the significant of keeping quiet?

Ans:- IF we keep quiet for a few moments and do introspection, we cqan understand ourselves. Then we can restart our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.

Q.23. What is the real name of Pablo Neruda?

Ans:- Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto.

Short-Answer type Question:-       

Q.1. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us to achieve?    2012

OR

        Why does the poet Neruda ‘wish to count to twelve’?

Ans:- What the poet means to say is that we should stop all our activities for a few moments and do quiet introspection. It will help us to restart our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.

Q.2. What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem “Keeping Quiet” ?      2013, 2014, 2015

Ans:- It is the sadness of never understanding ourselves. Those who remain all the time busy in worldly activities can never understand themselves. We can understand ourselves only if we stop all our activities for a few moments and do some quiet introspection.

Q.3. What does the poet want all of us to do?

Ans:- The poet wants us to stop all our activities for a few moments- only for as long as it will take to count to twelve. We should keep still and not move even our arms. We should remain silent and not say anything while we are sitting still. 

Q.4. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans:- The poet doesn’t say this at all. Whatever he says is connected with life and activities that can be made better. He only says that we should stop all our activities for a few moments and do quiet introspection. It will help us to restart our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.    

Q.5. What idea does Pablo Neruda want to convey in his poem, “Keeping Quiet”? 

Ans:- The poet wants to say that we should stop our worldly activities for a few moment and do some quiet introspection. It will help us to understand ourselves. Then we can start our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.

Q.6. What does the poet say about fishermen?

Ans:- the poet says that quiet introspection  will bring about a change in the outlook of fishermen they would no longer harm whales out of their greed . They would fish only as much as they need for their survival.

Q.7. What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

Ans:- The poet uses  the symbol of the earth . He says that in winter, the earth seems to be dead .But later in spring, it is proved that it is alive, not dead. it has new colours and beauties added to it . Thus the poet proves that there can be life under apparent stillness.

Q.8. What does the poet say should not be confused with total inactivity?  Why?

Ans:- The  poet says that we should stop all our activities for a few moments and do quiet introspection but he says that it should not be confused with total inactivity . He says that the essence of life is activity while inactivity is death. 

Q.9. What is ‘an exotic moment’ the poet Pablo Neruda wishes for?

Or

Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘keeping quiet’?

Or

Why quietness would be a exotic moment for the speaker in ‘keeping Quiet’?    2018 , 2019

Ans:- The poet calls the moments of quiet introspection ‘an exotic moment’. He calls it exotic because it will give us a very unusual feeling. We shall feel ourselves as one with all others. We will come out of all our greed, selfishness and cruelty.

Q.10. What does the poet mean when he says, “Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.”

Ans:-  the poet means to say that we should stop all our activities for few moments . We should sit still and keep quiet. We should not move even our arms and say no word. it will help us to do a little introspection and understand ourselves .

Q.11. What does the poet say about those ‘Who prepare green wars ‘?

Ans:- The poet says that there are people who enjoy making wars . They want to win victories even if there are no survivors after the victory. The poet says that these people will stop making wars if they can take out some time for quit introspection. They will then look upon all others not as their enemies, but as their brothers.

Q.12. Why does one feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting one to twelve and keeping quiet ?

Ans:- Counting one to twelve doesn’t take one much time. But during this brief moment, one experiences a sudden strangeness. One feels quite at peace with oneself. The mind becomes free from all kinds of worries and troubles. 

Q.13. How, according to the poet, can earth teach us?        2018

Ans:- When it is winter, everything on the earth seems to be dead . But later in spring, it is proved that the earth is alive, not dead. It has new colours and beauties added to it. Similarly, after the silence and stillness of quiet introspection, man can restart his activities in a better and purposeful manner.        

 Q.14. How can the suspension of activities help?

Ans:- The poet doesn’t advocate total inactivity . He wants us to suspend all our activities for a few moments only. It will help us to understand ourselves. Then we can start our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.

Q.15. How will keeping quiet protect our environment?

Ans:- If we keep quiet , there will be less of noise , and consequently less of noise pollution . Thus keeping quiet can help to protect our environment also.

Q.16. ‘Life is what it is all about ……’ How is keeping quiet related to life?

Ans:- Keeping quiet refreshes both our mind and body . We can then restart our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner. Thus keeping quiet is very closely related to life.

Q.17. According to Pablo Neruda, what is it that human beings can learn from nature?

Ans:- We can learn from nature how to be peaceful with ourselves and how to grow at our own pace. We can also learn to remain satisfied with whatever we have.

Q.18. How , according to the poet , can we understand ourselves ?

Ans:- The poet says that we should stop all our activities for a few moments and do quiet introspection. During these moments, we should not even move our arms. We should speak no word. Thus through introspection, we can understand ourselves.

Q.19. What are the different kinds of wars mentioned in the poem? What is Neruda’s attitude towards these wars?     2013, 2017

Ans:- The wars mentioned in this poem are ‘green wars ‘ i.e. fresh and new wars . The poet says that there are some people who enjoy making such wars. They want to win victories even if there are no survivors after the victory. The poet says that if the people take out some time for quite introspection, they will stop making new wars. They will then look upon all others not as their enemies, but as their brothers.

Q.20. What does the poet say about the man gathering salt?

Ans:- In his greed to collect more and more salt , the man has hurt his hands . If he spares a few moments for quiet introspection, he will realize the folly of his greed. He will look at his hurt hands and give up his greed.