The Lake Isle of Innisfree: 9th Class English Beehive Ch 04

The Lake Isle of Innisfree: NCERT 9th Class CBSE English Beehive Chapter 04

Question:

1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
   (i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
   (ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
   (iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).
2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III).
3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

Answer:

1. (i) The poet wants to build a small cabin with clay and twisted sticks, have nine rows of bean plantation and a beehive. He wants to live there alone in the open place.
   (ii) He draws peace and tranquility by listening to the crickets sound, watching the glimmering midnight, the afternoon with purple glow and the linnets flying in the evening.
   (iii) Even when he is far away from Innisfree, he hears the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his “heart’s core”.
2. The poet contrasts the simple, natural and peaceful Innisfree to the urban setting. The poet depicts Innisfree in gorgeous dreamy light, such as “purple glow”, “glimmer”, and in vibrant sounds, such as cricket’s song and buzzing of the bees. On the other hand, he depicts the place where he now stands, i.e. the roadways or pavements, as “grey”, lacking beauty and peace.
3. Although Innisfree is the poet’s boyhood haunt, it also represents his state of mind. The poet wishes to escape to Innisfree as it is more peaceful than where he is now the city. Innisfree is representative of what the poet considers an ideal place to live, which is devoid of the restless humdrum of his life.
   Yes, the poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days. Even when he is away from Innisfree , he recalls the sound of the lake water washing the shore.

Question:

1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree
   (i) Bee-loud glade
   (ii) Evenings full of the linnet’s wings
   (iii) Lake water lapping with low sounds
   What pictures do these words create in your mind?
2. Look at these words:
   …peace comes dropping slow
   Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings

What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow… from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

Answer:

1. (i) These words bring to our minds the image of buzzing bees.
   (ii) These words bring up the image of linnets flying across an evening sky
   (iii) These words evoke not only the image but also the soft sound of a lake’s water washing the shore.
2. The given lines indicate that peace of mind can be slowly acquired from the natural surroundings.
   It is peace that “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”.
   The phrase “to where the cricket sings” indicates a peaceful place where one can hear the vibrant sounds of nature sounds such as the songs of the crickets at the time of dawn.

Question: When and where will the poet experience ‘peace’?

Answer: The poet will experience ‘peace’ in the lap of nature at the Lake Isle of Innisfree. He will observe the beautiful trees, insects, birds and bushes. The calm and cool atmosphere of the forest will give happiness to him.

Question: How does the poet describe the lake’s waves?

Answer: The poet says that the lake’s waves hit its shore and create a low sound. It gives him aesthetic pleasure. He hears it and enjoys it. It also gives him solace and comforts. He finds his peace of mind.

Question: Why does the poet want to go to Innisfree?

Answer: The poet wants to go to Innisfree to enjoy its natural beauty. Its morning, noon and evening are different from the cities where high-rise buildings touch the sky. He hears the pleasing sound of birds and gets peace of mind.

Question: Where is the poet standing? How is it different from Innisfree?

Answer: The poet is standing on the roadway or on the pavements of grey colour. This colour epitomizes decay. He compares that with the floral beauty of Innisfree. However, standing even there, he can hear the sounds of the lake water lapping by the shore. He hears it in the core of his heart.

Question: What does the isle of Innisfree stand for the poet?

Answer: The isle of Innisfree stands for unadulterated natural beauty. A visit to Innisfree gives immense joy, pleasure and peace to the poet. The sounds of honeybees, crickets and the lake water lapping by the shore tempt him to go there again and again. He will be contented with living in a small cabin and working at a small farm.

Question: Is the poet’s going to Innisfree merely an attempt to escape from the harsh realities of city life?

Answer: No doubt, Innisfree provides all what the poet yearns for. Even standing on the doorway or on the grey pavement of the city, he escapes to the natural world of the lake isle of Innisfree. The sounds of the birds and the lake water lapping by the shore echo in the core of his heart. This escapism gives him immense pleasure and peace.

Question: Why is the poet deeply attached with the Lake Isle of Innisfree? Explain.

Answer: Innisfree is a simple lake island where the poet has spent his childhood days. The poet is in search of peace and calmness which the Lake Isle of Innisfree can provide him. The environment is natural and peaceful and the poet desires to visit this island. According to the poet, on this island peace comes down slowly in the small drops. Moreover, he is very much attracted by the melodious sounds made by the cricket. In fact that sound has deep impact on the poet. The poet believes the lake’s waves hits the shore and crease at low sound which gives aesthetic pleasure. Really, he wants to visit the island Thus, it can be said that he is deeply attached to the lake Isle of Innisfree

Question: What does the lake isle of Innisfree stand for the poet? Is it merely an escapism or a revolt against the superficiality of urban life?

Answer: The Irish lake isle of Innisfree stands for pure natural beauty, pleasure and peace. It provides a stark contrast to the hectic and artificial life in a city. Amidst the natural surroundings, he will build a small cabin. He will grow beans and build a hive for honeybees. The sounds, sights and music that he enjoys there, haunt him. The isle transcends peace and tranquility. No more the sounds of car and vehicles on the roads. Here what he hears is the sound of honeybees and crickets. It is escapism as well as a revolt against the hectic and artificial life of the city. The sights and sounds of Innisfree never leave him. Even standing on the roadway or on the grey pavement in the city, he hears the low sounds of the lake water lapping by the shore in the core of his heart.

Question: What does nature do for mankind?

Answer: Nature has great healing power. When we sit in the lap of nature, we forget our sorrows. Our mind becomes fresh and we start our days with new energy. Besides, nature fills new hopes in human beings. For this, as human beings, our friendship with nature is quite essential.

Question: What moral lesson does this poem teach us?

Answer: ‘Go back in nature’ is the message of this poem. This poem teaches us that we should build a cabin in a solitary place and enjoy nature which has magical power. Obviously, nature unfolds itself in a solitary place and allows to enjoy its music. We must take this immortal lesson from this poem.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow:

Question: And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

1. What does the word ‘there’ in the above lines refer to?
2. How does peace enter the huts of peasants?
3. Name the literary device used in the poem.

Answer:

1. ‘There’ in the above lines refer to Lake Isle of Innisfree.
2. Peace enters the huts of peasants through the morning dew drops.
3. Metaphor.

Question: While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

1. Name the poem and the poet.
2. What does “It” in the second line stand for ?
3. Give the noun form of the word “deep”.

Answer:

1. Poem: The Lake Isle of Innisfree.
   Poet: W.B. Yeats.
2. “It” refers to the lake water.
3. Deepness / Depth.

Question: And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow Dropping from the veils of the morning to Where the Cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer and noon a purple glow
And evenings full of the linnet’s wings.

1. What did the poet see in the morning?
2. What did the poet hear ?
3. Find a word from the extract which means “weak, faint, unsteady light.”

Answer:

1. The poet saw dewdrops which seemed to be dropping peace.
2. The poet heard the song of the crickets.
3. Glimmer.

Question: And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evenings full of the linnet’s wings.

1. Write the rhyming scheme of the given stanza.
2. What does the stanza suggest about the poet?
3. Name any two things the poet is fond of.

Answer:

1. abab.
2. The stanza suggests that the poet loves to be in the lap of nature.
3. Cricket’s song, the evening when linnets are flying, a bright moon lit midnight.

Question: I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made.
Nine beam row will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And I live alone in the bee loud glade.

1. What does the poet wish to build at Innisfree?
2. What does “Innisfree” symbolize?
3. Why does the poet wish to stay at Innisfree?

Answer:

1. The poet wishes to build a small cabin at Innisfree to be made with sticks and clay.
2. Innisfree symbolizes a place of peace and tranquility.
3. The poet wishes to stay at Innisfree:
   (a) To live in peaceful environment; and
   (b) To escape from hectic schedule-of the city life.

Question: I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made :
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

1. Write about any two things the poet wants to do when he goes back to Innisfree.
2. Why does the poet miss the place?
3. Trace a word from the extract that means “open space”.

Answer:

1. Two things that the poet wants to do when he goes back to Innisfree are :
   (a) Build a small cabin of clay and wattles.
   (b) Have nine bean rows and a hive for honeybee.
   (c) Live alone in the bee loud glade. (Any two)
2. The poet misses the place because he longs for the peace and tranquility of Innisfree, a place
   where he spent a lot pf time as a boy.
3. Glade.

Question: “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow – Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings”

1. Name the poet.
2. Which place is the poet referring to in the above lines?
3. What is the poet looking for?

Answer:

1. The poet is W. B. Yeats.
2. The place which the poet is referring to in the above lines is the Lake Isle of Innisfree.
3. The poet is looking for peace and serenity.

Question: Describe the person, the place or the thing brought vividly to life by the poet.

Answer: The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W. B. Yeats vividly describes an island in the lake of Innisfree. The island is an incredibly peaceful place. The island is also a place of great natural beauty. Yeats describes many different aspects of its appeal, from the various birds and insects to the striking light at different times of day. This is a landscape that has not been damaged or diminished by human interference.

Question: Why does the poet want to go to Innisfree?

Answer: The poet wants to go Innisfree in search of peace. He does not like the noisy place as London is. He wants to live in a place which. The poet craves for some peace and hence he wants to go to Innisfree. There he wants to make a small cabin and grow beans. He wants to live there alone.

Question: How is the city life different from the life at the Lake of Innisfree?

Answer: The poet does not like the city life. The pavements are dull and grey. There is chaos all around. But there is nature’s beauty all around in Innisfree. It is a dream place for the poet which exists in reality. There is a perfect harmony on the island between the plants and the weather.

Question: Briefly describe one major theme of the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”.

Answer: A major theme in “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, is nature versus civilization. What we value in life is often the exact opposite of what civilization brings with it. Nature allows us to explore the various forms of life but civilization has certain set rules with which we have to abide.

Question: What is the tone of the poem?

Answer: The poem has a very calm arid relaxing tone. The reader may picture a person physically going to this place called Innisfree but the narrator of the poem is visiting this place in his imagination. It helps him to relax and escape the rush of modem living.

Question: In the poem ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’, what does the poet find so attractive about ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’.

Answer: The thing that the poet finds so attractive about Lake Isle of Innisfree is its promise of peace. The poet, then, long for this place which affords a sense of contentment and relaxation far from the busy modem life. The poem’s slow and regular meter helps to convey this languid, dreamy effect. There is also the vivid impressionistic description of the colors and beauties of this place, and the soothing stir of nature which is so different from the strident noise of the city where the poet actually is, as the final stanza makes clear.

The poet, then, is physically trapped in the city, but he can imagine the beauty of Innisfree and this gives him spiritual sustenance. This is one of Yeats’s early lyrics, exhibiting a familiar romantic sensibility in its praise of the deep purity and beauty of nature which is contrasted with the drabness, shallowness and sterility of modem urban living.

Question: In your opinion, what words or phrases used by the poet are the most effective in bringing the person, place or thing for life? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Throughout the poem, Yeats uses a variety of imaginative phrases to capture the essence of the lake Isle. He brings the island to life by referring to the different birds and insects there. He comments on how “the cricket sings” and refers to “linnet’s wings”. This gives a sense of energy on the island, and reminds us of what a natural place it is.

The line “and live alone in the bee-loud glade” correctly captures the point that Yeats is trying to make about the island. It is an isolated place, where he can enjoy the solitude.

In the second stanza of the poem, Yeats describes how the light changes on the island throughout the day. He tells us that “noon’s a purple glow”. This light brings the entire lake Isle to life.

Finally, Yeats manages to capture the sounds of the island. He tells us that he can hear “water lapping in low sounds by the shore”. Yeats uses alliteration to recreate the sounds. By repeating the letter “I” so many times, we get a sense of the slow and gentle movement of the water.

Question: Does the poem celebrate the theme of escapism? Explain.

Answer: The poem focuses on Innisfree as a place of escape for the speaker. The speaker describes Innisfree as a simple, natural environment where he will build a cabin and live alone. ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ expresses the idea that nature provides an inherently restorative place to which human beings can go to escape the chaos and corrupting influences of civilization. In this poem, the speaker / Yeats longs to live in the simplicity of nature, with no extraneous distractions of city life or the superfluous habits, customs, and daily routines of an increasingly fast-paced, modem world. The speaker is only dreaming of “getting away from it all.” Even if he never goes, he will at least have the mental escape. This is the saving grace; even if he can not get out of the city, he can imagine the escape as he can will himself to hear the lake water lapping even while standing on the pavement in the city. There is another appeal / implication that one can never go back to the past place of nostalgia and youth, but through imagination and reflection, one can always have the mental escape and memory of another time and place.