Q.
Answer
the following questions briefly:
(a)
Why does the poet decide to stand and wait till the snake has
finished drinking?
What
does this tell you about the poet?
(Notice
that he uses 'someone' instead of 'something' for the snake.)
(b)
In stanza 2 and 3, the poet gives a vivid description of the snake by
using suggestive expressions. What picture of the snake do you form
on the basis of this description?
(c)
How does the poet describe the day and the atmosphere when he saw the
snake?
(d)
What does the poet want to convey by saying that the snake emerges
from the 'burning bowels of the earth'?
(e)
Do you think the snake was conscious of the poet's presence? How do
you know?
(f)
How
do we know that the snake's thirst was satiated? Pick out the
expressions that convey this.
(g)
The poet has a dual attitude towards the snake. Why does he
experience conflicting emotions on seeing the snake?
(h)
The poet is filled with horror and protest when the snake prepares to
retreat and bury itself in the 'horrid black', 'dreadful' hole. In
the light of this statement, bring out the irony of his act of
throwing a log at the snake.
(i)
The
poet seems to be full of admiration and respect for the snake. He
almost regards him like a majestic God. Pick out at least four
expressions from the poem that reflect these emotions.
(j)
What
is the difference between the snake's movement at the beginning of
the poem and later when the poet strikes it with a log of wood? You
may use relevant vocabulary from the poem to highlight the
difference.
(k)
The poet experiences feelings of self-derision, guilt and regret
after hitting the snake. Pick out expressions that suggest this. Why
does he feel like this?
(l)
You have already read Coleridge's poem The Ancient Mariner in which
an albatross is killed by the mariner. Why does the poet make an
allusion to the albatross?
(m)
'I have something to expiate'-Explain.
