Keeping Quite Explanation Reference to Context Questions and Answers

Class 12 Keeping Quite Explanation Reference to Context Questions Answers Summary Central Idea

The name of the Lesson – Keeping Quite (शांत रहना )

Writer of this Chapter – Pablo Neruda

Born – 12 July, 1904 – 1973

Award- Nobel Prize -1971  
Summary of the Poem

In this poem, the poet asks to be calm, the poet wants to keep calm till the count of twelve. The poet says that for a second no person in the world should speak in any language nor move any part of his body. The poet wants all the machines of the world to stop for a while. All types of warfare should be stopped at once. The poet describes the victory of war as meaningless. He says that no one survives after the war. Everyone enjoy this moment, everyone came out wearing new clothes, the poet wishes for stability, which means completely silent. He believes that a long silence can do a lot of good for a human being. The poet says that we should take inspiration from the earth, which keeps doing its work in peace. She never fights on anyone.

Central Idea of the Poem

The poem "Keeping Quiet" by Pablo Neruda discusses the need to maintain peace and silence. He suggested that on Earth. At our places of residence, we shall remain silent. This technique of the poet is related to meditation, relaxation, introspection. This moment is unique moment without any sound and thus brings together, some strangeness. This process benefits all beings. He insists on being substantial and harmless to humans, animals and the environment. He asks all human beings to suspend all semantic activity for some time and spend some moments in introspection. It will help us to understand ourselves. We are in trouble because we are always in a hurry. He provides a very simple solution in poetry to help us deal with all these problems. Thus the solution lies in having enough.

 
Explanation Reference to Context

1- Now we will …arms so much

Reference- This verse is taken from the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by 'Pablo Nerudo'.

Context - In this verse, the poet introduces the technique of counting up to twelve and the method of doing it.

Explanation - In this verse the poet is said to count each person up to twelve and advises all of us to remain still - remain motionless during the process. He suggested that wherever we are on Earth, we should remain absolutely still and not speak any language that does not mean motion or sound, absolutely still. The poet says that to pause for one second means to pause for a few seconds to complete the count patiently and not to move your arms, so much so that it indicates not to move any part of the body that is concerned with meditation and To attract concentration.

2-It would be … sudden strangeness.

Reference- This verse is taken from the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by 'Pablo Nerudo'

Context - The poet tells about the specialty of that moment and its impact.

Explanation-Poet Pablo Neruda' explains that when we count to twelve, it will be a unique, strange, unique moment for us, in which there will be no rush, no rush, silence everywhere and no engine for the human. Indicates the sound of the machine built in, there will be no such sound. And the most important factor will be an unexpected, immediately fallen strangeness, a scene of complete silence, the strangest strangeness.

3-Fisherman … hurt hands

Reference- This verse is taken from the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by 'Pablo Nerudo'.

Context- The poet said that keeping enough in this verse is beneficial.

Explanation - The poet tells that by keeping enough resources, there are many benefits. By this method, man would be free to introspect and repair internal wounds. The poet gives the example that the fisherman who goes to the cold sea to catch fish, catches the fish that kill the fish, ends up there, keeping enough fishermen to harm the whale and the whale represents the whole sea creature. So when the fisherman was calm, his life would have been saved. And the man who collects the salt, sees his wounded hands, as those very poor or busy, who go to work and will now be free to fend for themselves.

4-Those who …Doing nothing .

Reference- This verse is taken from the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by 'Pablo Nerudo'.

Context- The lines tell the advantage of counting to twelve who are extremely violent and engaged in war.

Explanation- The poet tells that those who are engaged in the preparation of war - green wars destroying greenery, with gas wars using various chemical formation, wars with fire, these wars will see victory in the wars producing great fires , one side may win but no one will be left, there will be no one who can enjoy the taste of victory. When they are completely free from worldly things, then they will put on pure clothes, their number will be twelve and these people will meet their brothers, their relatives, their well-wishers and sit quietly and patiently in the shade, in the shade, doing nothing else, Will not do anything unfavourable, will not do anything that harms humanity.

5-What I want … with death.

Reference- This verse is taken from the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by 'Pablo Nerudo'.

Context- These lines make clear the poet's intention to suggest the concept of the Count of Twelve and its subsequent influences.

Explanation- The poet has suggested a way to keep it completely by counting up to twelve. He suggests to remain calm for some time, but at the same time, the poet clarifies that he wants no one to be confused, confused by complete inaction as one can be confused that peace has no meaning. . Take complete rest Life is what it is about it means our life has some purpose and should be fulfilled. The poet has nothing to do with death, because complete inaction brings death. The poet explained that if we had not been one-minded with the purpose of moving forward, moving forward and being lazy, doing nothing, inactive, perhaps a vast silence – death would have interrupted this misery. Maybe, the pain of never understanding ourselves , is going through our conscience and killing ourselves, killing ourselves.

6-perhaps the … And I will go

Reference- This verse is taken from the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by 'Pablo Nerudo'.

Context - This part tells about the role and importance of things of nature.

Explanation- The poet tells in this part that in this universe only our earth can teach us, can inspire us, when around us we find everything dead and inactive and then everything proves to be alive. Our earth never stops. What messages do we always give that we should always be active on the go? And finally, the poet repeats the same process again to count till twelve and suggests us to stay again and he goes for further action.

Think it Out

Question 1- What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?

Answer- Continue till twelve and being still will help us find peace and relaxation. It gives us time to introspect and refresh ourselves in today's hectic life. Its the mode of meditation to give mental strength and long lasting positivity.

Question 2- Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Answer- No, the poet Pablo Neruda, never advocates complete inaction and death. He clarifies that he does not want any dealings with death as he does not approach for lasting peace. We should not be confused. He advocates short-term stillness to momentary power introspection.

Question 3 - What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

Answer- The poet has mentioned sadness in the poem. The misery is to never understand yourself and threaten yourself with death. Due to negativity and passivity, we tend to distance ourselves from ourselves and fear death.

Question 4- What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

Answer-  Although the whole of nature gives us the strength and inspiration to survive, but in the poem the poet says through the earth, there can be life under apparent stillness. Our earth is constantly rotating, never stopping, which teaches us to move forward in every situation. Life must go on.
Short Answer Type Questions

Questions 1- Why does the poet want us to keep quite ?

Answer- The poet wants us to be silent. When we remain silent, it will be a wonderful moment for us, he wants every person to establish a spiritual relationship with other people, for which no language is needed.

Question 2- what will be an exotic moment ?

Answer- When all the machines in the world will shut down for a few seconds and neither people will talk in any language. So there will be peace all around. And we'll all be together then it'll be a wonderful moment .

Question 3- what alternative does the poet suggest instead of wagging wars?

Answer -     The poet suggests that instead of preparing for war, people should wear their clean clothes and take a walk with their brothers under a shady trees , this will make human relations more strong.

Questions 4- what lesson can the earth give us ?

Answer- Earth can teach us that life on it does not end completely. When everything appears to be dead, the earth remains alive, it continues its work in peace. Therefore, the poet gives the message of staying active and maintaining peace through the earth.

Questions 5 – what is the confusion that the poet is talking about ?

Answer - The poet says that there should be no misunderstanding in understanding the meaning of peace. It should not be compared with complete inaction. Total inaction leads to death, while quiet humanity wants the best, we must always keep the peace .

Question 6- what does the poet say about war and victory ?

Answer - The poets say that those who prepare for war use poisonous gases and firearms in the war. They win in these wars, but this victory does not make any sense, it is meaningless, because in wars everyone is killed and no one survives.

Questions 7- what is the cause of our sadness according to the poet ?

Answer- According to the poet, this sadness is born due to our inability to understand ourselves, our focus is always on making our life more comfortable, we are always in a hurry, which is the reason for all our problems.

Question 8- How can we understand ourselves?

Answer- We should take some time out for introspection , this is possible only through long peace, for some time we should not do anything, just keep calm. From time to time, we kept asking ourselves questions. Only then can we understand ourselves.

Question 9- what does the poet ask fisherman and the salt gatherers?

Answer- The poet asks these fishermen not to hurt the fishes in the cold sea. And those people who collect salt ask them to stop working and take care of their injured hands.

Question 10 – why does the poet oppose the state of being single - minded?

Answer-   If we are always in a state of being focused to give rest to our life then there will never be time for rest. In that situation it is not possible to understand the importance of peace.

Questions 11 – why does the poet ask people to walk together with their brother under shady trees?

Answer - The poet asks people to do this because he wants to bring people closer to each other. He feels that peace and mutual love are very important for humanity. At least once they stop all their work and get together for a few moments.

Questions 12- what does poet ask us to do?

Answer - The poet asks us to take a moment to plan for a better tomorrow and to introspect.   

Comprehensions Questions with vocabulary

Stanza 1 –

 Now we will count to twelve

And we will all keep still .

 For once on the face of the earth

 Let’s not speak in any language,

Let’s stop for one second,

 And not move our arms so much .

 It would be an exotic moment

 Without rush, without engines , we would all be together

  In a sudden strangeness .

Still    - बिना हिले डुले - Quite and motionless , mute, still,

For once -  एक बार करके देखेंगे  - for a trial

Exotic- निराला विचित्र  - unusual strange , 

Rush – भागदौङ – haste, quickly , right away ,off

All be together- सब एक साथ हो –

strangeness – विचित्रता -  extraneousness, Estrange

Question 1- Why does the poet suggest a few moments of peace and silence in the world ?

Answer- So that we can introspect and create harmony among ourselves, if there is any moment of peace in the world.

Question 2-How will suspension of all activities affect all of us ?

Answer - If we stop all our activities for a while, we will be able to save the world, because in that moment of peace and inaction we will all be one.

Question 3- what does he refer tom as the ‘exotic moment ‘?

Answer- He refers to the most unusual moment of our being together.

Question 4 –why would this togetherness cause ‘ sudden strangeness ‘ ?

Answer-  When everyone is gathered and calm, everything will stop for a second. One unity is the most essential for the survival of human beings and the earth.

 

Stanza 2-

Fisherman is the cold sea

Would not harm whales .

And the man gathering salt

Would look at his hurt hands .

Those who prepare green wars ,

Wars with gas , wars with fire ,

Victory with no survivors ,

Would put on clean clothes

And walk about with their brothers

In shade, doing nothing .

 

Harm - घायल करना , मरना, नुकसान पहुंचना –injury, damage, kill ,hurt

Green wars - प्रकृति के विरुद्ध युद्ध - war again nature

Victory – विजय – conquest , success , mastery

Survivors - जीवित बचने वाले , holdover , those who are left alive , those who survive

 

Question 1- what does the signify the ‘fisherman not harming whales ‘ ?

Answer – ‘the fisherman not harming whales ‘ signifies that people  will not destroy wild animals and nature.

Question 2 - How does the poet suggest that the idea of war and the winner in war be made null and void ? 

Answer -War with chemical bombs and firearms would kill all humans. There will be no survivor. Now the question is who will rule the winner. Thus victory without a survivor has no meaning.

Question 3 –How can brotherhood and friendliness be restore in the world ?

Answer- If the war-lovers wear clean clothes and walk comfortably under the trees, then brotherhood and friendship can be established in the world. There will be harmony between man and between man and nature.

Question 4- what does the poet mean by ‘ doing nothing ‘?

Answer – By 'doing nothing' the poet means not planning war and destroying nature.

 

Stanza 3-

 what I want should not be confused

With total inactivity .

Life is what it is about ;

I want no truck  with death .

 

Confused –  गलती से समझना  mistake for , misunderstand

Inactivity –  निष्क्रियिता  idleness, inaction

No truck with – कोई लेना देना नहीं  no dealing , nothing to do

 

Question 1 – what does the poet suggest and what he refuse ?

Answer – The poet suggests to remain silent and remain still for a moment. He rejects the idea of complete passivity.

Question 2- what is life ?

Answer –Life is action. To sustain life it is necessary to work in the fields and factories.

Question3- what does the poet mean ‘to have no truck with death’?

Answer –The expression 'no truck with death' implies that the poet refuses to associate with death.

Questions 4- what confusion should not be there ?

Answer  - There should be no confusion in understanding the meaning of complete inaction.

                            

Stanza  4

 If we were not so single – minded

About keeping our lives moving ,

And for once could do nothing

Perhaps a huge silence 

Might interrupted this sadness

Of never understanding ourselves

And of threatening ourselves with death .

 

single–minded - एक तरफा  having only one aim, one sided

interrupt – रुकावट डालना   break, come in one's way

threatening – खतरे में डालना  endangering

moving – चलती -

huge -विशाल

perhaps -शायद

 

 

 

 Question 1- what do we lose in our single – minded desire ?

Answer – In our single-minded desire to keep our lives active, we lose sight of our real goal and in doing so we reach a stage when we have no time to understand ourselves or our fellow human beings Is.

Question 2- what is the ’ sadness ‘ that the poet talks about ?

Answer- The poet talks about the misery which is the result of not understanding oneself and threatening oneself with death.

Question 3- How can huge silence dispel sadness ?

Answer –A vast silence can dispel the sadness once we do nothing and introspect ourselves.

Question 4 – How are we threatening ourselves ? how can we free ourselves from this threat ?

Answer – We are threatening ourselves with death. We can free ourselves from this danger by experiencing deep silence.

 

Stanza- 5

perhaps the earth can teach us

As when everything seems dead

 and later proves to be alive .

Now i will count up to twelve

And you keep quite and I will go .

 

Seems – प्रतीत होती है  appears to be

Later – बाद में  after some time

Proves to be – सिद्ध होती है  found to be

 

Question 1 – what  lesson can the earth teach us  ?

Answer –Earth teaches us how to survive on it.

Question 2 – how does the poet interpret the inaction and action on the earth ?

Answer –In winter the earth looks dormant. It looks dead. But the fact remains that such a rest gives life a chance to start anew in the spring. We should also take some rest to think better for tomorrow.

Question 3 – what does poet ask to do ?

Answer – The poet asks us to pause for a moment to introspect and plan for a better tomorrow.

Question 4- what remains alive when everything seems to be dead ?

Answer –Earth is alive even when everything appears to be dead. Life on earth never ends.