From "I Explain A Few Things" Class 10 English Poem 10th

 NOTES PREPARED BY 

ASHAQ HUSSAIN BHAT 

TEACHER SCHOOL 

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

From "I Explain A Few Things"

(Pablo Neruda)

Q1: Why does the poet use the title " Explain A Few Things"?

Ans. The poet used to write poems about the beauties of nature be wrote
poems on the grand volcanoes of his country. But now he is a changed man.
He no longer writes the poetry of sweet dreams. In this poem , he explains why
he has changed the theme of his poems. That is why he uses the title 1 Explain
a few things for his poem . Here he describes the terrible scenes of bloodshed
during the Spanish Civil War. These happenings gave him rude shock. Now he
could see in streets the blood of the poor. He became a changed man. In this
poem, the poet explains the causes behind his change. 

Q2:- What are the memories that the poet talks about in the poem?

Ans. The poet recalls the time when he lived in Spain. He had been sent there on a diplomatic mission. In this poem, he recalls the beauty of the house in Madrid where he lived in Spain . He make a mention of the Spanish poets also he had
made friends with. The house heb lived in had so many flowers in it, that it came to be called the house of flowers. Dogs and little children could be seen frolicking about in it all the time. The city hummed with activity all the time. It was surrounded with rich natural beauty

Q3:- What happened later why?

Ans:- Later there was terrible bloodshed in the country. There was a Civil
War. Some military generals under the leadership of General Francisco
Franco overthrow the republic government. They killed about one million
innocení people. There was fire and destruction all around some of the poet's
friends were also killed mercilessly. All these happenings left a deep pain in the
poer s heart

04:- Why doesn'y the poet write the poetry of sweet dreams?

Ans. The terrible bloodshed during the Spanish Civil War had left the poet in
terrible shock, about a million innocent people were killed in this War. They
included some of his best friends also. Numberless children were also killed
Blood ran in the streets freely. Now the poet was in no mood to write the poetry
of sweet dreams. Now he could only write about the sufferings of poor workers
who were oppressed and deprived of their rights.

Q5.- Explain the line: 'My house was named the house of followers moment blood. Why was it called so?

Ans. In these lines the poet says that his house was called the house of flowers
because it was a beautiful house. Flowery plants sprouted everywhere and
looked very pleasant. The poet's
house was full of gorianiums.

Q6:- How has the civil war affected Spain?

Ans. Civil War has destroyed Spain that symbolized prosperity, beauty and
promising future. All works of Art beauties  of Nature and public
and private
property has been destroyed. Many noted poets have been assassinated. The
coming generation of Spainhas bee  slaughtered and there is blood and blood
every where in the streets Spain.

07:- Explain the journey of the poet from happiness to agony?

Ans. Pablo Neruda was sent to Spain on a diplomatic mission in 1933. There
he lived in a beautiful house in the capital city of Madrid. The house had so
many geraniums in it that it came to be called the house of flowers. The poet
become very popular among the Spanish people. He had a couple of Spanish
poets niet his friends. They often visited the poet and his house . The poet thus
had a very happy time there.
But then in 1936 the Civil War broke out. There was terrible
bloodshed all around. Every where there were terrible sights of fire, death and
destruction. About one million people were killed in this war. They included his

best friends also. The poet's heart was filled with deep pain and shock All his
happiness thus changed into agony

08:- Pick out at least two symbols used by the poet in the poem. What do they symbolize?

Ans. The symbols used by the poet are: Jackals, Blood and Fire.
Jackals symbolize bad people, blood symbolizes tyranny and fire
symbolizes destruction.

9:- Pick out the images used by the poet to describe peace and war in the poem.

Ans. The images of peace used by the poet are : Flower church bells, trees
and the endless expanse of land with potatoes and tomatoes growing on it.
Bonfires leaping from the earth devouring human beings, bandits,
Moors , thugs , Jackals, vipers and the blood in the streets.

Summary of the poem

The poem "From I Explaina few Things" is written by Pablo Neruda
The poet lived in a quarter in Madrid, the capital of Spain. The church's
bell towers, the clocks and large area of land thickly covered with trees
were the distinctive features of the capital.
The house of the poet was named the house of flowers. The poet
recalls some of his friends who used to visit his house. They include poets
like Raul, Rafael and Federico. Recalling them, the poet says that they
would admit what he has said about his house It was a house with
balconies where with the coming of June
flowers grew so high that they
reached above the mouth of a person. The weather vane felt tired in the
cold sun. A bumper crop of potatoes and tomatoes stretched down to the
Sea

One morning it so happened that the flames of death, destruction
and devastation rushed towards the capital and burned everything. The
large fires moved quickly and irregularly devouring forests, crops,
vegetables and human beings Violent criminals and hooligans appeared
on the scene and massacred children in the streets of the capital . The
blood of coming generation flowed through the streets. The young ruffians
destroy the works of Art, Public and private property and the beauties of
nature etc. The destructive ways of these spiteful treacherous and wicked
persons reduced every house in Spain in silence. But the poet is sure that the
blood in the streets will certainly rise up against the jackals  and vipers. From
every dead child will rise a gun with
eyes and from every crime bullets will take
birth. As far as poet is concerned, he says that he cannot compose poems
about dreams and beauties of his  motherland because there is blood
everywhere in the streets of Madrid now the subject of his poems is not
the beauty of nature but the poor  working classes. Who have been
oppressed and deprived of their rights,

Central Idea of the poem”

In this poem, the poet first describes the immense natural beauty of

Spain. He also makes a mention of the people with whom he had become very

friendly while living in Spain. Then at once the mood of the poet changes as he

begins to narrate the scenes of death and destruction Witnessed during the

Civil War. There was terrible bloodshed all over Spain Numberless innocer

children were killed. It gave the poet a very rude shock.

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