Romantic Poetry Special Brief Suggestion
Part – A (Special Brief Suggestions)
William Blake
1. Who is the piper referred to in Introduction to Songs of Innocence?
Ans: The poet Blake himself.
2. What kind of child did the poet see on a cloud?
Ans: A mystic child.
3. What does the “Lamb” symbolize?
Ans: Innocence and Christ.
4. How many times did the child weep?
Ans: The child wept two times-first hearing the piping and next listening to the songs of joy.
5. Why does Blake choose a hollow reed to make his pen?
Ans: To maintain the rural or pastoral setting.
6. How is the wool of the lamb?
Ans: Bright, soft and warm wool.
7. What does the “Lamb” symbolize?
Ans: Jesus Christ.
8. Why is Jesus Christ called the lamb?
Ans: Because of his gentleness and meekness.
9. What is a chimney sweeper?
Ans: He is a young boy who is compelled to work in Chimney.
10. Who is Tom Dacre?
Ans: He is one of the chimney boys and the poem’s speaker.
11. Why were the heads of the chimney sweepers shaved?
Ans: To avoid the risk of their hair catching fire.
12. Why is Tom’s hair compared to the wool of a lamb?
Ans: To indicate the innocence of the little chimney sweepers.
আরো পড়ুনঃ What Do You Know About Donne Inez’s Education? (বাংলায়)
13. What is the moral of the poem The Chimney Sweeper?
Ans: A responsible person is never harmed.
14. How does the chimney sweeper cry?
Ans: The chimney sweeper cries, ‘Weep! weep!’
15. How is the Nurse?
Ans: The Nurse is kind-hearted.
16. Why does the Nurse ask the children to stop playing?
Ans: To protect them from the dews of night.
17. Where were the children of the charity schools going on a Holy Thursday and Why?
Ans: They were going to St. Paul’s Cathedral to thank God.
18. Whom are the children compared to in the poem Holy Thursday?
Ans: Here, children are compared to flowers, lambs and angels.
19. What does Blake criticize in “Holy Thursday”?
Ans: Religious hypocrisy.
20. What is a Bard?
Ans: A Bard is a poet.
21. What does the Holy Word signify?
Ans: The Holy Word signifies the words spoken by Christ.
22. What does the ‘morn’ symbolize?
Ans: Regeneration and reawakening
23. What does ‘the forest of night’ in The Tyger suggest?
Ans: The everlasting oppression.
24. What is meant by ‘the fearful symmetry”?
Ans: Fearful symmetry in the poem may mean something frightening but beautiful.
25. How does Blake spell the word “tiger”?
Ans: He spells the word as ‘tyger”.
26. What does the tiger symbolize?
Ans: Restlessness and fierceness.
27. What do the lamb’ and the ‘tiger’ symbolize in Blake’s poems?
Ans: The Tyger” symbolizes the dreadful forces in the world. On the other hand, “The Lamb” symbolizes gentleness and innocence.
28. Why does the face of the Nurse turn green and pale?
Ans: The face of the Nurse turns with sorrow over the passing of her hopes and desires of her youth.
29. “And the dews of night arise.” What does the ‘dew’ symbolize?
Ans: Materialism that means worldly achievement.
30. What does winter symbolize?
Ans: Hopelessness.
31. “I wander thro’ each chartered street”-What does the ‘chartered street’ mean?
Ans: Chartered Street means free street.
32. What is meant by the mind-forged manacles”?
Ans: Fetter or chains imposed by the authority.
আরো পড়ুনঃ Bring Out the Symbolism in Kubla Khan (বাংলায়)
33. What is meant by the ‘marriage hearse”?
Ans: A marriage which is a living death because of the husband’s venereal disease resulting from contact with a prostitute.
34. Which three classes are represented in the poem ‘London’?
Ans: The chimney sweeper, the soldier and the harlot are represented in “London.”
35. Why did the chimney sweeper cry ‘weep’?
Ans: To attract those who need his service.
36. What did Tom Dacre see in his dream?
Ans: He dreamt that thousands of his fellow sweepers are locked up in black coffins, and an angel is freeing them.
William Wordsworth
1. What is the extension of the Romantic Age?
Ans: From 1798 to 1832.
2. What is Romanticism?
Ans: A literary movement that appreciates natural beauty and violates the classical tradition of poetry writing.
3. What is a Poet Laureate?
Ans: A title given by the supreme authority to a poet for composing poems on particular events.
4. Who are the ‘Lake poets’?
Ans: Wordsworth, Coleridge and Robert Southey.
5. What is the full title of the poem “Tintern Abbey”?
Ans: Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey. Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798.
6. What is an Abbey?
Ans: An abbey is a Christian monastery where monks live, pray, and engage in religious activities.
7. What is the name of Wordsworth’s sister?
Ans: Dorothy.
8. What is sycamore?
Ans: Sycamore, a maple family tree, features five-pointed leaves and wing-shaped seeds, though it is distinct from fig trees.
9. What do you mean by ‘hedge-row”?
Ans: A ‘hedge row’ is a row of bushes or plants along fields or roads for field and road protection.
10. What is a hermit?
Ans: A hermit is a person who lives in solitude, typically in a remote area, often for spiritual or contemplative reasons.
11. What are the three stages?
Ans: (i) the poet’s boyish animal pleasure in Nature; (ii) his love of the sensuous beauty of Nature; and (iii) his spiritual and intellectual love of Nature.
12. What do you mean by the phrase ‘sad music of humanity’?
Ans: Sorrows and sufferings of mankind.
13. When was the poem written?
Ans: In 1798, immediately after the poet’s second visit to the Wye.
14. Where is Tintern Abbey’ situated?
Ans: In Monmouthshire, Wales, on the west bank of the River Wye.
15. That time is past when does the poet refer to as ‘that time’?
Ans: Here, ‘that time’ refers to the time when the poet adored nature’s sensual beauty during his second stage of love for it.
16. What is the full title of Wordsworth’s Immortality Ode?
Ans: Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood. In short, it is called Ode: Intimations of Immortality.
17. What does ‘May’ stand for?
Ans: It stands for the spring season in England, indicating the utmost natural beauty.
18. What are the stages of life mentioned in the Immortality Ode?
Ans: There are four stages of life: (a) infancy, (b) boyhood, (c) youth, and (d) manhood.
19. Who is ‘a six years’ Darling of a pigmy size?
Ans: This child, Hartley Coleridge, poet S.T. Coleridge’s son, symbolizes childhood in its most universal form.
20. Why is the nun “breathless”?
Ans: The nun is breathless because she is in adoration of God.
21. What does the phrase ‘Abraham’s bosom’ mean?
Ans: Abraham’s bosom: the righteous’s blissful abode between death and Christ’s Resurrection.
22. Who was Milton?
Ans: John Milton (1608-1674) was an English poet, author, and civil servant known for epic poem “Paradise Lost”.
23. What is a fen?
Ans: A fen is a flat, wet area of low-lying land.
24. Why has England become a fen of stagnant waters?
Ans: England has become a fen of stagnant waters by losing her old values and standards.
25. What is the purpose of writing “London 1802”?
Ans: The poem celebrates Milton’s virtue as England’s saviour and critiques societal issues, highlighting Wordsworth’s dual intentions.
26. Who is ‘She’ in “London 1802”?
Ans: In “London 1802”, ‘She’ refers to England.
27. What are the Lucy Poems?
Ans: William Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy Poems,’ written in 1798-1801 during his time in Germany, consist of five romantic poems.
28. Who accompanied Wordsworth in his revisit to the bank of Wye?
Ans: Wordsworth’s sister Dorothy accompanied him on his revisit to the bank of Wye.
29. Who is Lucy?
Ans: Lucy is an idealized young English girl who met a premature death, inspiring Wordsworth to write Lucy’s poem.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
1. Who planned to write The Rime of the Ancient Mariner?
Ans: Hoth Wordsworth and Coleridge planned to write The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
2. On what was The Rime of the Ancient Mariner founded?
Ans: The poem was founded on a dream of Coleridge’s friend whose name was Cruikshank.
3. How many sailors were there on the board of the ship?
Ans: 201 sailors, including the old mariner, boarded the ship.
4. What is a bassoon?
Ans: A bassoon is a wind instrument that produces a deep sound.
5. What is an Albatross?
Ans: Albatross, a sizable seabird, primarily inhabits tropical regions, especially south of the Cape of Good Hope.
6. What kind of bird is the Albatross?
Ans: The albatross symbolizes good prophecies in avian folklore and superstition because after the Albatross’ arrival, the ice cracked, and sheep sailed on with a southerly breeze.
আরো পড়ুনঃ Briefly State the Theme of “Don Juan Canto I.” (বাংলায়)
7. Who killed the Albatross and why?
Ans: The Ancient Mariner killed the Albatross without any apparent reason.
8. Who wins the play at dice?
Ans: Life-in-Death wins the play at dice.
9. What were the colors of the water-snakes?
Ans: The colours of the water snakes were blue, shining green and black, like velvet.
10. How did the Ancient Mariner bless the water snakes?
Ans: The Ancient Mariner blessed the water snakes unconsciously.
11. I saw a third-Who was the third man the Ancient Mariner saw?
Ans: The third man was the good Hermit in the skiff-boat.
12. What is the moral of the poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’?
Ans: The poem’s message: Worship is best expressed by loving all God’s creations without distinctions. Embrace all as equal in heavenly beauty.
13. Who is called the poet of supernaturalism?
Ans: Coleridge is called the poet of supernaturalism.
14. Who were the crew of the ‘spectre-ship’?
Ans: A woman and her companion, Death.
15. How did the Ancient Mariner begin his story?
Ans: The Ancient Mariner, disregarding the guest’s words, abruptly started: ‘A ship once sailed on the boundless sea.
16. What does the ‘Albatross’ symbolize?
Ans: The Albatross is a symbol of God’s creation and innocence.
17. Why has Kubla Khan been called a dream-poem?
Ans: The entire poem, born from a dream, exudes an unpredictable quality, earning its moniker as a ‘dream poem’ for its origin.
18. What is meant by the ‘pleasure-dome”?
Ans: It means a pleasure house with a dome; a house to which one retires for recreation or pleasure. Thus, it is meant to be a place of enjoyment.
19. What does the sacred river’ symbolize?
Ans: Life.
20. What is the central image in the poem ‘Kubla Khan’?
Ans: The central image of the poem is the ‘pleasure-dome”.
21. What is Xanadu?
Ans: Xanadu was the summer capital of Kubla Khan.
22. Why did Coleridge regard “Kubla Khan” as a fragment?
Ans: The entire poem formed in a dream, but upon awakening, only fifty-four lines were penned. Interruption prevented capturing the whole dream, considering it a fragment.
23. What was the Abyssinian maid doing?
Ans: The Abyssinian maid was playing on her dulcimer and singing of Mount Abora.
24. What does ‘a sunless sea’ signify?
Ans: Infinity of Death.
25. What is a dulcimer?
Ans: A dulcimer, a stringed instrument, is played by striking its strings with handheld hammers, creating beautiful melodies.
Lord Byron
26. Who was Kubla Khan?
Ans: Kubla Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan and a ruler of the Mongol Empire for over 30 years.
27. What was the name of the capital of Kubla Khan?
Ans: The name capital of Kubla Khan was Xanadu.
30. What type of a poem is “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”?
Ans: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is a lyrical ballad.
31. What is Seville famous for?
Ans: Seville is famous for oranges and women.
32. What is a cavalier?
Ans: A cavalier is a soldier who fights on horse.
33. What was Inez’s favourite subject?
Ans: Mathematics.
34. What kind of man was Don Jose?
Ans: He was a careless man.
35. What did Jose and Inez do with each other?
Ans: They wished each other’s death, but not divorce.
37. What did the Spartan ladies do?
Ans: Spartan women displayed loose morality; after their husbands’ deaths, they remarried without expressing remorse for their initial marriages.
38. How did Don Jose die?
Ans: Don Jose died of a slow fever called the tertian.
39. What happened to Julia at the end of Canto-1?
Ans: She was sent to a convent for purification.
40. Who are Juan’s parents?
Ans: Done Jose and Donna Inez.
41. How was Juan in his childhood?
Ans: Juan, a mischievous, curly-haired child, was born with a knack for trouble.
42. Where was Don Juan born?
Ans: Don Juan was born in Seville, a pleasant city in Spain.
43. What was Dona Inez’s noblest virtue?
Ans: Her greatest virtue is magnanimity, defined by her kindness, generosity, and forgiveness.
44. What are the features of a Byronic hero?
Ans: The Byronic hero is gloomy, weary, restless, and stricken with grief, remorse and wonder.
45. What did Juan learn?
Ans: Juan mastered riding, fencing, gunnery, and scaling fortresses and nunneries artfully.
46. Who was Donna Julia?
Ans: Donna Julia is a young woman of twenty-three. She is Inez’s friend and the wife of Don Alfonso.
47. What languages did Donna Inez know?
Ans: She knew Greek, Latin, French, and her native language, Spanish.
48. Who is Don Alfonso?
Ans: Don Alfonso is the husband of Julia and a friend of Donna Inez.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
1. Why is a skylark?
Ans: It is a small bird which flies sharply in the sky.
2. Why is it compared to a poet hidden?
Ans: The poet’s obscure message, though unclear, strives in song until the world sympathizes. Likewise, the skylark’s relentless song inspires our admiration.
3. What is meant by unbounded joy?
Ans: Bodiless joy spirit, liberated soul, free from mortal form, a spirit of happiness.
4. Why does the love-lorn maiden sing?
Ans: She sings, relaxing her love-stricken soul, releasing intense passion and affection within.
5. What is meant by ‘love-laden soul”?
Ans: It means a heart full of the pangs of love.
6. From where does the Skylark sing?
Ans: From heaven or near it.
7. What is pastoral Poetry?
Ans: Pastoral poetry romanticizes rural life, depicting nature, shepherds, and idyllic landscapes in a harmonious, idealized way.
8. What is a pastoral elegy?
Ans: A poetic lament for the deceased, typically set in rural or natural surroundings.
9. What is epigraph?
Ans: A brief quotation or statement at the beginning of a book or chapter which often sets the tone.
10. Who, according to Shelley, was the cause of Keats’s death?
Ans: Shelley believed an anonymous critic’s harsh review of Keats’ “Endymion” contributed to Keats’ untimely demise.
11. To whom does Shelley compare Keats?
Ans: To a dead shepherd.
12. What powers of Nature mourn the death of Keats?
Ans: Morning, Thunder, Ocean, Wind, Echo, Spring, and Hyacinth and Narcissus.
13. Why is life called a borrower?
Ans: Life borrows from death to sustain earthly existence, earning the name of an endless borrower.
14. Why is Urania called the childless Mother?
Ans: Urania is called the childless mother because her youngest son, Adonais (Keats) has passed away.
15. Who is compared to a viper in “Adonais”?
Ans: To a viper.
16. How has death immortalized Keats?
Ans: Death grants Keats immortality, protecting him from envy, calumny, hate, pain, and unrest in his afterlife.
17. Why is Rome called the paradise?
Ans: Because of its beautiful immortal art and flawless climate.
18. Who is Adonais?
Ans: Adonais stems from Adonis, the Greek myth’s handsome youth adored by Venus, whom a boar ultimately killed.
19. Who was Urania?
Ans: Urania, a Greek muse, is Zeus and Mnemosyne’s daughter, and Uranus is her great-great-grandfather in mythology.
20. What is an elegy?
Ans: An elegy is a mournful poem or song that expresses sorrow, typically written in memory of a deceased person or event.
21. What does Shelley mean by ‘blithe spirit’?
Ans: Joyous spirit or soul.
22. What is an Ode?
Ans: An ode is a poetic form that expresses deep admiration, often addressing a person or thing and celebrating its qualities and significance.
আরো পড়ুনঃ Write a Short Note on ‘the Wedding Guest.’ (বাংলায়)
23. What is nightshade?
Ans: A poisonous plant.
John Keats
1. What is melancholy?
Ans: Melancholy is subtle, not the bitter sorrow of death or tragedy.
2. “No, no, I go not to Lethe”-Whom does Keats address here?
Ans: Keats here addresses the person who seeks melancholy.
3. What is the source of melancholy?
Ans: Every beautiful element is the source of melancholy.
4. What is meant by the line “She dwells with Beauty”?
Ans: Beauty disappears fast, mixing melancholy within sensitive souls due to its fleeting nature.
5. Why does Keats’ heartache?
Ans: Keats’ heart aches from the overwhelming joy he experienced upon hearing the nightingale’s song.
6. Who is Cortez?
Ans: Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador who removed the Aztec empire (1519–21) and won Mexico for the crown of Spain.
7. What is an urn?
Ans: Urn: pottery or stone vessel for holding a deceased person’s ashes, compared to a tall vase.
8. How is the urn unravished bride?
Ans: The urn, untouched by time, is the unravished bride, wedded to quietness, preserving its spirit eternally.
9. “Heard melodies are sweet but those unheard are sweeter” – in which Ode do you find this line?
Ans: This line is found in Ode on a Grecian Urn, written by John Keats.
10. What is the message of the urn to humanity?
Ans: The message of the urn to humanity is that Beauty and truth are equal.
11. What do you mean by “Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty”?
Ans: This philosophical statement means that the real beauty of a thing lies in its permanence and that there is only one ultimate beauty in this world, which is truth, which never expires.
12. ‘O Attic Shape’-why does the poet tell the urn attic?
Ans: Attic means Athenian, here, belonging to Greece. As the un belongs to Greece, Keats addresses it as an ‘Attic shape.’
13. Why does the poet call the ‘Urn’ cold-pastoral?
Ans: The urn is cold because it lacks the warmth of life, and it is pastoral because it contains rural scenes.
14. What is the central idea of the poem Ode to a Nightingale?
Ans: The poem inspires one to lead a beautiful life which is free from worldly oppression.
15. What is Lethe?
Ans: In Greek mythology, it is an underground river which runs through Hades.
16. Who were the Dryads?
Ans: In Greek Mythology, Dryads were the tree nymphs who lived their life in trees till their death.
17. How does Keats enjoy Homer?
Ans: Keats enjoys Homer through Chapman’s translation of Homer into English.
18. Who is Flora?
Ans: Flora is the Roman goddess of flowers and spring.
19. What is palsy?
Ans: Palsy is a disease (paralysis) of old age in which the whole body of the sufferer shakes constantly.
20. Who is Bacchus?
Ans: Bacchus is a Roman god of wine, agriculture, and fertility.
21. Who is Apollo?
Ans: Apollo is the god of poetry.
22. Who is Ruth?
Ans: A Biblical character who initially married a Jew in Moab. When her first husband died, she married Boaz.
24. What particular word brings Keats back from the world of his imagination?
Ans: Forlorn.
25. How does the poet want to fly with the Nightingale?
Ans: The poet wants to fly with the nightingale on the invisible wings of poetry.
26. What is a Provencal song?
Ans: It is the song of the bards of Provence, a southern district of France famous for wine and love of song and dance.
27. What is a sonnet?
Ans: A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem.
28. Who was Chapman?
Ans: Chapman (1559-1634) was a poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan Age.
29. Who was Homer?
Ans: Homer was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
30. Which is described as ‘the realms of gold’?
Ans: Literature.
31. What is requiem?
Ans: Requiem is a song of mourning by which one prays for the soul of a recently dead person.
