3. KEEPING QUIET BY PABLO NERUDA

COMPLETE SOLUTION OF THE POEM 'KEEPING QUIET'

(A) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                                 “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.”

Q1. Name the poem and the poet.

Ans:- The poem is ‘Keeping quiet’, and the poet is Pablo Neruda.

Q2. How long does the poet Pablo Neruda want to stay still?

Ans:-The poet Pablo Neruda suggests all of us to count up to twelve and to keep a pin drop silence.

Q3. What does the poet expect to achieve by keeping quiet?

Ans:- The poet expect that by keeping quiet we shall get an eternal chance to introspect. The weird silence will give us a feeling of one another.

Q4.What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms’ so much?

Ans:- The poet doesn’t want any kind of commotion or movement. He wants a pin drop silence by not moving even our arms. It will give us peace.

(B) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                            “It would be an exotic moment

                            without rush, without engines,

                                   we would all be together

                                  in a sudden strangeness.”

Q1. What would be an ‘exotic’ moment according to the poet?

Ans:- The moment of silence will be an exotic moment.

Q2. How would we feel at that moment?

Ans:- While the strange and exotic moment, we would feel a sense of togetherness. It will make the moment peaceful and weird, we shall experience the peace.

(C) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                                 “Fishermen in the cold sea

                                   Would not harm whales

                               and the man gathering salt

                             would look at his hurt hands.”

Q1. What does the Neruda expect of the fishermen and why?

Ans:- The poet hopes that in the moment of silence fishermen would not harm the whales, they will only live the moment of stillness.

Q2. What is the mean by the man gathering salt?

Ans:- The man gathering salt from his both hands will stop for a while and look his wounded hand from the salt.

(D) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                              “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 the shade, doing nothing.”

Q1. What does the poet mean by ‘Green Wars’?

Ans:- In the poem ‘Green wars’ means wars against the environment, Seeking peace among the busy ways of living life.

Q2. Mention ‘victory with no survivors’.

Ans:- The poet wants to leave a message for all of us that the war brings nothing but only destruction and hazardous. No one will remain for celebrating the victory of wars.

Q3. Why does the poet talk about to ‘put on clean clothes’?

Ans;- The poet wants the help of everyone from his owns. He wants peace for everyone so that evilness could be given up easily.

(E) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                             “What I want should not

                        Be confused with total inactivity.

                                 Life is what it is about;

                              I want no truck with death.”

Q1. What should not be confused with ‘total inactivity’?

Ans:- Stillness and quietness should not be confused with total inactivity.

Q2. What is ‘life’ about?

Ans:- Life is about its living each and every moment with full of joy.

Q3. Why does the poet say “I want no truck with death”?

Ans:- The poet Pablo Neruda makes transparent his opinion that he has no association with death. Though the poet advocates about peace and quietness but he doesn’t keep himself in the favour of death.

(F) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                           “ If we were not so single-minded

                              about keeping our lives moving,

                              and for once could do nothing,

                                 perhaps a huge silence

                             might interrupt this sadness

                        of never understanding ourselves

                    and of threatening ourselves with death.”

Q1. Whom does ‘we’ refer to in the above stanza?

Ans:- ‘We’ refers to the human being who always keeps on thinking about their own progress.

Q2. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet talks about in the poem?

Ans:- The poet gets concern about not understanding ourselves. He worries about peace and quietness that we often look in to others.

FROM OUT OF STANZA

Q1. What will counting up to twelve and seeking still help us achieve?

Ans:- Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to achieve some time in silence to self-introspect our movements. We shall be in a peaceful state of mind where we will be able to see the things as they really are. We will be able to understand ourselves better and then we would feel better to have with anyone.

Q2. Do you think the poet advocate total inactivity and death?

Ans:- Not at all, he doesn’t advocate total inactivity and demise.

Q3. What is the ‘Sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

Ans:- The poet refers to the sadness that arises from the failure to understand ourselves. In today’s world everyone is quite busy in life to achieve only the way of success but have forgotten to understand ourselves.