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Std: XII NOTES FOR PRE MID TERM (2024-25)

POEM 1 My Mother at Sixtysix

Summary:
Ageing is an inescapable phase of every human’s life. A person enters their childhood,
experiences adolescence when they are energetic and have so many dreams. Finally,
every person approaches their old age and then they die. Relationships between
people become much stronger in every phase of life. No one can’t bear the separation
from their loved ones just because of ageing.
Firstly, when the author going to the Cochin airport with her mother she looks at her
carefully and presents before us her image. As she looks at her mother’s soft and
whitish face, she gets stuck with the fear of losing her mother. Her mother with a sleepy
face and open mouth is comparable to a corpse. Here, the author shows love and
affection in a relationship between a mother and a daughter.
The poet is hurt and sad and shifts her attention outside the car for driving out the
undesirable feelings. She changes her bad mood. The scene from the window of the
car is of rising life and energy. The fast sprinting green and huge trees alongside the
cheerfully playing kids represent life, youth, and vitality. The poet here is remembering
about her own childhood. In her childhood, her mother was young and beautiful.
Whereas now her mother is surrounded by the fear of losing her life and that made
her insecure and sad.
She reaches the airport to take her flight. It shows departure and parting which makes
her sad. As she said goodbye to her mother, the image of the old mother in the dusk
of years strikes her. Here again, a simile is comparable with her mother with a late-
night moon of the winters. The light of the moon is an obstacle by the fog and haze as
she appears older now.
The poet is now feeling the pain of getting separated because of leaving her mother.
Her childhood fear of losing her loving mother now became so terrifying. Now her
mother could die of old age anytime unexpectedly. She is so sad that she starts crying
slowly without control but keeping a brave heart she hides her tears and starts smiling.
Thus, she offers her farewell to her old mother and keeps her hope of seeing her
mother alive again. She says “see you soon, Amma”. She hides her tears and sorrow
as she does not want to make a painful and emotional environment. Moreover, she
doesn’t want her mother to cry and shows her that she is enjoying her life. She expects
her mother to be happy and enjoy her life just like her.
Conclusion of My Mother at Sixty-six
To conclude, my mother at sixtysix summary revolves around the beautiful relationship
between the poet and her mother. The summary shows the theme of the advancing
age of the mother of the author and the fear of separation. This apparently short poem
touches upon the theme of a beautiful bond between the mother and the daughter. It
shows how beautiful a relationship a mother and a daughter can have.

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 Poem: 2 My Mother at Sixty-Six
Poetic Devices
Summary
My Mother at Sixty Six’ captures the fear of the narrator of losing her mother due to
declining health and loss of energy which accompanies old age. The narrator accepts
this reality and is disturbed by her mother’s need for her on the one hand and her own
duties and responsibilities on the other hand. This helplessness is poignantly brought
out in this poem. The treatment is different as it emphasizes the subtlety of a mother-
daughter relationship. The tone is reflective and the mood is one of resignation and
acceptance.

In the poem, the narrator is driving to the airport. The mother is with her. She realizes
that her mother is old when the latter dozes off. The mother is pale and looks like a
corpse. When the mother wakes up she says nothing and the narrator is pained on
having to leave her frail and old mother behind.

Kamala Das has beautifully balanced the contrast between old age and childhood or
youth in the poem. Old age is shown as an ashen face, a corpse. This is contrasted
with words and ideas expressing vitality, energy and movement. For example, ‘Trees
sprinting’ and `children spilling out’. Old age is like a winter’s moon and the mother is
pale and wan. The narrator is pained yet with a smile says ‘see you soon’. The
separation is not merely of a daughter leaving, but there is pain and a fear of death, a
permanent separation, yet the narrator must leave — probably to fulfil her
commitments.

The poem ends with a tone of resignation. The narrator accepts reality. She smiles as
she parts from her mother. The repetition of the word smile reiterates the facade the
daughter puts up for the sake of the mother — the brave act, the cheerful parting —
the resignation and finally the acceptance that as she goes away she may never see
her mother alive again.
# Poetic Devices
1. Simile
Her face ashen like that of a corpse: poet sees mother dozing off with her mouth open,
almost like a corpse — it seems to have lost all vitality — the grey colour of ash is
usually associated with a dead body – triggers the pain of losing her mother who is
close to death.
Wan, pale as a lath winter moon: reinforces the idea that the mother’s face was pale
and lifeless like that of a fading winter moon. Winter is symbolic of the last cycle of the
season — hence waning moon-mother’s frail health misted by age is indicative of
imminent death.
Poet resorts to escapism to avoid the harsh realities that stare her in the face-dispels
the horrifying thoughts by diverting her attention to the images of the young trees and
merry children.
2. Imagery
Merry children spilling out of their homes: youthful and exuberant, spring of life-
contrast to the morbid atmosphere inside the car – the old mother weak, frail, inactive.
3. Personification

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Young trees sprinting – the sprinting movement of the trees rushing past signify youth,
life or passage of time. The mother – travelling in the car-lifeless, helpless decayed by
age. Her instinctive awareness leads to the familiar ache-painful realization of
helplessness (cannot share her fears with her mother-fear stemmed out of unknown-
didn’t want to worry her)-fear of separation-that childhood fear-inherent in all children-
of losing one’s loved ones-fear of death.
4. Repetition
Smile and smile and smile: emphasis on the fact that she made a desperate effort to
cover UP her guilt, anxiety and agonizing thought of her mother’s impending death by
putting up a smile to bid her a cheerful adieu.

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open-mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon.
put that thought away…
Questions:

(a)Where was the narrator driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
Ans. The narrator was driving to the airport on her way to Cochin. Her mother was
sitting next to her.
(b) What did the narrator notice about her mother?
Ans. The narrator noticed that her mother had dozed off and she was looking old,
pale and weak.
(c) Why did her mother’s face look like that of a corpse?
Ans. The mother looked old, pale and ashen. Since she had dozed off, with her
mouth open, the narrator felt she looked like a corpse in that condition.
(d) Find words from the passage which mean (i) Sleep lightly (ii) Dead body
Ans.(i) Dozed; (ii) Corpse

2. looked but soon

put that thought away, and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes
Questions:

(a)What did the narrator realize? How did she feel?

Ans. The narrator realized that her mother had grown old and would not be around
for very long. This thought pained her.
(b) What did she do then?
Ans. She started looking out of the car window in order to divert her attention to
something else.
(c) What did she see outside?

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Ans. She saw young trees moving fast as if they were sprinting and also saw young
children happily running out of their homes to play.
(d) Find words from the passage which mean (i) Running fast (ii) Happy
Ans.(i) Sprinting; (ii) Merry
Short Answer Type Questions: (2M)

1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the narrator feels?
Ans. The emotional pain and ache that the narrator feels is the realization that her
mother has grown old and is frail and pale like a corpse.

2. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?

Ans. The young trees are personified in the poem. They seem to be running in the
opposite direction when seen through the window of the moving car. The movement
is juxtaposed with the expression on the mother’s face i.e. ashen like a corpse.

3. Why has the narrator brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’?
Ans. The narrator highlights the helplessness and frailty of old age with the help of
contrasts. The listless mother dozes off open-mouthed, whereas the children spill out
of their homes signifying movement and energy, which the old people are bereft of.
The image of the children spilling out of their homes and trees sprinting provides a
contrast to the lack of vitality in the mother.

4. Why has the mother been compared to ‘late winter’s moon’?

Ans. The mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon which is dull and
shrouded. It symbolizes the ebbing a way of life. The moon brings to the narrator’s
mind, the night or the approaching end of life.

5. What do the parting words of the narrator and her smile signify?
Ans. The parting words ‘see you soon Amma’ are used by the narrator to reassure the
mother and to infuse optimism in the narrator herself. She accepts the reality of her
mother’s approaching death, yet keeps up the facade of a smiling, happy face in order
to put up a brave front. It requires a lot of effort and hence the poet has used the poetic
device of repetition to emphasize this.

6. What childhood fears do you think the narrator is referring to in the poem ‘My Mother
at Sixty-Six’?
Ans. The narrator refers to the fears a child has of losing a parent or getting lost
somewhere and thus getting separated from them or even one’s own process of
ageing. The narrator felt this kind of fear while looking at her mother’s aged and pale
face. She was afraid that she might never see her alive again.

7. What does the narrator mean by ‘all I did was smile and smile and smile…’?
Ans. The narrator realizes the pain and aches she would feel at separating from her
mother. It was her childhood fear that she was experiencing once again. She was
trying to hide her true emotions from herself and her mother by smiling and smiling.

8. What does the narrator’s mother look like? What kind of images has been used to
signify her ageing?

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Ans. The narrator’s mother is sixty-six years old, looks pale like a corpse. The imagery
of death has been created by this comparison.

9. What were the activities that the narrator saw outside the car window?
Ans. The narrator saw young trees speeding past which seemed as if they were
sprinting or running fast. Happy, enthusiastic and energetic children could be seen
running out of their homes. They present an image of youth and energy in comparison
to the lack of energy of the narrator’s mother.

10. Why does the narrator look outside? What does she perceive?
Ans. The very thought of separation from her mother upsets and depresses the
narrator. She experiences the fear that she may never meet her mother again. In order
to drive away such negative thoughts, she looks out of the window and her mind gets
diverted when she sees trees moving rapidly and children playing merrily.

11. What does the narrator do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Ans. Immediately after the security check-up at the airport, and standing a few yards
away from her mother, the narrator observes her mother once again and compares
her to the pale, colourless winter’s moon, marking the last phase of her life, i.e., her
old age. She is pained to see her in such a condition and the fear of separation returns
in her, once again.

12. What is the narrator’s familiar ache and why does it return?
Ans. The narrator is pained to see her mother old and pale. This arouses the ‘familiar
ache’ in her heart which she used to experience in her childhood.

13. Why does the narrator smile and what does she say while bidding goodbye to her
mother?
Ans. The narrator smiles in order to put up a brave front so that her mother does not
observe her pained and frightened look. She smiles in order to reassure her mother
and says that she would see her again soon.

14. What poetic devices has the poet used in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
Ans. The poem is rich in imagery. Devices of comparisons and contrasts are also used
by the poet to draw out the difference between youth and old age. She describes the
mother’s face using similes ‘ashen like a corpse’, and ‘late winter’s moon’. The merry
children playing happily are contrasted with the old, weak and pale mother.

15. What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty- Six’?
Ans. The pain that Kamala Das feels is the pain of separation from her mother by
death. She had also felt it in her childhood.

16. Why are the youngsters described as springing? (My Mother at Sixty-six)
Ans. The poetess is in the car on her way home to the Cochin airport. She looks
outside some young children were running and playing. The poetess seems to
contrasts her ageing mother with the youngsters’ full of life.

17. Why does Kamala Das compare her mother to ‘a pale winter’s moon’?

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Ans. The late winter’s moon is calm and hazy with a dim lustre; it loses its vitality and
power. So the poetess compares her mother’s calm, colourless and withered face to
the late winter’s moon. She has become weak and was due to her age of sixty-six.

18. Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
Ans. While driving her car, the mother was sitting with her. She was dozing with mouth
open. Her face was pale and ashen. She looked like a corpse. She was deeply
depressed and pain started troubling her mind. In order to put these troubled thoughts
away, she looked at the outside world which was full of life, activity and energy. This
distraction made her feel happy.

19. What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear?

Ans. After seeing her mother at sixty-six in a pale like a corpse face, her childhood
fear of separation from her mother returns. She is deeply pained lest she should not
find her mother alive after her return. These thoughts are painful and distressing to
her.

20. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Ans. In order to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother, the poetess started
looking out of the window of the car at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes.

Value-based Question:
1. The poem, ‘My Mother At Sixty Six’, brings home the theme that ageing is a natural
process and is going to envelop one and all. Comment.
Ans. The narrator sees her mother dozing looking pale as a corpse. The mother’s pale
face arouses the narrator’s childhood fears of losing her mother but she cannot stay
on. She accepts her mother’s ageing as a natural process. She hides her pain and
guilt under a smile. The narrator delves on the complexities of life in which we have to
strike a balance and sometimes part with our dear ones as we have other
commitments.

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 Poem 2 Keeping Quiet Author – Pablo Neruda
Summary:
The poet urges people to get into a mode of total inactivity for some seconds. There
should only be silence, no movement and a mood of introspection. He condemns the
mundane activities. He says that we should not indulge in any mindless activity or
speak in any language, nor does he want any gestures of arms that can distract or
disturb. He says that we should commit ourselves to complete silence and inactivity
This moment of complete inactivity would be an extraordinary, memorable or
cherished moment. There would be no rush of activity, no noise and no disturbance.
Man would not have to cope with the fast pace of life. This would be a profound
moment of bonding and togetherness. There would be a complete relaxation of mind,
body and soul.
The poet talks about a metaphorical concept when he says that fishermen would not
harm marine life. ‘Cold sea’ denotes the coldness of fishermen who do not bother
about protection of sea life and in moments of inactivity, they would not be able to
disturb the sea animals. The salt gatherers would also stop to look at their calloused
hands that hurt due to this activity. They too would pause to think about their mindless
activities and their effects.
The poet feels that the whole speculation of wars and their destructive qualities would
be negated during those moments of silence. ‘Green wars’ refers to environmental
degradation caused by human activities, ‘wars’ with gases and fires refers to wars
fought with nuclear and bioweapons. A man may get the satisfaction of being
victorious but ironically, wars leave behind no survivors.
Those human beings who wage wars would be cleansed of all the murk and dirt from
their minds. They would then walk about with other individuals and exhibit amity,
brotherhood and harmony. They would do nothing to harm mankind or nature.
The poet does not wish to advocate total inactivity or silence, which may be
misunderstood, and confused with death. Life continues to remain what we make of it.
If we were not so concerned about keeping our lives active, i.e., doing things
mindlessly and waging wars. We perhaps would not lose sight of our goals. Our desire
to achieve goals makes us single-minded and desperate. It is then that we lose all
perspective. The poet feels that silence for a while might alleviate sadness from our
lives. Quiet productivity in place of all activities is desirable. The end of all activities
does not mean death but just a break from the monotony of a stressful life.
The poet, in the last lines, feels that we can learn a lesson from earth. It can teach us
how silence is productive. The earth appears calm and quiet but is actually nurturing
life. Things may die but are reborn and the cycle goes on because the earth brings
forth new life. The poet appeals to all human beings to make an effort to keep inactive/
quiet. He has initiated the state of inactivity and now it is the human beings who can
carry on with this idea while he makes a quiet exit.

Figures of Speech of the lesson- Keeping Quiet

1.Alliteration
– sudden strangeness (stanza 3)
– clean clothes (stanza 5)
(Referring to clean minds and bodies)
Transferred Epithet
– Cold sea (stanza 4)

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Read the extracts of the lesson- Keeping Quiet and answer the questions that
follow.
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.

(a)What does the poet appeal for?

Ans. The poet appeals for peace and harmony on the earth.
(b) To attain this, what does he expect all of us to do?
Ans. He expects all human beings to be silent, totally inactive and introspect.
(c) Why does he advocate silence?
Ans. He advocates silence so that human beings could introspect about themselves
without any external disturbance.
(e)What kind of activity does the poet feel the man is involved with?
Ans. The poet feels that man is leading a very monotonous and dull existence. He is
also engaged in destructive activities that harm himself and nature too.

2. It would be an exotic moment

Without rush, without engines,
We would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
Would not harm whales
And the man gathering salt
Would look at his hurt hands.

(a) What does he mean by ‘exotic moment’?

Ans. By ‘exotic moment’ the poet means that this moment will be worth cherishing as
it would be extraordinary.
(b) How could man achieve this exotic moment?
Ans. In this exotic moment, man would be able to stop all activity, remain silent and
introspect. He would feel enlightened and be in harmony with man and nature.
(c) What kind of a feeling would this exotic moment evoke?
Ans. It would be an extraordinary moment as a man would be at peace with himself
and his surroundings. This moment might reduce man’s sadness at having generated
negative thoughts.
(d)What harm do the fishermen do and why do salt gatherer’s hands hurt?
Ans. The fishermen kill the whales and cause their extinction while salt gatherers’
hands hurt due to the course and rough feel of the salt causing pain to their hands.

Short Answer Type Questions:

1. What is the poet’s appeal to the people?
Ans. The poet appeals to all the people to count up to twelve and then to be
completely silent. During this period of silence, he urges them to remain calm and stop
all physical activity. He only wants peace during this time.
2. To attain this, what does he expect all of us to do?

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Ans. The poet expects all mankind to shun all activity, remain silent and indulge in
introspection in order to understand the meaning of life, their own destructive activities
and make amends.

3. Why does he advocate silence?

Ans. He advocates silence because according to him, it is only during the few seconds
of silence and inactivity, that man will be able to take stock of his harmful activities and
then try to practise harmony and brotherhood in the world.

4. What kind of activity does the poet feel is a man involved in?
Ans. Man is involved in a large number of destructive activities. He is creating noise
pollution, environmental pollution, destroying wildlife and marine life. He is waging
wars and is also destroying his own fellow men.

5. What does the poet mean by ‘exotic moment’ and how can man achieve it?
Ans. By ‘exotic moment’ the poet means the moments of silence and inactivity which
will be extraordinary and memorable because man will reflect on his activities and
hence be able to make amends. This exotic moment can only be achieved through
total silence and inactivity even it is for a few seconds.

6. What kind of a feeling would this exotic moment evoke?

Ans. This feeling may be strange because it is not easy to imagine a situation of
complete peace and silence. According to the poet, this moment might remove our
sadness of never understanding ourselves and indulged in self-destructive activities.

7. What harm do the fishermen do and why do the salt gatherers hands hurt?
Ans. The fishermen harm marine life by killing the whales in the seas and hastening
their extinction. The salt gatherers’ hands hurt because the harsh and coarse feel of
salt causes discomfort and pain to their hands.

8. What are the kinds of wars mentioned in the poem?

Ans. The poet mentions green wars, i.e., wars that man is waging against nature hence
causing environmental degradation, wars with gas and fire or using harmful biological
and nuclear weapons to cause maximum destruction to life and property. War with fire
refers to the conventional mode of combat.

9. What can be the consequence of the war in our lives?

Ans. The poet observes that wars cause death and destruction. It leaves behind no
survivors and hence no victory for anyone. It is an ironical situation which can be
avoided if a man takes action and decides never to wage wars.

10. What could be an ideal situation according to the poet?

Ans. The poet strongly maintains that the ideal situation would be when people can
happily walk hand in hand under shady trees i.e. amidst a cool and harmonious
atmosphere. They will then practise oneness, unity and brotherhood.
11. How is inactivity different from death? What does the poet mean by `to have no
truck with death’?
Ans. According to the poet total inactivity only means a temporary stillness, whereas
death means the end of life. ‘No truck with death’ means that the poet does not want

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any association with death. He only urges mankind to halt harmful activities for a few
seconds.

12. What are we single-minded about?

Ans. The poet feels that individuals only think about keeping our lives moving at all
costs, and in the process lose sight of their goals. People only yearn for progress and
fulfilment of ambitions, and that remains the only focus while they are alive. Man is
single-minded in his pursuit of wealth, supremacy and territorial acquisition.

13. What, according to the poet, causes sadness?

Ans. Mindless destructive activities cause sadness in our lives. Behaviour that
threatens mankind leads to sadness and unhappiness.

14. What can the Earth teach us? How?

Ans. Earth can teach us to be productive and useful even when there is silence. The
Earth nurtures all living beings, plants and animals and quietly maintains the balance
in nature. It helps in the rebirth of a new life. We can all learn to be productive yet
silent.

15. How does Earth prove to be alive?

Ans. The earth nurtures life and brings forth a new form. There is a regeneration of
every living thing on this earth and all things that die, are reborn and the cycle of life
moves on.

16. How would keep quiet affect life in and around the sea? [All India 2017]
Ans. In the state of stillness and silence, the fishermen will not harm the already
endangered whales. In the same way, the salt gatherers whose hands get hurt during
the salt gathering process, will stop for a while and rest their hands and do some
introspection.

17. What will ‘counting up to twelve and keeping still’ help us to achieve?
Ans. Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to reach an understanding
with each other and to introspect. We will be able to realize the real impact of our
selfish actions on each other and, finally, on the entire humanity.

18. Which symbol from nature does the poet invoke that there can be life under
apparent stillness?
Ans. The poet uses ‘Earth’ as a symbol to invoke that there can be life under apparent
stillness. The Earth seems ‘still’ from outside but is alive and vibrant deep within.
Similarly, our silence can help us to maintain a harmonious life on Earth and stop the
destruction.

19. ‘Life is what it is all about.’ How is keeping quietly related to life?
Ans. ‘Keeping quiet’ is related to life because, in order to live a complete life, one must
live life Atoll India In order to live a quality life, which is full of happiness, peace and
satisfaction, we must develop a habit of thinking deeply and this can be achieved
through introspection.

20. Why does one feel a sudden strangeness on counting to twelve and keeping quiet?

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Ans. When one keeps quiet and stops all his selfish actions and takes a break from
the monotonous routine’ one gets time to introspect and analyse one’s actions. This
brings a feeling of sudden strangeness’

21. How will keeping quiet protect our environment?

Ans. Keeping quiet refers to as stopping all activities for a moment and introspect. This
will help us to analyse the kind of deeds we are doing for our selfish purpose but which
harm nature. This moment will make us understand the fact that harmony with nature
is very essential for the survival of mankind.

22.who will possibly be the effect of ‘keeping quiet’?

Ans. Keeping quiet will result in a mutual understanding among all human beings. We
will be able to understand the fact that the balance between nature and human beings
is essential for our existence on Earth.

23. Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘Keeping Quiet’?
Ans. The poet refers to the exotic moment when everyone would be silent and still and
there would be no noise or mad race. It will evoke an environment of peace and
quietness with no conflicts, quarrels, agreements or wars. This moment will bring a
sense of togetherness among all human beings.

24. What is the sadness the poet refers to in the poem “Keeping Quiet”?
Ans. The poet refers to the sadness which will arise due to the total destruction of
mankind. According to the poet, if the people have no time to think and retrospect, it
will lead to the end of life on earth and a huge silence will follow.

25. How, according to Neruda, can keeping quiet change our attitude to life?
Ans. According to the poet, if we keep quiet for a moment to introspect and cease our
selfish and destructive actions, it will lead to a change in our attitude to life.

26. Which images in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ show that the poet condemns violence?
Ans. Pablo Neruda gives the images of ‘green war’, ‘war with gas’ and ‘wars with fire’
and then associate these wars with ‘victory with no survivors’. This is to emphasise
the fact that wars will bring an end to the entire human race. This shows that he
condemns violence.

27. What are the different types of wars mentioned in the poem? What is Neruda’s
attitude towards them?
Ans. Pablo Neruda has mentioned ‘green wars’, ‘wars with fire’ and ‘wars with gas’.
The poet does not appreciate the concept of war. He condemns it by saying that these
wars will result in victory with no survivors. So instead of these wars and conflicts, we
must develop the concept of mutual understanding and co-existence.
28. How can the suspension of activities help?
Ans. The suspension of activities will help us to introspect. It will provide enough time
from the mad rush and selfish actions, when we all are able to ponder and analyse our
own actions and attitude and finally develop mutual understanding and realise the
importance of co-existence.

29. Do you think the poet, Pablo Neruda, advocates total inactivity and death?
Why/Why not?

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Ans. The poet does not advocate ‘total inactivity because he has a firm belief in life.
He wants everyone to live a complete life full of peace and contentment. He wants
everyone to take a break from the hectic schedule and introspect for a while to improve
the quality of life.

30. Why is Pablo Neruda against total inactivity?

Ans. The poet is against total inactivity because it means death whereas the poet has
a firm belief in only wishes us to take a break from the hectic, aimless life and
introspect.

31. What does the poet want all the perpetrators of war to do?
Ans. The poet wants them to make their conscience clean from envy and selfish
motives. They shook’ stop fighting and develop an understanding of peace among
human beings.

32. What, according to the poet, will be the ultimate end of a man if the present
scenario of wars and conflict continues?
Ans. According to Neruda, if the present scenario of war and destruction continues, it
will lead to total destruction of humanity. We all will perish and nobody will be left to
celebrate the victory.

33. How, according to the poet, our state of mind will be changed if we maintain silence
and suspend activity for a white?
Ans. The poet believes that if we all stop for a moment to introspect and realize the
impact of our actions. then we will be able to understand the need to be together and
develop a mutual understanding for the survival on earth. This realization will bring a
change in our state of mind and our attitude towards each other.

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