Read the extract and complete the activities given below:

Sitting in a porchway cool,

Sunlight, I see, dying fast,

Twilight hastens on to rule.

Working hours have well-nigh past.

Shadows run across the lands:

But a sower lingers still,

Old, in rags, he patient stands.

Looking on, I feel a thrill.

Black and high, his silhouette

Dominates the furrows deep!

Now to sow the task is set.

Soon shall come a time to reap.

Marches he along the plain

To and fro, and scatters wide

From his hands the precious grain;

Muse I, as I see him stride.

Darkness deepens. Fades the light.

Now his gestures to mine eyes

Are august; and strange; his height

Seems to touch the starry skies.

A1 Pick out from the poem the words that poet uses to describe the sower/ Farmer.

Ans: Sower, his silhouette, August.

A2: ‘Sunlight, I see, dying fast’

Explain the line .

Ans: The Sun is setting.

A3-Explain your views as a Farmar.

Ans: The farmer is a very hardworking and nobleman

A4:’Soon shall come a time to reap’

Ans: Alliteration.

Compose a poem on a farmer in 4 to 6 lines in continuation of the following.

He sweats

He does not fret

He sows

To the soil he bows

Ans

He sweats in the soil

He does not fret on his fate

He sows his future

To the soil he bows up to the last

(i) Write an appreciation of the poem considering the following points:

About the poem/poet/title.

The name of the poem is ,” The Sower”, It is written by French Poet Victor Hugo , it is translated by poetess the poetess Torulata Dutt.

Theme

The Sower is a poem about a farmer who is sowing seeds. He has seen many bad harvests in his life. The poet observed his activity and declared him as a noble figure.

Poetic devices, language, style

•The figure of Speech used here is alliteration and imagery. Rhyming Scheme is abab.

Special features/ novelties/focussing elements

•Poet is optimistic about farmer and his harvest. The language is simple the poem is easy to understand.

Values, message

•Its shows respect and hard work for farmer

Your opinion about the poem

The poem is very effective to create positive attitude in life.

(ii) Write a summary of the poem using the following points:

Title

The title of the poem is The Sower it is written by Victor Hugo .

Introductory paragraph (about the poem, type, nature, tone)

 The poem is about farmer’s life, his hard work-in the farm and struggle to fight with the situation in optimistic way.

Main body (central idea, gist of the poem)

 Farmer is a hard working person, confident about harvest, very minute observer of crop . His hard work lift him as a noble figure and his height today touched the starry skies.

Conclusion (opinion, views, appeal.

The poem is simple but very touchy shows real work and condition of farmer