All Questions-Answers from Poems: Literature Section

 

Unit One: Corona Says by Vishnu Sing Rai

Understanding the text: Answer the following questions.

a.      Who is the speaker in the poem?

Coronal is the speaker in the poem.

b.     Who claims that they are superior to all?

Human beings claim that they are superior to all.

c.      Why has the speaker come to Earth?

The speaker has come to Earth to make human beings realize that they are not superior to all and that Earth isn’t the property of only human beings.

d.     What positive changes have occurred on Earth after the speaker’s visit?

The positive changes that have occurred on Earth after the speaker’s visit are that the environment becomes fresh, due to which the sky appears blue, and Mother Earth gets to rest.

Reference to the text

a.       What does the speaker mean when he says:

But have you ever counted

How many have died so far

Because of you and your wars?

 The given lines have been extracted from the poem entitled ‘Corona Says’ by Vishnu Sing Rai. The poem is a satire of human activities that have brought the greatest challenges to humans.

In these lines, the speaker blames human beings themselves are responsible for wars and the loss of their lives. The consequences and effects caused by wars are more terrible than the pandemic has done. Wars are the result of disputes over resources and land, or of a government’s will to increase its influence, power, and authority. The parties or governments involved in wars never think of the consequences that people have to face. Millions of people have lost their lives and properties because of wars. The effects of wars are also causing them to suffer physically and psychologically.

b.     Explain the following:

I will depart one day.

But remember

There’re many others like me.

They’ll come too.

If you don’t get rid of your inflated ego,

You’ll be back to your cave time

That you endured

Long, long, long ago …

The given lines have been extracted from the poem entitled ‘Corona Says’ by Vishnu Sing Rai. The poem is a satire of human activities that have brought the greatest challenges to humans.

In the given extract, the speaker warns us to terminate our egoistic behavior. No matter who we are, we have to preserve nature and shouldn’t go against the law of nature. By saying the above line, the poet alerts us that the pandemic can be controlled, but they may suffer from other fatal diseases due to their behaviors, and finally, they can be the cause of the extinction of human civilization.

c.      What does the speaker mean in the following lines? Explain.

The earth is not your property alone –

It’s as much ours as yours.

The given lines have been extracted from the poem entitled ‘Corona Says’ by Vishnu Sing Rai. The poem is a satire of human activities that have brought the greatest challenges to humans.

In the given lines, the speaker denotes that the Earth is the common habitat of all living creatures. All of them have an equal right to use the resources available on Earth to sustain their lives. But we human beings are ruling over others, thinking of ourselves as superior, and depriving them of using resources. The speaker is worried about growing human pressure on the natural world. They have controlled all the natural resources for their benefit, although the earth is the common home for all living organisms. In the name of development and progress, humans are destroying the sources of food and habitats of other creatures. In this way, slowly and slowly entire ecosystem is being destroyed.

Reference beyond the text

a.      What human behaviors are responsible for the suffering in people’s lives?

The poem “Corona Says” is written by Vishnu S. Raj. This poem reveals the satire on human activities that are for personal benefit but invite suffering. He is an English language professor at TU. He explains the Coronavirus in the poem.

In this poem, Corona says that I have not come by my wish. I am invited. Human activities that bring imbalance to nature invite me. Here, human beings think that they are superior to all, and they don’t care for the life of another living being that flies in the sky, crawls on land, or lives in the oceans. Human beings use natural resources in improper ways for their benefit. They don’t think about the bad impact of that work on the life of another living being. Due to this, many living beings have become extinct, which has an imbalanced nature, and I (Corona) am the impact of it. Due to such bad activities, I visit Earth, which causes the death of many lives and I also make the human realize their mistakes. So, human behaviors are responsible for the suffering in people’s lives.

b.     How does an epidemic differ from a pandemic? Briefly explain the impact of coronavirus on human life and the environment.

An epidemic differs from a pandemic in the following context;
An epidemic is a disease that is prevalent in a community for a certain period. But, a Pandemic is a disease that is prevalent in a very wide range (worldwide) at a certain period. The impact of coronavirus on human life and the environment is categorized into two parts: good and bad impacts.

Good Impact

i.       The pollution level of the environment decreases.

ii.     Due to it, energy (i.e. petrol, diesel, etc) gets saved for future generations.

iii.  It provides rest to Mother Earth.

iv.   Due to this, people learn to minimize pollution activities for their welfare.

Bad Impact

i.       A Large number of people lose their lives.     It makes the economic condition of people and nations weak.

iii.  Due to this, several people became unemployed.

iv.   Psychological stress on the human being is being increased.

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Unit Two: A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

Understanding the text: Answer the following questions.

a.      To which two things does the speaker compare his love in the first stanza?

The two things the speaker compares his love to in the first stanza are the red rose and the melody (music).

b.     What does the speaker promise in the second and third stanzas?

In the second and third stanzas, the speaker promises that he will love his beloved until the seas become dry, the rocks melt in the sun and he is alive.

c.      What imagery does he use in his promise, and why do you think he uses such language?

He uses hyperbolic imagery in his promise which is the imagery of dry seas, melted rocks, ended human life in the second and third stanzas, and an image of a long journey in the fourth stanza. I think he uses such language because his love is so deep and true for his beloved.

d.     In the last stanza, what event is about to happen by mentioning the number of miles?

In the last stanza, the speaker is going to separate from his beloved by mentioning the number of miles.

e.      Which image in the poem do you find the most memorable or surprising and why?

The image of dry seas and melted rocks is the most memorable or surprising because this exaggeration makes us realize the speaker’s devotion to his beloved and the eternity of his love for her.

Reference to the context

a.      What can you infer about the speaker’s devotion to his beloved from the following lines?

And I will come again, my love,

Tho’ it were ten thousand miles!

The given lines have been extracted from ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns, which expresses the speaker’s profound love for his beloved. The speaker says farewell to her, and at the same time promises that he will return to her even if he has to cover a distance of 10 thousand miles. This promise shows that no obstacles can separate the speaker from her. It seems that the speaker’s powerful love for his beloved makes any earthly hardship insignificant.

b.     What is the theme of the poem?

The poem has the themes of love and passion. The poem is concerned with the speaker’s deep love for his beloved. He praises her beauty and expresses his inestimable love for her. His love will remain forever no matter what happens. He bids goodbye to her before they separate, and promises he will come to her even covering a distance of ten thousand miles.

c.      Paraphrase the whole poem into simple prose form.

The poem ‘A Red, Red Rose’ is a poem that describes the speaker’s deep love for his beloved and promises that this love will last longer than human life. The beloved of the speaker is as beautiful as the red rose and as sweet as the music. He wants to express that he is in deep and pure love with his beloved. The poet will love her till the seas are dried and rocks are melted by the heat of the sun. He promises to meet her even if he has to walk ten thousand miles. He expresses his true love and deep feelings towards his beloved.

d.     Literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also help the readers understand those more profound meanings. Analyze the poem in terms of literary devices such as simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance.

The poet employs several literary devices like simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance to show the beauty of his beloved and the power of his love.

The first literary tool used in the poem is a simile. It is an expression that is used to compare an object or a person with something else to make its meaning clear to the readers. There are two similes used in this poem. They are used when the speaker compares his beloved with a red rose and a sweet melody.

Symbolism is another literary device that is used to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meaning. Here the poet has used ‘rose’ as a symbol of love. Imagery is a distinct representation of something that can be understood through the five senses. Robert has used visual imagery in the poem such as a red rose. There is a visual picture of a red rose in our mind when the speaker compares his beloved with a red rose. When he equates her to the sweet melody, auditory imagery is used. To convey the intensity of his affection, he then switches to hyperbolic images, by expressing that he will love her until the seas become dry and the rocks melt in the sun. We can view the world of dry seas and melted rocks in our minds. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as /l/ and /r/ in “O my Love is Like a red, red rose.”

Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of vowel sounds occurs in the same line. In the line ‘And I will love thee still, my dear’, the vowel sound /i/ is repeated.

e.      What is hyperbole? Explain its purpose by citing examples of hyperbole used in the poem.

Hyperbole is a literary technique that is used to exaggerate a statement for the sake of emphasis. The poet uses hyperbole in the last line of the second stanza, “Till the seas gang dry”. He says that his love will flow even when the seas dry up. The second one is in the third stanza where the speaker claims, “And the rocks melt wi’ the sun”. Here, the speaker seems to be exaggerating his emotions in these lines to illustrate his desire to love her forever.

f.       What is a refrain? Why is it used in the poem? Explain, citing an example from the poem.

The refrain is a poetic device in poetry that focuses only on repeated lines at a certain distance. It is used to reinforce the main theme on point of a poem. It is also used to emphasize something and to produce rhythm in the poem as well. We find a refrain here in this poem in the second, third, and fourth stanzas and they are as follows:

• And I will love thee still, my dear
• Till a’ the seas gang dry
• And fare thee weel.

Reference beyond the text

a.      What kind of love is expressed in ‘A Red, Red Rose’?

In this poem, A Red, Red Rose, the poet has expressed his romantic and inestimable love for his beloved. He promises to love his beloved until the earthly seas have become dry, rocks have melted by the heat of the sun,to  and human life has ended, and makes it clear that he will love her till his last breath.

b.       Do you think that love has power? Why do the poets compose poems addressing their beloved?

Yes, I think that love has power. I consider love as the most powerful thing that exists in the entire universe. Love is the thing that binds people and keeps them together. Love can sometimes lead people towards perfection, whereas it may bring destructive results too. Most of the poets compose their poems addressing their beloved because the poem is the beautiful and best medium to express the feelings of a person. Expressing love in a poem adds more beauty to the story than in any othera form. Thus, the poets compose poems addressing their beloved.

c.      Poetry is the expression of feelings and emotions. Explain.

Most of the literary works of extraordinary merit have been written through the means of poetry. Poetry is the representation of thoughts and feelings that enables people to express themselves in writing. Poetry is a perfect way to express love, emotions, and imagination, and exchange ideas and thoughts with others. Poetry holds the power to explain those intimate moments of the life of human beings. It’s not only a joy that poets can relate to their verses, but also grief, despair, grief, pain, doubt, hatred, love, compassion, desire, praise, faith, respect, and hope. Therefore, poetry can be taken as the expression of feelings and emotions.

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Unit Three: All the World's a Stage by William Shakespeare

Understanding the text: Answer the following questions.

a.      To which two things does the speaker compare his love in the first stanza?

The two things the speaker compares his love in the first stanza are the red rose and the melody (music).

b.     What does the speaker promise in the second and third stanzas?

In the second and third stanzas, the speaker promises that he will love his beloved until the seas become dry, the rocks melt in the sun and he is alive.

c.      What imagery does he use in his promise, and why do you think he uses such language?

He uses hyperbolic imagery in his promise, which is the imagery of dry seas, melted rocks, ended human life in the second and third stanzas, and an image of a long journey in the fourth stanza. I think he uses such language because his love is so deep and true for his beloved.

d.     In the last stanza, what event is about to happen by mentioning the number of miles?

In the last stanza, the speaker is going to separate from his beloved by mentioning the number of miles.

e.      Which image in the poem do you find the most memorable or surprising and why?

The image of dry seas and melted rocks is the most memorable or surprising because this exaggeration makes us realize the speaker’s devotion to his beloved and the eternity of his love for her.

Reference to the context

a.      What can you infer about the speaker’s devotion to his beloved from the following lines?

And I will come again, my love,

Tho’ it were ten thousand miles!

The given lines have been extracted from ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns, which expresses the speaker’s profound love for his beloved. The speaker says farewell to her, and at the same time promises that he will return to her even if he has to cover a distance of 10 thousand miles. This promise shows that no obstacles can separate the speaker from her. It seems that the speaker’s powerful love for his beloved makes any earthly hardship insignificant.

a.      What is the theme of the poem?

The poem has the themes of love and passion. The poem is concerned with the speaker’s deep love for his beloved. He praises her beauty and expresses his inestimable love for her. His love will remain forever, no matter what happens. He bids goodbye to her before they separate, and promises he will come to her, even covering a distance of ten thousand miles.

b.     Paraphrase the whole poem into simple prose form.

The poem ‘A Red, Red Rose’ is a poem that describes the speaker’s deep love for his beloved and promises that this love will last longer than human life. The beloved of the speaker is as beautiful as the red rose and as sweet as the music. He wants to express that he is in deep and pure love with his beloved. The poet will love her till the seas are dried and rocks are melted by the heat of the sun. He promises to meet her even if he has to walk ten thousand miles. He expresses his true love and deep feelings towards his beloved.

c.      Literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also help the readers understand those more profound meanings. Analyze the poem in terms of literary devices such as simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance.

The poet employs several literary devices like simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance to show the beauty of his beloved and the power of his love.

The first literary tool used in the poem is a simile. It is an expression that is used to compare an object or a person with something else to make its meaning clear to the readers. There are two similes used in this poem. They are used when the speaker compares his beloved to a red rose and a sweet melody.

Symbolism is another literary device that is used to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meaning. Here, the poet has used ‘rose’ as a symbol of love. Imagery is a distinct representation of something that can be understood through the five senses. Robert has used visual imagery in the poem such as a red rose. There is a visual picture of a red rose in our mind when the speaker compares his beloved to, a red rose. When he equates her to the sweet melody, auditory imagery is used. To convey the intensity of his affection, he then switches to hyperbolic images, by expressing that he will love her until the seas become dry and the rocks melt in the sun. We can view the world of dry seas and melted rocks in our minds. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as /l/ and /r/ in “O my Love is Like a red, red rose.”

Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of vowel sounds occurs in the same line. In the line ‘And I will love thee still, my dear’, the vowel sound /i/ is repeated.

e.      What is hyperbole? Explain its purpose by citing examples of hyperbole used in the poem.

Hyperbole is a literary technique that is used to exaggerate a statement for the sake of emphasis. The poet uses hyperbole in the last line of the second stanza, “Till the seas gang dry”. He says that his love will flow even when the seas dry up. The second one is in the third stanza where the speaker claims, “And the rocks melt wi’ the sun”. Here, the speaker seems to be exaggerating his emotions in these lines to illustrate his desire to love her forever.

f.       What is a refrain? Why is it used in the poem? Explain, citing an example from the poem.

The refrain is a poetic device in poetry that focuses only on repeated lines at a certain distance. It is used to reinforce the main theme on point of a poem. It is also used to emphasize something and to produce rhythm in the poem as well. We find a refrain here in this poem in the second, third, and fourth stanzas and they are as follows:

And I will love thee still, my dear

Till a’ the seas gang dry

And fare thee weel.

Reference beyond the text

a.      What kind of love is expressed in ‘A Red, Red Rose’?

In this poem, A Red, Red Rose, the poet has expressed his romantic and inestimable love for his beloved. He promises to love his beloved until the earthly seas have become dry, rocks have melted by the heat of the sun and human life has ended, and makes it clear that he will love her till his last breath.

b.       Do you think that love has power? Why do the poets compose poems addressing their beloved?

Yes, I think that love has power. I consider love as the most powerful thing that exists in the entire universe. Love is the thing that binds people and keeps them together. Love can sometimes lead people towards perfection, whereas it may bring destructive results too. Most of the poets compose their poems addressing their beloved because the poem is a beautiful and best medium to express the feelings of a person. Expressing love in a poem adds more beauty to the story than in any other form. Thus, the poets compose poems addressing their beloved.

c.      Poetry is the expression of feelings and emotions. Explain.

Most of the literary works of extraordinary merit have been written through the means of poetry. Poetry is the representation of thoughts and feelings that enables people to express themselves in writing. Poetry is a perfect way to express love, emotions, and imagination, and to exchange ideas and thoughts with others. Poetry holds the power to explain those intimate moments of the life of human beings. It’s not only a joy that poets can relate to their verses, but also grief, despair, grief, pain, doubt, hatred, love, compassion, desire, praise, faith, respect, and hope. Therefore, poetry can be taken as the expression of feelings and emotions.

 

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Unit Four: Who are you, Little I by Edward Estlin Cummings

Understanding the text: Answer the following questions:

a.      Who can be the speaker of this poem?

Mostly, poets use a literary element called 'Speaker'. The speaker is the person voicing the words. Here, the speaker is an adult who recalls his childhood. Perhaps the speaker is the poet himself.

b.     What is "little i" doing?

The "little i" is looking out a window at the end of the day. He is enjoying the beautiful scene of sunset.

c.      What can be the relationship between the "little i" and the speaker of the poem?

The "little i" is the childhood of the speaker himself, and the speaker is the child grown up. So we can say that the "little i" is the child version of the speaker.

d.     What is the speaker remembering from his childhood days in the poem?

The speaker remembers how he used to enjoy natural scenes like sunsets. He used to get pleasure from such sights. 

e.      What attitude does the speaker seem to have toward the child in the poem?

The speaker seems to have a positive, nostalgic attitude towards the child. He feels a youthful presence in himself still now, which inspires him to look out and enjoy nature outside. 

Reference to the context 

a.      Why do you think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window and at?

The poet has used the semicolon (;) between the two words to provide a break in the long sentence while keeping the thought flowing. In such situations, a semicolon works stronger than a comma, as in the present sentence structure.

b.     If the speaker is the child, why does he ask, "Who are you"?

There is no doubt that the speaker is a child grown up. Still, he puts the question. It may be because he is struggling to recall the wonderment of his youthful days. Or maybe, it is his incredulity that there is still a youthful presence in himself enjoying nature. 

c.      In this poem, an adult reflects on their childhood experience. Based on that, what might be the theme of the lines: "(and feeling: that if day / has to become night /this is a beautiful way)"?

The clear theme of these lines is 'death'. It is a touchy way to describe an unwelcome transition from the joyful youth to the end of life. 

d.     What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem?

The rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeat at the end of a line or stanza. The rhyme scheme of this poem is AB AB CD CD.

e.      Explain the pun in "little i" that is related to what he is doing.

Pun is a type of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings (more than one meaning). Pun sometimes suggests different meanings. It is the writing style of the poet to uncapitalize the first-person pronoun 'I'. By adding 'little' in 'little i', he expresses the boy to be very little. One meaning of it is that the boy is a little child in comparison to his present adulthood. Another meaning might be that he lowers the importance of self regarding his experience.

f.       How does Cumming's use of lowercase letters affect your understanding of the poem? Explain. 

His use of lowercase letters gives us a smaller feel. It gives the feeling of being smaller in comparison to time. It deemphasizes the self and promotes the time.

Reference beyond the text

a.      How does nature inspire the speaker in “Who Are You, Little i”? Explain.

Nature inspires the speaker a lot in “Who Are You, little i”. The beauty of nature has made him go back to his beautiful childhood experience. He finds himself as a little boy of five or six years old in his childhood. He used to look at the beautiful golden sunset and feel the beautiful way of the transition of the day into the night.

b.     Recall a childhood moment when you felt closely connected with nature. Describe the time and place as well as your feelings and thoughts about it.

I was born and raised in the busy city of Dharan. My father works there. I grew up in the city, with little connection to nature. As I was about to take my school graduation exams, my father announced that we would go to our native village for a long vacation. My happiness knew no bounds. It was like a dream coming true. Finally, I was in my native village. It was so different. Opposite to the hustle and bustle of the busy city, it was so calm and tranquil. It was the first time I saw a milking cow. Otherwise, I used to think that all the products came from supermarkets or dairies.

The next morning, my grandpa took me to our paddy field. I was surprised to see the vast stretch of greenery. It was so different from the concrete jungle of the place where I live. The chirping of birds in mango groves was so sweet. It was not like a caged bird. I never knew before that winds can play so delightfully. There I learned how to connect with nature. I enjoyed sunrises and sunsets, which were always covered by the big buildings of my city. We stayed there for about a month. But I shall never forget my first introduction to nature.

c.      Interpret the poem in any way you like.

This little poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue where he addresses his childhood. It opens with a nostalgic mood. Watching the sunset through his window one evening, the speaker suddenly goes into a flashback to when, in his childhood, he used to enjoy such natural scenes. 

He asks his "little i" who he is. No doubt, the 'little i' is his childhood version (his childhood). It shows that although the worries of his childhood have kept suppressed his childhood pleasures, it is still there in some corner of his heart. That is the happiest thing. As the poem proceeds, the mood changes from a nostalgic to a sad, pensive one, when he talks about the passing days, indicating 'death'. Here we find an unwelcome transition (change) from a pleasing childhood to approaching death. But here again, he finds a beautiful way of approaching a dreaded finale (that is, fear of death). By putting “I” with “little” he deemphasizes (minimizes the importance of) the self and promotes time.

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Unit Five: The Gifts in Wartime by Tran Mong Tu

Understanding the text: Answer the following questions.

a.      Who is the speaker addressing and why can that person not hear or understand what she is saying?

The speaker is addressing her husband. He cannot hear or understand what she is saying because he is dead.

b.     What can you infer about the speaker’s feelings for the person addressed as “you”?

Her feelings for that person she addresses as “you” are full of love, affection, and devotion. She has gifted him all the pleasures of life. She is saddened by his demise. Although he is no more in the world, she is still hopeful of meeting him in their next life.

c.      What is the speaker’s attitude toward war?

The speaker has a bitter attitude towards war as she has lost her husband.

d.     In what ways do you think this person’s fate has affected the speaker?

This person’s fate was to die in the war because he was a soldier. The speaker’s happiness and youth ended with his death. Thus, the ill fate of the person has made her helpless, loveless, and miserable.

e.      What does the speaker promise at the end of the poem? Why do you think the speaker does this?

At the end of the poem, the speaker promises to meet her lovable person in their next life. She wants to take the shrapnel as proof to show him the reason behind his death and their separation. I think the speaker does this because her love for the absent person is so deep and she wants to be in love with him again and again.

Reference to the context

a.      What is the theme of the poem?

The theme of the poem is the cruelty and inhumanity of war and its negative impacts on humans. The poem talks about the tragedy caused by war. One life ends but many others are affected. After the untimely death of the soldier, his family and dear ones will suffer. Life is priceless, so there is no compensation for this great loss.

b.     What imagery from the poem made the greatest impression on you? Why?

The poet has used several powerful images in this poem. Among them all, I liked the shrapnel image the most. It made it very clear what gift a war can give to human beings. The shrapnel does not only mean that it shattered the body of the soldier, but also shattered the life of the beloved. That is the deadly gift of the war.

c.      Which figurative language is used in the poem? Explain with examples.

Figurative language is phrasing that goes beyond the literal meaning of words to get a message. We find the use of irony, apostrophe, anaphora, and metaphor as the figurative language in this poem. Irony takes place when the poet talks about the gift which is not a real gift but of grief and loss. A grave and ashrapnel as tokens of remembrance are examples of it. The poet uses imagery when roses are offered in her beloved’s grave, and her husband is described as a corpse with lips with no smile and eyes with no sight. The red roses traditionally symbolize love.

The next figure of speech is anaphora, which is the repetition of the same words at the beginning of a line. In the first, third, and fifth stanzas, the poet repeats “I offer you,” and comes to the sixth stanza where the speaker repeats “You give me” three times in a row. These are the examples of anaphora used in this poem. The poem also utilizes the apostrophe literary technique, which is addressed directly to a non-present person or an inanimate object. Like in the poem, the speaker meets the corpse of her spouse.

d.     What does the speaker “offer” in this poem? What does the person address as “you” give in return?

The speaker offers various things like roses, her wedding gown, her youth, clouds, cold winters, etc. to her lovable person. The person addressed as “you” gives her the medals with shining stars, a badge with yellow pips, the smell of blood from the wardress, lips without a smile, arms without tenderness, eyes without sight, and a body without motion.

e.      An apostrophe is a literary device in which a writer or speaker addresses an absent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and can be understood. Discuss the poem to the apostrophe.

An apostrophe is a literary device in which a writer or speaker addresses an absent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and can be understood. Here in the poem, we can see the use of an apostrophe when the speaker addresses the dead body as if it, can understand her. She offers him red roses and her wedding gown at his grave. Her youth ended with his death. His badge, bravery medals, and the blood from his dress make her sad. Her eyes are full like summer clouds and her life has changed from spring to winter. She wants to prove her deep love and respect for her husband by showing her sacrifice. Thus, this poem shows the bitterness of war on behalf of the speaker using the apostrophe.

Reference beyond the text

a.     One way to get relief from grief is to write or talk about it. In your opinion, how might the speaker in this poem have benefitedlives from saying what she did? Explain.

One way to get relief from grief is to write or talk about it. Grief is caused by loss. In an emotional situation, a person can get relief by talking with a dear one. We can share our pain with others by writing poems, stories, etc., or sharing our experiences with others. The speaker in this poem has also chosen the same path. She has become able to reduce her pain and suffering by talking with her dead husband.

Happiness and pain are an inevitable part of human life. In our life, we must experience both sides of life. We must find a way to cope with the grief and move on with our lives. The speaker is talking to her husband, is who was killed in the war. She offers him red roses and her wedding gown at his grave. Her youth ended with his death. His badge, bravery medals, and the blood from his dress make her sad. Her eyes are full like summer clouds. Her life has changed from spring to winter. She wants to prove her deep love and respect for her husband by showing her sacrifice. In this way, the speaker becomes able to cope with her deep pain by talking with her dead husband.

b.     Write an essay on the effects of war.

Effects of War

The effects of war are widely spread and can be long-term or short-term. Soldiers experience war differently than civilians, although both suffer in times of war, and women and children suffer unspeakable killings in particular. In the past decade, up to two million of those killed in armed conflicts were children. The widespread trauma caused by these atrocities and the suffering of the civilian population is another legacy of these conflicts, the following creates extensive emotional and psychological stress. Present-day internal wars generally take a larger toll on civilians than state wars. This is due to the increasing trend where combatants have made targeting civilians a strategic objective.

A state conflict is an armed conflict that occurs with the use of armed force between two parties, of which one is the government of a state. “The three problems posed by intra‐state conflict are the willingness of UN members, particularly the strongest member, to intervene; the structural ability of the UN to respond; and whether the traditional principles of peacekeeping should be applied to the intra‐state conflict”. The effects of war also include the mass destruction of cities and have long-lasting effects on a country’s economy. Armed conflict has important indirect negative consequences on infrastructure, public health provision, and social order. These indirect consequences are often overlooked and unappreciated.

 

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