A Thing Of Beauty By John Keats for class 12 English CBSE (Detailed summary, poetic devices, vocabulary and stanza based question-answer)
A THING OF BEAUTY
By John Keats
DETAILED SUMMARY, EXPLANATION, EXTRACT-BASED QUESTIONS, AND THEIR ANSWER, VERY SHORT QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWER, WORD MEANINGS AND POETIC DEVICES USED IN “A THING OF BEAUTY”.
"A Thing of Beauty" revolves around the idea that beauty can uplift and provide solace amid life's trials and tribulations. Keats suggests that beauty can be a source of joy and inspiration even in a world filled with suffering and sorrow. He considers beauty eternal and divine.
About the poet
John Keats, a famous English poet of the Romantic Age, lived in the early 19th century. His writing often explores the themes of beauty, love, and nature. Even though he died young at just 25, his poetry has left a lasting impact on literature, making him one of the most beloved poets in English literature.
Theme of the Poem “A Thing Of Beauty” by John Keats
The poem “A Thing Of Beauty” highlights how beautiful things give us happiness that lasts forever. It makes our hearts feel peaceful and happy. It is an obvious fact that our lives are full of problems, sadness, and hard times. But beautiful things, like nature, give us strength and hope to keep going. Keats says that beauty never fades away in our hearts. It stays with us and makes us happy, even after many years. In a nutshell, beauty is like a gift from God that refreshes our mind and soul, and makes life easier. It gives us a reason to smile
Summary of the Poem “A Thing Of Beauty” by John Keats
John Keats begins the poem with, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” It means that anything beautiful always brings us joy that never disappears. According to the poet, beauty keeps growing in our hearts. Thus, it is like a treasure that stays with us throughout our lives. Beauty gives us peace and comfort whenever we think about it.
Keats further expresses that beauty gives us sweet dreams, happy thoughts, and keeps us fresh and full of energy. It is like a never-ending fountain that gives us peace and happiness. Every day, beautiful things tie us to the world with love, just like flowers tied together in a garland. They make life worth living and help us face the troubles of life.
The poet also says that life is not always easy. Sometimes we have bad days, feelings of sadness, or become hopeless. At this juncture, beauty helps us remove the darkness from our minds and fills us with light and happiness.
The poet gives examples of beautiful things—like the sun, the moon, trees giving shade, flowers blooming, cool streams, and green forests. According to John Keats, beauty is not only in nature but also in the great and brave deeds of our ancestors. The deeds of great people from history give us inspiration and courage. When we hear about them, our hearts are filled with respect.
At the end, Keats says that beauty comes from heaven, like a never-ending fountain that keeps flowing. This beauty will never stop giving us joy and comfort.
DIFFICULT WORDS AND THEIR MEANING
Bower - A shady place under the tree
Morrow - morning
Wreathing - weaving/ encircling/ arrangement of flowers in circular shapes
Spite - malice / ill will/ hatred
Despondence - sadness/ depression
Gloomy - sad
Pall - covering/shroud
Boon - blessing
Rills - a small stream
Brake - fern/thicket/brushwood
Grandeur - glory
Mighty - great / Powerful
Brink - edge
POETIC DEVICES:
Metaphor
Bower quiet
Wreathing a flowery band
Endless fountain of immortal drink
Alliteration
Noble nature
Cooling covert
Band to bind
Transferred epithet
Gloomy days
Unhealthy and over-darkened ways
Imagery
Flowery bands
Shady boon
Clear rills
Daffodils in green world
Cooling covert
Grandeur of dooms
Endless fountain of immortal drink
Anaphora
Of noble nature,of the gloomy days
Of all the unhealthy and o'er darkened ways
Antithesis
Trees old and young
Personification
Clear rills that for themselves…
Oxymoron
Mighty dead
Text:
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
According to the poet, beauty endures eternally. It never fades. Instead, it becomes more fascinating as time goes on. A beautiful thing doesn't diminish with time; on the contrary, it just gets more beautiful. Further, the poet expresses that beauty is like a lovely tree that provides shade, allowing all living things to rest happily and prosper.
Q. How is a thing of beauty 'joy forever'?
Ans. Anything beautiful has an everlasting effect on us. Its charm and magic never vanish.
Q. Whose loveliness will keep on increasing?
Ans. The loveliness of a beautiful thing will keep on increasing.
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the expression “bower quiet for us”?
Ans. Metaphor
Q. Identify the expression that says that beauty is immortal.
Ans. It will never pass into nothingness.
Q. What is a 'bower'?
Ans. A shady place under a tree.
Q. What does the expression “full of sweet dreams” mean?
Ans. Pleasant and peaceful sleep.
Q. What is the example of a beautiful thing in these lines?
Ans. Bower
Q. Why do we need a ―flowery band?
Ans. To continue our lives happily despite the sadness that surrounds us.
Text:
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
The poet says that beauty gives us the will to live daily despite the sad and harsh situations around us. Beauty provides us with the power and energy to survive and thus remain connected with the earth. The poet tries to convey that without beauty, the world will be filled with wretched individuals and depressingly dark situations. God has created beauty to enable us to remove all our miseries, troubles, and sufferings.
Q. Why do we need a flowery band?
Ans. To continue our lives happily despite the sadness that surrounds us.
Q. Why do we need to tie ourselves to the Earth?
Ans. It is because Earth is full of beauty.
Q. 'inhuman dearth' shows that there is:
Ans. lack or shortage of humanity or good values.
Q. Which phrase has the poetic device expressed in “leaping lizard?
Ans. “noble nature”
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the expressions, “ gloomy day” and “over darkened ways ”
Ans. Transferred epithet
Q. Why are the days gloomy?
Ans. It is because of human activities. He has become inhuman and materialistic.
Q. How can sadness be removed from our lives?
Ans. If we remain connected with beautiful things.
Q. What kind of life are we living?
Ans. Life is full of troubles and miseries.
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the lines,
Of noble natures………
Of all the unhealthy………
Ans. Anaphora.
Text:
……………………..Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season;
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
The poet here speaks of the lovely things that exist. These include the sun, moon, trees, daffodils or flowers, and rivers. According to the poet, all of these things are like a blessing God has bestowed upon all living beings. The sun brings us a new hope after the dark night while the moon removes the darkness of the night. The trees whether old or young provide shade and shelter to the wild animals. Further the poet expresses that streams, rivers and other water bodies give us relief from the hot summer. Moreover, flowers provide beauty and fragrance. These are all examples of the natural wonders that are beneficial to humans.
Q. What are some beautiful things the poet has mentioned?
Ans. Some beautiful things that the poet speaks of are daffodils, clear rills, mid-forest ferns, lives of our forefathers who showed exemplary courage and those who glorified themselves by their noble deeds.
Q. How are clear rills beneficial for us?
Ans. They give us relief from hot weather.
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the expression, “cooling covert”?
Ans. Alliteration
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the expression, “and clear rills That for themselves”?
Ans. Personification( Here 'clear rills' has been personified)
Text:
…………………..the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.
The poet continues to describe some of the earth's lovely and beautiful things like the musk roses, which are fragrant and beautiful.
After that, he tells stories of great warriors who sacrificed their lives to save their nations or humanity. Thus they have glorified themselves through noble and great deeds. When we hear or read about them, we feel inspired. According to him, God has given us all these wonderful things as gifts. These are those beauties that are immortal and give us a reason to live on this planet even though we experience a great deal of sorrow in our lives. They are the elixirs of life.
Q. Which phrase has the poetic device expressed in “deafening silence”?
Ans. Mighty dead (Oxymoron)
Q. What do musk roses do?
Ans. Musk roses spread beauty and fragrance.
Q. How can “mighty dead” be a thing of beauty?
Ans. Our forefathers glorified themselves by their noble deeds and displaying extraordinary courage. We are filled with a sense of pride and feel elated when we read about them.
Q. What does the line, “Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth suggest to you?
Ans. It implies that we develop an attachment to the lovely things around us and create a lovely band that connects us to life and serves as our justification for existing.
Q. What makes human beings love life despite troubles and suffering?
Ans. We find joy and pleasure in the timeless beauty of many things. Despite all of life's difficulties and hardships, it helps us to love life.
Q. Why is grandeur associated with the mighty dead?
Ans. The brave men's selfless acts, which cost them their lives, continue to serve as an example for us. The grandeur that is connected to the mighty dead is the lovely legacy of their valour.
Q. Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?
Ans. The poet asserts that beauty is a source of unending joy. Even if we only catch a glimpse of it for a brief period, we are eternally changed by the lovely memory it leaves behind. Despite the cruelty of life, it motivates us to live.
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