Small Towns and the River Question Answers (Important) | ISC Class 12 English Rhapsody Book

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Small Towns and the River-ImpQns

 

ISC Class 12 English Poem Small Towns and the River Important Question Answers from Rhapsody book

 

ISC Class 12 English Small Towns and the River Question Answers – Looking for questions and answers for ISC Class 12 English Rhapsody Book Poem Small Towns and the River? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring ISC Class 12 English Poem Small Towns and the River now. The questions listed below are based on the latest ISC exam pattern. All the Questions Answers given at the back of the lesson have also been covered. 

 

 

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ISC Class 12 English Poem Small Towns and the River Textbook Questions

 

ASSIGNMENT

Question 1

Choose the correct options for the following questions:

1. Which of the following is correct about the poet’s hometown?
(a) It is affected during the rainy season
(b) It remains the same
(c) It becomes windy at night
(d) It becomes vibrant with a change in season
Ans. (b) It remains the same

2. The howling of the wind creates what mood in the poem?
(a) Gloomy
(b) Scary
(c) Joy
(d) None of the above
Ans. (a) Gloomy

3. Why is silence described as ‘dreadful’ in the poem?
(a) It creates panic in the mind of men
(b) It gives rise to loud noise afterwards
(c) Its association with death and grief
(d) It leads to decay and destruction
Ans. (c) Its association with death and grief

4. Which literary device is used in ‘the sad wreath of tuberoses’?
(a) Simile
(b) Transferred Epithet
(c) Metaphor
(d) Metonymy
Ans. (b) Transferred Epithet

5. ‘Life and death’ has been compared with which of the following?
(a) Residents of the town
(b) Tuberoses
(c) Winds
(d) Rituals
Ans. (d) Rituals

6. What is suggested by the phrase ‘The river has a soul’?
(a) It is a living entity
(b) It is a heavenly object
(c) It is a revered entity
(d) It can die
Ans. (a) It is a living entity

7. Which figure of speech is used in the line given below? ‘… it cuts through the land like a torrent of grief.’
(a) Metaphor
(b) Personification
(c) Simile
(d) Anaphora
Ans. (c) Simile

8. Why does the river seem to ‘hold its breath’?
(a) To feel the flow of water
(b) Due to filthy water
(c) While falling from a height
(d) None of the above
Ans. (d) None of the above

9. What does the river seek by asking for a land of fish and stars?
(a) Market of fish
(b) Pollution free clear water
(c) Colourful water
(d) None of the above
Ans. (b) Pollution free clear water

10. Which of the following is NOT known by the river?
(a) The first drop of rain
(b) Its dry surface
(c) The mortality of water
(d) The mist on the mountains
Ans. (c) The mortality of water

11. Which figure of speech is used in ‘Life and Death”?
(a) Simile
(b) Assonance
(c) Personification
(d) Antithesis
Ans. (d) Antithesis

12. What constitutes a ‘shrine of happy pictures’ for the poet?
(a) Shrine in her town
(b) Childhood days
(c) Her town itself
(d) None of the above
Ans. (b) Childhood days

13. What is suggested by the ‘anxiety for the future’?
(a) Future of children
(b) Anxiety about impending death
(c) The course of the river
(d) None of the above
Ans. (b) Anxiety about impending death

14. What is ‘the cool bamboo’ and ‘sunlight’ symbolic of?
(a) Air; warmth
(b) Winter; summer
(c) Human body; the soul
(d) None of the above
Ans. (c) Human body; the soul

15. Which figure of speech is used in the line given below?
‘we all want to walk with the gods.’
(a) Alliteration
(b) Personification
(c) Transferred epithet
(d) Simile
Ans. (b) Personification

Question 2
Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief:

1. In the poem, small towns always remind the poet of death because …………………
Ans. In the poem, small towns always remind the poet of death because the cycle of life and death, particularly the rituals associated with it, is a constant and prominent feature of life there.

2. In the poem, small towns are ‘always the same’ because …………….
Ans. In the poem, small towns are ‘always the same’ because they are unchanging throughout the seasons, whether in the dusty summer or the windy winter, and seem to be in a perpetual, calm state.

3. According to the poet, the entire town mourns the loss of death of somebody because ……………
Ans. According to the poet, the entire town mourns the loss of death of somebody because the community is close-knit, and death is a shared, dreadful silence that everyone experiences together.

4. According to the poet, only the rituals are permanent because …………………
Ans. According to the poet, only the rituals are permanent because the specific acts of mourning, such as the weeping and the wreath of flowers, are consistent and timeless, unlike the transient nature of life and death itself.

5. According to the poet, the ‘river has a soul’ because …………………
Ans. According to the poet, the ‘river has a soul’ because it is a powerful, living entity that is deeply connected to the land and is a constant, spiritual presence in the town.

6. In the summer, the river cuts through the land like a torrent of grief because ………………
Ans. In the summer, the river cuts through the land like a torrent of grief because the water flow is low and strong, carving a path through the dry land that the poet compares to the overwhelming sadness and pain of mourning.

7. The river sometimes holds its breath because ………………….
Ans. The river sometimes holds its breath because the poet imagines it is pausing in its journey, as if in anticipation, while seeking a better, purer place.

8. The river seeks ‘a land of fish and stars’ because …………………….
Ans. The river seeks ‘a land of fish and stars’ because the poet sees it as desiring a cleaner, more pristine environment, a mythical place that represents purity and a return to nature.

9. Small towns grow with anxiety for the future because ………………………….
Ans. Small towns grow with anxiety for the future because their residents worry about what lies ahead, a common human fear that stands in contrast to the seemingly unchanging nature of the town and its rituals.

10. The poet has used the metaphors of the cool bamboo’ and ‘sunlight’ because ………………………………
Ans. The poet has used the metaphors of ‘the cool bamboo’ and ‘sunlight’ because the bamboo symbolizes the human body, and the sunlight represents the soul, with the two together representing life being restored and having purpose.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
Answer the questions briefly in about 100-150 words.

1. How has the speaker characterised her hometown?
Ans. The speaker characterizes her hometown as a place of calmness and permanence, yet it’s also a constant reminder of death. The town lies peacefully among the trees and seems to remain the same regardless of the season, whether it’s dusty in summer or windy in winter. This unchanging nature gives it a sense of stability. However, this same lack of change also makes the cycle of life and death, and the rituals surrounding them, a very prominent and defining feature of the town’s existence. The speaker’s description suggests that her hometown is a quiet, steady place where life and death are a continuous, cyclical reality.

2. How do the people of the small towns mourn the death of their fellow townsmen? What is suggested by their act?
Ans. When someone dies, the people of the small town mourn in a shared, profound silence. The speaker recalls a ‘dreadful silence’ where they all wept together, looking at a ‘sad wreath of tuberoses’. This act suggests a close-knit community where a single death affects everyone. The shared silence and collective weeping show that grief is not a private emotion but a communal experience. The poem highlights that in small towns, everyone knows everyone, and the rituals of mourning, like gathering to weep, are a permanent and essential part of their collective life.

3. How has the poet personified the river?
Ans. The poet personifies the river by giving it human qualities and feelings. She says the river has a ‘soul’, suggesting it is a living entity with a spiritual presence. She describes it as holding its ‘breath’ as if it were a person in a moment of pause or seeking. The river is also said to ‘know’ things, such as the ‘immortality of water’, which gives it a sense of wisdom and awareness. This personification elevates the river from a simple body of water to a spiritual being that is a central, conscious character in the poem’s world.

4. Why has the river been described as a ‘torrent of grief’? Why does it hold its breath?
Ans. The river is described as a ‘torrent of grief’ in the summer because its water level is low, and it cuts forcefully through the dry land. The poet compares this powerful, carving action to the overwhelming sadness and force of grief. It suggests that nature itself mirrors the deep sorrow and pain associated with death. The river holds its breath because the poet imagines it is pausing in its journey, as if in a state of suspended hope. It does so while ‘seeking a land of fish and stars’, which represents a desire for a purer, more pristine environment away from the mundane world of the town.

5. Why does the river seek ‘a land of fish and stars’?
Ans. The river seeks a ‘land of fish and stars’ because this place symbolizes a pure, pristine, and mythical environment. The phrase suggests a desire to escape the pollution and anxiety of the human world and return to a natural state of perfection. ‘Fish’ represent the fullness of life, while ‘stars’ represent the cosmic, eternal beauty of the universe. By seeking this land, the river is not just looking for a physical place but is expressing a spiritual longing for purity and immortality that stands in contrast to the transient and anxiety-ridden human existence in the small town.

6. Describe briefly how does the river know the ‘immortality of water’?
Ans. The river knows the ‘immortality of water’ because it is a witness to and a participant in the continuous, unending cycle of water. The poet says the river knows this cycle ‘from the first drop of rain to dry earth / and mist on the mountaintops’. This shows that the river understands that water never truly disappears; it simply changes form. It falls as rain, flows in the river, evaporates to create mist, and falls again. This eternal cycle, which the river experiences firsthand, proves that water, unlike human life, is not mortal but permanent.

7. Explain one ritual associated with the tribes of the poet’s hometown.
Ans. The poem describes a specific funeral ritual where the dead are placed with the face in the west direction. This is a spiritual act rooted in the belief that when the soul rises from the body, it will walk towards the ‘golden east’ and into the ‘house of the sun’. This ritual suggests a strong belief in an afterlife and a cyclical view of existence. The act of pointing the body west is a ceremonial direction-setting for the soul’s final journey. It represents a transition from the physical world into a new spiritual beginning, guided by the sun, which symbolizes a renewal of life.

8. What, according to the speaker marks the days of childhood?
Ans. According to the speaker, the days of childhood are marked by a ‘shrine of happy pictures’. This phrase suggests that childhood is a time full of pleasant, clear memories that are treasured and held in a special place, much like a holy shrine. It implies that these memories are not just random thoughts but are cherished and significant moments that define a joyful past. This sense of a happy, innocent past stands in stark contrast to the small town’s current state of anxiety and its constant reminders of death.

9. How has the speaker contrasted the transient nature of human life with the eternity of nature?
Ans. The speaker contrasts the transient nature of human life with the eternity of nature throughout the poem. Human life is defined by its impermanence, people die, and the town’s anxiety revolves around the future. Life and death are seen as a cycle, but one that is fleeting for the individual. In contrast, nature is portrayed as permanent and eternal. The small town remains the same, and the river has a soul and knows the ‘immortality of water’. The river’s continuous cycle, from rain to mist, highlights that while human life ends, nature’s processes go on forever. This contrast emphasizes the peaceful permanence of the natural world against the fleeting and anxious existence of humanity.

10. How has the speaker used imagery to depict nature in the poem?
Ans. The speaker uses a rich variety of imagery to depict nature, making it feel both grounded and spiritual. The poem paints a picture of a hometown ‘lying calmly amidst the trees’, which creates a sense of peace and stillness. The river is depicted with vivid imagery, first as a ‘torrent of grief’ cutting through the land, and later as a soulful entity seeking a ‘land of fish and stars’. The imagery also includes the serene sight of ‘mist on the mountaintops’ and the hopeful picture of ‘cool bamboo, restored in sunlight’. These images not only show us the natural world but also give it a spiritual quality, presenting it as a living, wise, and eternal force that is deeply connected to human experience.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
Answer the questions briefly in about 200-250 words.

1. How has the poet presented a contrast between human life and nature?
Ans. The poet presents a clear contrast between human life and nature by highlighting the impermanence of one and the eternity of the other. Human life in the small town is defined by its brevity and anxiety. The poem opens with the thought of death, and the town itself is filled with ‘anxiety for the future’. People mourn, and life and death are fleeting cycles. While rituals are permanent, the individual lives they mark are not. This sense of transience is a constant source of worry. In stark opposition, nature is portrayed as eternal and unchanging. The town’s surroundings, the trees and the landscape remain the same whether it is summer or winter. The most powerful symbol of this eternity is the river, which has a ‘soul’ and knows the ‘immortality of water’. The river is a constant presence that witnesses the cycle of life without being subject to it. It understands that water never dies; it simply changes form, from rain to mist and back again. This contrast between the brief, anxious human existence and the timeless, cyclical nature of the river and the landscape is central to the poem’s theme.

2. Discuss the aptness of the title of the poem ‘Small Towns and the River?
Ans. The title of the poem, ‘Small Towns and the River’, is highly appropriate and perfectly captures the central conflict and themes. It immediately sets up the two main elements of the poem, which are placed in direct contrast to each other. The ‘small towns’ represent human life, which is characterized by its anxieties, its temporary existence, and the rituals that mark its inevitable end. The smallness of the towns highlights the limited scale of human life and its concerns. In contrast, the ‘River’ symbolizes the eternal, vast, and spiritual force of nature. It is a powerful, living entity that possesses a soul and an understanding of the immortality of water. The river’s timeless cycle stands in opposition to the fleeting nature of the lives lived in the towns along its banks. The ‘and’ in the title is crucial, as it connects these two opposing forces, showing how human life is lived in constant proximity to an enduring natural world. The title is apt because it is through this very juxtaposition of the transient human world and the eternal natural world that the poem’s themes of life, death, anxiety, and permanence are explored.

3. Discuss how has the poet used the river as a metaphor to depict the theme of the poem.
Ans. The poet uses the river as a powerful metaphor to explore the poem’s central themes of immortality, grief, and the cyclical nature of existence. The river is not just a body of water; it is a living entity with a ‘soul’ that possesses knowledge and feelings. In this way, it serves as a metaphor for the eternity of nature, which stands in contrast to the mortality of human life. The river’s knowledge of the immortality of water’, the endless cycle from rain to mist and back again, represents a kind of permanent existence that humans can only aspire to through their spiritual beliefs. The river also functions as a metaphor for grief. In summer, when the water is low, it cuts through the land ‘like a torrent of grief’, suggesting that sorrow is a powerful, natural force that carves its own path. Additionally, the river’s search for a ‘land of fish and stars’ can be seen as a metaphor for a spiritual journey or a longing for a purer, more ideal state of being. Through these various metaphorical representations, the river becomes the central symbol that connects the transient human experience with the timeless, spiritual forces of the natural world.

4. The poem, ‘Small Towns and the River’ begins on a sombre note but ends on an optimistic note. Discuss.
Ans. The poem begins on a distinctly sombre note, with the very first line stating that small towns always remind the poet of death. The initial stanzas are filled with images of mourning, a ‘dreadful silence’, and weeping over a ‘sad wreath of tuberoses’. The focus is on the fleeting nature of life and the anxiety that comes with the inevitability of death. This tone of sadness and reflection on mortality dominates the first half of the poem, emphasizing the fragility of human existence. However, the poem shifts to a more optimistic and spiritual note towards the end. This shift begins with the description of the funeral ritual, where the dead are placed pointing west with the belief that their soul will walk into the ‘golden east’ and into the ‘house of the sun’. This ritual introduces a hopeful vision of the afterlife and a new beginning. The final lines reinforce this optimism. In the ‘cool bamboo, / restored in sunlight’, life is presented as having a new sense of purpose and meaning. The poem concludes with a hopeful statement that in these small towns, there is a collective desire to ‘walk with the gods’, suggesting a spiritual connection and a sense of harmony that offers a hopeful balance to the earlier anxieties of life and death.

5. Do you agree with the poet’s description of the contrast between small towns and the river to bring out the theme of her poem? Give reasons to support your answer.
Ans. Yes, I agree with the poet’s use of the contrast between small towns and the river. This contrast is the most effective tool for bringing out the poem’s central theme. The small towns represent the human world, which is filled with transient life, anxiety, and a deep-seated fear of death. The lives of people are temporary, and their experiences are marked by the fleeting cycles of birth and death. This is why the poet is reminded of death whenever she sees them. In stark opposition, the river represents the eternal and spiritual world of nature. It is described as having a soul and a knowledge of the ‘immortality of water’. Its presence is a constant, and it is a witness to the endless cycle of rain, mist, and flow, which highlights a permanence that human life lacks. By placing these two elements side-by-side, the poet creates a powerful tension between the fleeting human experience and the enduring power of nature. This contrast allows her to explore the themes of life, death, ritual, and spiritual belief, showing that despite human mortality, there is a kind of permanence and hope found in connecting with the natural world and its timeless cycles.

6. How does the poem depict the beliefs and customs of the Adi tribe?
Ans. The poem Small Towns and the River subtly depicts the beliefs and customs of the Adi tribe from Arunachal Pradesh, to which the poet Mamang Dai belongs. The most prominent custom described is the funeral ritual. The poet states that the ‘dead are placed pointing west’ so that when the soul rises, ‘it will walk into the golden east, / into the house of the sun’. This belief in the soul’s journey to the sun’s house, a source of life and light, is a key element of Adi spirituality. It reflects a cyclical view of existence and a deep connection to the natural world. The poem also reflects Adi beliefs through the personification of nature. The river is given a ‘soul’, and it is seen as a wise, living entity. This is consistent with animistic tribal beliefs where natural objects and forces are considered to have a spiritual essence. The desire to ‘walk with the gods’ in the final line further emphasizes a communal spiritual aspiration and a desire to live in harmony with the divine forces of nature. The metaphor of the ‘cool bamboo’ as the human body and the ‘sunlight’ as the soul is also rooted in this profound spiritual connection to the surrounding natural world.

 

ISC Class 12 English Poem Small Towns and the River Extra Question and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Q1. What feeling do small towns always remind the speaker of?
A. Happiness
B. Excitement
C. Nostalgia
D. Death
Ans. D. Death

Q2. In the poem, what is described as always being the same, regardless of the season?
A. The river
B. The small town
C. The trees
D. The rituals
Ans. B. The small town

Q3. What is the significance of the wreath of tuberoses in the poem?
A. It symbolizes love
B. It represents a celebration
C. It is a symbol of a recent death
D. It represents new life
Ans. C. It is a symbol of a recent death

Q4. According to the poem, what are the only things that are permanent?
A. Life and death
B. The river
C. The trees
D. The rituals
Ans. D. The rituals

Q5. What does the speaker believe the river has?
A. A voice
B. A memory
C. A soul
D. A song
Ans. C. A soul

Q6. What does the river hold its breath for, according to the speaker?
A. To seek a land of fish and stars
B. To avoid the heat of summer
C. To listen to the sounds of the town
D. To wait for the rain
Ans. A. To seek a land of fish and stars

Q7. In the poem, what does the river know?
A. The secrets of the town
B. The immortality of water
C. The sadness of death
D. The future of small towns
Ans. B. The immortality of water

Q8. In which direction the dead bodies are buried and why?
A. East, to walk into the sun.
B. North, for a peaceful rest.
C. West, to walk into the house of the sun.
D. South, to be near the river.
Ans. C. West, to walk into the house of the sun.

Q9. What does the phrase ‘house of the sun’ refer to?
A. The speaker’s home
B. A place in the afterlife
C. The eastern sky
D. A temple
Ans. B. A place in the afterlife

Q10. What do the people in the small towns by the river want to do?
A. Grow wealthy
B. Move to a bigger city
C. Walk with the gods
D. Plant more trees
Ans. C. Walk with the gods

Extract-Based Questions

Answer the following extract-based questions.
A.
The river has a soul.
In the summer it cuts through the land
like a torrent of grief. Sometimes,
sometimes, I think it holds its breath
seeking a land of fish and stars
The river has a soul.
It knows, stretching past the town,
from the first drop of rain to dry earth
and mist on the mountaintops,
the river knows
the immortality of water.

Q1. What does the speaker believe the river has?
Ans. The speaker believes the river has a soul.

Q2. What does the river cut through the land like in summer?
Ans. In summer, the river cuts through the land like a torrent of grief.

Q3. Why does the speaker think the river holds its breath?
Ans. The speaker thinks the river holds its breath because it is seeking a land of fish and stars.

Q4. What does the river know?
Ans. The river knows the immortality of water.

Q5. What is the river’s journey, according to the poem?
Ans. The river’s journey stretches from the first drop of rain to dry earth and mist on the mountaintops.

 

B.
A shrine of happy pictures
marks the days of childhood,
Small towns grow with anxiety
for the future.
The dead are placed pointing west.
When the soul rises
it will walk into the golden east,
into the house of the sun.
In the cool bamboo,
restored in sunlight,
life matters, like this.
In small towns by the river
we all want to walk with the gods.

Q1. What marks the days of childhood for the speaker?
Ans. The days of childhood are marked by a “shrine of happy pictures”.

Q2. What are small towns filled with as they grow?
Ans. Small towns grow with anxiety for the future.

Q3. What direction are the dead placed pointing?
Ans. The dead are placed pointing west.

Q4. Where does the soul walk when it rises?
Ans. The soul walks into the golden east, into the house of the sun.

Q5. What do the people in the small towns by the river want to do?
Ans. They all want to walk with the gods.

Extra Questions

SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q1. What feeling do small towns evoke in the speaker, and why?
Ans. Small towns consistently make the speaker think of death. This feeling arises because life in these towns appears unchanging and cyclical, much like the inevitability of death. The speaker’s hometown, for instance, remains the same through all seasons, whether dusty or windy. A recent death in the town, where people wept silently over a wreath of tuberoses, reinforced this connection. For the speaker, such events highlight that while individuals come and go, only the rituals surrounding life and death seem to be permanent. This constant presence of both life and its end in the quiet, unchanging environment of a small town naturally links it to thoughts of mortality.

Q2. How is the river described in the poem, and what special quality does it possess?
Ans. The river in the poem is described as having a soul. In the summer, when its waters might be low, it is powerfully depicted as cutting through the land ‘like a torrent of grief’, suggesting a deep, flowing sadness or a connection to the sorrows of the land. Sometimes, the speaker imagines it holding its breath, searching for a mystical ‘land of fish and stars’, indicating a spiritual longing or a journey towards something beyond the physical world. This river, with its soul, is said to know the immortality of water. It understands the continuous cycle from rain to mist on mountaintops, signifying that while individual lives end, water itself, and by extension, the natural world, endures forever.

Q3. What is the ritual associated with placing the dead in the small towns?
Ans. In the small towns described in the poem, there is a specific ritual for placing the dead. The deceased are always laid out with their bodies pointing west. This practice is rooted in a belief about the soul’s journey after death. It is thought that when the soul eventually rises from the body, it will then walk towards the golden east. This eastward direction is significant because it leads into the ‘house of the sun’, which symbolizes a new beginning, an afterlife, or a spiritual realm. This ritual reflects the community’s deep-seated spiritual beliefs and their way of honoring the transition from earthly life to what they perceive as the soul’s eternal journey.

Q4. How does the poem suggest that life finds meaning in small towns by the river?
Ans. The poem suggests that life finds meaning in small towns by the river through a connection to nature and spiritual aspirations. The speaker describes moments ‘In the cool bamboo, / restored in sunlight’, where life truly ‘matters’. This implies that being close to nature, experiencing its cycles and its calming presence, brings a sense of purpose and significance. Furthermore, the poem states that in these small towns, ‘we all want to walk with the gods’. This desire signifies a collective yearning for a spiritual existence, a life lived in harmony with divine or natural forces. This deep connection to their environment and their traditional beliefs is what gives life a profound and enduring meaning for the people in these communities.

Q5. What is the speaker’s main observation about the difference between ‘life and death’ and ‘rituals’ in small towns?
Ans. The speaker’s main observation is that while ‘life and death’ are constant cycles, only the rituals surrounding them are truly permanent. The poem highlights that individuals are born, live, and die, and these events are part of an ongoing, unchanging pattern in small towns. However, the specific ways in which communities acknowledge and process these events like weeping over a wreath of tuberoses or placing the dead pointing west, are the elements that endure through time. These rituals provide structure, comfort, and continuity for the living. They are the unchanging framework within which the transient events of individual lives and deaths unfold, making them the lasting and meaningful aspects of existence in these small towns.

LONG QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q1. How does the poem portray the relationship between small towns and death, and what does it suggest about human existence?
Ans. The poem establishes an immediate and intimate connection between small towns and death. The speaker states that small towns ‘always remind me of death’, suggesting that in such close-knit communities, the presence of mortality is constant and unavoidable. Unlike larger, bustling cities where death might be more distant, in a small town, every passing is a noticeable event. The speaker describes their hometown as calm and unchanging through seasons, yet this stillness is punctuated by the reality of loss, as exemplified by the recent death and the communal weeping over a ‘sad wreath of tuberoses’. This calm acceptance of death is not presented as morbid but as a natural part of life. The poem suggests that in these places, death is integrated into the fabric of daily existence, making rituals the only permanent aspect of human experience. These rituals provide comfort and continuity in the face of life’s impermanence, highlighting a philosophical acceptance of the cycle of life and death that is deeply ingrained in the community’s way of life.

Q2. Discuss the significance of the river in the poem. How is it personified, and what does it symbolize?
Ans. The river is a central and deeply significant element in the poem, acting as a living, spiritual entity that connects the town to larger themes of time and immortality. The speaker explicitly states, ‘The river has a soul’, immediately personifying it and elevating it beyond a mere geographical feature. This personification continues as the river is described cutting through the land ‘like a torrent of grief’ in summer, suggesting it carries the sorrows of the land and its people. It is also depicted as ‘holding its breath’, as if searching for a mythical, peaceful place. The river symbolizes the immortality of water and, by extension, the continuity of life and nature. It ‘knows’ the entire cycle, from the first raindrop to the mist on mountaintops, embodying an ancient wisdom that transcends human understanding of time. Unlike human lives, which are finite, the river’s flow is eternal, constantly renewing itself. It represents a powerful, enduring force that witnesses generations of human life and death, offering a sense of permanence and spiritual connection to the transient existence of the small towns it flows past.

Q3. How does the poem contrast childhood memories with the anxiety for the future in small towns?
Ans. The poem subtly contrasts the innocence and happiness of childhood memories with the underlying anxiety that permeates small towns as they face the future. The speaker refers to ‘A shrine of happy pictures’ that marks the days of childhood, evoking a sense of nostalgia, warmth, and perhaps a simpler, more carefree time. This ‘shrine’ suggests that childhood is preserved as a sacred and cherished period, distinct from the complexities of adult life. However, this idyllic past is immediately contrasted with the present reality: ‘Small towns grow with anxiety / for the future’. This line reveals a collective worry about what lies ahead, perhaps concerning economic changes, modernization, or the challenges of survival in a changing world. This anxiety suggests a tension between holding onto tradition and facing the unknown. The juxtaposition highlights that while personal memories of youth might be joyful, the communal consciousness of small towns is burdened by concerns for their continued existence and prosperity, creating a poignant sense of apprehension despite their calm outward appearance.

Q4. Explain the funeral customs described in the poem and what they reveal about the community’s beliefs about the afterlife.
Ans. The poem describes a specific funeral custom prevalent in the small town: ‘The dead are placed pointing west’. This seemingly simple detail holds profound spiritual significance within the community’s belief system about the afterlife. The reason for this orientation is then revealed: ‘When the soul rises / it will walk into the golden east, / into the house of the sun’. This custom is not merely a ritual but a guiding principle for the soul’s journey after death. It suggests a belief in a distinct separation of body and soul, where the physical remains are laid to rest while the soul embarks on a spiritual voyage. The ‘golden east’ and ‘house of the sun’ symbolize a place of light, rebirth, and perhaps a divine realm or a new beginning. This practice indicates a deep-rooted spiritual understanding of death as a transition rather than an end. It reflects a community that finds comfort and meaning in ancient traditions, believing that these rituals ensure the soul’s proper passage and connection to a sacred, eternal cycle, guided by the sun’s daily renewal.

Q5. What is the poem’s ultimate message about finding meaning in life, particularly in the context of small towns and nature?
Ans. The poem’s ultimate message about finding meaning in life is rooted in simplicity, connection to nature, and spiritual harmony, especially within the context of small towns. After reflecting on death, the immortal river, and the anxieties of the future, the poem concludes with a sense of quiet affirmation. The lines ‘In the cool bamboo, / restored in sunlight, / life matters, like this’ suggest that true meaning is found in simple, natural moments of peace and renewal. The ‘cool bamboo’ and ‘sunlight’ symbolize tranquility and vitality, indicating that being present in and appreciating nature is crucial. The final lines, ‘In small towns by the river / we all want to walk with the gods’, encapsulate the core message. This desire signifies a longing for a spiritual connection, a life lived in harmony with the natural world and its unseen forces. It implies that in these unpretentious settings, away from the complexities of modern life, people seek a deeper, more profound existence that aligns with ancient wisdom and a sense of the divine. The poem suggests that meaning isn’t found in grand achievements but in the quiet acceptance of life’s cycles, the enduring spirit of nature, and a humble, spiritual walk with the universe.

 

 

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