The Grandmother Summary and Explanation
BSEB Class 9 English Poem 1 The Grandmother Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings and Poetic Devices from English Panorama-I Book
The Grandmother Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and Lesson explanation for Bihar School Education Board (BSEB) Class 9 English Poem 1 – The Grandmother from English Main Course Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
BSEB Class 9 English Panorama-I Book Poem 1 – The Grandmother
By Ray Young Bear
The poem discusses the grandmother’s presence and importance in the poet’s life. He remembers her and discusses the various sensations of her presence that he can still feel.
- The Grandmother Summary
- The Grandmother Summary in Hindi
- The Grandmother Theme
- The Grandmother Explanation
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The Grandmother Summary
The poet talks of his grandmother’s importance and their bond. He would recognize her from even one mile away. She would wear a purple-coloured scarf and carry a plastic shopping bag, which helped him identify her.
He even talks of her affectionate touch on his head. He would identify her warm and wet hands, which smelled of root vegetables, perhaps because she cooked a lot of food.
Then the poet says that he hears a voice coming from a rock which reminds him of his grandma. The mention of the rock indicates that perhaps she is no more and so, the echo from rocks reminds him of her. The poet mentions that the sound coming from the rock is like someone who shuffles the ashes of a fire that has died. On shuffling the ashes, it is seen that the fire is still on, and the action of shuffling the ashes reignites it. He implies that the voice of the grandma energizes his spirit.
Summary of the Poem The Grandmother in Hindi
कवि अपनी दादी की अहमियत और उनके रिश्ते के बारे में बात करता है। वह उन्हें एक मील दूर से भी पहचान लेता था। वह बैंगनी रंग का स्कार्फ पहनती थीं और एक प्लास्टिक का शॉपिंग बैग रखती थीं, जिससे वह उन्हें पहचान लेता था।
वह उनके सिर पर प्यार भरे स्पर्श के बारे में भी बात करता है। वह उनके गर्म और गीले हाथों को पहचान लेता था, जिनमें जड़ वाली सब्जियों की खुशबू आती थी, शायद इसलिए क्योंकि वह बहुत सारा खाना बनाती थीं।
फिर कवि कहता है कि उसे एक चट्टान से आवाज़ आती सुनाई देती है जो उसे दादी की याद दिलाती है। चट्टान का ज़िक्र यह बताता है कि शायद अब वह इस दुनिया में नहीं हैं, और इसलिए, चट्टानों से आने वाली गूंज उसे उनकी याद दिलाती है। कवि बताता है कि चट्टान से आने वाली आवाज़ ऐसी है जैसे कोई बुझी हुई आग की राख को हिला रहा हो। राख को हिलाने पर, ऐसा लगता है कि आग अभी भी जल रही है और राख को हिलाने से वह फिर से जल उठती है। उसका मतलब है कि दादी की आवाज़ उसकी आत्मा को फिर से ऊर्जा देती है।
Theme of the Poem The Grandmother
The poem is full of nostalgia as the poet is reminded of the past when his grandmother was around. We see the bond of love and affection that the poet shared with his grandmother and he even mentions the enlivening effect that she had on him. We are told of the power of our senses and the sensory experiences of the past that remind the poet of his grandmother.
The Grandmother Poem Explanation
Poem
if i were to see
her shape from a mile away
I’d know so quickly
that it would be her.
the purple scarf
and the plastic
shopping bag.
Word meanings
see (v): become aware of (sb/sth) by using the eyes; perceive; look at or watch.
shape (n): appearance; outline of a figure.
purple (adj): colour of red and blue mixed together.
scarf (n): piece of cloth worn for ornament or warmth round the neck (by women) or over the shoulders or hair.
Explanation: The poet can quickly recognize the appearance of his grandmother from one mile away also. This is possible from her belongings – the purple-coloured scarf and the plastic shopping bag that she usually carries help him in recognizing her.
Poem
if i felt
hands on my head
I’d know that those
were her hands
warm and damp
with the smell
of roots.
Word meanings
damp (adi): slightly wet, moist.
smell (n): ability to smell, (v): notice by using the nose
root (n): apart of plant that keeps it firmly in the soil and absorbs water and food from the soil; source or basis.
Explanation: In these lines, he talks of the touch of hands on his head which he can identify as his grandma’s. Her hands are slightly wet and warm and they smell like root vegetables. Root vegetables can be any out of carrots, ginger, potato, onions, garlic, turnips, etc. Perhaps the grandma cooks a lot so her hands smell of vegetables.
Poem:
if I heard
a voice
coming from
a rock
I’d know
and her words
would flow inside me
like the light
of someone
stirring ashes
from a sleeping fire
at night.
Word meanings
rock (n): part of the earth’s crust; (here) hill
Inside (n): inner side or surface; part within
light (n): kind of natural radiation that makes things visible; understanding; enlightenment
stirrings (v): causing to move,especially slightly
night (n): time of darkness between sunset and sunrise; evening on which a specified activity takes place.
Explanation: In this stanza he talks of a voice which seems to come from a rock. He recognizes the voice to be of his grandmother. The voice coming from a rock signifies that the grandmother is not around and perhaps he hears and echo and the sound seems familiar to him. The voice goes inside the poet and he compares it to someone who stirs the ashes of a burned fire. When the ashes on top are stirred, one can see burning ambers down below which have a bright red light. This indicates that the fire is not completely died. He means to say that the grandmother’s voice stirs the dead spirit inside him and the seemingly dead energy is once again revived and rekindled by her words.
Conclusion
This post covers the poem ‘The Grandmother’ from BSEB Class 9 English Panorama book. Students can go through the explanation, word meanings and summary to get a grasp on the poem and revise it quickly.