The Rebel Class 7 English Poem 2 Explanation, Summary and Question Answer

by | Nov 17, 2021 | CBSE Class 7 English Lessons Explanation, Notes, NCERT Question Answers | 0 comments

 

NCERT Solution for Class 7 English Honeycomb Book Poem 2 The Rebel Summary, Explanation, Question Answer

 
The Rebel– NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb book Poem 2 The Rebel Summary and Detailed explanation of the poem along with the meanings of difficult words. Also, the explanation is followed by a Summary of the poem. All the exercises and Questions and Answers given at the back of the lesson have been covered. Take Free Online MCQs Test for Class 7 Click Here

The Rebel Introduction to the poem

The poem talks of a rebel and what a rebel does when everybody is doing a particular thing.

The Rebel Class 7 Video Explanation

The Rebel Summary

A rebel is a person who always tries to be different from the others. They are unique, and don’t want to be in the same category of other people. There are innumerable instances where one can see rebels. When everybody has long hair, a rebel will have short hair, and when everybody will have short hair, a rebel has long hair. When each and every student is talking during a lesson, there will be one student who will be quiet and he or she will be a rebel, and when every student is quiet, there will be one student who will be creating a disturbance and he or she will be a rebel. When everyone is wearing a uniform, the rebel will be wearing fantastic clothes that will set them apart from the crowd. Also, when everyone is wearing fantastic clothes, the rebel will be wearing sober clothes. When everyone is talking about dogs, the rebel will express preference for cats. When everyone is swooning over cats, the rebel will swoon over dogs. When everyone is praising the sun, rebel will be the one who will remark on the need for rain. When everyone is enjoying the rain, the rebel will miss the sun. When everyone goes out, the rebel will stay at home and read a book and when everyone stays at home and reads a book, the rebel will go out for meetings. When everyone says yes please, the rebel will say no thank you and when everyone says no thank you, the rebel will say yes please. It is very good to have rebels, but it is not very good to be one as you are disliked and avoided when you are a rebel.

The Rebel Poem Explanation

Poem Lines
When everybody has short hair,
The rebel lets his hair grow long. 

Explanation of the Poem – Here, all the common people have short hair. They are all alike when considering their appearance. However, there is an exceptional person who lets his or her hair grow long. That person is a rebel because the person changes his or her appearance in such a way that he or she stands out from the crowd.

Poem Lines
When everybody has long hair,
The rebel cuts his hair short.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is opposite to the previous one. In this stanza, everyone has long hair. But a rebel prefers to differ. So, without any hesitation, the rebel cuts his or hair short, which again makes them exceptional.

Poem Lines
When everybody talks during the lesson,
The rebel doesn’t say a word. 

Explanation of the Poem – Here, everyone is really expressive and talkative during a school lesson. However, among them is a student who is silent and doesn’t interrupt the teacher. That student is a rebel because the student stands out by being silent.

Poem Lines
When nobody talks during the lesson,
The rebel creates a disturbance.

Explanation of the Poem –  Here, the situation is opposite to the previous one. Here, everyone is quiet and doesn’t interrupt the teacher during a school lesson. However, among them is a student who is really loud and noisy and disturbs the teacher and the focus of the class. That student is a rebel because the student stands out by creating a disturbance.

Poem Lines
When everybody wears a uniform,
The rebel dresses in fantastic clothes. 

Word Meaning
uniform: the distinctive clothing worn by members of the same organization or body or by children attending certain schools.
fantastic: extraordinarily good or attractive.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the rebel is again differing himself or herself on the basis of his or her appearance. When everyone wears the uniform which is mandatory for them to wear, the rebel wears not the uniform, but more lively and bright clothes. This makes the rebel the centre of attention, which again sets him or her apart from the crowd. While everyone looks boring, serious, and the same, the rebel looks bright and fantastic.

the rebelPoem Lines
When everybody wears fantastic clothes,
The rebel dresses soberly.

Word Meaning
soberly: in a serious, sensible, and solemn manner.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is opposite to the previous one. Everyone now is wearing fantastic clothes which make them look fun and lively, but the rebel is wearing sober or serious clothes, similar to the uniform. The rebel again stands out from the crowd because of his or her unlikely appearance.

Poem Lines
In the company of dog lovers,
The rebel expresses a preference for cats.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is not on the basis of people’s appearance. It’s about people’s preferences. When a group of people are dog lovers and they are discussing about dogs, the rebel expresses a preference for cats. So here, the rebel’s preference differs from a particular group. The group loves dogs whereas the rebel loves cats.

Poem Lines
In the company of cat lovers,
The rebel puts in a good word for dogs.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is reversed. Here, the rebel is talking to a group of people who are discussing about cats. When they ask the rebel his or her opinion on cats, the rebel puts in a good work for dogs and says that he or she prefers dogs instead. Again, the rebel’s preference differs from a particular group. The group loves cats whereas the rebel loves dogs.

Poem Lines
When everybody is praising the sun,
The rebel remarks on the need for rain.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is regarding the point of view of two sides. On one side there is everyone praising the sun and being happy at its presence. On the other side is the rebel who feels like there is a need for rain. Thus, the rebel’s point of view or opinion is different from everyone which is how the rebel stands out.

Poem Lines
When everybody is greeting the rain,
The rebel regrets the absence of sun.

Explanation of the Poem –  Here, the situation is reversed. Again, the situation is regarding the point of view of two sides. This time everyone is greeting the rain. They are enjoying it. On the other side is the rebel who regrets the happening of rainfall and says that when the sun was here, things were better. Again, the rebel’s point of view or opinion is different from everyone which is how the rebel stands out.

Poem Lines
When everybody goes to the meeting,
The rebel stays at home and reads a book.

Explanation of the Poem –  In this stanza, we see the difference between people and a rebel’s personality. When everyone goes out to meet one another, the rebel stays at home and reads a book. In this situation, people are being more outgoing and interactive. In shorter words, we can say that everyone in this situation is extroverted. However, in this situation, the rebel is being more shy, silent and excluded. In shorter words, the rebel is introverted. This shows that when people tend to be more extroverted, a rebel tends to be more introverted.

Poem Lines
When everybody stays at home and reads a book,
The rebel goes to the meeting.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is opposite to the previous one. Now everyone is preferring to stay at home and read a book whereas the rebel chooses to be different and goes out to meetings. So, everyone now is being more introverted. But the rebel, who prefers to differ and stand out from the crowd, is being more extroverted. 

Poem Lines
When everybody says, Yes please,
The rebel says, No thank you.

Explanation of the Poem – Here, the situation is again related to preferences. When everybody prefers to have more something, the rebel prefer to be complacent with what they have. That’s why everyone says, “ Yes, please ” but the rebel says, “No, thank you”.

Poem Lines
When everybody says, No thank you,
The rebel says, Yes please. 

Explanation of the Poem –  Here, the situation is reversed. When everybody is complacent with what they have, the rebel prefers to have more. That’s why everyone says, “No, thank you” but the rebel says, “ Yes, please ”.

Poem Lines
It is very good that we have rebels.
You may not find it very good to be one. 

Explanation of the Poem – In conclusion, we can say that it is very good to have rebels. They maintain balance in the society. They look and do different things which can help people develop. They are the ones who tend to bring a change in the society. They teach us to respect differences and encourage us to be who we are. However, it is not very good to be one because rebels tend to be misunderstood, bullied and ignored. People find them weird because they happen to be ‘different’. They always want to be unique and bring a change, which can anger narrow-minded people. A rebel’s life tends to be more difficult than others.

The Rebel Questions Answers

Working with the Poem

Q1. Answer the following questions. 

(i) If someone doesn’t wear a uniform to school, what do you think the teacher will say?

Ans. If someone doesn’t wear a uniform to school, the teacher will scold the child. It is mandatory for students to come to the school with their uniforms as it is the protocol. In this case, everyone would be in a uniform and the rebel would be in casual or fantastic clothes. So since he or she broke the rule, he or she would be punished. That is why the poet says that it is not to be a rebel. 

(ii) When everyone wants a clear sky, what does the rebel want most? 

Ans. When everyone wants a clear sky, the rebel wants rain the most. This shows how different a rebel is from the others.

(iii) If the rebel has a dog for a pet, what is everyone else likely to have?

Ans. If the rebel has a dog for a pet, then everyone else is likely to have pet cats.

(iv) Why is it good to have rebels?

Ans. It is good to have rebels because they are very understanding in nature and also open-minded. They teach us to respect different outlooks and embrace changes. They help us to develop mentally. They like to bring a change in the society by changing a wrong mentality.

(v) Why is it not good to be a rebel oneself?

Ans. The poet, D. J. Enright concluded the poem by saying that even though rebels are important, it is not very good to be one. By that, the poet means to tell us that rebels are often misunderstood. Since they act differently from the others, they are viewed as weird people. People are more judgmental and unfriendly towards them, especially if they are in a small town or village, where people tend to be more narrow-minded.

(vi) Would you like to be a rebel? If yes, why? If not, why not?

Ans. Yes, I would like to be a rebel.
I don’t like to be narrow-minded. Narrow-mindedness not only risks others’ lives but it also undermines the present and the future of oneself. Being creative and open-minded are two such qualities that should be with me all the time. 

Q2. Find in the poem an antonym (a word opposite in meaning) for each of the following words.

(i) long ___________

(ii) grow ____________

(iii) quietness _________

(iv) sober ___________

(v) lost _____________

Ans. (i) long short

(ii) grow cut

(iii) quietness disturbance

(iv) sober fantastic

(v) lost find

Q3. Find in the poem lines that match the following. Read both one after the other. 

(i) The rebel refuses to cut his hair. 

(ii) He says cats are better. 

(iii) He recommends dogs. 

(iv) He is unhappy because there is no sun. 

(v) He is noisy on purpose.

Ans. (i) The rebel lets his hair grow long. 

(ii) He expresses a preference for cats. 

(iii) He puts in a good word for dogs.  

(iv) He regrets the absence of sun. 

(v) He creates a disturbance.
 

 
Also See : 

Honeycomb Book Lessons

Honeycomb Book Poems

An Alien Hand Book Lessons

 

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