A Considerable Speck Summary and Explanation | ICSE Class 10 English

by | Mar 6, 2024 | General | 0 comments

 

A Considerable Speck Summary Explanation

 

ICSE Class 10 English A Considerable Speck Summary and Poem Explanation with difficult word meanings

 

A Considerable Speck – Are you looking for Summary and Explanation for ICSE Class 10 English Poem A Considerable Speck from Treasure Chest (A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories) book. Get notes, summary of the poem followed by line by line explanation of the lesson along with the meanings of difficult words.

 

 

Also See :  ICSE Class 10 English A Considerable Speck Question Answers

 

A Considerable Speck ICSE Class 10 English 

By Robert Frost

 

A Considerable Speck Introduction

 

The poem ‘A Considerable Speck’ highlights the poet’s ability to give importance to minute details / things. Here, he notices a tiny speck of dust which turns out to be an insect trying to save its life, on sensing danger from the narrator’s pen. Finally the mite surrenders to the will of the narrator to kill it or allow it to live. The poet finds it harmless and leaves the mite to use its intelligence. He is surprised to see that the tiny creature is blessed with the ability to think and so, he allows the mite to rest on that sheet of paper till it so desires.

 

 

Theme of the Poem

 

The poet wants to highlight the importance of having one’s own mind. During his times, human beings merely accepted things irrespective of their mental calibre and he satirizes such attitude. Even a tiny mite displays his mind when he runs around, pauses and flies, trying to save himself. The narrator appreciates the tiny creature for displaying its mind.


See Video of A Considerable Speck

 

Also See: ICSE Class 10 English Language and Literature Syllabus 2024-25

 

A Considerable Speck Summary

 

Once the narrator was writing on a white sheet of paper when a tiny dust particle flew over the sheet. Initially, he considered that it had blown off due to his breath but on closer look, he realized that the particle was running here and there and that it was a tiny insect. The insect could think and was trying to save itself. It ran and at times stopped due to the fear of the narrator’s pen. The it reached the area where the narrator had written and the ink was still wet. The insect smelt or drank the ink. It disliked it because it turned and tried to fly away. 

The tiny being tried various ways to save itself, its confidence reduced when it realized that it could not save itself. The creature was too small to have feet but it did have a pair with which it ran wildly to save itself. Finally, it bowed to the narrator’s will and surrendered itself in the middle of the sheet.

The narrator was not an animal lover, the type of people who fought for animal rights and showed that they had a lot of love for these beings. He simply felt that the tiny insect was harmless. So, he did not fiddle with it. He let it be there and waited for the insect to go to sleep.

The narrator has the ability to think and he recognizes when he sees the display of intelligence by anyone. This insect’s display of intelligence to save itself is appreciated by the poet.

 

 

A Considerable Speck Summary in Hindi

 

एक बार कथावाचक कागज की एक सफेद शीट पर लिख रहा था, तभी धूल का एक छोटा कण शीट पर उड़ गया। पहले तो उन्होंने सोचा कि यह उनकी सांस के कारण उड़ गया है लेकिन करीब से देखने पर उन्हें एहसास हुआ कि कण इधर-उधर भाग रहा था और यह कोई छोटा कीड़ा था। कीट सोच सकता था और खुद को बचाने की कोशिश कर रहा था। यह कथावाचक की कलम के डर से कभी-कभी चलती और रुकती भी थी। यह उस क्षेत्र तक पहुंच गया जहां वर्णनकर्ता ने लिखा था और स्याही अभी भी गीली थी। कीड़े ने स्याही को सूंघ लिया या पी लिया। उसे यह नापसंद था क्योंकि वह मुड़ गया और उड़ने की कोशिश करने लगा।

नन्हा जीव खुद को बचाने के लिए तरह-तरह के प्रयास करता रहा, जब उसे एहसास हुआ कि वह खुद को नहीं बचा सकता, तो उसका आत्मविश्वास कम हो गया। जीव इतना छोटा था कि उसके पैर नहीं थे लेकिन उसके पास एक जोड़ा था जिसके साथ वह खुद को बचाने के लिए बेतहाशा भागता था। अंततः, वह वर्णनकर्ता की इच्छा के आगे झुक गया और उसने स्वयं को शीट के बीच में समर्पित कर दिया।

वर्णनकर्ता पशु प्रेमी नहीं था, उस प्रकार के लोग जो पशु अधिकारों के लिए लड़ते थे और दिखाते थे कि उन्हें इन प्राणियों से बहुत प्यार था। उसे बस यह महसूस हुआ कि वह छोटा कीट हानिरहित था। इसलिए, उन्होंने इसमें कोई खिलवाड़ नहीं किया। उसने उसे वहीं रहने दिया और कीड़े के सो जाने का इंतजार करने लगा।

वर्णनकर्ता के पास सोचने की क्षमता है और वह किसी को भी बुद्धि का प्रदर्शन करते हुए देखता है तो पहचान लेता है। स्वयं को बचाने के लिए इस कीट की बुद्धिमत्ता के प्रदर्शन की कवि ने सराहना की है।

 


 

Title Analysis of the Poem A Considerable Speck

The title of the poem ‘A Considerable Speck’ is an interesting one because the poet employe the device of oxymoron in it. When a speck, a tiny particle of dust is considerable, it is given importance by the poet Robert Frost. He is known for bestowing importance on the small things in life and in this poem also, we can see that.
 

 

Narrative Style of Poem A Considerable Speck

The poem is descriptive, interspersed with philosophical observations. On the surface, it is quite simple. It is, however, thematically complex. It is disgressive in its development. As the poet describes the movement of the mite, he thinks and interpretations. One thing is notable that his descriptions are detailed, interesting and amusing. The poem concludes abruptly with an unexpected idea: that of liveliness in a text brought about by the use of wit, and intelligence of the human mind.

The use of satire is vivid when the poet remarks : 

             I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
          Collectivistic regimenting love
            With which modern world is being swept.

The use of oxymoron is vivid in the title itself: ‘considerable’ and ‘speck’ – two opposite words in meaning. We wonder how a speck can be significant. Its relevance is understood as the poem advances.
The poet has used irregular rhyme. The simple rhythm helps convey the sincerity of expression. The use of simple words is deliberate. The visual image of the movements of the mite is cleverly built up by detailed observations and short descriptions.
Overall, the poem is interesting in the treatment of its theme and style.
 

 

A Considerable Speck Poem Explanation

Poem:
A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.

Word meanings:
Speck: a very small spot / a small piece of dirt
Set off: ran
Idly: without any purpose, lazily
Poised: held steady
Unmistakably: undoubtedly
Mite: a very small insect
Inclinations: feelings

Explanation:
There was a tiny piece of dirt on the white sheet of paper on which the narrator was writing. He would not have noticed it had it not been on the clean white sheet. The particle flew off and the narrator thought that his breath had blown it off but later, when he saw that the particle was running here and there, he realized that it was a small insect and not a particle of dust. The insect could think and so, it was running around to save itself.

Poem:
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt-
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.

Word meanings:
Racing: running
Manuscript: piece of written text
Paused: stopped
Loathing: strong dislike or hatred
Plainly: clearly

Explanation:
The insect stopped running because it was scared that the narrator would hit it with his pen. Then all of a sudden it started running towards the area of the paper where the narrator had written something and the ink was not yet dry. The insect stopped and perhaps it smelt or drank the wet ink. It must have disliked it for it turned and flew. The narrator used his intelligence to deal with the tiny insect.

Poem:
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn’t want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered: I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept
Whatever I accorded it of fate.

Word meanings:
Room: here, space
A set of them: here, a set of feet
Terror: fright
Cunning: cleverness
Faltered: walked with less confidence
Hesitate: uncertain / reluctant
Cower down: hand down and move backward in fear
Desperation: a state of hopelessness which leads to extreme behaviour
Accorded: granted

Explanation:
The insect was too small that it seemed that there was no space for feet in its body but still it had a pair of feet with which it was running. It ran doe to fear and was clever to use different tactics to save itself. The narrator could make out that the insect was afraid because it lacked confidence and at times, it ran with a reluctance. They insect came to the centre of the paper and just remained there as if it has surrendered to the narrator.

Poem:
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

Word meanings:
tenderer-than-thou: more loving / delicate than you are (attitude)
Collectivistic: concerned with some group, class or society, not individuals
Regimenting: something imposed strictly by the state or society
Swept: strongly affected
Microscopic item: almost invisible insect (mite)

Explanation:
The narrator says that he did not have any affection for the insect like a group of people have towards other beings, wherein they try to save and protect them. But, he adds that it was a tiny insect and since it was harmless, the narrator decided to let it be. He did not do anything to it was allowed it to remain there till it wanted to go to sleep.

Poem:
I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

Word meanings:
Mind: Ability to think
Guise: Cover
Display of Mind: show of intelligence

Explanation:
The narrator also has a mind and he can identify another mind maybe which ever form it maybe in. He could even identify that the dust particle was in fact a living mite because its movement indicated that it could think and was deciding its course of action. He was very glad to find the show of such intelligence on the sheet of paper, by the tiny mite.

 

 

Figures of Speech

1. Rhyme scheme- irregular rhyme has been used
2. Oxymoron – the adjective used for a noun is contrary to the noun’s qualities.
‘Considerable speck’
3. Imagery – visual imagery has been deployed to show the mite’s movement.
4. Alliteration – repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more consecutive words.
Been beneath
Made me
Breathing blown
Something strange
Could call
My manuscript
Too tiny
Have had
Cunning crept
With which
Mind myself
5. Anaphora – two or more consecutive lines start with the same word
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.
I have a mind myself and recognize
6. Inversion – the structure of the sentence is altered
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
Yet must have had a set of them complete
On any sheet the least display of mind
7. Enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the next lines and the lines do not have any punctuation mark in the end. Enjambment has been used at various places in the poem.

Also See: 

ICSE Class 10 English Summary, Explanation

 

 

ICSE Class 10 English Important Question Answers

 

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