Character Sketch from WBBSE Class 10 English Chapter 4 – My Own True Family of the Narrator and the Old Woman
A character sketch defines what the character is like and how he/she evolves or develops throughout the story. In this post you can find the Character Sketch of the Narrator and the Old Woman from WBBSE Class 10 English Bliss Book Chapter 4 My Own True Family
- Character Sketch of the Narrator
- Questions related to the Character of the Narrator
- Character Sketch of the Old Woman
- Questions related to the Character of the Old Woman
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Character Sketch of the Narrator
The narrator in Ted Hughes’ “My Own True Family” is a young person who journeys deep into an oakwood to find a stag. In this case, it is a natural human inclination to go on a quest to get into the woods and conquer it. The narrator’s journey met with an old woman, and the experience of the oak trees has a transformative effect and catapults this person from a careless and ignorant (or “blind”) ambulator of nature to someone aware of the deep relationship that humans have with nature. By the end of the poem, and while journeying back into Human Society, this person has the heart of a tree, conveying their empathy and connection to the natural environment and the ensuing level of responsibility as stewards of nature.
Questions about the character of the Narrator:
- How did the narrator’s walk in the oakwood transform their understanding of nature?
- What does the narrator’s heart becoming that of a tree represent in the poem?
Character Sketch of the Old Woman
The old woman in this poem serves as an enchanted, significant character and catalyst for the narrator’s awakening journey. The narrator describes her as “all knobbly stick and rag”, and she, the old woman, represents an old, and perhaps forgotten, aspect of nature. The old woman claims she has the answer to the narrator’s secret in her little bag and then casts a spell that guides him to the oak trees. As a figure, the old woman also expresses the message that the narrator’s world and understanding are a thin veil, and she serves as an intermediary between these two worlds – the human world and the truth of the natural, deeper world. The old woman plays an important role by exposing the narrator to the changes human beings inflict on the natural world and helping him grow into his realisation and responsibility.
Questions about the Character of the Old Woman:
- What significance does the old woman have in the narrator’s transformation?
- How does the old woman represent the voice or spirit of nature contained in the poem?
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