Unseen Passage
(গত ১ জানুয়ারি প্রকাশের পর)
8. Answer the following questions from the poems of your textbook. [any 5 out of 8] 2x5=10
Important questions from the poem ‘O Me! O Life’ by Walt Whitman
(a) Why does the speaker in the question section of the poem ‘O Me! O Life’ reproach himself?
(b) What type of people does the poet find around him in the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
(c) What is the tone of the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
(d) Explain the mood of the speaker of the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
(e) Comment on the theme of the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
(f) What does the poet mean by ‘useless years’ in the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
(g) Is age an identity marker? What are the attributes of old age in the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
(h) What ‘faith’ does the poet refer to in the poem ‘O Me! O Life’?
9. Answer the following questions from the stories of your textbook. [any 5 out of 8] 2x5=10
Questions from the story ‘Mr. Moti’ by Rahad Abir
(a) Why is the rooster called Mr. Moti?
(b) Is the writer trying to compare Amin with the rooster? What are the reasons for doing so?
(c) Why is the story a Bangladeshi story? Which war is referred to in the story?
(d) How can you understand that Sonabhan’s son has already left home for battlefield?
(e) “Having noticed Sonabhan’s puffy eyes, he knows not to mention last night’s subject.” What is the significance of this statement?
(f) From your perspective, does the story suggest Sonabhan died at the end of the story?
(g) How has the author intensified motherly feeling in the text?
(h) “She puts Moti to rest beside her husband’s grave.” What do you understand by the sentence?
আরো পড়ুন : Unseen Passage থেকে ২টি প্রশ্ন ও উত্তর নিয়ে আলোচনা, ২য় পর্ব, এসএসসি পরীক্ষার ইংরেজি ১ম পত্র
Answer: 8. a. The speaker in the question section of the poem ‘O Me! O Life’ reproaches himself because he is dissatisfied with life. He does not find the meaning of life in his society as the foolish and faithless people are always struggling without knowing the meaning of life.
b. In the poem ‘O Me! O Life’ the poet finds that people in the society are faithless and foolish. They do not know the meaning of life. Their life is full of despair and frustration.
c. The poem ‘O Me! O Life’ has a pessimistic tone in the first section where the poet being frustrated asks so many questions to himself. In the first section, the poet expresses his despair, sadness and frustration. But in the answer section the poet expresses himself in an optimistic tone.
d. The speaker of the poem ‘O Me! O Life’ is sad and frustrated. His life is full of despair and hopelessness. He finds no meaning of his existence in the world in the beginning part of the poem. But in the ending part the speaker expresses his positive mood as he finds the meaning of life.
e. The poem deals with the meaning of life. As the poet is in despair, he asks himself about the significance of life in the world. Life has no meaning to him. But suddenly a voice repeatedly answers that living a human being on this earth is enough for a meaningful identity and a significant existence.
f. By ‘useless years’ the poet means the time that we spend or misuse during our lifetime to gain some meaningless, insignificant and sometimes immoral things.
g. Age is an identity marker. This statement is true to great extent. In course of time, man ages and becomes old. His/her way of thinking changes. The attributes of old age are- in old age, people start believing in the meaningful activities of human life and start thinking about the purpose of existence of life in this earth. Getting and spending money in worldly life become less important. People in old age introspect on what they have contributed to the earth and society in meaningful way.
h. In the poem, the poet mentions that faith which exists in people’s conducts and dealings. It is this faith which is needed to build up society based on mutual trust depending on giving promises and keeping them right. This faith refers to the belief that one never betrays another.
9. a. The rooster is called Mr. Moti as the writer wants him to personify as a human character. He is directly connected with the plot-development of the story and deeply involved in daily affairs of all the characters of the story. Both Sonabhan and Ameen seem to treat the rooster as a family member. Moreover, the end of Mr. Moti’s life results in tragic end of the story.
b. Yes, the writer is trying to draw similarities between Ameen and the rooster, Mr. Moti. Both characters exhibit a sense of innocence and vulnerability. Just as Moti is cherished and protected by Sonabhan, Ameen is also her beloved son who fears losing to the war. Sonabhan gets furious when she receives a warning from a neighbor about Moti’s safety. She calls the rooster her son. Besides Moti’s burial beside Sonabhan’s husband’s grave also proves the son-like treatment.
c. The story is distinctly Bangladeshi because it reflects the cultural, social, and historical context of Bangladesh. It reflects the lifestyle of rural Bangladeshi people of poor class who usually raise chickens, ducks as a supplementary financial support. The reference to war likely alludes to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, when Bangladesh fought for its independence from Pakistan.
d. The repeated use of the word ‘empty’ in phrases like ‘empty yard’, ‘empty veranda’, ‘empty home’, and ‘empty bed’ indicates that Sonabhan is alone in the house which means Ameen has already left.
e. In this statement, the mention of Sonabhan’s puffy eyes reveals that she cried throughout the night after hearing Ameen’s wish to join the war. Ameen understands that his mother doesn’t want him to leave the home and the mere thought of his departure is causing her emotional pain. So, Ameen remains silent and doesn’t say a single word about the war.
f. Yes, I think Sonabhan died at the end of the story. She was already distressed due to her only son leaving home to join war. Furthermore, when she also lost her son-like rooster, Moti, it deeply affected her and the combined grief caused her unfortunate death.
Or, No, I don’t think Sonabhan died at the end of the story. She was inside her room grieving for the death of her son-like rooster, Moti. Since she was all alone in the house, the sudden loss was weighing too heavy on her. So, she was unable to move let alone focus on her regular chores.
g. In several occasions of the story, the writer has intensified motherly feeling. Through the actions like disallowing her son to leave for war, realizing how her baby is not little anymore and expressing earnest desire to lie beside her son, the writer has depicted the intensified motherly feeling.
h. The given sentence indicates the burial of Moti, the rooster. After death, Moti is buried beside the grave of Sonabhan’s husband. She looks upon Moti as her son and so Moti should be left to lie forever beside his father. This sentence also heightens the tragic atmosphere of the story.
লেখক : সিনিয়র শিক্ষক, ইংরেজি
লেক সার্কাস গার্লস হাই স্কুল, কলাবাগান, ঢাকা
কবীর
