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Read The Extracts Given Below and Answer The Questions That Follow: 1 X 4 4

The poem "Keeping Quiet" by Pablo Neruda advocates for stillness and quiet introspection. It suggests that those involved in war would find peace if they changed their ways and cleansed themselves of violence. Through metaphor, the poem compares apparent stillness in nature to the possibility of new life and understanding through quiet reflection. The poet invites the reader to count to twelve and be still in order to overcome the sadness of a busy life without self-knowledge.

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1K views4 pages

Read The Extracts Given Below and Answer The Questions That Follow: 1 X 4 4

The poem "Keeping Quiet" by Pablo Neruda advocates for stillness and quiet introspection. It suggests that those involved in war would find peace if they changed their ways and cleansed themselves of violence. Through metaphor, the poem compares apparent stillness in nature to the possibility of new life and understanding through quiet reflection. The poet invites the reader to count to twelve and be still in order to overcome the sadness of a busy life without self-knowledge.

Uploaded by

ashia firoz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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KEEPING QUIET – PABLO NERUDA

Themes
Keeping Quiet is a gentle reminder about what life can be like in a brief moment of a silent pause. The theme of
quietude and stillness is interwoven with the themes of peace, pacifism, fellowship, solidarity, brotherhood,
justice and ecological conservation.

READ THE EXTRACTS GIVEN BELOW AND ANSWER THE


QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW : 1 X 4=4

Those who prepare green wars,


wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

(a) Who are ‘those’ in line


(b) What are ‘green wars’ ?
(c) Explain : ‘victory with no survivors’.
(d) What is the significance of : ‘put on clean clothes’

Those who prepare green wars,


wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

(a) Whom does the word ‘those’ refer to ?


(b) What does the poet mean by : ‘put on clean clothes’ ?
(c) Describe the irony in the third line.
(d) When can a person walk about with ‘their’ brothers ?

Perhaps the earth can teach us


as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve


and you keep quiet and I will go.
a) Name the poem and its poet.
b) What does the Earth teach us ?
c) What does the poet want to achieve by counting up to twelve ?
d) Give an example of what now seems to be dead but later on becomes alive.

What according to the poet will happen if we keep still?

• The poet invites the readers to count to 12 and then keep still.
• …people across the world to unite in stillness.
• …transcend all cultural barriers and not speak in any language.
• …humankind to root out all restlessness and lay down their arms - a clear call for stillness as well as
peace.
• In this exotic moment of stillness...
• The oppressor…oppressed and hardworking humanity will reflect on the damages caused by...
• …the difference between mindless movement and meaningful living.
• If everybody…, the silence may help us overcome the sadness of being too busy to understand
ourselves.
• Just like a period of hibernation helps the earth bloom with renewed vigour, being quiet ...
• Thus, in being still and not moving, the world will come into balance naturally.

How do you introspect?

Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?


No, the poet clarifies that his call for keeping quiet should not be mistaken for being inactive. He feels that
peace and tranquility should not be confused with lethargy. He equates inactivity with death and does not want
to have anything to do with it. He urges the readers to be physically still and quiet so that the mind can work.
His proposal is thus to foster introspection through physical stillness.

Why is a moment of silence exotic and strange?


A moment of silence will not only be delightful and rare (exotic moment) but also a ‘strange’ one. This is
because we have internalized rush to such an extent that silence, though enjoyable has become unfamiliar to us
because silence has become rare in the modern world.

What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem?


The sadness the poet talks about is the disappointment that engulfs our lives despite a life filled with activities.
We are engaged in a ceaseless pursuit of our goals with the threat of death looming over us. The mindless drive
to achieve as much as possible before our lives end, leads to only disappointment because we are never satisfied
and always need more. And yet, we do not stop to understand what we really want. We have confused
movement with life. Perhaps this is why we need to keep quiet: to know the difference between mindless
movement and meaningful living. If everybody kept quiet for a single moment, the silence may help us
overcome the sadness of being too busy to understand ourselves. Our inability to keep quiet results in our
failure to understand ourselves and others.

What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
The poet uses the powerful symbol of the earth to tell us that that there can be life under apparent stillness.
During winter, life seems to stagnate as ice covers everything and covers all traces of life. However, what seems
dead blossoms into life with the onset of spring. Just like a period of hibernation helps the earth bloom with
renewed vigour, being quiet and still helps us understand ourselves better and live our lives meaningfully
READ THE EXTRACTS GIVEN BELOW AND ANSWER THE
QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW : 1 X 4=4 - Answers
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

(e) Who are ‘those’ in line


(f) What are ‘green wars’ ?
(g) Explain : ‘victory with no survivors’.
(h) What is the significance of : ‘put on clean clothes’ ?

• people who are involved in wars/ people who wage wars/politicians/ scientists
• wars against the environment/ wars against nature
• the wars which leave no one to celebrate/ wars that will cause large scale destruction
• saying ‘no’ to all forms of violence/ resolving to put an end to all wars/ change of heart as a result
of introspection / determination to shun all forms of violent behavior

Those who prepare green wars,


wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

(e) Whom does the word ‘those’ refer to ?


(f) What does the poet mean by : ‘put on clean clothes’ ?
(g) Describe the irony in the third line.
(h) When can a person walk about with ‘their’ brothers ?

• warmongers/power hungry people/politicians/scientists/army


• change of attitude from war to peace/clean soul/change from negative to positive/getting away
from malicious feelings like hatred, jealousy etc./clothes unsoiled by blood
• victory but no survivor to enjoy it/ futility of war/although victorious, no one left to celebrate
• when there is harmony/brotherhood/mutual understanding/when he introspects and realises his
folly (mistake)

Perhaps the earth can teach us


as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve


and you keep quiet and I will go.

e) Name the poem and its poet.


f) What does the Earth teach us ?
g) What does the poet want to achieve by counting up to twelve ?
h) Give an example of what now seems to be dead but later on becomes alive.

• Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda


• there is always life under apparent stillness / stillness doesn’t mean inactivity / seems dead but
later proves to be alive
• to stop for a while and reflect / understand ourselves / to introspect
• seed that is there inside the earth seems to be dead but later in the month of spring germinates as a
new life / Nature is eternal, it creates, reproduces, dies, regenerates

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