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 Poem – 4 | Flamingo

A Thing of Beauty
English Ka बादशाह
 John Keats was born in London in
John Keats the year 1795 and died in Rome in
1821 at the young age of 25 due to
illness.

He is a romantic poet and his

poetry is characterized by sensual
imagery in his most popular work
which is a series of odes, (a lyrical
poem which is meant for a
particular subject).
Background of the poem
"A Thing of Beauty” :

Based on Greek mythology

about a shepherd named
Endymion, his quest for his
love Diana and how in his
quest, he falls in love with
an Earthly maiden, who
later turns out to be Diana
herself.
Rhyme scheme A thing of beauty is a joy
forever
of the poem : Its loveliness increases, it will
never
Pass into nothingness; but
AABB will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a
sleep
First stanza

A thing of beauty is a joy

forever
Its loveliness increases, it
will never
Pass into nothingness; but
will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a
sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and
health, and quiet breathing.
Bower : A shady place under
the tree

The poet says that beauty stays

forever. It never fades away.
Rather, it increases with the
passing time.

For the poet, beauty is like a

beautiful shady tree under
whose shade all the creatures
can sleep peacefully and enjoy
good health.
Literary devices :

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the start of two

words which are close in series (Sleep-Sweet)

Metaphor : bower Quiet (calmness of the bower is

compared to the calming effect of a beautiful thing)
Second stanza

Therefore, on every morrow, are we

wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the
earth,
Spite of despondence, of the
inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-
darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite
of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away
the pall
From our dark spirits.
Morrow : The following
day

Wreathing : surround,
encircle

Despondence : depressed

Gloomy : sad
The poet says that every day, it is
the beauty which fills us with the
spirit to live. It is the beauty which
builds the desire in us to live though
there are sad moments and cruel
people around us.

So here the poet wants to say that

without beauty the earth will be full
of cruel people, sad and gloomy
moments. It is the beauty which is
created by god which helps us to
remove the sadness from our hearts.
Literary devices :

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the start of two

words which are close in series (‘b’ in Band Bind, ‘n’ in
Noble nature, ‘s’ in some shape).

Metaphor : wreathing a flowery band (the beautiful

things of our life bind us to the earth)
Third stanza

Such the sun, the moon,

Trees old, and young,
sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such
are daffodils
With the green world they
live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a
cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the
mid forest brake
Boon : blessing
Rills : a small stream
Brake : a process to slow
down

Here the poet describes the

beautiful things which are
present on earth. These are
the sun, moon, trees,
flowers (daffodils) and the
rivers.
Poet says that all these things
are like a blessing bestowed on
all the creatures by earth.

He further describes that the

trees provide us with their
shade, flowers with their
beauty and rivers with their
coolness during the hot
summers.

All of these are the beauties of

nature which are like a boon
for us.
Literary devices :

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the start of two

words which are close in series (‘s’ in Sprouting Shady,
Simple sheep, ‘c’ in cooling covert)
Fourth stanza

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-

rose blooms;
And such too is the grandeur of the
dooms
We have imagined for the mighty
dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard
or read;
An endless fountain of immortal
drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s
brink
Grandeur : high rank
or socially important

Mighty : enormous

Immortal : never
dying

Brink : edge
Explanation

The poet further carries on

with the description of the
more beautiful things present
on earth. such as the beautiful
musk roses which have such a
nice fragrance.

Then he describes the tales of

the mighty warriors who laid
their lives for their countries
or for humanity.
Explanation

He says that these

beautiful things are the
gifts from god for all of us.

They are like a nectar given

by god to us and these are
those beauties which are
immortal and give us a
reason to live on this earth
despite having so many
sorrows in our life.
Literary devices :

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the

start of two words which are close in series
(‘h’ in have heard)

Metaphor : Immortal drinks ( beautiful objects

of nature are forever like a never ending
portion of a drink)
CBSE Sample Paper Questions
 Sample Paper Question
Q. Keats celebrates trees as a “boon” in the poem
A Thing of Beauty. With reference to this
statement, which of the following options is NOT
TRUE

a. Trees give us sustenance

b. Trees provide relief from heat.
c. Trees help keep the Earth clean
d. Trees appear beautiful to the eye
 Sample Paper Question

Q. Rationalize why Keats uses the

metaphor ‘an endless fountain of
immortal drink’ in his poem, A Thing of
Beauty. {2M}
 Sample Paper Question

Q. How does Keats’ poem, A Thing of

Beauty appeal richly to the senses,
stimulating the reader’s inner sight as
well as the sense of touch and smell?
Write your answer in about 120-150
words. {4M}
Previous Year Questions
 2020

Q. Mention any two ‘things of beauty’ that

Keats has described in his poem. How do they
make us joyful?

Ans. According to Keats every small or big thing

of nature is a thing of beauty and a source of
pleasure. The sun, the moon, the trees and
daffodil flowers are all things of beauty. So are
the small streams with clear water, mass of
ferns and the blooming musk roses.
But as soon as the spring season comes, it brings with it
the lovely flowers, flowing rivers and a new life is given to
the nature. So, the poet wants to convey that we should
stay calm but that doesn’t mean that it will bring total
inactivity and stillness.
Expected Questions
Q1- What does the line, "Therefore are we wreathing a
flowery band to bind us to earth suggest to you?

A. It means that we get attached to the beautiful things

around us and weave a pretty band which binds us with
our life, it becomes the reason for us to live.
Q2- What makes human beings love life in spite of
troubles and sufferings?

A. The eternal beauty of various things gives us happiness

and relaxation. It makes us love life inspite of life's
troubles and sufferings.
Q3- Do we experience things of beauty only for short
moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?

A. According to the poet, a thing of beauty is a joy

forever. Even if we see it for a few moments, it has a
lasting impression on us and its beautiful memory stays
with us forever. It inspires us to live, despite the
ruthlessness of life.
Practice Question
Q4- What image does the
poet use to describe the
beautiful bounty of the earth?
A. The beautiful bounty of the earth
is described by -endless fountain of
immortal drink- which signifies that
God bestows us with all his
beautiful creations which help us
live despite the sad, gloomy aspects
of life.
MCQs

22/8
Q2- Who is the poet of A thing
Of Beauty?

A) John Donne
B) William Blakes
C) William Wordsworth
D) John Keats.
Q7- What are the things of beauty
mentioned in the poem?

A) Sun and Moon

B) Young trees and streams
C) flowers
D) All these.
Q8- Which things cause suffering to
human beings?

A) lack of virtues and inhuman acts.

B) withering flowers
C) blooming flowers
D) flowing streams
Q10-How is a thing of beauty joy forever?

A) because it is beautiful
B) because it is nature
C) because it is joyful
D) because its beauty never ends and
leaves a lasting impact.
Q11- What is the message of the
poem?

A) Beauty never fades

B) beauty lifts spirits high
C) beauty is a joy forever
D) All these.
Q12- What does a thing of beauty
do for us?

A) gives hope
B) gives happiness
C) removes pain and suffering
D) All these.
Q13- What is the endless fountain and
what is its effect?

A) Moving streams
B) The Sunlight
C) A thing of beauty is endless fountain
and it gives happiness.
D) None
Q14- What does a thing of beauty is a joy
forever mean?

A) joy is in memory
B) joy is precious
C) joy is not sold
D) it will keep giving happiness for a longer
time.
Q15- What is Beauty in Keats'
opinion?

A) a suffering
B) a cause of suffering
C) a cause of pain
D) a joy forever.
Q16- What is the concept of beauty?

A) Beauty is a pleasure
B) beauty is cause of all happiness
C) beauty is nothing
D) a quality which always gives happiness.
Q17- Do we experience things of beauty
only for a short time ?

A) yes they are short lived

B) yes beauty is a temporary thing
C) it never lasts forever
D) no, they make a lasting impression of
happiness.
Q18- Who said that a thing of beauty is a
joy forever?

A) John Millet
B) Christopher
C)a young shepherd
D) John Keats.
Q19- How does a thing of beauty provide
shelter and comfort?

A) By giving a sense of joy and happiness

B) by removing pain and suffering
C) like a bower
D) All these.
Q20- Whose loveliness will
keep on increasing?

A) of rivers
B) of mountains
C) of nature
D) of all beautiful things.
Q21- Write the phrase which means 'it is
immortal’

A) it will never fade

B) it will never pass into nothingness.
C) it will never cease
D) it will keep giving happiness for a
longer time
Q22- What is a bower?

A) a river
B) a stream
C) a big tree
D) a shady tree.
Q23- Why do we need sweet dreams , health
and quiet breathing?

A) to have a healthy mind and body

B) to have sound sleep
C) to have peace and happiness
D) All these.
Q24- What are 'mighty dead' in the
poem?

A) dead people
B) dead relatives
C) dead plants
D) great respect worthy ancestors
specially dead emperors.
Q25- What is the endless fountain of
immortal drink?

A) rivers
C) flowing streams
D) Sunlight
D) All the things of beauty.
Q26- What does 'brink' mean?

A) roof top
B) a rocky space
C) mountain top
D) an edge at the top.
Q27- What does immortal mean?

A) ever flowing
B) evergreen
C) forever beautiful
D) never ending or endless.
English Ka बादशाह
 Thank-You
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