CH-4 A Thing of Beauty

Mission 100
According to Latest CBSE Board Syllabus

Poem – 4 | Flamingo
A Thing
of
Beauty
Poem – 4 | Flamingo
A Thing of Beauty
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 :

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 :

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)
APpedia
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
Q. Rationalize why Keats uses the

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

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Mission 100

According to Latest CBSE Board Syllabus

He is a romantic poet and his

Based on Greek mythology

A thing of beauty is a joy

The poet says that beauty stays

For the poet, beauty is like a

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the start of two

Metaphor : bower Quiet (calmness of the bower is

Therefore, on every morrow, are we

So here the poet wants to say that

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the start of two

Metaphor : wreathing a flowery band (the beautiful

Such the sun, the moon,

Here the poet describes the

He further describes that the

All of these are the beauties of

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the start of two

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-

The poet further carries on

Then he describes the tales of

He says that these

They are like a nectar given

Alliteration : Use of consonant sound at the

Metaphor : Immortal drinks ( beautiful objects

a. Trees give us sustenance

Q. Rationalize why Keats uses the

Q. How does Keats’ poem, A Thing of

Q. Mention any two ‘things of beauty’ that

Ans. According to Keats every small or big thing

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

A. The eternal beauty of various things gives us happiness

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

A) Sun and Moon

A) lack of virtues and inhuman acts.

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