Shobha Singh

Bihar Board 12 class English book : Summary of “fire-hymn”.

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‘Fire-Hymn’ is a heart-touching poem written by ‘Keki N. Daruwalla’. In this poem, the poet explains the scene of a burning ghat, where the dead body of a man is consigned to the flame of fire.

The poet says that when he was a child, he and his father used to visit the burning ghat of the Hindus. He says that the sight of the burning dead body becomes shocking and dreadful at night. It frightens passers-by.

Some times the limbs of a dead body are left half-burnt, and the redness of fire appears very cruel. The poet is a parsi, who worships fire as a God, but he had to consign his new born into fire, because there was no Tower of silence there. This made him a sinner. He feels guilty for violating the Parsi Code. He regrets that he could not save the fire from committing sin. So, he vows to free the fire from sin of forgetting.

Thus, this poem is a song in praise of fire. Here, the poet shows the importance of fire for the Hindus after their death.

Bihar Board 12 class English book :Summary of “Macavity: The mystery cat”.

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‘Macavity: The Mystery Cat’ is a humorous poem written by ‘T.S. Eliot’. In this poem, the poet describes the mischiefs of a mysterious cat name Macavity.

According to the poet, Macavity is a mysterious cat, because it commits various kinds of crimes, but it is never nabbed by the police. It commits the crimes and vanishes. It acts as if it were a master criminal. Really, it is a master criminal who defies both human and natural laws. The poet calls it the ‘Hidden Paw’ because of its mysterious acts. It is sure that the crime was committed by Macavity, but the interesting thing is that no one can prove it. It always commits crimes such as drinking milk, breaking glass; but it never leaves any type of clue at the place of occurrence. It commits crimes everywhere, but it is found no where. It moves like a snake and it is always alert. It looks gentle, but cheats people easily. It is the leader of the gang of the criminal cats. In fact, it is the Napolean of crime.

Thus, the poet means to say that Macavity is a clever and cunning cat, who makes problems for anybody.

Bihar Board 12 class English book :Summary of “The Soldier”.

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‘The Soldier’ is a war poem written by Rupert Brooke. This poem is a sonnet. In this poem, the poet describes his feelings of love for his country.

The poet is himself a soldier and he has gone to fight in another country for his country. According to him, a soldier

lives and dies for his country. The poet wants to die in battle for his country. He says that if he dies in a foreign land fighting for his motherland, he will be buried in that land. He wants the plot of land, where his dead body will be buried, should be treated as part and parcel of England. He remembers his country with fondness, because he was born and brought up there. He loves the nature of his country from the bottom of his heart. He loves the lights and sounds of his country. He remembers his friends. He says that his country has given him flowers to love, ways to walk and the air to breathe. All these things show the poet’s deep love for his motherland.

Thus, in this poem, the poet shows his patriotism for his country. This poem is a patriotic poem which is full of love for England.

Bihar Board 12 class English book : Summary of “An Epitaph”.

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‘An Epitaph’ is a short poem composed by Walter de la Mare. In this poem the poet deals with the transitoriness of human life and human relationship.

Here, the poet expresses his bad feelings for a very beautiful lady who has died. She was the most beautiful lady in the west country. She was light of step and heart. Her beauty was very attractive, but it is short lived. There is no way to save beauty from destruction. After her death, her beauty vanishes and passes. The poet loved her so much that when she was dead, he was weeping bitterly. He used to sit on her epitaph, where she was laid down. The poet feels that nobody will remember he after his death.

Thus, the poet means to say that beauty is not internal. It vanishes with the passage of time.

Bihar Board 12 class English book :Summary of “Ode to Autumn”.

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‘Ode to Autumn’ is a very nice poem composed by John Keats. The poet was a great lover of Nature. In this poem, the poet describes the beauty and music of autumn in a series of memorable pictures.

Here, the poet exhibits the principles of beauty in nature. He says that autumn is the season of mists and ripening of fruits. During this seasons, fruits ripen as a result of the co-operation between an autumn and his close friends the sun. There is neither heat of summer nor bitter cold of winter. The rays of the sun makes the fruits fleshy, fat and tasty. Nature looks beautiful everywhere. Wind blows friendly and birds sing sweet songs. People are happy in this season. They can do their work easily in this season. In the last Stanza of the poem the poet presents autumn as a store- house of music. He says that autumn is not without its music. Nature remains calm and cool in this pleasant season everywhere.

Thus, the poet means to say that autumn is a very pleasant season. This season makes a man happy and active.