Ode to a Nightingale - Poem - XI - Elective English

Poem - Ode to a Nightingale -XI Elective Poetry

Summary

The poem Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats begins as the speaker starts to feel disoriented from listening to the song of the nightingale, as if he had just drunk something very strong. He feels bitter sweet happiness at the thought of the nightingale's carefree life.

The speaker wishes he had a special wine distilled directly from the earth. He wants to drink such a wine and fade into the forest with the nightingale. He wants to escape the worries and concerns of life, age, and time.

He uses poetry to join the nightingale's nighttime world, deep in the dark forest where hardly any moonlight can reach. He can't see any of the flowers or plants around him, but he can smell them. He thinks it wouldn't be so bad to die at night in the forest, with no one around except the nightingale singing.

But the nightingale can't die. The nightingale must be immortal, because so many different kinds of generations of people have heard its song throughout history, everyone from clowns and emperors to Biblical characters to people in fantasy stories.

The speaker's vision is interrupted when the nightingale flies away and leaves him alone. He feels abandoned and disappointed that his imagination is not strong enough to create its own reality. He is left confused and bewildered, not knowing the difference between reality and dreams.

Q. How does the nightingale's song plunge the poet into a state of ecstasy?
Answer:
Keats composed this poem when he was sitting under a plum tree in the garden of his house in Hampstead. The nightingale's song inspired him to write and he completed the poem within a day. The opening lines of the poem are sad and melancholic. he disparagingly expresses that his "heart aches" giving him a feeling as if he is poisoned or drugged. But he further explains that his present state of numbness

When Keats was sitting under a plum tree in the garden of his house, in Hampstead, he composed this poem. He was inspired by Nightingale's song and completed the poem within one day. The poet begins the poem in a melancholic mood and disparagingly expresses how his “heart aches” as if he is poisoned or is drugged. He felt as if he drank Lethe's water and was drowsy. Then it is revealed that actually it is the nearby bird, the Nightingale's song which is the reason of the poet's happiness. The poet addresses the Nightingale that he is happy in the bird's happiness.

Class X - Supplementary Reader - Footprints without Feet L10-The Book That Saved the Earth

Class X - Supplementary Reader- Footprints without Feet L10-The Book That Saved the Earth

READ AND FIND OUT

• Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the Book’?
  
  The twentieth century was called the 'Era of the Book' because it this century knowledge was transferred and stored through books. There were books about everything and any imaginable topic.
• Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century?
  
  Martians tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century.
• What guesses are made by Think–Tank about the books found on earth?He guesses that the books found on earth are actually sandwiches. He later adds that these might be communication sandwiches used by the earthlings for communication.

THINK ABOUT IT

1. Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
   
   Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank while correcting his mistakes by not correcting him directly. He always gives Think-Tank that he is just proving an extra information to his boss and master. The master is smart enough to improvise and use that information and correct himself.
2. If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?
   
   I would handle the Think-Tank's mistakes the same way as Noodle did because it is the best method to correct someone without offending him.
3. Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?
   
   Yes, I think that books are being replaced by electronic media. But it appears impossible to do away with books altogether in the near future.
4. Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion?
   
   Books are referred to as a man's best companion because books can be relied on in every situation. These guide and provide knowledge and provide solace to those who feel lonely.