Keeping Quiet

Keeping Quiet Summary

About the Poet - Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda (1904 – 1973) was the ‘pen name’ and later, ‘legal name’ of this famous Chilean poet – diplomat – politician. He won the Noble prize for literature in the year 1971. He wrote in green ink which was his personal symbol for desire and hope.  His writings are simple, wherein lies their beauty.
Originally written in Spanish, the essence of this poem is based on introspection and retrospection. The poet feels that some soul – searching is needed for us to be at peace with ourselves and others.

Keeping Quiet Summary

“Keeping Quiet” is a peace poem written by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poet asks humanity to count numbers from one to twelve - twelve being the number of hours shown in a clock or the number of zodiac signs. He requests everyone not to speak because languages create barriers between people. The moment when everyone stops moving their body will be very special and different as we have never experienced such a moment before.
The poet says that in this period of inactivity the fishermen would not harm the whales, the salt gatherers will not hurt their hands, those who are busy destroying the nature will adopt a new approach towards life, The men who are preparing for wars and victory based on deaths of innocent people will join their enemy and stand in unity with them, doing nothing. No one will harm himself or any other person. Everyone will unite and ponder upon his acts and realize the results of his deeds.
The poet clarifies his idea and says further that he does not want that people should stand idle. He wants that there should be no war because he does not want to see trucks laden with dead bodies of the soldiers. He is promoting Universal brotherhood and peace.
The poet says that everyone is working continuously, to achieve one’s goals. People are threatened by death and the fear forces them to work endlessly so that they can achieve everything quickly. In this mad rush, they do not realize the repurcutions of their acts. He wants us to pause and come out of the mad rush. He wants us to be happy about our achivements and celebrate them. He wants us to overcome the fear of death and to relax for a while. We should know the results of our deeds and celebrate our achievements.

When the people will remain quiet for a while, they will realize the purpose of their lives. Just like all the creations of nature undergo a rebirth with the change of seasons, similary, keeping quiet will be a rebirth for the human soul. It will give a new meaning to our life. Again, the poet says that he will count till twelve and asks everyone to remain quiet while he leaves.

First stanza
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

Keeping Quiet Explanation

1. The poet asks everyone to count up to twelve in their mind. The number twelve represents the hours of the day or the months of a year.
2. He wants all of us to be calm and still.
3. People across the nations have to unite together, so, they shall not speak their own languages, rather they all shall keep quiet and speak the language of silence.
4. This will bring unity among all the humans on the face of the Earth.
5. For at least one moment, no one shall move his arms either to signal, or to fight, or argue with each other.

Second stanza
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Explanation
When everything will come to a standstill, it will be a rare situation.

1. No one will be in a rush, there will be no engines running.
2. Everyone will be calm and quiet, united with each other in a strange atmosphere.
3. It will be strange because it has never happened earlier.
4.  No person would be harming any other living being either for food or to earn his livelihood.
5. All the people who work endlessly will get some time to look at their injuries and the damage they have caused to their body.

Third stanza
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.


Explanation

1. The people who exploit the green wealth of nature by deforestation, or mining, or fishing in the deep seas and the soldiers who use weapons to kill fellow human beings need some time to introspect into the consequences of their actions. They are merely doing their job or following orders.
2.  He wants them to put on ‘new clothes’ i.e. to adopt a new approach towards life and to realize that killing so many people is not a victory.
3.  He wants all of us to be united as one, consider our enemy to be our brother.
4.  He is promoting brotherhood, peace and unity.
5.  He does not want us to stop our works but to take some time and analyze the results of our deeds.

Fourth stanza
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could perhaps a huge silence       
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.


Explanation

1. All human beings work endlessly with the aim of  completing all their tasks.
2. They are driven by the target of survival and the threat of death.
3. So they are in a mad rush to accomplish all  their  works.
4. He says that perhaps, if they pause for a while, they can appreciate their achievements and their lives would become happier.
5. He suggests that by keeping quiet, we will be able to understand the true purpose of our life.

Fifth stanza
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.


Explanation
The poet suggests us to take a teaching from nature.

1. As the Earth undergoes changes, in winter, everything freezes, becomes lifeless but after some time, the season changes again, and everything comes back to life.
2. Similarly, taking a pause and introspecting into our lives will give it a new meaning. We will be able to understand the purpose of our life. It will be like a re birth of the soul.
3. The poet has conveyed to all the people the purpose of his message and so, he asks them once again to take a pause, count till twelve and walks out of the scene, keeping the scene open for all the people on the Earth to experience this for times to come.

Syllabus-HY for Class 12

Syllabus for Half Yearly Examination---Class 12

Section A--Reading Comprehension    (30 marks)
1. Passage 1                                           (12)
2. Passage 2                                           (10)
3. Passage 3 for Note Making               (8)

Section B --Advanced Writing Skills    (30 marks)
4. Notice/Advertisement                         (4)
5. Letter                                                   (6)
6.Article/Report                                      (10)
7.Debate/Speech                                     (10)

Section C --Literature                            (40 marks)
8. Extract--Mostly from Poem              (4)
9. Short Answers (any 4)                      (3x4=12)
10. Long Answer                                  (6)
11. Long Answer                                  (6)
12. Long Answer                                  (6)
13. Long Answer                                  (6)

Chapters Included
Flamingo  (Prose)
1.The Last Lesson
2.Lost Spring
3. Deep Water
Flaming (Poetry)
4. My Mother at 66
5. An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum
Vistas
6. The Tiger King
7. The Enemy
8. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
9. On the Face of It

An Elementary.....

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

In this poem the poet focuses on the theme of social injustice and inequalities. He presents the pathetic and miserable picture of the elementary classroom in a slum. These children have pale and lifeless faces and some are even diseased. They are like rootless weeds which are uncared and unwanted with their disorderly hair torn around their faces. They are depressed and oppressed with the burdens of life and keep their heads down. They have stunted growth. One of the girls is apparently burdened with the miseries of poverty.

One of the boys has inherited his father’s disease and has stunted growth. Another student is sitting unnoticed and he is yearning to play outdoors. A sweet young boy is sitting at the back of the dim classroom. He is dreaming of a squirrel’s game in the trees and probably other interesting things.

The walls are dirty and creamy and on them are hung the donations given to the school in the form of pictures, paintings, Shakespeare’s portrait and maps which are meaningless for the children. They exhibit the world of the elite and the privileged while the children in the slum have a future that is sealed and confined to the slum. Their future is dark and limited. The donations on the walls only add to the frustration of the children. They are tempted to attain what would be unattainable for them. The children studying in these schools do not have the means to go and explore the world.

For them what they see through their classroom windows, the narrow street and the lead sky is the world. Shakespeare is wicked for them as he has written only about the rich, beautiful world tempting them to steal.

The map is of no interest to them because it does not reflect the world they live in-cramped and dark lanes. Their lives start in darkness and ends in utter darkness. They are undernourished and their poverty has distorted their vision as they spend their whole time in foggy slums. The poet feels that the map which shows beautiful and exotic places should be replaced with slums as it is not the world they live in.

Unless the governor inspector and visitor play a vital role in bringing about a change, their lives will remain in dark. The slum children will be able to peep through the window only when the gap between the two worlds is bridged.

They should break the barriers till they come out of the dirty surroundings and their world should be extended into the green fields, golden sands and bright world. They should have the freedom of expression and their outlook be broadened. Thus, the children in the slum can progress only if they are given good education and the freedom to move into a world of opportunities and progress. The poet also states that history is made only by those people who have the power of knowledge. Hence, educating and letting the children into a free world of opportunities would release them from the suffocating, wretched life in a slum.

Similes:

Like rootless weeds: the coarse, untidy and unkempt hair of the slum children is similarised to rootless weeds to bring forth the idea that the children were malnourished.

Like bottle bits on stones: the shining mended glasses of the spectacles is contrasted against the dark complexion of the malnourished slum children. The mental framed, broken glasses of the spectacles of the slum children is similarised to the shining bottle bits on stones. The slum children settled on the waste heap is similarised to the splinters and pieces of broken bottle/glass against stones.

Like the broken glasses of the spectacles, the hopes , aspirations , ambitions lives of these slum children are completely shattered.

Like catacombs: The slum children are living in dark and dingy rooms which are

similarised to catacombs in subterranean cemetery. The windows of these rooms look like the lids of catacombs. The future of the slum children is shut for ever like the dead bodies in the catacombs.

Slum as bid as doom: slum is similarised to hell of death. Living in slum is worse than death, rather it is a living hell.

Metaphors:

Rat’s eyes: suggests the boy’s curious, anxious and insecure nature. Like a rat always insecure, on the move, searching for food and safety, this small boy too shares the same condition.

Father’s gnarled disease: the boy’s father is handicapped with a crooked body. The boy has inherited his father’s disease and the malnourished body of the paper seeming boy is no better than the crooked, disease-stricken body of his father.

Squirrel’s game: Like the squirrel enjoys his freedom playing feely everywhere in nature, the boy also wants to play and enjoy his life with his endless curiosity. But he is forced to be in the dark, dull and dreary classroom of the slum school.

Tree room: The hiding place of squirrel with great, comfort, security, curiosity and fun is contrasted with the gloomy and dull class room of the little boy.

Future painted with fog: Just as fog blocks, blurs or ruins vision, the slum children’s future is vague and blurred with hopelessness, frustrations and lack of empathy and upliftment.

Lead sky: The normal bright and blue sky is described as lead sky, suggesting the dark and dull sky just as the base metal lead is. There is no blue and bright sky of life and future for the slum children.

Spectacles of steel: The poverty-stricken, skinny and skeletal bodies of the slum children look like wiry framework of steel just like that of a pair of spectacles. The expression also suggest the view of mass of students, visually impaired wearing low-cost and unhealthy spectacles with metal frames. These poor children are deprived of everything due to the callous attitude of the government officials.