First Flight: Poetry Guide
Class 10 CBSE | Summaries, Hindi Translations & Important Questions
Table of Contents
1. Dust of Snow (Robert Frost)
Detailed Summary
This is a short but powerful poem. The poet, Robert Frost, recounts a small incident that changed his mood. He was feeling depressed and hopeless. As he passed under a Hemlock tree (a poisonous tree associated with sorrow), a crow sitting on it shook the branch. Some dust of snow fell on the poet. This simple, natural act broke his cycle of sad thoughts. He realized that nature had given him a new perspective, and he decided to utilize the rest of the day happily instead of regretting it.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: A “dust of snow” refers to the fine particles or flakes of snow. The sudden shower of these snowflakes falling upon the poet changed his mood. The soft, cold touch of the snow shook him out of his depressive thoughts and made him feel refreshed.Q2: How does Frost present nature in this poem? (3 Marks)
Ans: Frost presents nature in an unconventional way. Instead of using beautiful birds like peacocks or trees like maple, he chooses a Crow and a Hemlock tree. Both are usually associated with negativity, bad omens, or sorrow. Frost uses them to show that even the “negative” aspects of nature can bring joy and healing.
2. Fire and Ice (Robert Frost)
Detailed Summary
The poet meditates on the inevitable end of the world. He presents two opposing theories: one that the world will end in fire, and the other that it will end in ice. “Fire” stands for human desire, greed, and lust—emotions that spread quickly and destroy. “Ice” stands for hatred, coldness, and rigidity. The poet personally sides with “fire” (desire) initially but concludes that “ice” (hatred) is equally powerful and competent to cause total destruction.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: ‘Fire’ symbolizes intense human passions like greed, conflict, fury, and avarice (uncontrollable desire). ‘Ice’ symbolizes cold reasoning, indifference, hatred, and rigidity.Q2: To say that for destruction ice is also great for the poet, what does “ice” stand for? How is it sufficient? (3 Marks)
Ans: Ice stands for hatred. It is “sufficient” because hatred is a slow poison. Unlike desire (fire) which burns quickly, hatred lingers in people’s minds, making them indifferent and cruel. Prolonged hatred can ruin relationships and nations, eventually destroying the world.
3. A Tiger in the Zoo (Leslie Norris)
Detailed Summary
The poem paints a pathetic picture of a tiger caged in a zoo. The poet contrasts the tiger’s confined life with his natural life in the jungle. In the zoo, the tiger walks quietly in his limited space, ignoring visitors, suppressing his anger. If he were free, he would be sliding through long grass near a water hole to catch a plump deer or terrorizing a village with his roar. The poem ends with the tiger staring at the brilliant stars, longing for freedom, highlighting the cruelty of keeping wild animals in captivity.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: The tiger is not happy because his freedom has been stolen. He is confined to a small concrete cell where he cannot use his strength or hunting skills. He feels helpless and ignores the visitors because their presence only reminds him of his captivity.Q2: Contrast the tiger in the cage with the tiger in the wild. (Long Answer)
Ans: In the cage, the tiger is powerless. He walks on velvet pads quietly but is full of rage. He is just a showpiece for visitors. In the wild, however, he is majestic and feared. He lurks in shadows, hunts for survival, and his roar terrorizes the villagers. The wild represents his true nature, while the cage represents a life of suppression.
4. How to Tell Wild Animals (Carolyn Wells)
Detailed Summary
This is a humorous poem where the poet suggests dangerous ways to identify wild beasts. She says if an animal roars at you while you are dying, it is an Asian Lion. If a beast with black stripes on a yellow ground eats you, it is a Bengal Tiger. If an animal hugs you tightly until you die, it is a Bear. A Hyena is known for its merry smile, while a Crocodile sheds tears while eating prey. Finally, a Chameleon has no ears or wings and changes color to match the tree.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: The poet distinguishes them by their facial expressions. A Hyena is described as having a smiling face (merry smiles), whereas a Crocodile is described as weeping (shedding tears) while swallowing its prey.Q2: What is the “famous” method suggested by the poet to identify a Lion and a Tiger? (3 Marks)
Ans: The poet suggests that if a large tawny beast roars so loudly that you die of fear, it is an Asian Lion. However, if a noble beast with black stripes on a yellow background simply “eats you,” then you can be sure it is a Bengal Tiger. The humor lies in the fact that you identify them only when you are being killed.
5. The Ball Poem (John Berryman)
Detailed Summary
A young boy plays with his ball and accidentally bounces it into the water. He is devastated and stands trembling, staring at the spot where his ball went. The poet watches this but decides not to interfere or offer money for a new ball. He believes the boy must learn the lesson of “loss.” In this materialistic world, people will lose things they love, and they cannot always be replaced. The boy is learning his first lesson of responsibility—how to accept loss and move on.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: The poet wants the boy to learn the lesson of loss independently. Offering money or a new ball would be a temporary solution and would prevent the boy from understanding the deeper meaning of responsibility and the permanence of loss.Q2: What is the epistemology of loss in this poem? (Long Answer)
Ans: The “epistemology of loss” refers to understanding the nature of loss. The poem teaches that loss is an inevitable part of life. We lose childhood, possessions, and loved ones. The boy learns that grieving is natural, but one must eventually stand up and survive. Money (“external”) cannot buy back memories or lost time.
6. Amanda! (Robin Klein)
Detailed Summary
The poem depicts the clash between a controlling parent (likely the mother) and a young girl, Amanda. The mother constantly instructs Amanda: “Don’t bite your nails,” “Clean your room,” “Do your homework,” “Sit up straight.” Amanda, tired of this nagging, escapes into her imagination. She imagines herself as a Mermaid drifting in a calm sea, an Orphan roaming freely in dusty streets, or Rapunzel living alone in a tower. She desires silence and freedom, showing that she feels suffocated at home.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: Amanda is fed up with the constant instructions and lack of freedom in her house. She wishes to be an orphan not because she doesn’t love her parents, but because she imagines an orphan’s life as free, where she can wander the streets and make patterns in the dust with her bare feet without anyone scolding her.Q2: Is Amanda a moody girl? (3 Marks)
Ans: The mother accuses Amanda of being moody (“Stop that sulking”). However, Amanda is not necessarily moody by nature; she is simply overwhelmed by the constant nagging. Her silence is a defense mechanism to escape the harsh reality of her mother’s criticism.
7. The Trees (Adrienne Rich)
Detailed Summary
The poem describes a conflict between man and nature. Decorative trees are kept inside a house, but their roots and leaves are struggling to break free from the floor and windows to reach the forest. The poet sits writing letters, ignoring the struggle of the trees. By morning, the trees march out triumphantly. This poem is also a metaphor for women (who were confined to domestic spaces) finally breaking their barriers and moving out into the world to find their identity.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: The trees are inside the poet’s house. Their roots work all night to disengage from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves strain toward the glass, and the twigs are stiff with exertion, trying to break free from the confinement of the house.Q2: What is the central theme of the poem “The Trees”? (Long Answer)
Ans: The central theme is the conflict between humanity and nature. Humans capture nature for decoration (indoor plants), but nature cannot be permanently imprisoned; it will struggle to return to its natural habitat. Metaphorically, it represents the liberation of women who are breaking free from patriarchal restrictions (the “house”) to join the wider world (the “forest”).
8. Fog (Carl Sandburg)
Detailed Summary
Carl Sandburg captures the beauty and mystery of fog in just six lines. He personifies the fog as a cat. Just as a cat comes silently on its soft paws, the fog arrives quietly over the harbor and the city. It does not stay forever; it sits, looks over the city “on silent haunches” (like a cat sitting with knees bent), and then moves on. The poem highlights the transient (temporary) nature of natural phenomena.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: The poet uses the metaphor of a cat.1. A cat walks silently on padded paws; fog arrives silently.
2. A cat sits on its haunches and watches; fog settles over the city and “looks.”
3. A cat moves away quietly; the fog eventually disappears.
Q2: What does “on silent haunches” mean? (2 Marks)
Ans: It refers to the way a cat sits with its hind legs bent and body raised. The fog is imagined to be sitting in this posture, looking over the harbor and city calmly before moving on.
9. The Tale of Custard the Dragon (Ogden Nash)
Detailed Summary
This is a ballad (a poem that tells a story). Belinda lives with her pets: Ink (cat), Blink (mouse), Mustard (dog), and Custard (dragon). Everyone except Custard boasts about their bravery. They tease Custard for being a coward because he always cries for a safe cage. However, one day a pirate with pistols and a knife breaks into the house. The “brave” pets run away and hide in fear. It is Custard who charges at the pirate, snorting like an engine, and eats him up. Ironically, after the danger passes, the other pets resume boasting, and Custard humbly agrees that they are braver than him.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: Custard cried for a cage because he liked peace and safety, unlike the others who liked to show off. He is called “cowardly” because he did not boast about his strength like the Dog or the Cat. However, his “cowardice” was just a facade for his gentle nature.Q2: How did Custard prove to be the real hero? (Long Answer)
Ans: When the pirate attacked, the so-called brave pets (Ink, Blink, Mustard) fled in terror. Belinda was helpless. Custard, the one ridiculed as a coward, jumped into action. He clashed his tail, snorted like an engine, and attacked the pirate, swallowing him whole. He proved that real bravery is shown in actions during a crisis, not in empty words.
10. For Anne Gregory (WB Yeats)
Detailed Summary
The poem is a dialogue between the poet and a young girl named Anne Gregory. Anne has beautiful honey-colored hair. The poet tells her that young men fall in love with her because of her hair (outer beauty), not for who she really is inside. Anne replies that she can dye her hair black, brown, or carrot color to make herself look less attractive, so that men love her for her “inner self.” The poet concludes that he heard a religious man say that only God has the capacity to love a person for themselves alone, irrespective of their physical beauty.
Hindi Translation (हिन्दी अनुवाद)
Important CBSE Questions & Answers
Ans: “Ramparts” are high walls around a fort. Here, the poet uses it as a metaphor for Anne’s beautiful yellow hair that falls over her ears. They act as a wall that prevents men from looking inside at her true character; men get trapped by the beauty of the hair instead.Q2: What is the central idea of the poem? (3 Marks)
Ans: The central idea is the difference between physical beauty and spiritual love. Humans are naturally attracted to outer appearances (like yellow hair), and it is almost impossible for a human to love someone solely for their inner personality. Only God can love a person “for themselves alone.”