Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls.
(Where the Mind is Without Fear: Rabindranath Tagore)
(i) To whom is the poet praying? Whose mind is the poet referring to in the beginning of the poem? Why?
(ii) In which situation is the head held high? What does he mean by ‘knowledge is free’? What are ‘narrow domestic walls’?
(iii) What does the poet mean by ‘tireless striving’? What does ‘clear stream’ refer to? Explain.
(iv) What is meant by ‘dead habit’? What is ‘dead habit’ compared to and why?
(v) What does the poet wish for at the end of the poem? What does the poem tell the readers about the poet? Give a reason to justify your answer.
Show SolutionHide Solution↓
(i)
- Almighty/ God/ Universal father/ Heavenly Father
- His countrymen/all Indians/ mankind/ all people
- India was under the subjugation of the British rule/ robbed of its pride and dignity/ a slave/ wanted to see his country free/ urge political and intellectual freedom of the mind. /where the mind is without fear[free]/ and the head is held high.
(ii)
- In self-respect/ pride / ideal environment in his country/ when one lives without any fear of oppression/ lives in a free nation/confidence
- Knowledge without any restrictions/ everyone has access to quality education/ education irrespective of caste, creed, religion/ education not the monopoly of the rich, or elite, or aristocratic/ right to education for the poor.
- Petty divisions on the basis of caste/ creed/ religion/ class/ language/ region/ colour / superstitions /prejudices
(iii)
- Trying hard without getting tired, exhausted/ continuous effort to achieve perfection/working hard/ persistent.
- Reason is compared to a clear stream/ clear stream of thought/ clarity of thoughts/scientific temper/ logical and rational/ intellect that is sharp and clear./progressive thoughts
- Metaphor/ no belief in narrow superstitions/ uninterrupted by obstructions of narrow thinking/ clear stream of thought /reason is like a clear stream which should not get lost in the dreary desert sand of dead habits.
(iv) Old outdated, traditions, superstitions, orthodox customs/ dreary desert sand / does not help man to progress / stagnates the course of judgement/our reason should not be lost in old traditions / nothing grows in the desert/no progress/ unproductive.
(v)
- He wants his nation to be awakened in a state where they achieve the truth and strive towards Perfection/ to a heaven of freedom/ countrymen to be led forward by ever widening thought and action/ He wants India to be awakened / to an ideal state where the mind is fearless /and hold his head high.
- Patriotic/ loved his country/ global citizen/religious and spiritual bent of mind/ sense of duty for his nation/ broad minded/ rational way of thinking/ farsighted/ wants to see India soaring high /rational way of thinking.