My Own True family Poem Solutions

Ch 4 – My Own True family Poem Solutions

Content Structure

1. About the author – (Ted Hughes)
2. Summary
3. Word meanings
4. Comprehension exercises
5. Grammar in Use
6. Writing activities

1. About the author – (Ted Hughes)

Edward James ‘Ted’ Hughes was an English poet born on August 17, 1930. His poems describe nature, animals, and deep human thoughts. He served as the Poet Laureate of Great Britain from 1984 until his death. In his poetry, he describes the magical experience of a young child in an oakwood and shows that human beings and trees should thrive as a single family. His famous books include Birthday Letters, The Hawk in the Rain, and Tales from Ovid. He died in 1998.

2. Summary

In the poem, the author, Ted Hughes, describes the importance of nature, which we often destroy to meet our own needs without thinking about the future or the pain of the trees. Through this poem, the poet warns us about the problems we may face and urges us to plant more trees. At the beginning of the poem, he introduces a young child who goes into the oakwood forest one day to search for a deer. There, the child meets a mysterious woman who tells him that she has a secret, small bag and then opens her bag with a cackling laugh that makes the child nervous and scared. After that, the boy feels as if he has reached a dream, a place where many oak trees surround him and tell him they are his true family. People have ignored them and cut down all the oakwood to fulfill their own needs. Many young children have also torn off fresh leaves which is painful and the trees complain about being treated without care. In the forest, all the oak trees warn the child that if people did not care and protect them, they will suffer. They also ask the boy to make a promise: that if one oak tree is cut down, he will plant two more and care for them. He understood this is a meaningful dream about the life and pain of trees who suffer every day. This dream deeply changes the boy’s mind. When the boy returns from the forest, he is a different person. On the outside he still looks like a child but inside he feels like a tree.

3. Word meanings

Word	English Meaning	Hindi Meaning
Crept	Moved slowly and quietly	धीरे-धीरे और चुपचाप चला गया
Stag	A male deer	नर हिरन
Knobbly	Bumpy or uneven	उभरा हुआ या ऊबड़-खाबड़
Rag	Old and torn cloth	पुराना और फटा हुआ कपड़ा
Quake	To shake or tremble	कांपना या हिलना
Cackle	A loud, sharp laugh	तीखी और जोर से हँसी
Staring	Looking fixedly at something	घूरना
Torn	Ripped or broken	फटा हुआ
Blink	To quickly close and open eyes	पलक झपकाना
Swear	To make a serious promise	सच्ची कसम खाना या वादा करना
Bark	Outer covering of a tree	पेड़ की छाल

4. Comprehension exercises

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

(a) Creeping in an oakwood, the poet was looking for a
(i) goat
(ii) rhinoceros
(iii) stag
(iv) buffalo

Ans: (iii) stag

2. Whenever an oak tree is felled, the number of trees the poet is
(i) two
(ii) three
(iii) four
(iv) five

Ans: (i) two

3. When the poet came out of the oakwood, his heart was that of a
(i) stag
(ii) tree
(iii) human child
(iv) old woman

Ans: (ii) tree

2. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/phrases/words in support of your answer:

(a) The old woman held the poet’s secrets in her little bag. (True)
S/S: The boy met an old woman in the forest who showed him the secrets she kept in her small bag.

(b) The tree tribes said that the poet is bothered to see the chopping down of oak trees. (False)
S/S: The trees said. “We are chopped down, we are torn up, and you do not blink an eye.”

(c) The poet never came out of the oak wood. (False)
S/S: When the poet came out of the oakwood, his mind had completely changed.

3. Answer the following questions:

(a) When did the poet come twice awake?
Ans: The poet came twice awake when the old woman opened her bag.

Physically awakening: At first, the poet woke up physically and became alert when he saw the old woman’s secret bag.
Emotionally awakening: The second awakening was emotional. The poet began to feel and understand the pain of the trees. It was a deeper realization that touched his heart and changed the way he thought.

(b) What would happen to the poet if he failed to make the promise?
Ans: The old woman would kill the poet if he failed to keep the promise. This showed her the power and seriousness she held.

(c) What was it that altered the poet?
Ans: The poet was altered by the dream he had seen under the oak trees. He realised it was not an ordinary dream because when he came back from the oak trees into the human world, he felt that something inside him had changed. His body still looked like a young child, but his heartfelt deeply connected to nature as if he were part of a tree.

5. Grammar in Use

4. Change the following into indirect speech:

(a) Rahul asked Dipa, “Will you go to school today?”
Ans: Rahul asked Dipa if she would go to school that day.

(b) Rita said to Ayesha, “Please give me a glass of water.”
Ans: Rita requested Ayesha to give her a glass of water.

6. Writing activities

Your school is going to host the inter-school District Sports Competition. Suppose you are the Secretary of the Sports Club of your school. Write a notice (within 100 words) calling students to participate in the competition. Mention the time, date, and venue of the competition. Your notice should be countersigned by the Headmistress/Headmaster of your school.

Garden High School
Notice

20/12/2014

Inter-school district sports competition

Students are hereby informed that our school is going to organize an inter-school sports competition on 20th December 2014 in the school playground. The competition will be held in several categories of sports. The categories include badminton, tennis, sack race, basketball, racing, football, and long jump. Students of classes V to XII are eligible to participate in the competition. Interested students should register their names with the sports teacher before 30th October 2014. Each student can participate in any two categories. No registration fee is required for participation. Winners will be awarded certificates and exciting prizes. This is a great opportunity to show your talent and team spirit. For any further information, the undersigned may be contacted.

Counter Signature
Headmistress
Puja Biswas

Sd/
Secretary of sports club
Garden High School