2.
1 Vocation
1. Which of the following words/phrases match in meaning to the underlined ones?
i) nobody takes him to task – nobody scolds and corrects him.
ii) If he gets baked in the Sun – if he gets exposed to heat.
iii) chasing the shadows with my lantern – following imaginary goals with my lantern.
iv) The lane is dark and lonely – The lane is deserted.
v) He soils his clothes with dust – He dirties his clothing.
vi) There is no road he must take – There is no particular route he must take.
2.
Time of the Location Poet’s Hawker’s Gardener’s Watchman’s
day Activity Activities Activities Activities
Morning In the lane Walking to Selling
School bangles
Afternoon Near the Returning Digging the
Poet’s house. from School ground
Night The Poet’s Watching Walking up
home from his bed, and down
through the the street,
open window swinging his
lantern
3. Think and answer in your own words.
(a) What could be the age group of the speaker in the poem?
Ans. The speaker in the poem could be a teenager.
(b) What is the difference between a hawker and a shopkeeper?
Ans. The hawker does not have a fixed place to sell his goods whereas the shopkeeper sells his
goods at his shop. The hawker goes from place to place to find his customers however, the
shopkeepers’ customers come to his shop to buy his goods.
(c) How do parents react when they see their children soil their clothes in dust and heat?
Ans. When parents see their children soil their clothes in dust and heat, they get angry with
them and scold them.
(d) Why is the street light compared to a one-red-eyed-giant?
Ans. The street light has a red or yellow light at the top and looks taller than usual in the dark
night. Therefore, the writer has compared the street light to a one-red-eyed giant.
(e) What exactly does the speaker in the poem crave for?
Ans. The speaker in the poem, who is a young school-going boy, craves for complete freedom
to do whatever he wishes, without any restrictions. He wants freedom from authority and
wishes to live a carefree life.
(f) Does the poet really wish to become a hawker/ gardener/ watchman? Justify your response.
Ans. No, the poet does not really wish to become a hawker/gardener/watchman. He is only a
young boy, who does not see the whole picture. He can see the hawker, gardener and the
watchman doing their work freely but he does not realise the difficulties they would have to
undergo in their respective jobs. By saying that he wishes to be a hawker, gardener or
watchman, the poet only expresses his desire for freedom.
4. Say why the speaker of the poem wishes to be a
(a) Hawker
Ans. The speaker in the poem wishes to be a hawker because he feels that the hawker does
not have to hurry everyday to reach any particular place. He feels that the hawker can return
home whenever he wishes. He does not have any particular route that he must follow
everyday. The poet also wishes to live such a life.
(b) Gardener
Ans. The speaker in the poem wishes to be a gardener because he feels that the gardener is
free to play I the mud, heat or water as much as he wants. He is not afraid of being scolded by
anyone. The poet too wishes that he could play in this manner without having to worry about
his parents scolding him.
(c) Watchman
Ans. The speaker in the poem wishes to be a watchman because he feels that the watchman
has the freedom to stay awake the whole night and walk in the lonely streets without worrying
about anyone telling him to go to bed early. The poet wishes that he too could play in the night
as long as he wanted without being afraid that his parents would scold him for staying awake
late at night.
5. Figures of Speech
a. Alliteration
1. Everyday I meet the hawker crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles!”
- The letter C is repeated.
2. I wish I were a hawker….
- The letter W is repeated.
3. I can see through the gate that house the
Gardener digging the ground.
- The letter G is repeated.
4. I can see through my open window the
Watchman walking up and down
- The letter W is repeated.
b. Simile
1.The street lamp stands like a giant with one red eye
In its head.
- The street lamp is directly compared to a giant.
c. Repetition
1. Everyday I meet the hawker crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles!”
- The word ‘Bangles’ is repeated for poetic effect.
2. There is no road he must take, no place he must go to, no
Time when he must come home.
- The word ‘no’ is repeated for poetic effect.
3. I wish I were a gardener digging away at the
garden with nobody to stop me from digging.
- The word ‘digging’ is repeated for poetic effect.
d. Antithesis
1. I can see through the open window the
Watchman walking up and down
- opposite words ‘ up and down’ are used for poetic effect.
e. Onomatopoeia
1. When the gong sounds ten in the morning
- The word ‘ gong’ suggests sound.
