SHRI RAM GLOBAL SCHOOL, WHITEFIELD, BLR-67

KEEPING QUIET
Pablo Neruda

Theme
Keeping Quiet is a simple poem about the need for a little bit of soul-searching which may
help us to make peace with ourselves and others. It tells us how a moment of silent
introspection will make us realize the utter futility of our aggressive endeavours.

Summary
In the poem "Keeping Quiet, Pablo Neruda talks about the need for introspection and to
create a feeling of mutual understanding, love and respect in the human world. He speaks
about life where human beings are engrossed in their selfish motives and are living a life
full of strife and destruction.

The poet asks everyone in the world to keep still for twelve seconds to create a togetherness.
He wants all the people on the earth, not to talk in any language but to maintain a silence to
communicate with each other's heart. He believes that this sudden moment of silence will be
an exotic moment. There will be no noise and no movement. The fishermen in the sea will
stop killing the whales and the men who gather salt will stop their work and look at their hurt
hands. This kind of break will enable both nature and man to embalm their wounds. Due to
this break, human beings will start looking and caring for themselves rather than their work.
Moreover, those who are fighting with each other, will stop and walk about with their fellow
brethren.

Pablo Neruda clarifies that he does not want to advocate total inactivity or death. He is
concerned that we all are running blindly in a rat race and, in this process, we have completely
missed our true goal to keep a balance between man and nature. There is great sadness in
human beings for, they do not understand themselves. A huge silence will break this sadness.
We should learn from nature. When everything comes alive in nature after a period of
seeming death, it is equivalent to this silence. After this death, there comes life. This is a
dangerous situation and can bring catastrophic results. So, our survival in this world depends
upon our ability to understand and rectify this. This can be done only when we introspect
and develop a feeling of understanding with each other.
What does the title of the poem suggest to you? What do you think the poem is about?

Ans The title of the poem suggests the importance of silence. The poem is about the
importance of quiet introspection for all. Our speech and activities often bring about trouble
and suffering, so they need to be controlled.

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Think it Out

1. What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
or
Why does Pablo Neruda want us to count till twelve and keep still?
or
What will keeping still help us achieve?
Ans. Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to get some time to stop all our
normal activities and self-introspect our actions, helping us change our destructive ways
and promote brotherhood among men.

2. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans. No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He clarifies that he has no
truck with death. According to him, life is meant to be lived to the fullest. He just wants the
inhuman and destructive activities to stop.

3. What is the sadness' that the poet refers to in the poem?

Ans. The poet refers to the sadness that arises from the failure to understand ourselves.
Today we are so engrossed in achieving materialistic success that we have no time to
introspect about our actions and their consequences. Hence, we often end up hurting
ourselves and which results in sadness.

4.What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under
apparent stillness?
Ans. The poet uses nature as a symbol to explain his idea that there can be life under
apparent stillness. An example from nature is the Earth itself as when everything seems
dead, later proves to be alive.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in 'Keeping Quiet?
Ans. The poet refers to the moment of stillness and quietness as an exotic moment because
it will initiate peace and brotherhood. There would be no movement, no talk, no activity
and consequently, no violence.

2. Why does one feel 'a sudden strangeness' on counting to twelve and keeping quiet?
Ans. Normally people are active and sounds of machines are heard. When we keep quiet
and introspect, it will be a strange and unfamiliar moment. Thus, we will feel 'a sudden
strangeness' at this moment.

3.How would keeping quiet affect life in and around the sea?

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Ans. Keeping quiet would affect life in and around the sea in two ways. By keeping quiet,
the fisherman will not kill whales for some time. Also, the salt gatherers will get some time
to heal their hurt hands.

4. How will 'keeping quiet' protect our environment?

Ans. Keeping quiet and introspecting will initiate peace and brotherhood among men,
halting all destructive activities like waging wars which harm people besides damaging the
environment. Thus, the environment will be protected.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Analyse the importance of the dramatic count to twelve in 'Keeping Quiet.

Ans The poem opens with the poet's appeal to begin with a count to twelve followed by a
moment of silence, The poet links silence with hope for moment of togetherness. The
repetition of the poet's request to count to twelve in the first and last stanzas creates a
personal space of silence in the poem.

The poet seeks this moment of silence as a moment to introspect and meditate, to share a
feeling of oneness. The poet wishes that in the feeling, oneness. The poet wishes that in this
selected moment, the fishermen would not kill the whales and the men gathering salt would
give rest to their injured hands. The threat of destruction of the world would come to a halt.
In this chosen moment we would have time for self- assessment. The number 'twelve' is
dramatically significant represent our clock time, a moment in real life.

2.How is the poet's appeal for keeping quite different from absolute sluggishness?

Ans. The poet, in his appeal for keeping quiet, emphasises the importance of self-
introspection in a man's life. He urges us to seek a moment to understand ourselves and
analyse our actions as we experience the sadness of death.

The poet's appeal for a moment of silence or stillness should not be mistaken as a moment
of inactivity or absolute sluggishness.

He seeks a silence where people are not obsessed with work and give a personal moment to
think about their actions. This moment of silence will help them to overcome their woes
and defects. The poet even feels that the Earth will enlighten men in this process as silence
is only a moment captured where there is activity under apparent stillness.

3. Analyse the poetic devices that the poet adopts in the poem.

Ans .The poet has incorporated the use of repetition in the line 'let's not speak' and 'let's
stop for one second' to create the poetic effect of emphasis on his readers. Even the phrases
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"count to twelve' and 'count up to twelve' are symbolic as the poet repeats his request to
keep quiet for a second time. The word 'twelve' symbolises a measure of time representing
our clock time in real life, capturing a moment from our present time. The phrases 'hurt
hands' and 'clean clothes' are examples of alliteration.
Man will cleanse his soul, heart and mind in the process:

The word brothers here implies brotherhood and a synecdoche is used by using a concrete
object instead of an abstract concept.

There is use of metaphor in 'put on clean clothes', as the poet wants the warmongers to shed
their blood-soiled clothes (meaning, stop wars) and put on fresh clothes (meaning, follow
brotherhood).
Practice Question
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
1. "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."
(i) Why does the poet want us to keep quiet?
(a) To avoid headache
(b) To think about strategies
(c) To get time to introspect
(d) To do nothing at all
(ii) Why does he advocate silence?
(a) To create a peaceful atmosphere
(b) Men is able to take stock of harmful activities done by him
(c) To have a meeting
(d) To practice yoga
(iii) What does he mean by 'not move our arms?
(a) To sit in active
(b) To lie down

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 (c) Sit still and not get involved in any activity
(d) To get some physical relief
(iv) What happens when no one speaks in any language?
(a)There is calm and peace all around
(b) No misunderstanding
(c) No debate or altercation between people
(d) To forget ourselves
(v) What will be special about this moment?
(vi) Which literary device has been used in the given lines?

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions in 40-50 words.
1. Why does the poet want everyone to keep quiet after he counts to twelve?
2. How can a few moments of introspection affect our lives?
3. What is the single-mindedness that the poet talks about?
4. What are the causes of 'sadness' according to Pablo Neruda?
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Answer the following questions in 120-150 words.
1. How, according to Pablo Neruda, can keeping quiet change our attitude to
life? Explain.
2. In the poem 'Keeping Quiet', the poet highlights the need for quiet
introspection and mutual understanding leading to peace.
Do you think that keeping quiet may prove the way to peace even in today's
world? Discuss.
3. "Under the apparent stillness there is life." Do you agree with this statement?
Justify your answer with examples.