MOUNT LITERA ZEE SCHOOL
ENGLISH
Investigatory Report
2023-24
Submitted by:ANIMESH RAI
Submitted to: SHIVAM SIR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I warmly acknowledge the continuous
encouragement and timely suggestion made by
our beloved principal Ms. Sweta Srivastava. I also
extend my hearty thanks for giving me
opportunity to make use of facilities available in
the campus to carry out the project successfully.
I am highly indebted to our physics teacher Mr.
Shivam for the constant supervision providing
necessary information and supporting in
completing the project. I would like to express
gratitude towards them for kind cooperation and
encouragement.
Finally I express my gratitude towards each one
of them who were directly or indirectly involved
in completion of this project.
This project helped me gain a lot of
knowledge.
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Animesh Rai of Clas 12
completed the project on topic “Summary of poems
and about the authors of Flamingo” under the
guidance of Shivam Sir during the year 2023-24 in
partial fulfillment of English practical examination
of Central Board of Secondary Education.(C.B.S.E. )
Principal: Subject teacher:
MS.SWETA SRIVASTAVA MR. SHIVAM JAISWAL
INDEX
●ACKNOWLEDGMENT
●CERTIFICATE
●INTRODUCTION
●CONTENT
●SUMMARY OF POEMS
●ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FLAMINGO
SUMMARY AND
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OF POEMS
CONTENT
● My Mother at Sixty six
- by KAMALA DAS
● A Elementary School
Classroom in a Slum
-by STEPHEN SPENDER
● Keeping Quiet
-by PABLO NERUDA
● A Thing of Beauty
-by JOHN KEATS
● A Roadside Stand
-by ROBERT FROST
● Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
-by ADRIENNE RICH
My Mother at Sixty Six
-by Kamala Das
About the Author:-
Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May
2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name
Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an
Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam
from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly
on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in
English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for
the poems and explicit autobiography. She was also a widely
read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including
women's issues, child care, politics, etc. On 31 May 2009,
aged 75, she died at Jehangir Hospital in Pune.
Summary:-
Ageing is an inescapable phase of every human’s life. A
person enters their childhood, experiences adolescence
when they are energetic and have so many dreams. Finally,
every person approaches their old age and then they die.
Relationships between people become much stronger in
every phase of life. No one can’t bear the separation from
their loved ones just because of ageing.
Firstly, when the author going to the Cochin airport with
her mother she looks at her carefully and presents before us
her image. As she looks at her mother’s soft and whitish
face, she gets stuck with the fear of losing her mother. Her
mother with a sleepy face and open mouth is comparable to
a corpse. Here, the author shows love and affection in a
relationship between a mother and a daughter.
The poet is hurt and sad and shifts her attention outside the
car for driving out the undesirable feelings. She changes her
bad mood. The scene from the window of the car is of rising
life and energy. The fast sprinting green and huge trees
alongside the cheerfully playing kids represent life, youth,
and vitality. The poet here is remembering about her own
childhood. In her childhood, her mother was young and
beautiful. Whereas now her mother is surrounded by the
fear of losing her life and that made her insecure and sad.
She reaches the airport to take her flight. It shows departure
and parting which makes her sad. As she said goodbye to
her mother, the image of the old mother in the dusk of years
strikes her. Here again, a simile is comparable with her
mother with a late-night moon of the winters. The light of
the moon is an obstacle by the fog and haze as she appears
older now.
The poet is now feeling the pain of getting separated because
of leaving her mother. Her childhood fear of losing her
loving mother now became so terrifying. Now her mother
could die of old age anytime unexpectedly. She is so sad that
she starts crying slowly without control but keeping a brave
heart she hides her tears and starts smiling. Thus, she offers
her farewell to her old mother and keeps her hope of seeing
her mother alive again. She says “see you soon, Amma”.
She hides her tears and sorrow as she does not want to make
a painful and emotional environment. Moreover, she doesn’t
want her mother to cry and shows her that she is enjoying
her life. She expects her mother to be happy and enjoy her
life just like her.
AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CLASSROOM IN A SLUM
-by Stephen Spender
About the Author:-
Poet and critic Stephen Spender was born in 1909 in
London. He was a member of the generation of British poets
who came to prominence in the 1930s, a group—sometimes
referred to as the Oxford Poets—that included W.H. Auden,
Christopher Isherwood, C. Day Lewis, and Louis MacNeice.
In an essay on Spender’s work in Chicago Tribune Book
World, Gerald Nicosia wrote, “While preserving a reverence
for traditional values and a high standard of craftsmanship,
[these poets] turned away from the esotericism of T.S. Eliot,
insisting that the writer stay in touch with the urgent
political issues of the day and that he speak in a voice whose
clarity can be understood by all.” Spender’s numerous books
of poetry include Dolphins (1994), Collected Poems,
1928-1985, The Generous Days (1971), Poems of Dedication
(1946), and The Still Centre (1939) . From 1965 to 1966, he
served as the consultant in poetry to the Library of
Congress. He was professor of English at University
College, London from 1970 to 1977, and he frequently gave
lectures at universities in the United States. He was knighted
in 1983.
Summary:-
The appearance of the students shows that they are
unwelcome. The kids are having depressed facial
expressions. They have unhealthy bodies inherited from
their parents. At the end of the classroom, a kid is sitting
having bright eyes that fill with dreams.
The classroom has dirty and muddy walls. Many people have
given multiple charts and images for putting on the walls. A
poster is there of Shakespeare, his head is bald and looks
like the rising Sun. The second poster is of the Tyrolese
valley. Further, another one is a world map. For these
students, the world is not as they see in the picture. For these
students, the world is the scene that they see outside of the
classroom through the window. These children are stuck in
the slums. They have dim and hopeless futures. They all
have a dark and depressing future. Moreover, they have
options in life that are imperfect and are disappointing. They
are distant from the light of knowledge.
Understanding these pictures is out of their abilities.
Further, these kids hate everybody and for them,
Shakespeare was a good person. As nobody loves them, even
they disliked everybody. The want for love forces them to do
crimes like robbery, etc. The children are so thin that their
bones and skeleton are clearly visible through them. This is
because of the lack of nourishment. The glasses that are
made of steel and are cheap. The glasses they were are quite
heavy and uncomfortable at the same time. Their
probabilities of accomplishing their dreams and wants and
moving out of this poverty have been further reduced by
building bigger shantytowns. Until and unless they don’t
come out of the slums, they will never get to know about the
world outside.
The Government system that creates these slum areas is the
major cause that people live here. The students are not
having the right to dream out of these slums. The
government limits and restricts them to these slums. The
poet also appeals to the authorities for permitting these poor
kids to go out of these slums. The students need to see the
outer world. Moreover, the maps on the walls of the class
will surely become a reality for them. Moreover, they should
be taken to areas with fields and greenery. The sunny
atmosphere and the warm sand of the beach will connect
them with a hunger for knowledge. If these children will get
to learn then these children will become economically
authorized.
KEEPING QUIET
-by Pablo Neruda
About the Author :-
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), whose real name is Neftalí
Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, was born on 12 July, 1904, in the
town of Parral in Chile. His father was a railway employee
and his mother, who died shortly after his birth, a teacher.
Some years later his father, who had then moved to the town
of Temuco, remarried doña Trinidad Candia Malverde. The
poet spent his childhood and youth in Temuco, where he
also got to know Gabriela Mistral, head of the girls’
secondary school, who took a liking to him. At the early age
of thirteen he began to contribute some articles to the daily
“La Mañana”, among them, Entusiasmo y Perseverancia –
his first publication – and his first poem. In 1920, he became
a contributor to the literary journal “Selva Austral” under
the pen name of Pablo Neruda, which he adopted in memory
of the Czechoslovak poet Jan Neruda (1834-1891). Some of
the poems Neruda wrote at that time are to be found in his
first published book: Crepusculario (1923). The following
year saw the publication of Veinte poemas de amor y una
cancion desesperada, one of his best-known and most
translated works. Alongside his literary activities, Neruda
studied French and pedagogy at the University of Chile in
Santiago.
Between 1927 and 1935, the government put him in charge
of a number of honorary consulships, which took him to
Burma, Ceylon, Java, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Barcelona,
and Madrid. His poetic production during that difficult
period included, among other works, the collection of
esoteric surrealistic poems, Residencia en la tierra (1933),
which marked his literary breakthrough.
The Spanish Civil War and the murder of García Lorca,
whom Neruda knew, affected him strongly and made him
join the Republican movement, first in Spain, and later in
France, where he started working on his collection of poems
España en el Corazón (1937). The same year he returned to
his native country, to which he had been recalled, and his
poetry during the following period was characterised by an
orientation towards political and social matters. España en
el Corazón had a great impact by virtue of its being printed
in the middle of the front during the civil war.
In 1939, Neruda was appointed consul for the Spanish
emigration, residing in Paris, and, shortly afterwards,
Consul General in Mexico, where he rewrote his Canto
General de Chile, transforming it into an epic poem about
the whole South American continent, its nature, its people
and its historical destiny. This work, entitled Canto General,
was published in Mexico 1950, and also underground in
Chile. It consists of approximately 250 poems brought
together into fifteen literary cycles and constitutes the
central part of Neruda’s production. Shortly after its
publication, Canto General was translated into some ten
languages. Nearly all these poems were created in a difficult
situation, when Neruda was living abroad.
In 1943, Neruda returned to Chile, and in 1945 he was
elected senator of the Republic, also joining the Communist
Party of Chile. Due to his protests against President
González Videla’s repressive policy against striking miners
in 1947, he had to live underground in his own country for
two years until he managed to leave in 1949. After living in
different European countries he returned home in 1952. A
great deal of what he published during that period bears the
stamp of his political activities; one example is Las Uvas y el
Viento (1954), which can be regarded as the diary of
Neruda’s exile. In Odas elementales (1954- 1959) his
message is expanded into a more extensive description of the
world, where the objects of the hymns – things, events and
relations – are duly presented in alphabetic form.
Neruda’s production is exceptionally extensive. For
example, his Obras Completas, constantly republished,
comprised 459 pages in 1951; in 1962 the number of pages
was 1,925, and in 1968 it amounted to 3,237, in two volumes.
Among his works of the last few years can be mentioned
Cien sonetos de amor (1959), which includes poems
dedicated to his wife Matilde Urrutia, Memorial de Isla
Negra.
Pablo Neruda died on September 23, 1973.
Summary:-
This poem emphasizes the importance of self-introspection
and silence. Furthermore, these two can transform the life
of an individual. Moreover, they can also transform the face
of the earth. The poet says that self-introspection and silence
do not take much time to look within. Any individual can do
it and examine oneself. This is easy and takes only as long
as it will take someone to count to twelve. During this time
of introspection (self-examination), it is important for the
individual to keep quiet. The individual must say nothing at
all. Without silence and keeping quiet, self-introspection will
not work. Silently introspecting will give the individual a
strange feeling of unity and togetherness with all others.
In the beginning, it will certainly feel a little strange.
However, eventually, it has the power to bring us all
together. This silence will be free from the annoying sounds
of engines. Furthermore, this silence will also be free from
the people rushing to get their work done. The author feels
contentment while imagining the change that will take place
in those moments. The men who have to deal with the pain
while collecting salt will get a little relief. Even the people
who desire war and destruction will put on clean clothes and
an opportunity to walk among their brothers. They will get
to experience a life that is free of enmity and hatred. There
will be a halt to their destructive and dangerous activities.
Peace and tranquillity will prevail everywhere once such
harmful activities come to a stop, even if it is for a short
time.
The poet clarifies that his wish should not mean “total
inactivity”. The poet only desires to interrupt the violent,
cruel, and sad activities taking place all over the world for a
few moments and let individuals introspect their actions. In
fact, there is a connection to what he says with life rather
than death. Activity is the very essence of life whereas
inactivity is symbolic of death. However, for a new,
improved, and useful activity, a little stillness is quite
important.
The poet makes use of the image of the earth to explain how
life exists in things that seem dormant. In winter, the earth
becomes very silent and it seems to be dead. The Earth
becomes lively again in spring. Furthermore, in spring, the
addition of fresh new beauties and colours takes place. In a
similar fashion, man can resume his activities in a better
manner after a little silence and quietness.
A THING OF BEAUTY
-by John Keats
About the Author :-
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an
English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets,
along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems
had been in publication for less than four years when he
died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. They were indifferently
received in his lifetime, but his fame grew rapidly after his
death.[1] By the end of the century, he was placed in the
canon of English literature, strongly influencing many
writers of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; the
Encyclopædia Britannica of 1888 called one ode "one of the
final masterpieces". Jorge Luis Borges named his first time
reading Keats an experience he felt all his life. Keats had a
style "heavily loaded with sensualities", notably in the series
of odes. Typically of the Romantics, he accentuated extreme
emotion through natural imagery.
Summary:-
A Thing of Beauty is by the famous poet John Keats.
Furthermore, the poet says that a beautiful thing can give us
extreme happiness and delight. Moreover, a beautiful thing
is eternal that never declines or fades. Also, a beautiful thing
resembles a shady shelter which gives us a comfortable sleep
comprising of sweet dreams and relaxation. This will
ultimately lead to good health. The sight of lovely and
beautiful things will live on in our memories for the rest of
our lives. Thinking about them makes our bodies and minds
healthier, as the ideas give us serenity and mental calm.
The author says that individuals have an attachment to
Earthly things. This attachment is such that it has the
resemblance of a flowery wreath. Furthermore, there are
traps that keep people connected to materialistic things. This
connection with materialistic things distracts humans from
eternal happiness. This is because the focus of such
materialistic people will be on acquiring more and more
resources rather than on attaining eternal happiness. The
world has a lot of negativity, hatred, and greed. According
to the poet, the cause of gloom and sadness is this negativity.
Moreover, one can fade away these negative vibes away with
the help of beautiful things that surround us. This is
because these beautiful things bring nothing but positivity.
Man and nature are strongly intertwined. The beauty of
nature is what keeps us connected to this planet. Every
morning, we select beautiful fresh flowers and make
garlands. They lift our spirits and make us forget about our
problems for a while.
The poet informs us about some beautiful things that are all
around us. Beauty is certainly in the eyes of the one who
beholds. This means one can see the beauty in anything.
Furthermore, the poet talks about the numerous creations of
God which we should admire. One such creation is the Sun
which provides energy. Moreover, the poet also talks about
the beauty of the moon and the natural beauty of the trees.
There are various animals around that make our world
lively. Pretty flowers like daffodils enhance the liveliness and
greenery of the world. Moreover, the flowing streams of
water provide a refreshment and cooling effect to us in the
hot summer season. The forests have plenty of pretty musk
rose flowers. Such flowers are a beautiful sight and eyes feel
the delight due to them. All such things certainly are things
of beauty. Also, one must not forget the beautiful and
inspiring stories of the brave soldiers. These brave soldiers
risked and sacrificed their lives in order to protect others.
These beautiful things have a resemblance to the fountain of
immortality bestowed upon us by God as a gift and a
blessing. Such beautiful things are an inspiration for all of
us to continue living. They make life worth living. Also, they
also help us in maintaining our faith in goodness. Life
without these beautiful things would certainly become very
hard.
A ROADSIDE STAND
-by Robert Frost
About the author:-
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29,
1963) was an American poet. His work was initially
published in England before it was published in the
United States. Known for his realistic depictions of
rural life and his command of American colloquial
speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from
rural life in New England in the early 20th century,
using them to examine complex social and
philosophical themes.
Frequently honored during his lifetime, Frost is the
only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
He became one of America's rare "public literary
figures, almost an artistic institution". He was
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for
his poetic works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named
poet laureate of Vermont.
Summary:-
There has been an extension of the shed in front by the
occupants of the little old house. Furthermore, this
extension is around the edge of the road where the passage
of traffic takes place. It seems like the shack-owners want to
implore the passers-by to purchase something from the
shack. These deprived people have a huge desire for the
currency.
Unfortunately, the traffic goes past ignoring the shack. If by
chance the traffic does stop, it would come with a feeling of
disappointment. They are very disturbed to see the poor
unattractive signboards. There is an offer of wild berries
shack for sale in a wooden quart (a quarter of a gallon).
This place offers a peaceful natural stay for those who can
afford it. The poet becomes angry at this attitude of the
‘polished traffic’ and asks them to move ahead.
The poet shows more concern for the sadness of the
shed-owners than he does for the landscape blemish. He
believes that these people have a longing to handle some city
money. This money can reduce their suffering as one can
see in movies. The political party that enjoys power is the
one that deprives them of a happy life.
The poet makes mention of the news which points out the
relocation of the poor villagers to the vicinity of shops and
theatres. There were big promises to ensure good care for
them. However, the government authorities became
negligent of these promises. Furthermore, the poet is angry
at this behavior and calls them “greedy good-doers”. He
calls them “beasts of prey” who indulge in the exploitation
of the poor villagers.
The villagers pay a heavy price as they had to lose their
land. The civic authorities are successful in fooling these
naïve villagers. They promise them a better life and a good
sleep. However, these civic authorities are the ones who
sleep peacefully while making the lives of villagers
miserable. Work during the day and sleep at night was the
norm in ancient times. However, there has been a reversal of
this norm as the villagers are not able to sleep at night.
The poet expresses his distress while explaining the endless
wait of shed owners for buyers. There is an ambiance of
sadness all over the place. Sometimes a car stops but that is
to enquire about the farmer’s price. Furthermore, others
who stop just want to make use of the backyard. One of the
cars stops for a gallon of gas. Moreover, this demonstrates
the sense of alienation between urban and rural life.
The poet regrets that money is not abundant in the
country-side. Furthermore, money can raise spirits while a
lack of it dampens it. The villagers have a tendency to
express their grievance about a life which has a lack of
money. Moreover, the poet becomes very emotional and
contemplates their pain. He certainly wants to change their
lives in one go but understands that this will be a futile act.
AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS
-by Adrienne Rich
About the Author :-
Adrienne Cecile Rich (May 16, 1929 – March 27,
2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist.
She was called "one of the most widely read and
influential poets of the second half of the 20th
century", and was credited with bringing "the
oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront
of poetic discourse". Rich criticized rigid forms of
feminist identities, and valorized what she coined
the "lesbian continuum", which is a female
continuum of solidarity and creativity that impacts
and fills women's lives.
Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World,
was selected by icon W. H. Auden for the Yale Series
of Younger Poets Award. Auden went on to write the
introduction to the book. Rich famously declined the
National Medal of Arts to protest House Speaker
Newt Gingrich's vote to end funding for the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Summary:-
In this poem, the poet describes a lady whom she addresses
as Aunt Jennifer. The poet also says that she is doing
embroidery on a piece of cloth that could be a wall hanging
or table cloth. Moreover, she has made it with beautiful
tigers that are running fiercely in the green forest. Further,
she describes their beauty in comparison to a topaz. As in
the green background of the forest, they appear bright
yellow. Company of men does not affect them as they are
fearless. At this point, we can sense the contrast of
behaviour between the aunt and tigers. Although tiger made
by her is fierce she is afraid of her husband. According to
the poet, tigers are the proud and fearless citizens of the
forests. These creatures are very elegant and shiny.
In this para, the poet defines Aunt Jennifer’s fear of her
husband. While doing embroidery she says that her fingers
shake with the fear of her husband. As her husband does not
approve her hobby of embroidery. Hence, she quivers while
she is embroidering the piece of cloth. Also, it becomes
difficult for her to pull the needle up and down. After that,
she defines her wedding ring which her husband give her on
their wedding day. In addition, she sees it as a kind of
burden to wear this ring.
She feels this because her husband tortures her so much
that she sees the wedding ring as a burden instead of a
beautiful gift by her husband. Due to the many difficulties,
she has faced in her married life that she describes the little
wedding ring as a heavy band on her trembling fingers. It
also means that the ring is linked with some bad experiences
in the form of torture that she has faced. Further, this
experience relates to the dominating behaviour of her
husband.
In the last part, the poet says that though aunt’s design of
tigers can easily sense her desire for freedom and
fearlessness. However, the poet says that it is not possible for
her to achieve this freedom during her lifetime. Only after
her death, she will attain freedom. But the irony here is that
even then she will be tied with chains in the form of her
husband’s wedding ring. This ring is the only proof of the
pains that she had faced from her husband. On the contrary,
the tigers made by Aunt Jennifer will always portray her
desire for living a fearless life by jumping boldly and
proudly on a piece of cloth.
