ANIMAL – WALT WHITMAN
SUMMARY
In this poem the poet, Whitman compares man to animals. He finds that man lacks many virtues that animals have. The poet says that he feels more at home with animals than human beings since they are selfish, false and always dissatisfied, while the animals are unselfish, true and more satisfied. They show their love for us.
The poet Walt Whitman tells frankly that he feels more comfortable and at home with animals rather than his fellow human beings. He has lost so much faith in the race of man that he wants to `turn‟ and change his position with animals. Human beings have become mad running after material possessions. They are a bundle of complications, contradictions and confusions. Their conscience is not clear and so they suffer from nightmares and weep for their sins. Animals, on the other hand, are calm, self-contained and contented. They don‟t run after material things other than their food. They don‟t need to worship God as they never suffer from any sense of guilt or sin. Ancestors of human beings shared those tokens of love and understanding in the remote past. Unfortunately, humans have lost those virtues and tokens of love and understanding completely forever.
Alliteration
Has given my heart
And saved some part
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions:
1. I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain’d,
I stand and look at them long and long.
(a) What is the poet‟s wish?
(b) How do the animals appear to the poet?
(c) What does he do thereafter?
(d) Who does „I‟ refer to in the first line?
(e) Name the poem and the poet.
2. Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
(a) Are animals remain dissatisfied with their lot?
(b) What is the mania that humans are demented with? Do animals suffer from this mania?
(c) Do they kneel down to show respect to their ancestors?
(d) How are animals compared with human beings?
II. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
1. Why does the poet show a preference for living with the animals?
2. How are animals better than humans, according to the poet?
3. Why does the poet want to live with animals?
4. Why do humans keep awake in the dark and weep for their sins while animals never do such things?
III. Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
1. “The more I know of humans the more I love my pet.” With reference to the poem, `Animals‟, elaborate the statement.
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 10 English Animal Walt Whitman Worksheet
