Soft Storm Exercise
Class 12 English Chapter 5 (poem section): Soft Storm by Abhi Subedi Exercise, Question Answer Solution note.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. When does the speaker grow soft? Enlist the occasions when he grows soft.
Answer➡ The poem ‘soft storm’ composed by Abhi Subedi is filled with a touch of compassion and investigates the insanities of tumultuous times. The speaker has said he grows soft when:
• He hears the tumult of earth.
• The sky grew like crocuses
• The moon skids down
• The moon sang of lampposts and gutters in this seamless city.
b. What do you understand by 'this seamless city'?
Answer➡ It refers to an lawless urbanized environment where people may freely wander without social disruptions or issues and enjoy the true blessings of freedom and pleasure without bias.
c. Describe the poor children portrayed in the poem.
Answer➡ Under the bat-bearing trees of Keshar Mahal in Thamel, poor homeless and parentless youngsters cry out in hunger and poverty. They are deprived of their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights.
d. What do you understand about the unwedded gardens of history'?
Answer➡ By 'unwedded gardens of history' we understand the unaffected past events of the society which literally means the state of anarchy created by social and political hegemony in Nepalese society.
e. Why was the forlorn child wailing?
Answer➡ A forlorn child was crying because he found his mother and other relatives and loved ones missing in contemporary society.
f. What do you understand about 'soft storm'?
Answer➡ By 'soft storm' we understand the inner turbulent feelings of the speaker in an environment of chaotic society and chaos. Storm simply means bad weather but to associate soft with it means turbulent times which the poet sees in contemporary society.
g. Why does the speaker call our time 'mad time'?
Answer➡ The speaker calls our time 'mad time' in the sense that this time is not under the control of the constitution or the law of the nation. He sees corruption everywhere in the society, favouritism, political and social injustice among people, animal laws in practice and degradation of nature.
h. What does the speaker want to do during his "Hard times"?
Answer➡ The speaker wants to melt like a rainbow in "hard times" because he is soft-hearted by his nature.
Reference to the Context
a. The poet uses the word 'soft' with the words like 'storm' and 'gale', which generally refer to disorder and violence. What effect does the poet achieve through the use of such anomalous expressions?
Answer➡
By anomalous expressions, we mean those sentences which are well-formed syntactically but are meaningless from the point of view of meanings. The most famous examples in poetry are 'soft storms' and 'tenderness rose like a gale' is normal or expected but contradictory. Through this, the poet achieves psychological, social, political and environmental influences. He combines two contrasting ideas to express his inner experiences which he feels in contemporary oppressed society.
b. How does the speaker feel about the historical period he describes?
Answer➡
The speaker's perspective on time is skewed since he can't think of any specific human activities that take place at certain times. At night, when the moon shines in the sky, it casts a shadow or is less brilliant than the brightly shining Sun. Wherever he expects things to happen, he encounters difficulties. As a result, the speaker seems to have a negative outlook on the passage of time throughout the poem.
c. What is the speaker like? Is he a rebel? Why? Why not?
Answer➡
The speaker looks like a rebel. He seems quite dissatisfied to find his city out of control. He experiences unusual things happening in his surroundings. As he experiences the things around him, he starts analysing the situations being a rebel. He seems completely dissatisfied and expresses his anger through his words. We can find his rebellious nature in the lines of the poem. He seems to go against all these unusual things happening in his surroundings. Here, his rebellious nature is not presented in radical form rather it is presented in the soft and suppressed form.
d. Explain the stanza below in your own words:
I became soft
when I saw
a blood-stained shirt
speaking in the earth’s ears
with bruised human lips
in the far corner
under the moon
of history and dreams
playing hide and seek
in open museums
of human times.
Answer➡
In this stanza, the speaker describes a situation where they saw a person with a blood-stained shirt and bruised lips. The speaker becomes emotional or "soft" upon seeing this person, who is unable to speak due to his injuries. The speaker associates this person with the moon of history and dreams, which suggests that the person represents the struggles and hardships of the past.
The speaker also mentions the game of hide and seek, which could symbolize the way that history and the truth are often hidden or overlooked. The "open museums of human times" may refer to the way that history is often presented and interpreted, with certain events and perspectives emphasized or ignored.
Overall, the stanza conveys a sense of sadness and injustice, as the speaker witnesses a person who has been mistreated and silenced.
Reference beyond the text
a. Write an essay, highlighting your dissatisfaction towards social, cultural, economic and political issues prevailing in Nepal at present.
Answer➡
Social, cultural, economic, and political issues prevalent in Nepal
My Dissatisfaction towards various Issues prevailing in Nepal at present.Nepal is a small but beautiful country. I feel proud to be a citizen of this beautiful country. Various issues are prevailing in Nepal at present which make me feel so bad. Different people with different mentalities have their own likes and dislikes. In the present time, I'm really very disappointed to find social, cultural, economic and political issues moving on the wrong track and against the people. Everywhere there is corruption and greed among people. There is no concept regarding humanity and welfare. We find disorders and lawlessness in the present time. People are quite indifferent towards each other. Selfishness has blinded people in a very worst way. I feel quite bad to see these varieties of issues in my surroundings. Following are the issues which I oppose all the time.
Social issue:
A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's control. I'm quite against communalism, casteism, regionalism, poverty, gender discrimination etc. These problems are destroying our country each day.
Cultural issue:
Cultural issue is a problem that occurs when culture conflicts with systems, goals or other cultures. Most of the cases in Nepal are connected with cultural issues. People of different cultural groups are seen struggling for their cultural identities. They seem much concerned about their cultural identities instead of one concept of nationalism. Due to this issue, Nepal is facing an unexpected crisis most of the time.
Economic issue:
In Nepal, the economic issue is one of the major problems. The government of Nepal is facing this issue most of the time. This issue has always been a part of Nepal and its economic degradation. Political instability, widespread corruption, landlocked location, difficult topography, poor infrastructure, poorly trained and educated workforce and a weak policy and regulatory environment have been some of the key hindrances to economic growth. I oppose all these leaders of Nepal for this bad economic status of Nepal where the poor have miserable lives.
Political issue:
This is one of the worst problems in Nepal due to which the government of Nepal has been facing lots of problems for many years. It is the major cause behind all the crises of Nepal. Here in this country, those who don't know about politics are leading ignorant people. Everywhere there is gossip related to politics and parties. Politics and its field have become the source of income for all. People are living with so-called political faith. Money plays a very vital role in this dirty game of politics. The election system, votes for candidates etc depend on monetary power. Due to this political issue, the whole country is facing more problems each day. [src: Kalawati175.com.np]
b. Assume you're a rebel seeking to transform society by eradicating social injustices and inconsistencies. A speech articulating your vision for change should be written.
Answer➡
Good morning, everyone!
Respected ladies and gentlemen and my dear friends
I am Sundar Shrestha and today we have gathered here against malpractices and anomalies being practiced in the society and how they are becoming hurdles for our country's development Some of the common social malpractices or social evils being practiced in our society are alcoholism, racism, child abuse, etc. Besides, Nepal is facing a large number of social problems such as caste system, child labor, child marriage, illiteracy, gender inequality, superstitions, religious conflicts and much more.
Social evils are the issues opposed by most people of the society. In ancient days, our ancestors have divided classes according to their people's occupation like Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras are the most suppressed people. The other three castes people don't even touch them and even they were not allowed into the temples. These were the adverse effects.
The second issue is child labor and child marriage. A child without education is a bird without wings. Without proper education, your child would face a lot of problem in this modern world. There is the right age to do everything. Make your children study until he is ready for the work. Illiteracy is also one of the social issues. Educated people like us have to bring awareness to the illiterate people.
Poverty is a significant problem to be solved as quick as possible. The cause of poverty is illiteracy, caste system, and unemployment. The government should provide training for the unemployed. Sanitation and uncleanliness is also a social evil.
The reason is people's carelessness and laziness. Every person must strive to make our country clean. Gender inequality and low status for women had become familiar. The reason for both of these evils is the narrow mindset of society. All these evils are interconnected. They stop most of our future citizens. To deal with these social evils, we have to get the right education with values. The government has to work more efficiently and try to eradicate these problems.
To check all the issues, the first and the foremost step should be to educate people. A lot needs to be done to eradicate the shreds of a number of social evils still haunting our society. In Albert Einstein's words 'The world is dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
With this, I conclude my speech. Thank you, everyone, and I wish you all the best and to get succeed in your objectives of eradicating these social malpractices from the society as soon as possible.
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