1)Narrate the wind’s activities as presented in the poem ‘Daybreak’. [Annual Exam 11 – 2015, 2018] [5]
OR
Give the substance of the poem ‘Daybreak’.[5]
Ans. In ‘Daybreak’, Longfellow presents the wind as a human being who wakens the natural phenomena at the very beginning of the day. Coming out of the sea, the wind urges the mists to make a room for it. Then it hails the ships and tells the mariners to sail on. It hurries landwards far away telling everyone to wake up. Again it urges the forests to hang all their leafy banners out. It touched the wood-bird and tells to awake and sing. When the wind crosses over the farm, it asks the chanticleer to blow its clarion. At cornfield, it whispers to them to bow down and welcome the morning. Waking the belfry tower, the wind asks the bells to proclaim the hour. But the wind heaves a sigh when he reaches the churchyard. It does not wish to disturb the dead in the graves as it is not the time for their rise.
2)Justify the title of the poem ‘Daybreak’. [Annual Exam 11 – 2017, 2019] [5]
Ans. The title of the poem, ‘Daybreak’ expresses the theme of the poem. The wind, emerging from the sea, urges everyone in its way to wake up as the night has gone. A new day has appeared with new hope and joy. So, by announcing the beginning of the day, the wind requests everyone to give up their idleness and enter into activeness. Though it is unable to get up the dead in the churchyard since it is not their time to rise.
Every line of the poem is devoted to the daybreak and the action of the wind is due to it. Thus the title of the poem is apt. On the other hand, the other title would have been ‘The wind’ as the wind is the protagonist who informs everyone of the new day.
3)Who takes the responsibility of announcing the breaking of the day? How is the feat achieved? [Annual Exam 11 – 2016] [1+4=5]
Ans. The wind takes the responsibility of announcing the breaking of the day.
[ 2nd part = As same as the answer of question No. 1]
4)What role does the wind play in announcing the beginning of the day? How is the final couplet different from the rest of the poem? [Annual Exam 11 – 2014] [3+2 = 5]
Ans. The wind plays the role of an alarm clock in announcing the beginning of the day. The wind wakens all the objects of nature like the ships, the mariners, the forest, the wood-bird, chanticleer, the corn-field and belfry-tower who come on its way like an alarm clock. We can also assume it as a human being who acts like an instructor or a guide. At the end of the poem, the wind plays the role of a pious Christian who advises the dead to rest in peace in the graves as it is not their time to rise.
The final couplet of the poem is contrary to the rest of the poem as the wind is unable to wake up the dead from the graves. The wind advises them to rest in peace till the day of final judgement.
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