TS 8th Class English Guide Unit 4B Preteen Pretext (Poem)
My teenybopper has a phone;
She really never is alone.
It beeps and jitters day and night,
Emitting tiny bluish light
Her ring tone is the latest rage,
As other preteens text and page.
One- liner messages appear
That make her grin from ear to ear
The latest crisis, who likes whom,
The rock star with the best perfume;
Such weight matters cause her thrill
And elevate our monthly bill
And yet, the silver lining glows,
For we have never come to blows.
I never have to raise my voice,
Because I have a high-tech choice
1f school assignments pile sky-high,
I exhale with a weighty sigh.
Like every modem mom who cares,
ยก simply telephone upstairs.
When chores demand her energies,
I simply text her, asking "Please!"
No alibis or missing word,
Because its clear that she has heard
And if my daughter goes outside
To visit friends, both far and wide,
Her curfews easy to enforce
With her new cellular resource
This beeping tether holds her close,
While helping her feel grandiose.
If separation eer occurs,
My speed-dial links my heart to hers
Our handy cell phones help us out,
Convenient, easy, with no doubt.
Yes, certainly, they have their place.
But cant we talk once, face to face
Questions and Answers
Answer the following questions.
Question 1.
Who do you think is the speaker of the lines?
Answer:
I think the speaker of the lines is Linda Ann Nickerson, the poet of the present poem, Preteen Pretext
Question 2.
What attitude of the speaker is conveyed through the last two lines of the first stanza?
Answer:
The poet has a positive attitude towards the preteens. Though she is against the preteens using cell phones she understands the uses of cell phones. The poet is highly sensitive, sensible and responsible modern mother who is concerned about the emotions of the preteens
Question 3.
In what ways are the cell phones useful for us according to the poem?
Answer:
According to the poem, cell phones are useful for us in many ways. We need not raise our voice when we want to call somebody. When we want to remind our children of their assignments we can telephone upstairs. When it is urgent we can send a message to them. They will never miss it or cannot escape. When our children go outside we can contact them with the help of the cell phone. Whenever there is separation cell phones can bring our hearts closer
Question 4.
What does the last line of the poem convey to us?
Answer:
In the last line the poet says that phones have their own importance in our lives, They are very essential in modern days. But it is equally important to have a talk face to face. When we meet people personally and share our feelings it will improve good human relations
Preteen Pretext (Poem) Summary in English
In the present poem, Preteen Pretext, the poet shares her thoughts and feelings about the use and abuse of cell phones among the preteens in modern days. Cell phone is one of the wonderful inventions of man. It has its merits and demerits
The poet has preteen age daughter who has the habit of using the cell phone. She is always busy talking over the cell phone
Her cell phone has the latest features like messaging and page. Her cell phone is with one liner message. Whenever she receives a message she is very happy
The poet says her monthly cell phone bills are increasing due to the latest crisis of the rock star with best perfume. Though it thrills it causes worry
Even though the cell phone rings she never fights with her daughter. Instead, she uses hi-tech method of using cell phone to call her
If her school assignments are piling up like a modern mom she telephones upstairs to remind her of assignments. When the poet needs her daughters energies in work, she simply sends her a message. So that she hears it. And, she has no way to show any sort of evidence that she hasnt heard the message
When the poets daughter goes outside to visit her friends, cell phone is used as a resource to contact her. Whenever there is separation, her cell phone connects their hearts
Finally, the poet concludes the poem by saying that cell phone is a useful object in modern days. There is no doubt that it makes our lives easy and convenient. At the same time, it is really essential to maintain human relations. This is possible only by meeting the people.personally
Glossary
preteen (n) : a young person of about 11 or 12 years of age
pretext (n) : a false reason that you give for doing something, usually
something bad, in order to hide the real reason; an excuse
teenybopper (n) : a young teenager particularly a girl, who follows
adolescent trends in music, fashion and culture
beep (n) : a short high sound such as that made by a car horn or by
electronic equipment
jitters (v) : makes nervous
emitting (v) : sending out light
rage (n) : (informal) to be very popular and fashionable
bluish (adj) : blue in colour
grin (v) : smile broadly
elevate (v) : raise to a higher level
come to blows (Idiom) : to start fighting because of something
pile (v) : lay things one on top of another
exhale (v) : breathe out
chores (n) : routine tasks
alibis (n) : excuses
curfew (n) : the time after which nobody must go outside
tether (n) : a rope for tying an animal
grandiose (adj) : planned on a large scale
eer (adv) = ever