NCERT Solutions 09th English Chapter 8 The Solitary Reaper

1.Sometimes we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember it for a long time afterwards. Can you recollect this ever happening to you ? If so, what was it ? What do you remember about it now ? Are the details of what you saw or the feelings you experienced at the time fresh in your mind ? Think for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
Answer
To be attempted individually at class level. However, one Sample Answer is given for the guidance of the students.

Yes, such a thing happened to me. I remembered it for a long time afterwards. I once visited the Taj Mahal in the month of October with my parents. It was a moonlit night. A pleasant and scented breeze was making the place lovely. I stood before the Taj in the moonlit night. I was greatly thrilled to see its beauty at that moment.

I forgot about myself for some moments. The whiteness reflected by it looked fairylike. The grassy lawns in front of it added to its glory and grace. The building looked simply superb and magical. The feelings were indescribable. These were similar to those when one gets a thing which is most sought after. Even when I had left the place, I carried the imprint of the beauty of Taj in my heart. It is still fresh in my heart like Words worth is different. I can't forget it.

2.Listen to one of William Words worth is poems, that describes a memorable experience he had while out on a walk. (Your teacher will play a recording.) Listen to the poem at least twice.
Answer
For attempt at class level. No question is asked in it.
3.The poet could not understand the words of the song, yet he raised several possibilities about its theme. In the diagram below are some of these possibilities. Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Copy and complete the diagram, writing each phrase in the empty boxes. Work in pairs.

4. 1. Read the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the solitary reaperís song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis of your reading (and your imagination), copy and complete the table below. (Work in groups of four, then have a brief class discussion.)

	Place	Heard by	Impact on listener
Solitary Reaper	Scottish Highlands	the poet	holds him spellbound
Nightingale
Cuckoo

2. Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo, for comparison with the solitary reaperís song ?
3. As you read the second stanza, what pictures come to your mind ? Be ready to describe them in your own words, to the rest of the class. (Do not be afraid to go beyond what the poet has written.)
Answer
1.

	Place	Heard by	Impact on listener
Solitary Reaper	Scottish Highlands	the poet	holds him spellbound
Nightingale	Arabian Sands /deserts	weary travellers	travellers feel fresh tiredness disappears
Cuckoo	farthest Hebrides	sailors	sailors feel thrilled

2. Wordsworth has chosen the songs of the nightingale and the cuckoo knowingly. It is because these are the sweetest and most refreshing of all the songs of the birds. By comparing these, the poet wants to say that the solitary reaperís song was simply incomparable to those of the nightingale or the cuckoo-bird. Her song was sweeter than theirs.
3. Yes, I am able to see mental pictures of the places. Their description is like this :
A.It is a vast desert. The sun is raining fire. I see a group of mentally and physically tired travellers. They are walking with difficulty over the sand dunes. They are in search of some oasis. Soon they find one and reach there. Then they listen to the melodious song of the nightingale coming to them from somewhere. They feel thrilled. Their tiredness disappears with the effect of the song.
B.It is the spring time. There lie Hebrides islands. They are situated at far north¨east of Scotland. There is complete silence surrounding the place. Soon a ship appears circling the islands. The sailors decide to anchor there. They, then, listen to the song of the cuckoo bird coming to them from somewhere. It thrills them. They feel excited and decide to stay there for the night. The place becomes a heaven of joy for them due to the song of the cuckoo-bird.