TS Inter 1st Year English Study Material Chapter 3 The Beggar

Annotations (Section – A, Q. No. 2, Marks : 4)

Question 1.

Have you sighted anyone.
With shadows in his dusky eyes?

Answer:

Introduction :
These are the opening lines of the poem, “The Beggar” written by Dr. Ammangi Venugopal, a popular Telugu poet. He has written in Telugu as Bichchagadu. It is translated into English by Elanaaga, (Dr. Surendra).

Context & Explanation:
The poem projects the intense grief and suffering of the farmers. A farmer today is misery incarnate. His eyes speak volumes about farmers’ sorrow. The poet minces no words in highlighting their woes. He opens the poem with a question. It identifies farmers with dark eyes that are filled with the shadows of their struggles. The reader, addressed as ‘you’, is forced to understand and sympathise with farmers. Therefore the lines play an important role in initiating the thought process effectively.

Critical Comment:
The poet portrays the pathetic plight of farmers. He is questioning the reader to make him to think about the farmers.

Question 2.

A food giver he is, With ability to mitigate the sky’s hunger. *(Imp, Model Paper)?

Answer:

Introduction:
These lines are taken from the thought provoking poem, ‘The Beggar’, penned by Dr. Ammangi Venugopal, a prolific Telugu poet. Actually, it is written in Telugu as Bichchagadu. Later, it is translated into English by Elanaaga as ‘The Beggar’.

Context & Explanation:
The poet describes the struggles and sufferings of the farmers in a touching way. They are the food providers to all. They produce food and satisfy other’s hunger. Their ability remains fully active. They are able to reduce the hunger of even skies. They work hard and help others. But, the irony is that they struggle to survive. Their stomachs get no food. So the reader is forced to understand their problems and own up them.

Critical Comment:
Here the poet depicts the difficulties of farmers and their capacity to produce food for us.

Question 3.

His stomach is full of infinite void?

Answer:

Introduction:
This heart touching line is taken from the thought provoking poem, ‘The Beggar’, penned by Dr. Ammangi Venugopal, a famous Telugu poet. His original Telugu poem, Bichchagadu is rendered into English by Elanaaga (Dr. Surendra).

Context & Explanation:
The poet tries to draw the attention of readers to the gravity of farmers’ problems. It is because farmers work hard. They help others. They are the food providers to all yet the irony is that they struggle to survive. They starve. They don’t find food for themselves, even a morsel! Their stomachs get no food. They suffer from empty stomachs. Their emptiness is infinite. Thus, the poet highlights farmers’ woes and worries in a touching way. He also compels the readers to ponder over possible solutions.

Critical Comment:
Here the poet depicts the pathetic condition of farmers in a touching way.

Question 4.

Have you seen a beggar at your threshold with severed hands?
Brother, he is my farmer !

Answer:

Introduction:
These are the concluding lines of the poignant poem ‘The Beggar’ penned by Dr. Ammangi Venugopal, a popular Telugu poet. He has written it in Telugu as Bichchagadu. Later, it is translated into English by Elanaaga as The Beggar.

Context & Explanation:
The poet describes the struggles and sufferings of the farmers. They are capable of feeding millions, but those millions are not including farmers in them. Food providing farmers are forced to become food – seeking beggars. Farmers struggling to survive. They are suffering from lack of food.

They are at thresholds for food. So, the poet tells the reader that the man who is at his threshold is none other than the farmer. The poet talks about the farmer as ‘My Farmer’. The reader is forced to understand and sympathise with farmers. He questions the reader, to make reader to think about the problem.

Critical Comment:
These lines are descibes present pathetic condition of the farmers.

Paragraph Questions & Answers (Section – A, Q.No. 4, Marks : 4)

Question 1.

“Dr. Ammangi Venugopal’s creativity is rooted deeply in the complexities and contradictions of modern life”, say observers.
Explain the statement, taking The Beggar’ as a reference point?

Answer:

The poem, The Beggar is written by Dr. Ammangi Venugopal. He is a creative genius. Actually, he has penned it in Telugu as Bichchagadu. It is translated into English by Elanaaga (Dr. Surendra). Dr. Ammangi is well aware of the complexities and contradictions of modern life. The complex problems farmers today face form the central idea of his moving poem.

Farmers are the food providers to all. They struggle to survive. They starve, yet, they toil. Their feet bleed. Their eyes are full of shadows of their sad stories. Their hunched backs tell us how hard they work. Yet, their stomachs get no food. They are capable of feeding millions. And those millions do not include in them those farmers. How cruel the modern society responsible for this irony is! Thus, the poem shows the complexities of current times.

Question 2.

How does the poem, The Beggar’ describe the farmer’s pathetic physical condition?

Answer:

The poem, The Beggar, by Dr. Ammangi Venugopal portrays the pathetic condition of farmers. It depicts the difficulties farmers face in a touching way. The poet talks about, the farmer as ‘my farmer’. It shows that the poet also belongs to the family of a farmer. So, he describes the pitiable physical position of farmers.

It forms an important part of the poem. It identifies farmers with dark eyes that are filled with the shadows of their struggles and sufferings. Their backs are bent with burden. Their hands are soiled and severed. Their feet bleed. Yet, their ability to produce food and satisfy other’s hunger remains fully active. They work hard and help others. Yet, they struggle to survive. They starve. Their stomachs get no food. They suffer from empty stomachs. Their faces are filled with wretchedness. Thus the reader is forced to understand and sympathise with farmers.

Question 3.

List the abilities a farmer is endowed with, according to the poem?

Answer:

Dr. Ammangi Venugopal is a creative genius. He is well aware of the abilities of a farmer. In his poem, The Beggar, the poet minces no words in depicting farmers’ abilities. They are the food providers to all. Their eyes are dark with shadows of their struggles and sufferings. Their backs are bent with burden.

Their hands are soiled and severed. Their feet bleed. Yet, their ability to produce food and satisfy others’ hunger remains fully active. They work hard and help others. They are capable of feeding millions. They reduce and satisfy the hunger of even skies. Thus, the poem is endowed with the abilities of a farmer.

Question 4.

The poet addresses the reader as you and talks about the farmer as my farmer. Explain the significance in a paragraph?

Answer:

Dr. Ammangi Venugopal has written the poem in Telugu as Bichchagadu. It is translated into English as the ‘The Beggar’ by Elanaga, (Dr. Surendra) the poem portrays the pitiable condition of the farmers. In the last stanza the poet describes the farmer as a beggar. It is due to his condition at present society.

The Beggar Summary in English

Dr. Ammangi Venugopal is a creative genius. He is well aware of the complexities and contradictions of modern life. This poem is penned by him in Telugu as Bichchagadu. It is translated into English by Elanaago (Dr. Surendra) as The Beggar. The poem portrays the pathetic plight of farmers.

The pitiable physical position of farmers forms an important part of the poem. Farmers’ dusky eyes are dark with shadows of their struggles and sufferings their backs are bent with burden. Their hands are soiled and severed and their feet bleed. Yet their ability to produce food and satisfy other’s hunger remains fully active.

Here the poet owns up the farmer. So, he says that he is his farmer. He is a food giver. He is able to reduce and satisfy the hunger of even skies. He works hard. He helps others by producing tons of crops. Yet, the irony is that they don’t find food for themselves, even a morsel their stomachs are full of empty. Their faces are filled with wretchedness.

But, the seeds the farmer sows sprout as if they are his hands. He toils hard to produce food we eat. Here, the reader is addressed as you. It is because the reader is forced to under stand and sympathise with farmers. The poet asks the reader if he/she has seen a beggar at their threshold with severed hands when they want to eat hastily hot rice meal.

He is none other than the farmers who produced the food, they (readers) are going to eat. Owing to the circumstances, the farmer becomes a beggar the poet says “He is my farmer”. Question forms set the readers to think about the problem. The reader is moved to ponder over the problem and find a way out. Thus, the poem depicts the difficulties farmers face in a touching way.

Meanings and Explanations

sight (v) / sait / (సైట్) (monosyllabic): seen, చూచుట , देखना, अवलोकन करना

dusky (adj) / ‘dëski / (డస్కి) (disyllabic) : having a dark shade (indicating intense pain) దుఃఖం, బాధలో నలుపెక్కిన, धुँधला, मतमैला

hunchback (n) / ‘hantsbæk / (హంచ్ బ్యాంక్) (disyllabic) : a bent, curled forward back, గూని గల, వంగిపోయిన , कुबड़ा, मुकना

blood-tinged (adj) / blåd-tınd3d / (బ్లడ్ టీంజ్ డ్) (disyllabic) : showing / having marks of blood, రక్తపు మరకలతో, खून के धश्बो के साथ

footprints (ఫుట్ ప్రింట్): outlines of the foot, కాలి జాడలు, पांव, पैर

mitigate (v) / mitigeit / (మితిగెఇట్) (trisyllabic) : reduce, lessen, (here) satisfy, nowo, (ఇక్కడ సంతృప్తి చెందించటం, తీర్చటం, घटाना, कमकरना

hunger (హుంగెర్) : desire for food, ఆకలి, भूक

infinite (adj) / infinət / (ఇన్ ఫినెట్ ) (trisyllabic): very great in amount, without limits, అంతులేని, అపారమైన, अनंत

void (n) / vɔd / (వో ఇద్) (monosyllabic) : emptiness, ఖాళీ, (ఆకలితో) వట్టి, ఏమియులేని , रिकित

replete (adj) / ripli:t / (రిప్లిట్) (disyllabic) : filled to full, పూర్తిగా నిండియున్న , भरापूरा, परिपूर्ण

wretchedness (n) / retsidnǝs / (రేచిద్ వస్) (trisyllabic) : unhappiness, sorrow, దుః ఖం, దౌర్భాగ్యం, दुःख, कमबख्ती, मानसिक – शारीरिक बाधा की रथिति

seeds (సీడ్స్) : విత్తనాలు, बीज

sow (సో): plant, విత్తు, నాటుట, सुअरी

sprout (v) / spraut / (స్ప్రౌట్ ) (monosyllabic) : to grow from a seed, germinate, మొలచు అంకురించు, अंकुरित होना

gobble (v) / gobl / (గోబ్ల్) (disyllabic) : eat hastily, వేగంగా, ఆబగా తినుట, బొక్కుట, भकोसना

threshold (n) / Orefǝuld / (తైషఉల్డ్ ) (disyllabic) : entrance, the door or gate of a house, గడప, గుమ్మం, दरवाजा, प्रवेश द्वार, दरवाजा, प्रवेश – दूर

severed (adj) / sıvıǝ(r)d / (సివిఅ(ర్)డ్) (disyllabic) : causing great discomfort by being extreme, ఇష్టం కలిగించని , काटना, घायल