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10th Class - English First Flight - Poem

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10th Class - English First Flight - Poem
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Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 11 For Anne Gregory

Thinking About the Poem

Question 1.
What does the young man mean by "great honey-coloued /Ramparts at your ear?" Why does he say that young men are "thrown into despair" by them?

Answer:
The young man in the poem praises the great honey-colored hair of Anne. Anne hair have been called rampart, meaning a wall. It is called so because they act as a wall, as they prevent young men from looking beyond those yellow hair and into her soul. Her hair are so attractive that young men cannot look at anything else. Anne yellow hair are so pretty that young men hopelessly fall in love with her. She is so pretty that everyone wants her, which cannot happen; hence, they are thrown into despair

Question 2.
What colour is the young woman hair? What does she say she can change it td? Why would she want to do so?

Answer:
Anne s hair are yellow, like the colour of honey. She says that she can change it to black, brown or carrot; she means that she can change it to any colour she wants. Anne says so to show that outer beauty is changeable and not permanent or real. She wants young men to look in her soul and love her for her inner beauty. In order to do so, she needs to show them the superficiality of her external beauty

Question 3.
Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress.) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise?

Answer:
People desire objects because of their qualities that suit their need. The things we consume, goods we use such as a car, a phone, a dress etc. physical qualities matter the most. Before buying anything, it is always considered that the object is durable and looks pretty. If I were to sell a dress, I would select the one that is very appealing to the eye and comfortable for the body. Then I would emphasise on the durability of the dress so that the customer feels that he/she is spending his/her money at the right place and in the right thing

Question 4.
What about people? Do we love others because we like their qualities, whether physical or mental? Or is it possible to love someone "for themselves alone"? Are some people more lovable than others? Discuss this question in pairs or in groups, considering points like the following?
  • A parent or caregiver love for a newborn baby, for a mentally or physically challenged child, for a clever child or a prodigy
  • The public love for a film star, a sportsperson, a politician, or a social worker
  • Your love for a friend, or brother or sister
  • our love for a pet, and the pet love for you

Answer:
The students should attempt on their own

Question 5.
You have perhaps concluded that people are not objects to be valued for their qualities or riches rather than for themselves. But elsewhere Yeats asks the question: How can we separate the dancer from the dance? Is it possible to separate the person himself or herself from how the person looks, sounds, walks and so on? Think of how you or a friend or member of your family has changed over the years. Has your relationship also changed? In what way?

Answer:
The students should attempt on their own

Important Question

NCERT CBSE for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 11 For Anne Gregory Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why is the youth in despair in the poem "For Anne Gregory"?
Year of Question:(2013)

Answer
The young man loves Anne. He is attracted towards her external beauty. He feels that young men are in despair because of her exquisite beauty.

Question 2.
What makes a young man not to love the woman referred to in the first stanza?
Year of Question:(2015)

Answer The woman has beautiful yellow hair. But the outer part of her ears is not attractive. The poet says that men shall never love her only for herself.

Question 3.
What did the religious man tell the poet?
Year of Question:(2018)

Answer
The religious man told the poet that he found a book to prove that only god could love her for her spiritual beauty and not for her physical beauty.

Question 4.
What does the woman say she can do to make herself more desirable to young men? What does this show?
Year of Question:(2017)

Answer
The woman says that she would dye her hair brown, black or carrot colour. This shows that young men give more importance to physical appearance than inner beauty.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What does the religious man tell the poet about God’s love for man?
Year of Question:(2019)

Answer
The religious man has told the poet that he has found a religious text. According to that, God loves a person, not for his or her physical qualities, but for their inner qualities.

Question 2.
The young woman’s hair is yellow coloured. She is ready to change her hair colour to another colour. Why would she want to do so?
Year of Question:(2012)

Answer
The young woman is ready to do so because she wants someone to love her. Moreover, she wants that someone should love her for her inner beauty and not for the colour of her hair.

Question 3.
What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?
Year of Question:(2011)

Answer
The young woman’s hair is of yellow colour. She says that she could get her hair dyed to brown, black or carrot colour. She would change the colour of her hair so that the young men in despair would love her only and not her yellow hair. She wanted them to love her for what she was and not for her appearance such as her hair colour.

Question 4.
What is the central idea of the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’?
Year of Question:(2010)

Answer
The poem conveys the idea that physical beauty may be important for young men or human beings, but God does not love human beings for their physical beauty. In this poem, the poet gives an example of a lover who loves the yellow hair of a young lady but does not like her ramparts. The lady disapproves his love.

Question 5.
What was not liked by the young men?
Year of Question:(2003)

Answer
The young men do not love the real person but love appearances. Everyone wants one should be loved for his actual personality and not by what he looks like. The young man does not like grey or yellow hair, and they do not care for inner beauty but love.

Question 6.
What does the old religious man say?
Year of Question:(2005)

Answer
The old religious man says that he has found a text which proves that only God could love us for ourselves alone and not for physical beauty. He is the one who truly loves us.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why do you think, the other speaker mentioned the old religious man and the text that proves that only God can love Anne for herself alone?
Year of Question:(2019)

Answer
It is so because the speaker wanted to tell Anne that her desire that men should not see her outer beauty is not going to be fulfilled. The speaker tells Anne that only God can be so great as to avoid external beauty and look beyond it. Man, on the other hand, falls for all things that appear pretty from outside and never bothers about what lies inside.

Question 2.
The poet in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that we should give importance to the inner beauty and not to the physical appearance. Explain with reference to the poem.
Year of Question:(2016)

Answer
It is an accepted fact that external beauty is short lived but inner beauty remains forever. Inner beauty gives satisfaction and joy. We should thus learn not to accept things at their face value. We should try to discover the inner beauty and strength of a person, though it is not easy to do so. We should accept the person with positive and negative values.
As the time passes relations are strengthened. In the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ the beloved wants that her lover should love her for herself not the colour of the hair. She wants to strengthen this fact that inner beauty is more important than external beauty.

Question 3.
The poet in the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that we should give importance to the inner beauty and not the physical appearance. Elaborate with reference to the poem.
Year of Question:(2005)

Answer
In the conversation that takes place between Anne Gregory and another speaker, the poet has tried to show that inner beauty is real beauty, whereas physical appearance is changeable and hence, unimportant. The first speaker says to Anne that young men love her for her beautiful yellow hair and may never love her for what she really is. To this, Anne replies that her hair-colour can be changed into black, brown or carrot, meaning that external beauty is all superficial and men should not love her for that. Through Anne’s reply, the poet has made clear his preference for internal beauty over physical appearance.

Question 4.
What does the young man mean by "great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear?" Why does he say that young men are "thrown into despair" by them? "
Year of Question:(2009)

Answer
The "great honey-colored / Ramparts at your ear" refers to the beautiful yellow coloured hair that falls at the woman’s ear and cover it like a wall around a fort. He says that the young men are "thrown into despair" by them because they look so beautiful on the women that her beauty gets thoroughly enhanced. The young men fall in love with her and feel despair. He says that it is not possible that someone would love her alone and not her yellow hair.

Question 5.
How right or wrong is it to judge someone on the basis of his/her physical appearance?
Year of Question:(2007)

Answer
Physical appearances never give the true account of a person as it can be changed with the help of clothing, make-up and other such things. Something which is not true and real should not be used to judge the person carrying it. A person must be judged on the basis of his behaviour that shows the true characteristics of his personality. This is explained by Anne in her reply to the first speaker that her beautiful hair-colour which attracts men is changeable, hence, men should not fall in love with her based on her hair colour.

Important Questions and Answers: "For Anne Gregory"

Question1.
What does the young man mean by "great honey-coloured ramparts at your ear"? Why does he say that young men are "thrown into despair" by them?

Answer:

  • Meaning of "great honey-coloured ramparts":
  • The young man is referring to Anne Gregorys beautiful yellow hair
  • He uses the word "ramparts" to compare her hair to protective walls around a fort, which symbolize how men are attracted to her external beauty
  • Reason for despair:
  • He suggests that young men are "thrown into despair" because they fall in love with her appearance, particularly her golden hair, rather than her true self
Question2.
What colour is the young womans hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?

Answer:

  • Anne Gregorys hair color:
  • Her hair is yellow (blonde)
  • Hair dye options:
  • Anne Gregory says she can change her hair to brown, black, or even carrot (red) using hair dye
  • Reason for changing hair color:
  • She believes that by changing her hair color, men might love her for herself alone, and not for her physical beauty
Question3.
What is the young woman trying to prove by suggesting she can dye her hair?

Answer:

  • Anne Gregorys point:
  • Anne Gregory argues that she can control how she looks by dyeing her hair, and that this might help others love her for her personality, not just her appearance
  • Underlying message:
  • She wants to be valued for her true self rather than just her outer beauty, emphasizing that physical appearance should not be the basis of love
Question4.
Why does the poet say that "only God" can love someone for themselves alone?

Answer:

  • Gods unconditional love:
  • The poet, through the words of an old religious man, states that "only God" can love a person for who they truly are, beyond their physical attributes like "yellow hair"
  • Meaning:
  • Human beings are often influenced by outer appearances, but God sees beyond this and loves people for their inner qualities.
Question5.
What is the theme of the poem "For Anne Gregory"?

Answer:

  • Main themes:
  • Love and Appearance: The poem explores how people, especially young men, may be attracted to physical beauty and fail to see a persons inner worth
  • True Love vs. Superficial Love: It suggests that true love should be based on a persons character and soul, rather than their looks
Question6.
How does the poem use the conversation format to explore its themes?

Answer:

  • Conversation between two characters:
  • The poem is structured as a dialogue between a young man and Anne Gregory
  • Exploration of beauty and love:
  • Through their conversation, the poem contrasts how men often love women for their external beauty, while Anne wants to be loved for her true self
Question7.
What literary devices does Yeats use in the poem?

Answer:

  • Metaphor:
  • The young man compares Anne Gregorys hair to ramparts (defensive walls), symbolizing how her beauty can "protect" her but also distract others from knowing her true self
  • Repetition:
  • The phrase "yellow hair" is repeated to emphasize the focus on her appearance
  • Dialogue:
  • The poem uses direct speech to make the conversation between the young man and Anne Gregory more engaging and personal
Question8.
How does the poem reflect William Butler Yeats interest in human nature?

Answer:

  • Yeats exploration of love:
  • The poem reflects Yeats interest in exploring how people relate to each other, particularly in terms of superficial vs. genuine love
  • Human tendency:
  • Yeats suggests that humans often judge each other based on physical appearance, but deeper love requires looking beyond the surface

Question Papers / Notes Download

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