TS 9th Class English Guide Unit 6B Where the Mind is Without Fear (Poem)
WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
into ever-widening thought and action
Into that Heaven of freedom
My Father, let my country awake
Questions and Answers:
I. Answer the following
Questions
Question 1.
What does the poet mean by the head is held high ?
Answer:
The poet pledges to the Almighty that his country should be free from any fear of oppression or forced compulsion. He wants that everyone in his country should be free to hold their heads high in dignity
Question 2.
Explain what does the poet mean by where knowledge is free?
Answer:
The poet means that knowledge or education would be free that is education should not be restricted to the upper class only but everybody should be free to acquire knowledge. There should not be any caste distinctions or gender distinction when it comes to education
Question 3.
What are narrow domestic walls ?
Answer:
Communal, regional and religious feelings are the narrow domestic walls
Question 4.
Name any two traits of character the poet wants to inculcate in his country men?
Answer:
Truthfulness and hard working nature
Question 5.
What do you understand by clear stream of reason ?
Answer:
Tagore wants the power of reason to dominate the minds of his countrymen, he does not want the stream of reason to be lost amongst outdated customs and traditions and only that can direct the mind towards selfless thoughts and everlasting action
Question 6.
What does the poet mean by let my country awake ?
Answer:
Tagore asks the Father, presumably God to awaken his country into such a heaven of freedom where people are honest, truthful and hard working
Question 7.
What is Heaven of freedom according to the poet ?
Answer:
According to the poet, Heaven of freedom means the place where freedom is prevalent and people are honest, truthful and hard working
Question 8.
How can we get rid of narrow domestic walls ? Express your views?
Answer:
We should neglect the call of community, region and religion. We should listen to the call of the nation. Then only we can get rid of narrow domestic walls
Where the Mind is Without Fear (Poem) Summary in English
The present poem Where the Mind is Without Fear was written by one.of the outstanding poets of our country, Rabindranath Tagore. Initially the poem talks about a longing. The mood that is created is of longing, wistfulness.The strong patriotic mood takes the poet to a world which will not be subjugated and enslaved. The poet in his prose poem style uses imagery to take us to a country which is independent, where the people are free to express their thoughts, ideas, innovations and creations. By the end of the poem the poet creates a mood which is inspirational in nature. The poem then becomes a poem for awakening - awakening from the state of bondage
Rabindranath Tagore sketches a moving picture of the nation; he would like India to be. The poet pledges to the Almighty that his country should be free from any fear of oppression or forced compulsion. He wants that everyone in his country should be free to hold their heads high in dignity. He dreams of a nation where knowledge or education would be free that is education should not be restricted to the upper class only but everybody should be free to acquire knowledge. There should not be any caste distinctions or gender distinction when it comes to education
Tagore wishes for a world which is not fragmented by prejudices based on caste, creed, color, religion or other baseless superstitions. Prejudices and superstitions should not divide the people in groups and break their unity. He wants a nation where people are truthful,l not superficial and words should come out from the depth of their hearts. He yearns for a country where people would strive without getting tired to reach perfection leaving behind prejudices and old traditions. Tagore wants the power of reason to dominate the minds of his countrymen, he does not want the stream of reason to be lost amongst outdated customs and traditions and only that can direct the mind towards selfless thoughts and everlasting action
In the final line of the poem, Tagore asks the Father, presumably God to awaken his country into such a heaven of freedom. The poem is patriotic in nature considering the independence and the happiness of the countrymen as the most important factor. If a country lacks such requirements, the countrymen can never be at peace. Consequently, the society will be full of disharmony and social unjust. The poem sends a message that the society should be free from all social evils, only then it can lead to progress
About the Poet:
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is one of the best known Indian writers, who wrote both in his mother tongue Bangla and in English. He was a poet, playwright, novelist, painter, educator and musician, He translated a collection of his poems, Gitanjali, which was published in 1912. In 1913 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. He is the author of the Indian National Anthem as well as the National Anthem of Bangladesh
Glossary:
fragments (n) : pieces
domestic (adj) : pertaining to family
striving (n) : try hard, motivated
stream (n) : river
dreary (adj) : dull
dead habit : outdated practices
thought and action : the two facets of a balanced personality
heaven of freedom : a joyful abode which has freedom for the individual.