NCERT Solutions Class 11 Woven Words (Poetry) Chapter-14 Mother Tongue
Class 11 (Woven Words )
exercise questions and answers
Chapter-14 (Mother Tongue)
By Padma Sachdev
Page No: 120
Understanding the Poem
1. The quill is the central element of the poem – what does it symbolise?
Answer
The quill symbolises the Sharade script. A script is central to propagate and preserve any language. In this case the poet is eager to make a point for her mother tongue Dogri which was originally written in Sharade script but for reasons unknown happened to be written in Devanagari script. So she personifies the reed and requests it to give a quill and the reed instantly agrees to do so saying that it is also the servant of the Shahni like the poet herself and ready to serve her.
2. You notice a sense of urgency in the poet's request – what is the reason for this?
Answer
The reason for the sense of urgency shown in the poem is because of fast depleting base of Dogri language in its native speakers and the influence of other language on it. The poet is concerned that if the Dogri speaking population is not ready to serve the Shahni(Dogri) then it will be too late to save the language.
3. How has the poet brought out her emotional attachment to her mother tongue?
Answer
The poet has brought out her emotional attachment to her mother tongue in the form of this beautiful poem wherein she treats her mother tongue as Shahni and the poet herself as a maid to the service of the queen. The emotional height is reached when the reed instantly agrees to cut its hand and give it away for the service of Shahni in the form of a quill.
4. Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human qualities to inanimate things and abstract ideas. How has it been used in the poem?
Answer
The poet has beautifully used the tool of personification for her mother tongue Dogri and its script Sharade. Dogri has been personified as Shahni and Sharade script has been personified as the queen's maid in the form of a quill. The dramatization of the reed cutting its hand to offer for the service of the queen animates the entire poem and rouses the reader to stand up for the greater cause of saving/serving one's mother tongue.
NCERT Solutions Class For 11 Woven Words Pdf
Short Stories
- Chapter 1- The Lament
- Chapter 2- A Pair of Mustachios
- Chapter 3- The Rocking-horse Winner
- Chapter 4- The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
- Chapter 5- Pappachi's Moth
- Chapter 6- The Third and Final Continent
- Chapter 7- Glory at Twilight
- Chapter 8- The Luncheon
Poetry
- Chapter 9- The Peacock
- Chapter 10- Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds
- Chapter 11- Coming
- Chapter 12- Telephone Conversation
- Chapter 13- The World is too Much With Us
- Chapter 15- Hawk Roosting
- Chapter 16- For Elkana
- Chapter 17- Refugee Blues
- Chapter 18- Felling of the Banyan Tree
- Chapter 19- Ode to a Nightingale
- Chapter 20- Ajamil and the Tigers
