157. Alte HS1stYr- The Light of Other Days (18)

1. In which stage of life is the poet at present?

A:- The poet is in the last stage at present, that is- old age.

2. To what does the poet compare his friends?

A:- The poet compares his friends with leaves in winter season. He says that he has seen his friends around dying who were once so linked together and compares the death of his friends with the falling of leaves in the wintry weather.

3. Pick out one 'fond' memory of the poet.

A:- One 'fond' memory of the poet is this recollection of the boyhood days. The speaker remembers the fond memories from past, replete with joy, the tears and laughter that comes with merriment, the vigour of the boyhood years that brings him momentary bliss.

4. Pick out one 'sad' memory of the poet.

A:- The moment when the realization dawns on the poet that his boyhood days, his friends and the words of love that he had shared and spent with those departed are now all a thing of the past.

5. What does the word "slumber" mean?

A:- Slumber in this context means sleep.

6. Why are the cheerful hearts now broken?

A:- The once-cheerful hearts have become broken because of the loss of past days.

7.In the beginning of the poem, the poet says, ‘Fond memories brings the light…..’. But later on, he says, ‘Sad memories bring the light….’. Why is there a change in the mood?

A: The fond memories of his childhood bring the smile on his face. In his boyhood days, he had gone through different situations some made him sad and some made him smile with shine in his eyes. It was the time when his friends were there and he was cared by everyone. Now, he is feeling abandoned and lonely and this makes him feel depressed.

8.Before falling asleep, what does the poet remember?

A: Before falling asleep, the poet remembers both the fond memories and sad memories of his youth. He remembers the joys, the sorrow and the words of love spoken during his boy hood days . He also remembers how one by one his friends have left him and have gone to another world and how the cheerful hearts of their young age have broken as they have sometimes failed to achieve their aim or goal in their lives.

9. What do the ‘other days’ refer to?

Answer: The other days refer to his boyhood days.

10. Why does the poet use the word ‘fond’ for memory?

A:- The poet uses the word fond for memory because it was his best phase of life.

11. Why is the poet sad?

A:-  The poet is sad on remembering how he has missed his friend one by one as they have left the world leaving him behind. He also feels sad to remember how the cheerful hearts of their young age have broken as they have sometimes failed to achieve their aim or goal in their lives.

12. What does the poet mean by ‘fall’? Whom has he seen falling?

A:-The poet means death when he uses the word fall. He has seen the death of his loved ones.

13. Point out a simile and explain it.

A:- The simile in these lines is ‘like leaves in wintry weather’. The poet is comparing the lives of the people to the leaves. As the leaves fall in the winter season from the trees in the same way death also takes our loved ones.

14. To what does the poet compare his friends as well as himself?

A:- The poet compares himself to the one who works alone in a banquet hall and his friends to leaves which have fallen in winter around him.

15. Explain ‘slumber’s chain’.

A:- By Slumber’s chain the poet refers the way sleep hold us in place and controls our thoughts.

16. Why is memory referred to as ‘sad’?

A:- The memory is referred to as sad because he is missing his friends and his golden days.

17. What do you think the poet means when he says ‘brings the light of other days’?

A: By this, the poet means fond memories of his boyhood years and the lovely world he was living in.

 18. What is the theme of the poem?

A: The poet has portraited the theme of friendship in the poem through reminiscing and through bringing fond memories of friendship to the forefront of his mind. He looks back on the good and not so good times in youth-his boyhood time. There are two period of memories. Death is first presented here in shinning wyes that are now dimmed and gone. The cheerful heart is now broken. The second stanza brings near present memories of friends so linked together. Death is presented here as a friend who falls like leaves in wintry weather. Death is again presented in a personal connection and in a threatening way.