BRAINSTARMING ACTIVITES ON UNIT 2.3 THERE IS ANOTHER SKY

                           Unit 2.3 THERE IS ANOTHER SKY  by : Emily Dickinson

Brainstarming

(A1) (i) Imagine your younger sister is not paying attention to her studies and is seen wasting time playing games on her cell-phone. Suggest some ways that will help her to concentrate on her studies and overcome her bad habit.

Ans:  Dear sister,

1. Realize the competition of present age. Study is an only medium of getting job and right position in society. So focus on study.

2. Mobile is introduced for moderate use only, it not for gamming purpose.

3. Prepare your daily schedule of study and leisure time.

4. Use mobile phone only at leisure time.

5. Shut your mobile down if possible and put it to another room at the time study.

(ii) You have noticed that many of your classmates are not interested in outdoor games or participating in co-curricular activities. Discuss some ways in which they will be encouraged to participate in activities.

Ans:  1. Awareness program should be launched about importance of sports.

2. Participation award should be given to the class for entire participation.

3. There should be compulsion to take part in various activities based on out-door game.

4. They should come to know that muscle strength and overall exercise can be gained only by out-door activities.

5. Students must be realized about extra credential of marks for participating in out-door games

(A2) (i) Discuss with your partner and complete the web, highlighting the sad and gloomy aspects of life mentioned in the first part of the poem.

Sad and gloomy aspect of life

Darkness                                          faded forest                                     silent fields

(ii) The poet encourages her brother in the second part of the poem by telling him about the brighter side of life. Discuss with your partner and make a list of the expressions in the poem that mean encouragement.

(a) Brighter garden

(b) Unfading flowers.

(c) Bright bee hum.

(iii) The poet has described two different shades of human feelings by using imagery of various forces of Nature in the poem. Pick out the terms or phrases that describe them. Complete the table given below. One is done for you.

Nature	Feelings
Faded forests	Sad/gloomy
Silent field	Passiveness/ inactivity
Bright garden	Hopefulness / encouraging
Unfading flower	Lack of charm / lifeless
Bright bee hum	Happy tuning / pleasant atmosphere

(iv) The poem expresses feelings of serenity. Pick out expressions from the above poem that express the same.

Ans:                a. Ever green leaf

b. another sunshine

c. Brighter garden

d. Unfading flowers

e. bright bee hum.

(v) Compare and contrast the two opposing human feelings as expressed by the poet.

Ans: In first paragraph of poem, poetess’s brother feeling is a gloomy, lifeless sad and passive feeling which is expressed by darkness, silent fields. Second paragraph is full with new expectations and promises. Poetess feels energetic and happy in mood which is expressed by brighter garden, unfading flowers and bright bee hum.

  

(A3) ‘Never mind faded forests, Austin’. The word ‘faded’ means to become dim or faint. The word describes the forests that have become faint or dim in appearance. Now go through the poem again and complete the table.

Describing word	Object	Explanation
1. faded	forests	The forests have become faint or dim in appearance.
2. silent	Fields	The field became silent and passive having no activities
3. unfading	flowers	Flower is unfading by the nature it is full of life and fresh forever.
4. bright	bee	Bees are bright and singing a joyous song which please our mind.
4. brighter	garden	Garden id bright and not covered by snow. Bright garden has a lot of new promising  hope

(A4) ‘I hear the bright bee hum.’ The poet has used the word ‘hum’ that indicates the sound made by the bee. This is an example of Onomatopoeia. The poet has used different figures of speech like alliteration, inversion and hyperbole in the poem. Identify them and pick out the lines accordingly.

(a)   Hyperbole – 1. Whose leaf is ever green.

2. In its unfading flowers.

(b) Alliteration – 1. Never mind faded forests, Austin,

        2. I hear the bright bee hum’

(c) Inversion – 1. Where not a frost has been.

(A5) Imagine your friend is a table tennis champion who has won the semi-final in the inter-collegiate championship. Due to over confidence, she neither practices nor does she take her opponent seriously. This may result in her losing the final. Suggest some ways to make her aware of the importance of hard work and regular practice.

Ans:

1. Practice makes man perfect. For perfection hard work is necessary.

2. Hard work gives chance to maintain toughness and develops self discipline.

3. Hard work increases our capacity and self confidence.

4. Hard work is key to success. It helps us to achieve our goals.

5. Practice improves our skills, it must be accomplished with hard work.

(A6) (i) Use the following points and write an appreciation of the poem:

• About the poem, poet and title

• Theme

• Poetic style, language, poetic devices used in the poem

• Special features

• Message/values/morals in the poem

• Your opinion about the poem

Ans:

Analysis of poem

2.3  THERE IS ANOTHER SKY     by  Emily Dickenson

 • About the poem, poet and title.

Poem: poem is written in calling tone to the Austin a brother of poetess who went to the Bosten as a part his duties. It is very lucid and simple having a significant meaning. It is one type of letter by the poet to her brother.

Poet:  Emily Dickinson was born in 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. Emily was known as a grief poet. Isolation, dark side of life, Death, World after Death etc. are the ground theme of Emily’s poem. Emily Dickinson seldom left her home. By the 1860s she lived in almost complete isolation.  Her work was not recognized during her lifetime. The publication of her poems posthumously gained her a large recognition and reputation. She died in 1886, aged 55.

Title of poem: There is another sky, indicates a new sky for the better way of life. It suggests another world in which one can lead his/ her life peacefully. Poetess very aptly has used this title for the poem.

• Theme/summary/gist of the poem.

Poetess Emily suggests Austin that there is another sky, a sky which is bright and calm. He should not worry about tired and troublesome condition of his life. Though in the world of Austin, there is darkness, he should not think about it because in this new world here is new sunshine. It is the world of new energy and enthusiasm. Poetess advised her brother not to mind the faded forests that he observed as well as he must not mind the silent fields also. Here is a little forest which is exactly the opposite to the condition in which he is leading his life. The leaves in this forest are ever green. It has bright gardens. It is untouched by frost so it remained evergreen forever. It has bright, unfading flowers where he can hear the humming sound of bees. Poetess calls her brother with his nickname “Prithee” and advised him to leave the place where is living and come back to the garden which is created by the poetess.

• Poetic style/language, poetic devices used in the poem.                                                Poem has an encouraging, inspiring and hopeful dictation tone. Poetess offers her brother a new world and not to worry about the unexpected circumstances very clearly. A manner of poem is very simple having clear ideas and meaning. Language of poem is very dictational. One can easily gain the expectation of poetess about her brother. To enrich the poem, poet has used some poetic ornaments. Though poem has a lack of rhyming words but poetess very effectively used figure of speech to compare her new world.

Use of figure of speech:

1.Metaphor: 

‘There is another sky’, title of poem itself is a metaphor.

Poet indicates that this is new world with a bunch of promising expectations.

2.Repetition: 

1. Never mind faded forests, Austin,

   Never mind silent fields.

Explanation: Words Never mind are repeated for musical and rhythmic touch.

2. Prithee, my brother,     Into my garden come.

Explanation: Word ‘my’ is repeated for musical and rhythmic touch.

Onomatopoeia: 

‘I hear the bright bee hum’.

Explanation: word ‘hum’ indicates the sound.

 Hyperbole: 

1.     Whose leaf is ever green.

Explanation: over statement about leaf is made. Actually there is no leaf in nature which stands green forever.

2.     In its unfading flowers.

Explanation: Flower is exaggerated. Every flower fades by time.

Alliteration:

1. Never mind faded forests, Austin,

Explanation: phonetic sound ‘ f ’ is repeated to create musical effect.

2.‘I hear the bright bee hum’.

Explanation: phonetic sound ‘ b  ’ is repeated to create musical effect

Inversion:

‘Where not a frost has been’

Explanation: word order is not in correct prose order. Word order is scrambled for emphasis. Correct word order is Where has not been a frost.

• Special features/novelties/focusing elements.

Poem has a touch of letter. It realizes us about a love and affection between poetess and her brother. This poem is exception to the poems of Emily Dickenson written on gloomy atmosphere. It indicates the strong bonding of brotherhood. Simplicity of words and suggestive tone of poem catches the mind of readers.

• Message/values/morals in the poem.

It is a suggestive poem to the person who is tired and panic by unhealthy duties and uncomfortable atmosphere. Poem encourages the readers mind to be more positive by attitude.

• Your opinion about the poem.

I think that this is one of the best poem written by Emily Dickenson which give a new point of view to agonies of person. Poem is enriched with a lot of suggestions and new direction of leading our life calmly. Poet may call us to her world of poems which is created by herself. Really world of poem is imbued with evergreen leaf and unfading flowers, having a power to please the person forever.

(ii) Write a summary of the poem with the help of the points given below:

• Title

• Introductory paragraph (about the poem/ type/nature/tone)

• Main body (central idea/gist of the poem)

• Conclusion/ opinions/views/appeal

There is another sky.

 Poem is in suggestive tone, indicating new fresh world for the person who is stressed by unpleasant circumstances.

Poetess has mentioned the two type of world, one is life less and other is enthusiastic. Though there is darkness, passive field and dim forest in the world but poetess suggest her brother not to worry because she has created a world which is full of expectation, promises, pleasant nature and sound. Poetess welcomes her brother in her world.

Poetess conveys her brother to return home and not to worry about the circumstances which he has undergone. Poetess encourages her brother for leading more peaceful and charming life.

           

(iii) Let’s compose a poem. Two lines are given. Add two of your own.

There is another sky,

Ever serene and fair

Come without any shy

And make your doubt clear

(iv) Given below is a poem 'Blue Sky' by Mark Hastings. Imagine a poem of a similar kind by replacing the word blue. You can add any colour or object of your choice and write a poem of four lines.

For example replace 'blue' with

Ans: Clear sky above me

Golden path below me

Green nature all around

And as for the sense can feel

(A7) Write a letter to your younger sibling making her aware of various man-made and natural disasters and encourage her to join all the programmes, campaigns, drives etc. in school or in your locality.

(A8) The poem describes the beauty of Nature. Make a list of careers that are related to Nature, environment and forest. One is done for you.

(a) Forest Department - (Forest officer, Ranger etc.)

(b) World wide fund for nature (WWF) – (Program officer)

(c) Wild life sanctuaries   -  (Manager , Program officer etc)

(d) Agree cultural engineer   - (J.E., Asst. Engineer)

(e) Environmental engineer -   (J.E., Asst. Engineer)

(A9) Project:

'The Road Not Taken' (Robert Frost), 'O Captain My Captain' (Walt Whitman) etc. are inspirational poems. Search these poems on the internet and write down your opinon about the poems in your notebook.

                                                                 Analyzed by :  Maikel R. Borkar(Nagbhir)