Class 9th Eng. Poem -4 THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE NCERT/CBSE Based Question and answer, Theme Message Literary devices

Poem -4

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

-William Butler Yeats

Literary Notes of the Poet

William Butler Yeats (13 June, 1865-28 January, 1939) was an Irish poet and one of the key figures of 20 century literature. He was a symbolist poet, using allusive imagery and symbolic structures. He chose words that suggested abstract thoughts.

Yeats also wrote the preface for the English translation of Rabindranath Tagore's 'Gitanjali' in 1913.

The Green Helmet (1910), Responsibilities (1914), "The Tower" (1928), "The Winding Stair (1933), and New Poems (1938) are some of his notable works. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923.

Message The central Idea of the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree is that nature is the healer of soul. It bings peace, prosperity, beauty, love and compassion. On the other hand, city life is full of ugliness. It is greedy, rude, polluted and without any comfort. 

THEME 

What we value in nature is often the exact opposite of what civilization brings. Also, civilization sometimes destroys the peace that nature provides. Another theme may be simplicity versus materialism.

 Summary of the Poem

This poem is about going back to nature. The poet, who is living in London, desperately wants to go to Innisfree, an island where he has spent some part of his childhood.

He wants to get rid of the busy life and materialistic ways of the world and spend the rest of his life in Innisfree.

The poet decides to get ready and set out for Innisfree at once. He wishes to build a small cabin made of clay and wattles in a lonely place. Near his cabin, he will grow some rows of beans. He will also have a hive for the honeybees. He wishes to live all alone in a glade alive with the loud humming of bees.

The poet hopes to get some peace in Innisfree. He says that peace descends slowly. He will get peace when he hears the cricket's song in the morning. He will enjoy the glimmer of stars at midnight and the purple glow of the noon. In the evening, he will enjoy seeing the linnet bird flying in the sky.

So, the poet has made up his mind to get ready and leave for Innisfree immediately. He says that while in London, he hears the lake water lapping its shores. He hears this sound while he is standing on the roadways or pavements of London. He hears the sound in the deepest core of his heart. So, the poet decides to go to Innisfree immediately.

Literary Devices

Alliteration: It is the repetition of consonant sounds at close intervals to provide musical quality to the poem.

Examples:

* a hive for the honeybee

Here, 'h' sound is repeated.

*the lake water lapping with low sounds

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which there is implied comparison between two objects.

Example:

veils of the morning

The clouds or fog in the morning are called veils which are lifted once the sun rises.

Personification: It is a poetic device in which human traits are attributed to something abstract or non-living.

Example:

the veils of the morning

Here, morning is personified as a woman whose face is covered by a veil in the form of mist or fog.

Textual questions 

Questions and answers 

Thinking about Poem
I. 1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
(iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).

Answer:

Innisfree is a natural place which full of beauty and peace.

(i) Three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there are:

• He wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.

• He wants to plant nine rows of beans.

• He wants to have a hive of honey bees.

(ii) The poet hears the cricket’s song. He sees midnight shine and a purple glow at noon. Evenings are full of linnet wings. All this makes him feel joyous and gives him peace of mind.

(iii) The poet hears the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his “heart's core”.

Q2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III).

Answer:

The poet contrasts the natural beauty of Innisfree with the roads and the dull, grey pavements of the city.

3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

Answer:

Innisfree is not just the creation of the poet’s fancy but a real and natural place which is full of beauty and peace. The poet wishes to live at such a beautiful and peaceful place.

Yes, the poet misses the place of his boyhood days a lot. He can hear the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his heart's core, even when he is away from Innisfree.

II. 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree
(i) Bee-loud glade
(ii) Evenings full of the linnet’s wings
(iii) Lake water lapping with low sounds
What pictures do these words create in your mind?

Answer:

(i) These words create an image of buzzing bees in the glade.

(ii) These words create an image of linnets flying across an evening sky.

(iii) These words not only create a blissful picture in our minds but also evoke the soft sound of a lake's water washing the shore.

2. Look at these words:

...peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings
What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow...from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

Answer:

The given lines indicate that peace of mind can be acquired naturally in a tranquil place like Innisfree.
It is calmness and tranquility that “comes dropping slow...from the veils of the morning”.
The phrase “to where the cricket sings” indicates a peaceful place where one can hear the vibrant sounds of crickets at the time of dawn.

Q1What kind of a place is Innisfree?

Ans. Innisfree is a beautiful island with great natural beauty and calmness. It is free from the stress and noise of city life.

Q2. What three things does the poet want to do when he goes back to Innisfree?

Ans. The poet wants to build a small cabin in Innisfree with clay and wattles. He plans to grow some rows of beans. He also wants to have a hive for the honeybees.

Q3. What does the poet hear and see in Innisfree and what effect does it have on him?

Ans. The poet imagines that he hears the cricket's song in the morning. He watches the stars glimmering in the sky at midnight and the purple glow at noon. The evenings are spent watching linnets flying all around. These have a peaceful and soothing effect on the poet's mind.

Q4. What does the poet hear in his heart's core even when he is far away from Innisfree?

Ans. The poet hears gentle sound of the lake water lapping the shore in Innisfree even when he is far away from it.

Q5. How does the poet contrast Innisfree with where he is now standing?

Ans. The poet describes Innisfree as a place full of natural beauty and peace. He hears the song of the crickets in the morning. The stars shimmer in the night sky and there is a purplish glow in the afternoon. The linnets fly in the evening sky. On the other hand, the place where he stands now is devoid of natural beauty. There are roadways and grey-coloured pavements around him.

Q6. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

Ans. Innisfree is an actual place as the poet had spent his childhood there. It gives him peace and solace. It also represents a state of mind because his boyhood days haunt him. He misses the place and wants to escape there.

Q7. Is the title 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' appropriate for the poem?

Ans. The title of the poem refers to a place where the poet desires to go. It is an actual place where the poet had spent his boyhood days. The title makes it clear that the poem is about the place. Therefore, it is apt in the sense that the poem describes the natural scenic beauty of Innisfree and the poet's longing to visit it.

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