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TNPSC English: Analysis of Poems from India, Canada, and the UK

This guide provides a detailed analysis of the sixth and final batch of 5 important poems from the TNPSC syllabus. This diverse collection features celebrated poets from India, Canada, Scotland, and Wales, exploring themes ranging from the beauty of nature and travel to critiques of human behavior and modern life.

இந்த வழிகாட்டி, TNPSC பாடத்திட்டத்தில் உள்ள 5 முக்கியக் கவிதைகளின் ஆறாவது மற்றும் இறுதித் தொகுப்பை விரிவாக ஆய்வு செய்கிறது. இதில் இந்தியா, கனடா, ஸ்காட்லாந்து மற்றும் வேல்ஸ் ஆகிய நாடுகளைச் சேர்ந்த புகழ்பெற்ற கவிஞர்களின் படைப்புகள் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன. இயற்கையின் அழகு, பயணம், மனித நடத்தை மற்றும் நவீன வாழ்க்கையின் மீதான விமர்சனங்கள் போன்ற கருப்பொருள்களை இக்கவிதைகள் ஆராய்கின்றன.

Learning Patterns & Strategies​

To master the literary works section, follow these proven strategies:

  • Focused Study: Use this guide and the provided material. Do not waste time searching for other notes. (தேவையில்லாமல் வேறு குறிப்புகளைத் தேடி நேரத்தை வீணாக்காதீர்கள், இங்குள்ளதை மட்டும் படித்தால் போதும்).
  • Memorize Authors: Memorize the list of all 30 poems and their authors. This is a potential question area. (30 கவிதைகள் மற்றும் அவற்றின் ஆசிரியர்களின் பெயர்களை மனப்பாடம் செய்யுங்கள்).
  • Understand Themes: For each poem, understand its central idea or summary. This helps in answering appreciation questions. (ஒவ்வொரு கவிதையின் மையக் கருத்தையும் புரிந்து கொள்ளுங்கள்).
  • Master Figures of Speech: This is the most critical part. Most questions from this unit are about identifying figures of speech. (Figures of Speech-ல் இருந்துதான் பெரும்பாலான கேள்விகள் வரும், எனவே இதில் அதிக கவனம் செலுத்துங்கள்).
  • Practice Questions: Regularly practice the appreciation questions and MCQs for each poem to build confidence and speed. (பயிற்சி வினாக்களைத் தீர்ப்பது தேர்வில் உங்கள் வேகத்தை அதிகரிக்கும்).

Key Poems Explained​

26. "The Grumble Family" by Lucy Maud Montgomery​

This poem humorously describes a family that lives in a state of perpetual complaint, serving as a cautionary tale against negativity.

Summary​

The poet describes a "Grumble Family" who lives on "Complaining Street" in the "city of Never-Are-Satisfied." Everything about them is gloomy and disagreeable; nothing is ever right for them. They complain about everything, whether it's hot or cold, summer or winter. The poem ends with a warning to the reader to avoid this metaphorical place and to never get caught grumbling, lest they be mistaken for a member of this unhappy family.

About the Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942)​

  • A famous Canadian author, best known for her beloved series of novels beginning with "Anne of Green Gables." Her works often celebrate the beauty of life, making this poem a satirical departure.

Literary Devices​

Allegory: The entire poem is an allegory, where the family and their location represent the abstract human trait of constant complaining. (இந்தக் கவிதை, தொடர்ந்து குறை கூறும் மனிதப் பண்பை ஒரு குடும்பமாகவும் இடமாகவும் உருவகப்படுத்தும் ஒரு நீதிக்கதை).

Personification: Abstract concepts like complaining are embodied by the "Grumble" family.

Metaphor:

  • "Complaining Street," "River of Discontent" are metaphors for a life filled with negativity.

27. "Wandering Singers" by Sarojini Naidu​

This poem captures the life and spirit of wandering minstrels in India, who roam from place to place with their songs as their only belonging.

Summary​

The singers describe themselves as wanderers whose voices echo through forests and streets. Their songs are about the epic tales of the past—of cities now in ruins, the glory of ancient kings, and the beauty of "women long dead." They have no fixed home, as the "voice of the wind" calls them to travel. Their family is all of humanity, and their home is the entire world. They travel wherever the wind takes them, with no dreams or hopes for the future, only a connection to the past through their songs.

About the Author: Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949)​

  • A celebrated Indian poet and political activist. She was a key figure in India's struggle for independence.
  • She was known as the "Nightingale of India" (Bharata Kokila) for the lyrical and musical quality of her poetry.

Literary Devices​

Simile: A direct comparison using "like" or "as."

  • Example: "...the lustre of cities... is shed, / Like the laughter and beauty of women long dead."

Metaphor:

  • Example: "The voice of the wind is the voice of our fate."
  • Explanation: The wind, symbolizing nature and destiny, is metaphorically described as their guide.

28. "On Killing a Tree" by Gieve Patel​

This poem is a stark, almost clinical, description of the immense effort required to destroy a tree, serving as a powerful commentary on man's violence against nature.

Summary​

The poem argues that a simple "jab of the knife" is not enough to kill a tree because it has grown slowly, absorbing years of sunlight, air, and water. Its roots are firmly anchored in the earth. To truly kill it, the root must be pulled out entirely from its "earth-cave" and exposed to the sun and air. Only then, through a process of "scorching and choking," "browning, hardening, twisting, withering," will the tree finally be killed. The detailed, brutal description highlights the resilience of nature and the cruelty required to overcome it.

About the Author: Gieve Patel (born 1940)​

  • An eminent Indian poet, playwright, painter, and physician. His work often reflects a critical view of modern society and its indifference to violence.

Literary Devices​

Irony: The poem is deeply ironic. It reads like a 'how-to' guide for killing, but its true purpose is to evoke empathy for the tree and shock at the violence. (ஒரு மரத்தைக் கொல்வதற்கான வழிகாட்டி போலத் தெரிந்தாலும், அதன் உண்மையான நோக்கம் மரத்தின் மீது பச்சாதாபத்தை ஏற்படுத்துவதாகும்).

Personification: The tree is described with human-like qualities.

  • Example: Its bark is called "leprous hide," and it "heals" from wounds.

Metaphor: The roots are the "strength of the tree exposed," representing its life source and deep connection to the earth.

29. "From a Railway Carriage" by Robert Louis Stevenson​

This poem captures the exhilarating speed and fleeting impressions of the landscape as seen from a fast-moving train.

Summary​

The poem conveys the rapid pace of a train journey ("Faster than fairies, faster than witches"). The speaker describes a series of quick, momentary sights that flash by: bridges, houses, hedges, and ditches; charging troops in a battle; meadows with horses and cattle. He glimpses a child gathering brambles, a tramp standing and gazing, and green garlands for a lady, all gone in the blink of an eye ("Each a glimpse and gone for ever!"). The poem's rhythm mimics the clickety-clack of the train on its tracks.

About the Author: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)​

  • A highly respected Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, famous for classic works like "Treasure Island" and "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde."

Literary Devices​

Rhythm and Meter: The poem's fast, consistent rhythm (trochaic tetrameter) perfectly imitates the movement and sound of a train.

Simile: The poem is filled with similes to emphasize speed.

  • Example: "And charging along like troops in a battle"

Imagery: The poet presents a rapid succession of visual images to replicate the experience of looking out a train window.

30. "Leisure" by William Henry Davies​

This poem is a simple yet profound critique of a modern life that is too hurried and preoccupied to appreciate the simple beauties of the natural world.

Summary​

The poem opens with the famous rhetorical question: "What is this life if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare?" The poet then lists the many simple pleasures we miss: watching sheep and cows, seeing squirrels hide their nuts, or gazing at star-like streams. He personifies Beauty, saying we have no time to watch her dance or wait for her smile. The poem concludes that a life without the leisure to enjoy these small wonders is a "poor life" indeed.

About the Author: William Henry Davies (1871–1940)​

  • A Welsh poet and writer who spent a significant part of his life as a hobo in America and the United Kingdom. His direct experience with a simple, outdoor life informed his poetry.

Literary Devices​

Rhetorical Question: The poem is structured around the opening question, which sets the theme and challenges the reader's priorities. (கவிதையின் மையக் கருத்தை முன்வைத்து, வாசகரின் முன்னுரிமைகளைக் கேள்விக்குள்ளாக்கும் கேள்வியுடன் தொடங்குகிறது).

Personification:

  • Example: "No time to turn at Beauty's glance, / And watch her feet, how they can dance."

Simile:

  • Example: "Streams full of stars, like skies at night."