12th English – Lesson 1 – Poem – The Castle

 

12th English – Lesson 1 – Poem – The Castle

(a) What thoughts come to your mind when or/you think about
a castle? Add your ideas to the list.

Answer: moat, huge buildings, soldiers,
weapons gatehouse, look outs.

 

(b) Have you ever visited a fort or a castle?

Answer: Yes I have visited the red Fort in
Delhi

 

(c) Fill in the following empty boxes.

Answer:

Name – Location

Fort St. George –
Chennai

Gingee Fort –
Villupuram District

Golconda Fort –
Hyderabad

Red Fort    – Delhi

 

1. Based on your understanding of the poem,
answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

(a) Who is the narrator in the poem?

Answer: A soldier is the narrator in the
poem.

 

(b) How long had the soldiers been in the castle?

Answer: The soldiers had been in the castle
all through the summer.

 

(c) Why were the soldiers in the castle fearless?

Answer: They were fearless because they were
behind a well-guarded castle headed by a brave captain. Allies were close at
hand and they had adequate arms to fight and foodgrains to sustain them under a
siege.

 

(d) Where were the enemies?

Answer: Of course yes. There were enemies.

 

(e) Why does the narrator say that the enemy was no threat
at all?

Answer: Soldiers behind the turret wall were
ready to shoot the enemy at sight. The castle was surrounded by a deadly moat.
The captain was brave and the soldiers loyal. Allies were close at hand. Hence,
the enemy was no threat at all.

 

(f) Did the soldiers fight with the enemies face to face?

Answer: No, the soldiers did not fight with
their enemies face to face.

 

(g) Who had let the enemies in?

Answer: The aged greedy wicket gate keeper
had let the enemy in.

 

(h) How did the enemies enter the castle?

Answer: The enemies bribed the warder with
gold coins. He opened the wicket gate and the castle was captured without
bloodshed and fight.

 

(i) Why were the secret galleries bare?

Answer: The secret galleries were looted by
the cunning enemies. So, they were bare.

 

(j) What was the ‘shameful act’?

Answer: Being sold to an enemy and losing the
castle without heroic fight is a ‘shameful act’.

 

(k) Why didn’t the narrator want to tell the tale to
anybody?

Answer: The narrator did not want to tell the
shameful act because it will expose the greed of the aged warder. He had sold
them all for a bag of gold. They did not have any weapon to fight the invisible
enemy within.

 

(l) Why did the narrator feel helpless?

Answer: The narrator felt helpless because
they could not fight gold. The greed for gold is an invisible and internal
enemy and they had no weapon to fight it with. So, they felt helpless.

 

(m) Who was the real enemy?

Answer: “The gold” was their real enemy.

 

2. Read
the poem again and complete the summary using the words given in box.

Stanzas
1-3

The
Castle ’ by Edwin Muir is a moving poem on the (1) _____ of a well-guarded (2)
_____ The soldiers of the castle were totally stress-free and relaxed. They
were (3) _____ of theircastle’s physical strength. Through the turrets they
were able to watch the mowers and noenemy was found up to the distance of (4)
_____ and so they seemed no threat to the castle.They had (5) _____ of weapons
to protect them and a large quantity of (6) _____ in stock to take care of the
well-being of the soldiers inside the castle. The soldiers stood one above
theother on the towering (7) _____ to shoot the enemy at sight. They believed
that the castle was absolutely safe because their captain was (8) _____ and the
soldiers were loyal.

half-a-kilometre
– watching 

castle
– ration

brave
– capture

plenty
– confident

Answers:

1.
capture

2.
castle

3.
confident

4.
half-a-kilometre

5.
plenty

6.
ration

7.
watching

8.
brave

 

Stanzas
4-6

Even
by a trick no one but the birds could enter. The enemy could not use a (9)
______ for their entry inside the castle. But there was a wicket gate guarded
by a (10) ______ He (11) ______ in the enemies confident inside the famous
citadel that had been known for its secret gallery and intricate path. The
strong castle became (12) ______ and thin because of the greedy disloyal
warder. The (13) ______ was captured by the enemies for (14) ______ The
narrator (15) ______ over the (16) ______ of the useless warder and also
decided not to disclose this (17) ______ story to anyone. He was (18) ______
and wondered how he would keep this truth to himself. He regretted not finding
any (19) ______ to fight with the (20) ______ called ‘gold’.

lamented
– shameful   

wicked
– guard bait

let
– gold   

gold
– weapon

weapon
– citadel

weak
– weak

disloyalty
– helpless

enemy
– enemy

Answer:

9.weapon

10.
wicked guard

11.
let

12.
weak

13.
citadel

14.
gold

15.
lamented

16.
disloyalty

17.
shameful

18.
helpless

19.
enemy

20.
bait

 

3. Read the poem and answer the following in a
short paragraph of 8-10 sentences each.

(a) How safe was the castle? How was it conquered?

Answer: The castle was fortified by a deep
moat very difficult for an enemy to cross. They had a stock pile of arms. Their
captain was brave and the soldiers loyal. They had a huge stock of foodgrains
to last any siege of the castle. Allies were ready to pitch in at a short
notice. From the turret wall, soldiers were ready to shoot down the enemy at
sight. Not a single enemy was spotted all through the summer. The soldiers were
relaxed and spent time gazing at the mowers in the distant fields. But the
castle’s wicket gate was guarded by an aged greedy gatekeeper. The warder
collected gold from the enemy and let the enemies in. Their enemy was gold
against which they had no weapon. Their castle fell to the greed of an aged
warder.

 

(b) Bring out the contrasting picture of the castle as
depicted in stanzas 3 and 5.

Answer: The gates of the castle were very strong. The walls were
high and smooth. No enemy could ever enter it by trick. The soldiers were quite
alert to the movement of the enemies. They were proud that only a bird could
venture to scale over the castle. But the enemies entered through the wicket
gate. The tunnelled stone walls became thin and treacherous. The famous citadel
‘ was overthrown without a fight. The cunning enemies, having bribed the aged
warder, looted the treasures in the secret galleries. The citadel was lost
without a fight and a groan of protest.

 

(c) Human greed led to the mighty fall of the citadel.
Explain.

Answer: The loyal soldiers and their brave
captain expected enemies from outside the castle. Their arms and army was ready
to fight them. But they could not identify the enemy within. The soldiers were
proud that no might would tear their castle down. But they were unaware of the
• invisible soul-dead enemy within. The ingredients of personal downfall went
unnoticed by them. If a person never looks within, the faults that can be their
doom go overlooked. Their reality could crumble while they gaze outward and
pride themselves on their sureness. This is what happened precisely with the
soldiers of the castle. They only focused on the strength of their physical
surroundings and what was beyond the castle. Human greed-propelled betrayal
from within caused the castle’s downfall.

 

4. Read the given lines and answer the questions
that follow in a line or two.

(a) “All through
the summer at ease we lay,

And daily from the
turret wall

We watched the
mowers in the hay”

 

(i) Who does ‘we’ refer to?

Answer: “We” refers to the brave and loyal
soldiers in the castle.

 

(ii) How did the soldiers spend the summer days?

Answer: They spent the summer days gazing out
of the castle. They were ready to shoot the enemy at sight who were at half-a
kilometer distance. But none came near. So, they were relaxed.

 

(iii) What could
they watch from the turret wall?

Answer: They could watch the farmers mowing at
a distance from inside their turret walls.

 

(b) “Our gates were
strong, our walls were thick,

So smooth and high,
no man could win. ”

(i) How safe was the castle?

Answer: The castle had high and smooth walls.
No enemy could think of climbing it as soldiers were ready to shoot the enemy
at sight. The moat was deadly and deep.

 

(ii) What was the firm belief of the soldiers?

Answer: The soldiers had the firm belief that
their castle was invincible. They felt safe and secure behind the castle.

 

(c) “A foothold
there, no clever trick

Could take us dead
or quick,

Only a bird could
have got in.”

(i) What was challenging?

Answer: Scaling over the castle’s smooth and
high walls was challenging.

 

(ii) Which aspect of the castle’s strength is conveyed by
the above line?

Answer: The physical strength of the castle
(i.e.) its brave and loyal soldiers, the stockpile of arms and well stocked
granary, is conveyed here.

 

(d) “Oh then our
maze of tunneled stone

Grew thin and
treacherous as air.

The castle was lost
without a groan,

The famous citadel
overthrown

(i) Bring out the contrast in the first two lines.

Answer: The maze of tunnelled stone walls
instead of intriguing the enemies, gave passage to them. So, the poet says the
secret tunnelled path became thin and treacherous as air.

 

(ii) What happened to the castle?

Answer: The castle was captured by the
enemies.

 

(e) “We could do
nothing, being sold.”

(i) Why couldn’t they do anything?

Answer: The enemies had entered through the
wicket gate stealthily and easily occupied their castle.

 

(ii) Why did they feel helpless?

Answer: They felt helpless because they had
no weapon to fight “Gold” their invisible enemy. Their castle fell due to the
unnoticed greed of their warder, an aged man.

 

5. Explain the following with reference to the
context in about 50-60 words each.

(a) They seemed no threat to us at all.

Answer:

Reference:

This line is from Edwin Muir’s poem “The Castle”.

Context and
Explanation:

The poet says these words while flaunting the invincibility
of their strong castle. They could watch the movement of enemies from the
turret wall and shoot down the enemy at a distance of half-a-kilometer. They
had a stock pile of arms. Their granary was full to sustain the people in the
event of a siege. Only a bird could have got into the castle. So, the enemies
did not seem to be a threat at all to the soldiers.

 

(b) How can this shameful tale be told?

Answer:

Reference:

This line is from Edwin Muir’s poem “The Castle”.

Context and
Explanation:

The narrator feels disgraced that their strong castle was
overtaken without a groan. There was no fight. They were helpless because under
the cover of darkness, they were sold for gold by the aged warder. It was a
shameful and treacherous act of betrayal. The castle had fallen due to the
greed of an aged warder. The narrator is hesitant to disclose the shameful
betrayal to outsiders.

 

(c) I will maintain until my death

Answer:

Reference:

This line is from Edwin Muir’s poem “The Castle”.

Context and
Explanation:

The poet says this while recounting the shameful act of
betrayal by the aged warder of the wicket gate. The narrator was overconfident
of the invincibility of their castle, their stock piled arms and well-stocked
granary. They had a brave captain and loyal soldiers. In an open war, they need
not fear defeat as their friendly neighbours were also willing to join them
during a war against any invader. But their enemy was within their fortified
castle. They were sold for a bag of gold. Without a groan the citadel was
captured. It was a shameful way to lose one’s side. So, the narrator prefers
not to recount this shameful secret to anyone so long as he is alive.

 

(d) Our only enemy was gold

Answer:

Reference:

This line is from Edwin Muir’s poem “The Castle”.

Context and
Explanation:

The helpless soldier says this while being surprised by the
enemies who bribed the wicked wicket gate keeper. The soldier was initially
proud of their fortified castle, brave and loyal soldiers and pile of arms and
the well-stocked granary to last a siege. There was vigil behind the turret
wall. But he was not aware of the enemy within the human soul: the greed. Gold
was their enemy for which they had no weapon. The wizened warder had let the
enemy in through the wicket gate by taking “gold”. The weakness of the
gatekeeper for gold made the strong castle weak.

 

6. Read the poem and complete the table with suitable
rhyming words

Answer:

 

lay
– hay

wall
– all

thick
– trick

win
– in

fear
– near

load
– road

bait
– gate

sold
– gold

true
– through

stone
– groan

air
– bare

 

7. Underline the alliterated words in the
following lines.

(a) With our arms and provender, load on load.

Answer: With our arms and provender, load on
load.

 

(b) A little wicked wicket gate.

Answer: A little wicked wicket gate.

 

(c) The wizened warder let them through.

Answer: The wizened warder let them through.

 

8. Identify the
figure of speech used in the following lines.

(a) A little wicked wicket gate.

Answer: Personification

 

(b) Oh then our maze of tunneled stone

Answer: Metaphor

 

(c) Grew thin and treacherous as air.

Answer: Simile

 

(d) How can this shameful tale be told?

Answer: Personification

 

(e) Our only.enemy was gold.

Answer: Personification

 

9. Can you call ‘The Castle’ an allegorical poem? Discuss.

Answer:

The
castle is doubtless an allegorical poem. The outward strength of the castle is
matchless. It is fortified well. It has brave soldiers and large quantity of
arms are stockpiled. The castle houses well stocked granary also. But the
castle also conceals the ingredients of personal downfall within. If a person
does not look within, their doom may be unstoppable. It is very difficult to
protect oneself against greed, particularly the love of gold, instilled deep in
the psyche of human beings. People say, “everything is fair in love and war.”
People resort to anything to win in a war. Gandhi said, “the end never
justifies the means.” But in times of war people stoop down to any betrayal to
win. Thus, the castle is an allegorical poem.

 

Listening Activity

Following is one of the most celebrated poems of Rupert
Brooke. It describes the noble sacrifice of an English soldier.

The
Soldier

If
I should die, think only this of me:

That
there’s some comer of a foreign field

That
is forever England. There shall be

In
that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A
dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave,
once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;

A
body of England’s, breathing English air,

Washed
by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And
think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A
pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Gives
somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

Her
sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And
laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In
hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Some phrases have
been left out in the poem below. Fill in the missing phrases on listening to
the reading or the audio played by the teacher. You may listen again, if
required. Soldier

 

If I should die,
(1)_____ That there’s some comer (2)_____ That is (3)_____ There shall beIn
that rich earth a richer (4)_____ A dust whom England bore, shaped, made
aware,Gave, (5)_____ roam;A body (6)_____ air,Washed (7)_____ suns of home.And
think, (8)_____ away,A pulse in the (9)_____ , no less Gives somewhere back
(10) given;Her (11)_____ ; dreams happy as her day;And laughter, (12)_____ ;
and gentleness,In hearts (13)_____ English heaven.

Answer:

1.
think only this of me

2.
of a foreign field

3.
forever England

4.
dust concealed

5.
once, her flowers to love, her ways to

6.
of England’s breathing English

7.
by the rivers, blest by

8.
this heart, all evil shed

9.
eternal mind

10.
the thoughts by England

11.
sights and sounds

12.
learnt of friends

13.
at peace, under an