Keeping Quiet
Keeping Quiet
Keeping Quiet
The power of silence and thought as a means of comprehending and engaging with the world is the theme of the poem “Keeping Quiet” from the Class
12 English Flamingo textbook. In order to develop a better understanding of themselves and their surroundings, the poet emphasizes on stillness and
watching nature. The speaker makes the claim that one can develop a sense of oneness with one’s surroundings and other people by remaining silent
and observing. The poem also considers how the modern world may be noisy and distracting and how spending some time to be silent and still can be
a helpful strategy for obtaining clarity and inner calm.
When the people will remain quiet for a while, they will realize the purpose of their lives. Just like all the creations of nature undergo a rebirth with the
change of seasons, similary, keeping quiet will be a rebirth for the human soul. It will give a new meaning to our life. Again, the poet says that he will
count till twelve and asks everyone to remain quiet while he leaves.
Poet says that it would be a rare situation when there will be no engines working. Here he wants to stay that if everything comes to standstill, it will be a
very different moment. If all the engines like the vehicles and machines stop, then there will be a sudden, strange situation as the world will experience
a sudden calmness. People will not be in a rush to achieve material things one after another. Further the poet says that the fisherman will also stop and
not harm whales in the sea. This means that the poet is urging everyone not to harm the animals. Here he gives the example of whales which are
being hunted for the purpose of food or trade. He also wants people to calm down so that they can stop and see what they have achieved or lost. For
this he gives the example of the man who gathers salt, whose hands are hurt. Here he wants everyone to stop for a while in order to see and feel their
achievements and how much they have lost for the sake of attaining such materialistic things.
Literary devices:
Alliteration- ‘we would’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘sudden strangeness’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated, ‘his hurt hands’ – ‘h’ sound is repeated
The poet asks everyone to stop those activities which are damaging the environment. Today all the human beings are making money by damaging the
environment with their activities such as mining, deforestation, letting the chemical waste into rivers, etc. The poet asks us not to do so. He also
requests people not to involve in wars as there is no benefit of achieving such victory in which no one is left alive. He says so because wars and
environmental damage will lead to no life on earth. Rather, he wants people to adopt a new approach towards life and mankind. He says that you
should treat your enemy like brothers and promote peace and harmony in the world.
Literary devices:
Alliteration: ‘wars with’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘clean clothes’ – ‘c’ sound is repeated
Assonance: use of vowel ‘o’ (victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers)
Repetition: use of ‘war’
Literary devices
Alliteration: we were, so single – minded
enjambment: and for once could perhaps a huge silence……..of threatening ourselves with death.
So, now the poet suggests to the human beings that we should learn a lesson from Earth. During the winters everything freezes and becomes lifeless.
But when season changes and its the onset of spring season, everything present in the nature such as the trees, birds, rivers, etc gets life. So here, the
poet, by giving the example of nature, wants to say that all the human beings should stop and try to judge their deeds. They can try and make their life
better with calmness, peace. Finally, he ends up by saying that now he will count upto twelve so that we all may become quiet. Here ‘quiet’ means to
calm down ourselves and move towards the path of peace and harmony. After saying this he says ‘I will go’. He says so as he has conveyed his
message to the people and wants them to be left alone to think about it and work in the direction of peace.