Class 8 English - The Village Blacksmith - Questions & Answers


Questions and Answers for Class 8 English - Unit 3 Seeds and Deeds | Std 8 English - The Village Blacksmith - Questions & Answers | Textual Activities
The Village Blacksmith

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. What words does the Poet use to show the strength of the blacksmith?
Answer: 
‘The smith, a mighty man is he’, 
With large and sinewy hands; 
And the muscles of his brawny arms, 
Are strong as iron bands.

2. Why could the blacksmith ‘look the whole world in the face’? What does this suggest about the blacksmith?
Answer: The blacksmith is a just and honest man. With hard work, he earns to provide for his family. He owes nothing to any man. He has nothing to hide. So he looks with absolute confidence at the whole world.

3. What is the blacksmith’s swinging his sledge compared to?
Answer: The Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow compares the blacksmith’s swinging his sledge to the village church manager ringing the church bell.

4. The children enjoy watching the blacksmith’s work. Give instances from the Poem that suggests this. Identify another simile used by the Poet.
Answer: 
And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door,
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing floor.

In the last 2 lines, the Poet compares ‘the burning sparks the fly’ to the chaff flying off grains while threshing them.

5. What does the blacksmith do on Sundays? How does he feel?
Answer: On Sundays, the blacksmith goes to church and sits among his sons with pride and his heart rejoices as he hears his daughter’s voice singing in the village choir.

6. What is the blacksmith reminded of when he hears his daughter’s voice singing in the choir?
Answer: 
‘It sounds to him like her mother’s voice, 
Singing in Paradise!’
The blacksmith thinks of his wife who died and feels sorrowful.

7. Identify the similes used in the Poem.
Answer: tree-he, stands-hands-bands, tan-can-man, blow-slow-low, door-roar-floor. Boys- voice-rejoice, goes-close-repose, taught-wrought-thought.

8. What would have happened to the blacksmith’s wife? Pick out lines from the poem to justify your answer.
Answer: 
The blacksmith’s wife had died.
‘It sounds to him like her mother’s voice
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;’

9. What lesson do you learn from the life of the blacksmith?
Answer: When you earn your living with honest hard work, don’t borrow, but are self-reliant, your family flourishes in peace and joy. You live with self-confidence in dignity. The life of the blacksmith proves this.

10. Pick out the words related to a blacksmith’s job from the poem.
Answer: 
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge.
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly.

11. Prepare an appreciation of the poem The Village Black Smith.
The Village Black Smith is one of the motivational poems written by the poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which looks similar to a ballad. The poem tells about a village blacksmith. A village blacksmith could be reduced to a common sight sitting under a tree doing his hazardous job. A village blacksmith, with his matted hair and iron fist, fighting with his metals is not a pleasant sight or
subject to write a poem about normally. But, this village blacksmith who sits under the chestnut tree is unique and worthy to be emulated. The poet has observed him and has found in him a well of inspiration, revealing each page of his life. He is made strong physically because of the strenuous works he performs. His hands are too strong and muscles iron bands. He has unkept hair and tanned skin. Most probably a man like him would not give much priority to beautify himself working in front of the hot flames. His is a continuous battle with weapons and therefore earns whatever he could. He holds his head high since he never owes anything to anyone. He has become so close a part of his village that the villagers are familiar to his bellowing as they are to the Sexton’s church
bell. Hardworking, determined, self-taught village smithy becomes a role model for everyone. The cycle of life moves on and the man finds his own happiness and lives full. Week in and week out his life rolls on and he writes his success story each day.After a hectic day’s hard work he sleeps sound. Children coming from school are enthused to play with the sparks that flies from his forge. They fly as if the chaff from a threshing floor. The smithy was indeed a God-fearing man. Every Sunday he drops by the church with his children and feels rejoiced to hear his daughters sing in the choir which would pull a tear or two from his eyes. The voice of his daughters reminds him of his deceased mother and he would then be too weak to contain her grief. His life is like an open book
and is more of a moral lesson with more insights to how to lead a peaceful life. He represents the real life with its positives and negatives. Thus the uphill journey is mounted with joy and sorrow mixed together. Each day he attempts a task and by evening completes. Sometimes he wins and some others not. A hardworking man, an inspiring fellow being, a loving father a dutiful son, a spiritual pursuer, the village blacksmith fulfils everything a man is worthy to be praised. The poet thanks the village blacksmith for inspiring him for teaching him how to live. The poem winds up on a predictive note that we are responsible for our own actions. Our fortune is made by our own efforts. The poet says that one should learn from the smithy how to balance one's family life and work. The poem is abound with images and symbols. forge is a symbol which stands for the hard trials we are forced to face. The poet employs a lot of visual images like chestnut tree and a lot more. Similies also find its way in this poem like,’ His face is like the tan’ ‘Like a sexton ringing the church bell',, and’ Like chaff from a threshing floor ‘.


ഈ ബ്ലോഗിലെ എല്ലാ പോസ്റ്റുകളും ഒരുമിച്ച് കാണാനും ആവശ്യമുള്ളവ എളുപ്പത്തിൽ തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കാനും ഇവിടെ ക്ലിക്കുക.

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