Class 10 English — First Flight (Poetry): Poem 7 — Animals
by Walt Whitman
NCERT Questions & Answers + Important Extra Questions
NCERT Textbook Questions
Notice the__( use of the word "__( turn"__( in the first line. We__( humans "__( turn" and animals "turn." What__( is the difference?
Answer
The word "turn" has different meanings for humans and animals: (i) For humans, "I think I could turn and live with animals" — here "turn" means to change direction, leave human society, and go live with animals. It suggests the poet wants to turn away from the complexities, hypocrisy, and unhappiness of human life. (ii) For animals, "They do not sweat and whine about their condition" — they don't "turn" (change) at all. They remain placid, self-contained, and content. They don't turn restless, anxious, or discontented the way humans do. The contrast is: humans keep turning — changing, worrying, becoming dissatisfied — while animals remain steady and content.
What are the__( qualities of__( animals that the poet likes?
Answer
The poet admires animals for: (i) They are placid and self-contained — calm, peaceful, and content with what they have. (ii) They don't sweat and whine about their condition — they don't complain, worry, or feel anxious. (iii) They don't lie awake at night weeping for their sins — they don't suffer from guilt, regret, or religious anxiety. (iv) They don't make others sick discussing their duty to God — they don't impose their beliefs on others or preach about religion. (v) No one is dissatisfied — no animal is unhappy with its life. (vi) No one is "demented with the mania of owning things" — they don't obsess over possessions, property, or wealth. (vii) They show their relations to the poet naturally and he accepts them — there is a genuine, honest connection between nature and the poet.
What is the poet's__( message?
Answer
Walt Whitman's message is a critique of human society: (i) Humans have lost their natural virtues. Animals possess qualities — contentment, honesty, simplicity, lack of greed — that humans once had but have "dropped" along the way. (ii) Materialism destroys peace. The "mania of owning things" makes humans perpetually restless and dissatisfied. (iii) Religious hypocrisy is harmful. Humans make each other miserable by discussing sins and duties to God — animals don't burden themselves with such anxieties. (iv) Return to simplicity: The poet suggests that humans should learn from animals — be content, honest, and free from greed. (v) The "tokens" that animals show (kindness, natural connection) are tokens humans once possessed but lost. The poem is not really about animals being superior — it's about humans having fallen from a natural state of grace.
Important Extra Questions
What poetic devices are used?
Answer
(i) Contrast: The entire poem contrasts animals (content, honest, simple) with humans (anxious, greedy, hypocritical). (ii) Anaphora: "They do not..." is repeated multiple times, creating a rhythmic listing of animal virtues. (iii) Irony: The poet, a human, says he wants to live with animals — implying humans are worse companions than animals. (iv) Symbolism: Animals symbolise the natural, innocent state that humans have lost. (v) Free verse: The poem has no regular rhyme or metre, reflecting Whitman's characteristic style and the natural, free-flowing nature of the poem's subject.