Class | Subject | Book | Chapter | Session | Questions covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XII | English | Flamingo (NCERT) | 12 – Keeping Quiet | 2026-27 | 5 of 5 |
Chapter at a glance
Aspect | Key point |
|---|---|
Poet | Pablo Neruda (1904–1973), pen name of Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, Chile; Nobel Prize 1971 |
Theme | Need for quiet introspection and mutual understanding among human beings |
Proposal | Count to twelve and keep still — no language, no movement, “without rush, without engines” |
Effects | Fishermen would not harm whales; the salt-gatherer would look at his hurt hands; war-makers would walk with their brothers in the shade |
Clarification | “What I want should not be confused / with total inactivity”; “I want no truck with death” |
Nature symbol | The Earth — “when everything seems dead / and later proves to be alive” |
Think it out
Question P1
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
Answer
Counting to twelve and keeping still will give us a moment of silence and introspection. In that “exotic moment / without rush, without engines”, we would “all be together / in a sudden strangeness”. It would help us: 1. reflect on our actions and understand ourselves; 2. feel togetherness and brotherhood with others; 3. stop harming nature — fishermen would not harm whales; 4. become aware of our own suffering — the man gathering salt “would look at his hurt hands”; 5. give up war and violence — war-makers would put on clean clothes and walk with their brothers.
A moment of silence and self-introspection that brings mutual understanding and togetherness, ends violence against nature and fellow humans (whales, wars), and makes us aware of our own suffering and of our true selves.
Question P2
Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Answer
No. The poet says clearly: “What I want should not be confused / with total inactivity. / Life is what it is about; / I want no truck with death.” He wants only a brief pause from our single-minded, hectic activity so that we can reflect, understand ourselves and others, and live better lives. The stillness is meant to renew life, not end it.
No. He says his wish should not be confused with total inactivity — “Life is what it is about; I want no truck with death.” He wants only a brief pause for introspection that leads to better living.
Question P3
What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer
The sadness is “of never understanding ourselves / and of threatening ourselves with death”. Being “so single-minded / about keeping our lives moving”, people never pause to reflect; they do not understand themselves or others, and they destroy themselves through wars, violence and harm to nature. A “huge silence” might interrupt this sadness.
The sadness of never understanding ourselves, caused by our hectic, single-minded pursuit of activity, and of threatening ourselves with death through war, violence and destruction.
Question P4
What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
Answer
The poet invokes the Earth: “Perhaps the Earth can teach us / as when everything seems dead / and later proves to be alive.” In winter, nature appears dead and still, yet life continues beneath the surface and returns in spring — seeds germinate and trees grow new leaves. Similarly, a period of quiet can lead to renewal and new life in people.
The Earth — which seems dead (as in winter) but later proves to be alive (in spring), showing that life continues under apparent stillness.
Question P5
Try this out: Choose a quiet corner and keep still physically and mentally for about five minutes. Do you feel any change in your state of mind?
Answer
(Sample response.) After sitting still in a quiet corner for five minutes with eyes closed and breathing slowly, I felt: 1. calm and relaxed — the restlessness and tension of the day reduced; 2. more aware of small sounds around me and of my own thoughts and feelings; 3. clearer in my mind — I could think about my priorities and mistakes without hurry; 4. refreshed and more focused for my next task.
This supports Neruda’s idea that a moment of silence helps us understand ourselves.
Yes — keeping still brings calmness, reduces stress, increases self-awareness and clarity of thought, and leaves one refreshed and focused, just as Neruda suggests.
Topic checklist
- ☒ Purpose of keeping still (P1)
- ☒ Not inactivity, not death (P2)
- ☒ The ‘sadness’ and the Earth symbol (P3–P4)
- ☒ Personal experience of silence (P5)