No Tears

No Tears

By
Alexander pushkin

Under the blue skies of her native land
She languished and began to fade...
Until surely there flew without a soundAbove me, her young shade.
But  there  stretches between us an uncrossable  line;
In vain my  feelings  I  tried to awaken.
The  lips that  brought  the  news were made of  stone,
And  I  listened like  a  stone, unshaken.
So this is she  for  whom  my soul once burned
In the  tense  and heavy  fire,
Obsessed, exhausted, driven out of my mind
By tenderness and desire!
Where  are  the  torments?  Where is love? Alas!
For  the  un returning  days'
Sweet  memory  and for  the  poor credulous
Shade,  I find no lament, no tears.

Introduction to the poem
‘ No  Tears ’  is  a  lyrical poem in  which  a  lover  speaks at the death  of  his  beloved. This poem is  not written  in the  expected elegiac  mood  and it  surprises us lament, no tears”.About the author :Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837) was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. He was born into an aristocratic family of Moscow. At a very early age, he became acquainted with the classics and exhibited talent in creative writing. Pushkin published his first poem at the age of fifteen and was widely recognized by the literary establishment by the time of his graduation from the imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo. In 1820 he published his first long poem, Ruslan and Lyudmila amidst much controversy about its subject and style. 
Summary
The  lover  says  that  far  away  from  him,  in  her  native  land,  his  young  beloved  slowly withered away.  Eventually,  her  soul  departed  from  her  body  and  flew  away  into  the  sky.    Now  there  is  a  line between  the  worlds  of  the  living  and  the  dead  (the  lover  and  his  beloved)  which  he  could  not  cross.    The lover  tried  to  rouse  his  emotions  for  her  but  it  was  in  vain.    The  person  who  brought  the  news  of  her  death showed  no emotion.    The  poet  listened  to  the  news  unmoved  like  a  stone. The  lover  says  that  it  is  the  same  lady  for  whom  his heart  once  used  to  burn  in  the  scorching  heat of  the  intensity  of  their  love.    Immersed  fully  in  the  pangs  that  love  kindled,  he  was  often  driven  out  of  his mind  because  of  the  desire  for  his  beloved.  The  poet  asks  himself  where  all  those  ardent  feelings  have gone.    Now  his  heart  is  barren, devoid  of  all  love.  He confesses  that  he  has  no tears for  her. The  sweet memories  of their  good  old  days  or  the poor  helpless  spirit,  fail  to produce  any  grief  in  him. 
1. Why is the poet sure that the spirit has flown above him?The poet believes that the spirit has flown above him because his beloved 's soul had departed from her body.
2. What  is the ‘uncrossable line’ that  the  poet  refers to?
The  poet  refers to the uncrossable  line  between the worlds of  the  living  and the dead.
3. “And  I  listened like  a stone, unshaken”. Identify  and define  the  figure  of  speech?
The  figure  of  speech  used  is simile. Simile  is  an explicit comparison  between  two different things, actions, or  feelings, using  the  words  ‘as’  or ‘like’.
4. Find the  rhyme  scheme  of the poem?
The  rhyme  scheme  of  the poem is abab cdcd  efef  ghgh.
Paragraph question and answers :
1. How does the poet describes the death of his lover?
The poet describes the death of his lover in a quiet different way. He  listened  to  the  news of  her death  with dead emotions. He  tried  to  awaken  his feelings  for  her,  but  it  was in  vain. She died in her native land, far away from him. The poet is certain that her spirit must have flown above him by saying bid farewell to him. Then the poet describes about an uncrossable line between the worlds of the living and the dead. The sweet memories of their good old days or the poor helpless spirit, fail to produce any grief in him.
2. The  poet  mourns  for  the lost  love  rather  than  the death  of  his  beloved. Do you agree? Substantiate  your  answer with reasons?
The  poet  speaks  at  the  death of  his  beloved.    The  news  of his  beloved’s  death  did  not make any  feelings  in  him. He tried to  rouse  his  emotions for her,  but  it  was  in  vain. There  was  a time  when  her very thought  excited  his  heart. He was  often  driven  out  of  his mind  because of  the  desire  for his beloved.  Now  that  she  is dead , feelings the  poet  wonders where  all  those ardent  have gone. Now  his  heart  is barren, devoid  of  all  love. He confesses  that  he  has no tears left  for  her. This change in the lover  after  his beloved’s  death shows  that  he mourns for  the lost  love rather than the  death of  his beloved. 
Essay
1. Discuss the  emotional sincerity  and honesty  that Pushkin expresses in the  poem.
Alexander  Pushkin’s No  Tears is a  lyrical poem  where  a  lover speaks  at  the  death of  his beloved. Not  written  in  the expected  elegiac  mood,  the poem surprises  us with  the honest statement, “I  find  no lament, no tears”. The  poet  does  not  feel sad  at  his  beloved’s  death. He listened  to  the  news  of  her death  without  any  feeling. He tried  to  awaken  his  feelings for  her,  but  it  was  in vain.    The poet  reminisces  about the days  of  courtship,  when  his heart  used  to  burn  in  the scorching heat  of  the  intensity of  their  love. Immersed  fully in  the  pangs  that  love kindled,  he  was often  driven out  of  his  mind  because  of the  desire  for  his  beloved. But  after  her  death  he has lost  all  such sensations. The poet  wonders  where  all  those intense  and  passionate  feelings have  gone. Now his  heart  is barren,  devoid  of  all  love. He openly  confesses  that  he  has not  tears left  for  her. In this poem, Pushkin expresses the lover’s f eeling  with emotional sincerity  and honesty.

Refugee Mother and Child

Refugee Mother and Child

By
Chinua Achebe


Chinua Achebe’s Mother in a Refugee Camp, paints the pathetic picture of a mother holding her dying son in her hands for the last time, portraying both the inevitability of death and the pain of those whose loved ones have died yet they live on in a harsh light.

The poem

No Madonna and Child could touch
that picture of a mother's tenderness
for a son she soon will have to forget.
The air was heavy with odors of diarrhea of unwashed children
with washedout ribs and dried up
bottoms struggling in labored
steps behind bloup wn empty bellies. Most
mothers there had long ceased
to care but not this one;she held
a ghost smile between her teeth
and in her eyes the ghost of a mother's pride as she combed the rustcolored
hair left on his skull and then
singing in her eyes-- began carefully
to part it...In another life
this would have been a little daily
act of no consequence before his breakfast and school; now she
did it like putting flowers
on a tiny grave.




About the poet
Chinua Achebe (1930 – 2013) is one of Nigeria and Africa’s most recognised and decorated writers. He is more renown for his novels and essays. He came to limelight as a poet and was joint-winner of the Common wealth Poetry Prize in 1972. Chinua Achebe continues to be an inspiration to several people around the world.

Introduction
In Refugee Mother and Child, Achebe realistically presents a refugee camp infected with starvation, disease and death.
The mother and child are nameless so is the location. They can be any mother and child in Africa, driven to refugee camp because of political instability.

Summary
The poem starts with the poet comparing the scene of a mother holding her son in a refugee camp with the love and care which is usually depicted in all versions of Mary holding a ding Jesus in her arms. The poet state that none of the reputed depictions of tenderness could even come near the fragility and beauty of this scene of pathos and heartbreak. This foreshadows that the son in her arms is soon going to die, an idea which is confirmed by the third line which says that after laying her son beneath the earth, the mother would have to learn how to live life without him, and move on.

The next four lines describe the aura of disease, illness and death which surrounds the camp; describing the smells of the camp, and the ribs of the children protruding from sickness, painting a truly horrifying picture of sick infants and helpless people. Then Achebe goes on to say how other mothers no longer care, they can no longer cope with the struggle of surviving and now only await death. However this mother, who was mentioned earlier, do not fall into the same category. There is a remnant of a smile gracing her lips and she remembers her son in all his glory as she holds him for the last time. Her maternal pride had led her to clean him up before laying him to rest, and now she takes out a comb and with singing eyes, she arranges her son’s hair which is rust, a sign that he suffers from kwashiorkor; a protein deficiency. The relevant way in which she performs this act makes the poet reflect on how in normal day to day life, such an act holds no consequence to any mother; they do it before their sons leave for school. But the manner in which this mother does it has such an air of finality to it that it is akin to laying flowers on a tiny grave.

Questions and answers

1. Why is the picture of the refugee mother and her child more tender than Madonna and child?
The refugee mother cares her child with great affection even in the midst of poverty and miseries. This makes the poet think that their picture is more tender than Madonna and child.

2. How does the poet paint the sufferings of the people in the camp?
The air in the refugee camp held nauseating odours of diarrhea and unwashed children. Their ribs stuck out and they walked laboriously with their distended bellies. Through this picture the poet brings out the sufferings of the refugee children and the total helplessness of the situation.

3. “Most mothers had long ceased to care”. Why?
Most mothers in the refugee camp ceased to care their children, as the poignancy of the situation of the refugees had reached their saturation point. They had lost their all hope of survival.

4. How is the combing of the child's hair similar to putting flowers on a grave?
The mother is watching her child dying. Her lost of survival and her act of love and kindness towards her dying child. So the combing of the child's hair is similar to putting flowers on a grave.

Paragraph

1. Comment on the structure of the poem.
The success of the poem lies within the structure and the poet’s ability to present the pain of all those mother who sees the death of her child. Achebe’s own literary language is blended in with images and descriptions that create a sense of compassion for the unfortunate refugees. He skillfully contrasted the imagery of life and death, using irony of singing in the mother’s eyes and cleverly foreshadowing. And adding some literary devices such as alliteration, contracts, imagery, tones and symbols the poet proficiently specifies the ultimate destinies of the protagonists in the poem.

2. How does the juxtaposition of two pictures heighten the emotional appeal of the poem?
Juxtaposition means an act or instance of placing an idea or event close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. There are two pictures heighten the emotional appeal in the poem. First one is the poet draws our attention to a refugee mother and her child image which remind us another statue, that of the Madonna holding her dead son after the crucifixion. There is immense tenderness and passion in both scenes. But the poet says that the refugee mother was more worried than Madonna.
The second picture is about a mother who is combing the hair of her child with great affection and care. Here the refugee mother combing the hair of her dying child, at the same time it would be different if it is a normal day means she would be combing the hair before her child leave for school. The emotional appeal heighten by using a day today activity is really remarkable one.

Write an essay of 300 words

1. Refugee Mother and Child is a celebration of motherhood. Explain.
The poem starts with the poet comparing the scene of a mother holding her son in a refugee camp with the love and care which is usually depicted in all versions of Mary holding a dying Jesus in her arms. The poet state that none of the reputed depictions of tenderness could even come near the fragility and beauty of this scene of pathos and heartbreak.

The next four lines describe the aura of disease, illness and death which surrounds the camp; describing the smells of the camp, and the ribs of the children protruding from sickness, painting a truly horrifying picture of sick infants and helpless people. Then Achebe goes on to say how other mothers no longer care, they can no longer cope with the struggle of surviving and now only await death. However this mother, who was mentioned earlier, do not fall into the same category. There is a remnant of a smile gracing her lips and she remembers her son in all his glory as she holds him for the last time. Her maternal pride had led her to clean him up before laying him to rest, and now she takes out a comb and with singing eyes, she arranges her son’s hair which is rust, a sign that he suffers from protein deficiency. The relevant way in which she performs this act makes the poet reflect on how in normal day to day life, such an act holds no consequence to any mother; they do it before their sons leave for school. But the manner in which this mother does it has such an air of finality to it that it is akin to laying flowers on a tiny grave.

The poem is full of pathos and the agony of a mother who has to witness her child’s death in front of her eyes is made clear with the use of the initial comparison to the Holy mother Mary and Jesus. The finality of death is evident in this comparison even as the poet himself says that the tenderness of this scene in reality far outshines any that is depicted in all the versions of ‘Madonna and Child.’ Then the strong imagery which is used to describe the setting, the refugee camp, brings out the desolation surrounding the poem. Achebe evokes the sense of smell, sight and feeling to such an extent that tears spring to the reader’s eyes. The metaphor in the mother’s ‘humming eyes’ makes one sympathize with her plight.

No reason is given as to why the people are in a refugee camp. Perhaps there had been a war, or some sort of natural calamity, but Achebe has aptly described how such drastically the lives of those change who are forced to leave their home and take shelter, by focusing on one mother who is holding her dying child. The poem could also act as a testament to a mother’s love, who knows that the child is dead, yet continues to hold him with care and caution. She is not yet ready to let go and accept the fact that he is dead.

General, your Tank

General, Your Tank

By
Bertolt Brecht

The poem

General,your tank is a powerful vehicle.
It smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men.
But it has one defect:
It needs a driver.

General,your bomber is powerful.
It flies faster than a storm and carries more than an elephant.
But it has one defect:
It needs a mechanic.

General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect:
He can think.

About the poet:

Brecht was born in Augsburg, Bavaria and was raised in a comfortable middle class home. He was forced to flee Germany in 1933 because of his leftist beliefs and his opposition to the Nazi regime of Hitler. He spent 14 years in exile in Scandinavia and United States. He returned to Europe in 1947. Two years later he moved to East Berlin and remained there until his death in 1956.

Introduction
“General, your tank is a powerful vehicle” is from Brecht’s “A German War Primer”. This is a simple poem and the meaning that it conveys is simple yet profound, and it does this with a directness which is both touching and thought provoking. In “Hymn to Communism” Brecht writes “It is the simple which is so difficult”. This in a nutshell is Brecht’s principle on Art, and the simplicity is both of expression as well as thought.

Summary
The first stanza deals with the powerful tank which ‘Smashes down forests and crushes hundred men”. Although it can do this, it is nonetheless powerless, because it cannot propel itself. It needs a driver.
The second stanza deals with the powerful bomber that “flies faster than a storm and carries more than an elephant”. The bomber too, like the tank suffers from the same defect. It needs a mechanic to fly.
In the third stanza the poet mentions that that man is very useful. He can fly and he can kill. But he has one defect. He can think.

1. Comment on the use of irony and satire in the poem?
In this poem Brecht says that the powerless tanks and bomber become a powerful instruments of destruction only because of a man's action. But man suffers from one defect, that is his ability to think.The use of “defect” and "powerful "are highly ironical. First of all for this defect is not really a defect but the crowning feature of human beings. Then the word “powerful”, is used in first and second stanzas, just to show the horror of war. The man has the power to think and act wise fully so he can convert the powerful machines into a powerless one. The poet presented the horror of war in a satirical way by boasting one side by using the word "powerful" and then used the word "defect" in each stanzas.

2. Evaluate the poem General, Your Tank General, Your Tank as an anti-war poem?
The poem -General, Your Tank, is an excerpt from A General War Perimer in which Brecht’s expresses his strong and abiding faith in the greatness of mankind in unambiguous terms. This is an anti war poem where he ironically told the horror effect of war. It is the soldier who fights and gets killed, bringing laurels to the General in the process. The ordinary soldier is always forgotten, Brecht expresses his dislike towards wars and he ridicules the General in the poem.
The General seems to be powerful with his tank and bomber. But his tank has a defect that needs a driver. And the bomber even though he is powerful, but needs a mechanic to function. He adds that the general has a man capable of flying and killing. But there is one defect the man can think.The man is the one who converts every action if only he begins to think, he can render all machines/weapons of destruction into powerless, and put on end to wars by refusing to co-operate with war-mongers.

3.what, according to the poet, are the inherent weaknesses of apparently powerful machines?
According to the Brecht, the man is the one who only can operate a powerful machine and at the same time he can think also so those are the inherent weaknesses of apparently powerful machines.