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The River - the poem
by Valerie Bloom
1. Read the table headings and write at least five words in each table.
=
Rhyming word pairs from the poem Metaphors used to describe the river i) tramp-camp i) wanderer ii) hill-still ii) winder iii) deep-keep iii) hoarder iv) hums-thumbs iv) baby v) along-song v) singer
2. Read these lines and answer the questions that follow:
a) "The river's a wanderer,
A nomad, a tramp.
She doesn't choose one place,
To set up her camp.
The River's a winder;
Through valley and hill.
She twists and she turns,
She just cannot be still."
i) Wanderer, nomad, tramp: What do these three words tell us about the river?
= The words - wanderer, nomad, tramp tell us that the river moves place to place. It has no home and it keeps moving from place to place. It does not choose a fixed place to stay.
ii) What are the different places that the river flows past in the poem?
= The different places that the river flows past in the poem are - valley and hill.
iii) In your own words give the meaning of 'to set up camp'.
= The meaning of 'to set up camp' is to choose one fixed place to be settled at.
b) "The River's a hoarder,
And she buries down deep
All those little treasures,
She wants to keep.
i) Why is the river called a 'hoarder'?
= The river is called a 'hoarder' because it has collected little treasures like rocks particles and pebbles and buries them deep into it.
ii) Which word means 'puts deep inside'?
= The word 'buries' means 'puts deep inside'.
iii) What do you think the treasures that the river wants to keep?
= I think the treasures that the river wants to keep are - the rock particles and pebbles which she collects from the hills and valleys.
3. Tick beside the group of words which the river does not do?
i) Stay still.[✔]
ii) Flow in the countryside.[ ]
iii) Stay in one place.[✔]
iv) Flow silently.[✔]
v) Give away her treasures.[✔]
4. Why does the poet call the river a singer?
= The poet calls the river a singer as the sound of the flowing water echoes in the countryside. Those are considered as the notes of the song of the river.
5. In this poem many comparisons have been used to described the river. Think of a river you have seen. Is there anything else you can compare a river to?
= I think the river can be compared with mother. As we know many civilizations had been built beside rivers. And now-a-days many cities are situated beside rivers. River helps in cultivation and transport and in many ways by providing its water. So we can compare as mother as it takes care of us in many ways.
6. Who were compared with the river in the poem 'The River'?
= The river was compared with - wanderer, winder, hoarder, baby and singer.
FAQs
What is the poem the river about in English? ›
The poem 'The River' by C.A. Bowles talks about the journey of a river from its initial stages to its union with the ocean in the end. The poem compares and contrasts this concept to a more serious theme of man's journey from his childhood to death.
What are the rhyming words of the poem the river? ›Rhyming words used in the poem "The River": Way - Play. Glancing - Dancing. Smooth - Youth.
Why is the river compared to a singer? ›Why does the poet call the river a singer? Ans: The poet calls the river a singer because the countryside echoes the notes of her song.
Why has the poet compared the river to a hoarder? ›In stanza 3, the river is portrayed as a hoarder. The river is like a person; a hoarder who likes to accumulate or gather things which are well hidden or guarded from others at its base or bottom. Because when the river flows, it won't stop to evade things which come across its way.
What is the main theme of the poem The River? ›The main theme of the poem is man and life. Man can choose to lead a stable life and stay put in one place or move around in search of his dreams. As he travels around, man may choose the straight path or the road less traveled. During his travels, man collects mementos and souvenirs.
What is the message of The River? ›Answer: Answer:The message of the River is that life will give us lots of experiences throughout our journey. These good and bad experiences make us who we are. We should try not to destroy people or our environment along this journey.
What is the metaphor in the river poem? ›✏In the poem, the poet shows similarities between the river and human beings: The river is described as being a wanderer, hoarder, baby, dancer and monster. The river is also used as a metaphor by the poet to describe our own journey through life. Just like the river, we start our journey when we are born.
What does mortal prime mean in the river poem? ›Solution. By the term 'Mortal prime', the poet means the man is in the best age of his life.
What poetic devices are in the poem the river? ›Bowles makes use of several literary devices in 'The River. ' These include but are not limited to refrain, alliteration, and personification. The latter is a type of figurative language that occurs when the poet imbues something inhuman with human characteristics.
What does the river symbolize in the river? ›The river itself is a path, which lends itself quite well to be a powerful illustration of a journey a hero must take. As the river flows along — so does our narrative. The river can not only symbolize a path that one must take but can also highlight the descent into or out of something.
Why is river deeper in the middle? ›
The middle course of a river has more energy and volume then in the upper course. The gradient is more gentle and lateral (sideways) erosion has widened the channel. The river channel has also become deeper. Meanders are typical landforms found in this stage of the river.
Why does the poet call it swelling river? ›The poet mentions the river to be swelling because it increases in size and speed with age. Was this answer helpful?
What does the river symbolize in the novel? ›The namesake of the novel, the river acts as a symbol of both nature's power and beauty, and helps develop this contrast.
What did the boy hear about the river from the villages? ›He heard the villagers speak of the fish in the mountain's waters and of its rocks.
What did the river carry away with her in the poem a river? ›The river carries off: 'three village houses, one pregnant woman and a couple of cows named Gopi and Brinda as usual. ' These are itemized, mentioned cursorily as in a list—three, one, two.
What are the feelings of the poet in the poem The River? ›The poet explains about a river's liveliness and splendour. The river is very optimistic while describing about the life of the river. The poet goes to the extent of explaining the grandeur of the water which is present in the river. She says that river dances over the yellow stones.
What does The River teaches us? ›A river never stops flowing. If it finds an obstacle in its way in the form of a heavy rock, the river water fights to remove it from its path or finds an alternative path to move ahead. This teaches us to be progressive in life, and keep the fighting spirit alive.
What is the figure of speech in the river? ›Alliteration used in the poem "The River": River, river, little river. Through the flowers and foliage glancing.
What is the tone of the poem the river? ›The river takes a hopeful and then desolate tone in this poem. The first stanza is filled with hope for the future while the second and third reconcile with the river's choices and the life it now has to contend with.
What is the personification of the poem the river? ›Personification used in the poem "The River": O'er the yellow pebbles dancing - Water is a non-living entity and is not capable of a human art form like a dance. The author indicates the flow and movement of the water flowing is similar to witnessing a dance.
What does Lost river mean? ›
: a surface stream that flows into an underground passageway.
What is the meaning of death river? ›The name "Dead River" is thought to come from the fact that the river is flat, or "dead," as it travels through the valley before reaching the Androscoggin. The Abenaki name for the river was Plumpetoosuc, which means "shallow, narrow river".
What is the river compared to in each stanza? ›Answer: The Poem River is written by Caroline Ann Bowles. In the first stanza, the poet compares the river with a child who is playing hide and seeks. In the second stanza, it is compared with a young who is daring to go anywhere.
What is the irony of the poem a river? ›Both the old and the new poets have celebrated the beauty of the flooded riverbut they were not alive to or sympathetic with human suffering caused by the monstrous flood. This is an ironic reference to Madurai as a seat of Tamilian culture, which according to him is in a state of decadence.
What is the epithet in the poem the river? ›Epithets from the poem 'The River': River, river, little river - The epithet little describes the size of the river. O'er the yellow pebbles dancing - The epithet yellow describes the pebbles.
What are the symbols in the river between? ›The Honia River Symbol Analysis. The Honia river represents the ideological division between the neighboring villages Makuyu and Kameno. The river flows between both villages, dividing the ridges and keeping the people physically separated from each other.
Why is river used as metaphor for life? ›Life is like a river, it is always flowing, it can flow slowly or it can flow quickly, it can change courses but nothing can stop the river from flowing. The same happens with life, there are no external circumstances that can stop it from flowing. One thing is sure: Life always goes on.
What are the 4 stages of a river? ›The journey of a river has three stages: youthful, mature, and old stage. These stages are also called upper course, middle course, and lower course. In the youthful stage, the river is full of energy and power. In the mature stage, the flow is relatively slower than in the youthful stage.
Why is the river very rich? ›There are two reasons 'why the river is called rich?' and here they are as follows, 1)The river is rich because it has two banks. 2) Well, keeping the above reason aside we can even call a river rich as it has water and it is one of the most important resources needed for the survival of human beings.
Why is the middle of the river the fastest? ›Water moves most quickly when it has less resistance, so the friction of water against rocks slows it down. For that reason, the fastest part of a river tends to be in the center, just below the surface. This is where friction is lowest.
How does the river flow in poem river? ›
The river flows through yellow pebbles as if it is dancing its way through. The flow and momentum of the river is similar to a person dancing to a chirpy tune. The river also flows through the flowers, leaves and plants growing on its banks and on its paths.
Why is the river wide at its mouth? ›River channels are deeper and wider in the Coastal Plain in part because, as the rivers flow downstream, they are joined by other streams and carry more water. The additional volume of water requires more space.
How is the river at the beginning of the stanza? ›The poetess addresses the river and calls it little. The river is sparkling and dancing as it flows over the yellow pebbles. The river passes through the flowers and foliage and is compared to a child that is playing. This implies that the river is joyful and lively like a child who plays.
Who is the main character in the story on The River? ›The story is told from an omniscient point-of-view and covers a two-day span in the life of the main character, Harry Ashfield.
Who is the main character in by The River? ›This theme is central to By the river; readers engage with the first person perspective of Harry Hodby as he deals with relationships at school and within his community and family.
What are the major themes in the river between? ›- Colonialism. The River Between tells the story of Waiyaki, a young Gikuyu man (one of the largest indigenous tribes in Kenya) who struggles to unite two neighboring villages against white colonialists. ...
- Christianity, Tribal Customs, and Identity. ...
- Tradition vs. ...
- Unity and Division.
Answer: Kari pushed his friend, the narrator into the stream because there was a boy lying flat at the bottom of the river and he wanted him to save the drowning boy.
What did the author see on the bottom of the river? ›(17) What did the author see when Kari pushed him into the water? Ans: – He saw a boy lying flat on the bottom of the river.
What prevent the boy from seeing the river? ›A thickly forested mountain prevented the boy from seeing the river.
What does a river from at the end of its route? ›The end of a river is its mouth. Here, the river empties into another body of water—a larger river, a lake, or the ocean. Many of the largest rivers empty into the ocean. The flowing water of a river has great power to carve and shape the landscape.
What happens to the river as it goes along? ›
It's well known that rivers increase in size as they transport water from their source in their headwaters to the mouth. The river channel becomes wider and deeper and as a result its cross-sectional area increases. We can also observe along the river's course an increase in both quantity of water and bedload.
What is one pregnant woman expecting in the poem a river? ›He said: the river has water enough to be poetic about only once a year and then it carries away in the first half-hour three village houses, a couple of cows named Gopi and Brinda and one pregnant woman expecting identical twins with no moles on their bodies, with different coloured diapers to tell them apart.
What are the rhyming words of the poem? ›Words are said to be rhyming when the final vowel sounds of the words is the same as another word in the poem.
What is the rhyme scheme of the to the river by Edgar Allan Poe? ›“To The River” is written as two stanzas. The first stanza contains six lines with rhyme scheme ABACCB, while the second stanza contains eight lines with rhyme scheme ABABCDCD, all rhyme is end rhyme and is open.
What is the rhyme used in the poem? ›What is rhyme in poetry? Rhyme is the use of similar-sounding words in lines of verse. They can appear in the middle or at the ends of lines and rhyme perfectly or incompletely.
How do you find the rhyming word of a poem? ›If two words sound the same or have the same ending sound, they rhyme. To figure out if two or more words rhyme, use your ears to listen to the words as you say them. For example: when we say car, bar, far, we hear that the 'ar' is the same sound to our ears, so these words rhyme.
What is an imagery in a poem? ›Elements of a poem that invoke any of the five senses to create a set of mental images. Specifically, using vivid or figurative language to represent ideas, objects, or actions.
What is the message of the poem? ›Theme is the lesson or message of the poem.
What is first syllable rhyme? ›A pair of words that have identical sounds preceding the first syllable break followed by different consonant sounds. While appearing similar to the reverse rhyme, the first syllable rhyme differs by ignoring all subsequent syllables whether the first syllable is accented or not.
What is the rhyme scheme of each stanza? ›A rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of those rhyming arrangements from line to line in a poem. Typically comprised of three, eight-line stanzas (ABABBCBC) followed by a four-line stanza (BCBC). The first line and fourth line rhyme and enclose a pair of new rhymes in the middle. Also called an internal rhyme scheme.
What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza *? ›
The rhyme scheme of the first paragraph is abab.
What is a simile in a poem? ›Share: Simile is common poetic device. The subject of the poem is described by comparing it to another object or subject, using 'as' or 'like'. For example, the subject may be 'creeping as quietly as a mouse' or be 'sly, like a fox. '
What is a verse in poem? ›A Verse is a collection of metrical lines of poetry. It is used to define the difference of poetry and prose. It contains rhythm and pattern and more often than not, rhyme.
What is a end rhyme? ›end rhyme, in poetry, a rhyme that occurs in the last syllables of verses, as in stanza one of Robert Frost's “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”: Related Topics: rhyme rime suffisante.
What is an example of ABAB rhyme? ›ABAB Rhyme Scheme Examples. One simple ABAB poem that most people are familiar with is the nursery rhyme "Pease Porridge Hot." Nine days old." In this poem, the first and third line contain the rhymes hot and pot and would be labeled rhyme A.
What is rhyming words list? ›- Ask- Mask – Flask – Task – Bask.
- About – Throughout – Drought – Without – Scout – Doubt – Sprout.
- Above – Glove – Dove – Love.
- Across – Loss- Cross – Toss.
- Add – Glad – Sad – Mad – Lad – Dad – Bad – Had.
- Age – Stage – Wage – Engage – Sage – Cage.
Alliteration is the repetition of an initial consonant sound in words that are in close proximity to each other. By “close proximity,” we mean words that can be—but don't have to be—consecutive. Perhaps the easiest way to recognize alliteration is to see it in action, so take a look at these examples: Leapin' lizards!