Class 12 Notes

Class 12 English Notes Poetry 1 (Keeping Quiet) – Flamingo Book

Philoid

Philoid

— 6 min read

Flamingo
Alright students, let's focus on Pablo Neruda's profound poem, 'Keeping Quiet'. This is a significant piece for your exams as it touches upon universal themes with simple yet powerful imagery. Pay close attention to the nuances.

Poetry 1: Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda

About the Poet:

  • Pablo Neruda (1904-1973): Pen name of Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto.
  • Nationality: Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician.
  • Notable Achievement: Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
  • Style: Known for writing in green ink (symbolic of hope and desire), his poems often deal with love, nature, socio-political issues, and introspection. 'Keeping Quiet' reflects his concern for humanity and peace.

Central Idea/Introduction:

The poem advocates for the necessity of quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings. Neruda urges humanity to pause its frantic, often destructive, activities for a brief moment to reflect, understand themselves and others better, and foster a sense of universal brotherhood and harmony with nature. It is a call for temporary stillness to interrupt the cycle of violence, misunderstanding, and environmental degradation.

Themes:

  1. Introspection and Self-Realization: The core theme. The poet believes that a moment of silence will help people understand themselves, their actions, and their consequences.
  2. Universal Brotherhood and Peace: Stillness and silence can bridge differences, fostering a sense of unity and stopping conflicts ('wars with gas, wars with fire').
  3. Harmony between Man and Nature: The poem highlights destructive human activities (fishermen harming whales) and suggests that pausing these actions will allow nature to heal and man to reconnect with it.
  4. Critique of Mindless Activity and Materialism: Neruda criticizes the constant rush of modern life ('no truck with death', 'life is what it is about') which often leads to destruction and unhappiness without true purpose.
  5. The Therapeutic Power of Silence: Silence is presented not as inactivity or death, but as a fertile ground for reflection, understanding, and rejuvenation, much like the Earth in winter.

Stanza-wise Explanation & Analysis:

  • Stanza 1: "Now we will count to twelve / and we will all keep still."

    • "Count to twelve": Symbolizes a measure of time – perhaps the hours on a clock or months in a year, representing a short, deliberate pause. It signifies a call for everyone to participate.
    • "Keep still": Emphasizes physical inactivity as a prerequisite for mental introspection.

  • Stanza 2: "For once on the face of the Earth / let’s not speak in any language, / let’s stop for one second, / and not move our arms so much."

    • "Face of the Earth": Universal appeal – involves everyone globally.
    • "Not speak in any language": Language can be a barrier; silence transcends these barriers, creating unity.
    • "Not move our arms so much": 'Arms' can symbolize physical actions, work, gestures, and significantly, weapons/violence. Stopping this movement means ceasing harmful activities.

  • Stanza 3: "It would be an exotic moment / without rush, without engines, / we would all be together / in a sudden strangeness."

    • "Exotic moment": Rare, unusual, and fascinating because humanity is always rushing.
    • "Without rush, without engines": Halting the noise and pace of modern, mechanized life.
    • "All be together / in a sudden strangeness": The shared experience of silence would create an unfamiliar ('strange') but profound sense of unity and connection.

  • Stanza 4: "Fishermen in the cold sea / would not harm whales / and the man gathering salt / would look at his hurt hands."

    • Specific Examples: Illustrates the positive effects of stillness.
    • "Fishermen... not harm whales": Represents cessation of environmental destruction and cruelty towards other living beings.
    • "Man gathering salt... look at his hurt hands": Represents pausing self-destructive or painful labour, allowing for reflection on one's own suffering and the cost of relentless work.

  • Stanza 5: "Those who prepare green wars, / wars with gas, wars with fire, / victory with no survivors, / would put on clean clothes / and walk about with their brothers / in the shade, doing nothing."

    • "Green wars": Wars against nature (deforestation, pollution).
    • "Wars with gas, wars with fire": Chemical and conventional/nuclear warfare.
    • "Victory with no survivors": Highlights the utter futility and self-destruction of war.
    • "Put on clean clothes": Symbolizes shedding hatred, guilt, and enmity; adopting a fresh, peaceful perspective.
    • "Walk about with their brothers / in the shade, doing nothing": Fostering brotherhood and peace, replacing destructive activity ('doing nothing' harmful) with peaceful coexistence.

  • Stanza 6: "What I want should not be confused / with total inactivity. / Life is what it is about; / I want no truck with death."

    • Clarification: The poet explicitly states he is not advocating for laziness or death ('total inactivity'). Stillness is for reflection, not cessation of life.
    • "Life is what it is about": Affirms the value of life.
    • "No truck with death": No association or dealing with death; the aim is enhanced life, not its negation.

  • Stanza 7: "If we were not so single-minded / about keeping our lives moving, / and for once could do nothing, / perhaps a huge silence / might interrupt this sadness / of never understanding ourselves / and of threatening ourselves with death."

    • Critique of Modern Life: Criticizes the obsession ('single-minded') with constant progress and activity without reflection.
    • "Huge silence": A profound, collective pause.
    • "Interrupt this sadness": Silence can break the cycle of unhappiness caused by lack of self-understanding and the constant threat of self-destruction (through wars, environmental damage, etc.).

  • Stanza 8: "Perhaps the Earth can teach us / as when everything seems dead / and later proves to be alive. / Now I’ll count up to twelve / and you keep quiet and I will go."

    • "Earth can teach us": Nature as a teacher. The cycle of seasons (winter seeming dead, spring bringing life) shows that apparent stillness can nurture life and regeneration.
    • "I'll count up to twelve / and you keep quiet and I will go": The poet initiates the process and then leaves it to the reader/humanity to continue the practice of introspection. His role is that of a catalyst.

Literary Devices:

  • Symbolism:
    • 'Counting to twelve': A measure of time, a moment for introspection.
    • 'Fishermen/Whales': Man's cruelty to nature.
    • 'Salt gatherer's hurt hands': Man's self-inflicted pain due to mindless work.
    • 'Clean clothes': Shedding of guilt/enmity, new beginning.
    • 'Shade': Protection, peace.
    • 'Earth': Nature as a teacher, resilience, cycle of life.
    • 'Brothers': Universal brotherhood.
  • Antithesis: Juxtaposition of opposing ideas (e.g., 'stillness' vs. 'total inactivity', 'life' vs. 'death', 'activity' vs. 'introspection').
  • Repetition: 'Let's...', 'wars with...', 'without...', emphasizes key ideas.
  • Personification: 'The Earth can teach us'.
  • Metaphor: 'Put on clean clothes' (metaphor for changing perspective). 'Shade' (metaphor for peace/protection).
  • Irony: 'Victory with no survivors'.
  • Imagery: 'Cold sea', 'hurt hands', 'green wars', 'clean clothes', 'shade'.
  • Alliteration: 'we will', 'sudden strangeness', 'hurt hands', 'clean clothes'.
  • Assonance: 'not move our arms so much'.
  • Transferred Epithet: (Not prominent, but 'sudden strangeness' could be argued, where the strangeness is felt by the people, not inherent in the moment itself).

Tone and Mood:

  • Tone: Calm, meditative, persuasive, urgent yet serene.
  • Mood: Introspective, peaceful, hopeful, slightly critical of human behaviour.

Message/Significance for Exams:

The poem's central message is the urgent need for quiet introspection to foster peace, understanding, and harmony within humanity and with nature. It argues that pausing our relentless, often destructive, activities can lead to self-realization and prevent self-annihilation. Remember the distinction Neruda makes between productive stillness and 'total inactivity' or death.

Keywords/Key Phrases:

  • Count to twelve
  • Keep still
  • Not speak in any language
  • Not move our arms
  • Exotic moment
  • Sudden strangeness
  • Hurt hands
  • Green wars
  • Clean clothes
  • Doing nothing (in the context of peace)
  • Total inactivity (what the poet does not want)
  • Huge silence
  • Sadness of never understanding ourselves
  • Threatening ourselves with death
  • Earth can teach us

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

  1. What does the poet mean by asking everyone to "count to twelve"?
    A. To practice mathematics.
    B. To signify the time for lunch break.
    C. To initiate a short, collective pause for introspection.
    D. To prepare for a race.

  2. The phrase "not move our arms so much" primarily suggests stopping:
    A. Physical exercise.
    B. Writing activities.
    C. Harmful actions and violence.
    D. Waving goodbye.

  3. According to Neruda, what would be the nature of the moment of stillness?
    A. Chaotic and noisy
    B. Boring and unproductive
    C. Exotic and unifying
    D. Sad and depressing

  4. The examples of the "fishermen" and the "man gathering salt" illustrate:
    A. The importance of different professions.
    B. The harm humans inflict on nature and themselves.
    C. The beauty of the natural world.
    D. The need for more workers.

  5. What kind of "wars" does the poet mention?
    A. Only wars between nations.
    B. Wars against nature, chemical wars, and conventional/nuclear wars.
    C. Only internal conflicts.
    D. Economic wars.

  6. What does "putting on clean clothes" symbolize in the poem?
    A. Changing fashion trends.
    B. Getting ready for a party.
    C. Adopting a new, peaceful perspective free from hatred.
    D. Preparing for bed.

  7. Neruda clarifies that his call for stillness should NOT be confused with:
    A. Meditation
    B. Total inactivity or death
    C. A short holiday
    D. Sleeping

  8. What is the "sadness" that the poet refers to?
    A. The sadness of poverty.
    B. The sadness of losing loved ones.
    C. The sadness of failing to understand ourselves and causing self-destruction.
    D. The sadness of environmental pollution.

  9. What lesson can humanity learn from the Earth?
    A. How to engage in agriculture.
    B. That life can regenerate even after apparent stillness or death (like seasons).
    C. The importance of geography.
    D. How to predict weather patterns.

  10. What is the overall tone of the poem 'Keeping Quiet'?
    A. Humorous and light-hearted
    B. Angry and aggressive
    C. Serene, meditative, and persuasive
    D. Tragic and mournful

Answer Key:

  1. C
  2. C
  3. C
  4. B
  5. B
  6. C
  7. B
  8. C
  9. B
  10. C

Study these notes carefully, focusing on the themes, the poet's message, and the literary devices used. Understanding the specific examples Neruda provides is also key. Good luck with your preparation!

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