Std 10 English · Unit Two

2.4 The Pulley

Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade 10 English.

English Workshop

1With the help of the clues, pick out words containing the letter 'a' from the poem and build a word-pyramid.

The words from the poem containing the letter 'a' based on the clues are:

(a) an article — a
(b) a preposition — at
(c) past tense of 'lie' — lay
(d) maximum length of your open palm — span
(e) make much of — adore
(f) loveliness — beauty
(g) in place of — instead
(h) a collection of priceless valuables — treasure
(i) restlessness and discontent — restlessness

2Choose the correct alternative from the following.

(a) Herbert's poem 'The Pulley' displays (i) Origin of Morality/Spirituality
(b) The theme of the poem 'The Pulley' is (ii) to teach a lesson to a creation (man) by the Creator (God) and (v) God pulled man towards Him by making him restless and weary.
(c) In the poem, 'The Pulley' is considered (iv) an image by which God compels people to become devout.
(d) (i) Rest in the bottom lay is an example of Pun from the poem.
(e) (i) And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature is an example of Paradox from the poem.
(f) (iv) May toss him to my breast is an example of Synecdoche from the poem.
(g) (iii) Repining restlessness is an example of Alliteration from the poem.
(h) (ii) So both should losers be is an example of Inversion from the poem.
(i) The rhyme scheme of the poem is (iv) a b a b a.

3Discuss and answer in your own words.

(a) The poet has used the word REST thrice in the poem. Write what the word implies in each of the three lines it occurs.
1. "Rest in the bottom lay" — Here, it means the 'remainder' or the left-over gift at the bottom of the glass, and it also refers to the gift of peace and contentment.
2. "And rest in Nature" — Here, it implies to relax, settle down comfortably, and find complete satisfaction in worldly things.
3. "Yet let him keep the rest" — Here, it simply means the remaining gifts (strength, beauty, wisdom, etc.) that God has already poured upon man.

(b) What does God want in return from man, for the gifts He has bestowed upon him?
God wants man's unwavering love, devotion, and gratitude in return. He expects man to adore Him and ultimately return to His breast (His divine presence) rather than just loving the worldly gifts.

(c) Why did God withhold the gift of 'Rest' from man?
God withheld the gift of 'Rest' so that man would always feel a sense of weariness and inner dissatisfaction despite having all other worldly riches. God knew that if man had ultimate peace, he would forget his Creator. This withheld 'restlessness' acts as a pulley, eventually tossing exhausted man back to God.

(d) Besides those given in the poem, what other gifts has God blessed mankind with above his other creations? Enlist them.
Besides strength, beauty, wisdom, honour, and pleasure, God has blessed mankind with the power of speech, advanced intellect, the capacity for compassion and love, imagination, and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

(e) When does man generally turn to God? Give one example to support your response.
Man generally turns to God in times of intense sorrow, failure, desperation, or extreme exhaustion when all worldly resources fail to provide comfort. For example, a person who is highly successful and wealthy may still turn to God and pray earnestly when a loved one falls critically ill and medical science offers no hope.

4 ADiscuss with your group and justify the title of the poem 'The Pulley' in your own words.

A pulley is a mechanical device used to draw or lift heavy objects upward. In the poem, human beings are weighed down by the heavy distractions and worldly gifts of Nature. However, God deliberately withholds the gift of 'Rest', inducing a deep sense of 'repining restlessness' and weariness in man. This constant inner dissatisfaction acts exactly like a mechanical pulley, drawing man's exhausted soul upwards towards God. Thus, the title is highly metaphorical, scientifically clever, and perfectly justified.

4 BPick out 3 lines that contain Monologues of God.

1. Let us (said He) "pour on him all we can:"
2. For if I should (said He) / Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
3. Yet let him keep the rest, / But keep them with repining restlessness:

5 APick out two lines that contain the following figures of speech.

(a) Antithesis:
1. And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature. (Nature vs. God of Nature)
2. Let him be rich and weary, (rich vs. weary)

(b) Alliteration:
1. Repining restlessness (repetition of the sound 'r')
2. So strength first made a way (repetition of the sound 's')

(c) Inversion:
1. Rest in the bottom lay. (Correct order: Rest lay in the bottom.)
2. So both should losers be. (Correct order: So both should be losers.)

5 BExplain the Figures of Speech in the following lines.

(a) Rest in the bottom lay — PUN because the word 'Rest' has two distinct meanings here: the 'remainder' of the gifts left in the glass, and the profound state of 'peace and contentment'.
(b) Bestow this jewel also on my creature — METAPHOR because the abstract gift of 'Rest' or contentment is implicitly compared to a precious, tangible 'jewel'.
(c) And rest in nature, not the God of Nature — REPETITION because the word 'Nature' is deliberately repeated to emphasize the stark contrast between worldly creations and the Creator himself.

6Write Critical Appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format.

Appreciation of 'The Pulley'

The poem 'The Pulley' is a profound metaphysical piece written by the Welsh poet George Herbert. The central theme of the poem revolves around the complex relationship between God and man. It explores why humans, despite possessing all the material riches and blessings in the world, feel an underlying sense of restlessness. The poet conveys that God deliberately withheld the gift of 'Rest' (peace) so that man’s ultimate weariness would draw him back to his Creator.

The poem is highly structured, consisting of four stanzas with a distinct and steady rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b-a. The poet has brilliantly employed a secular, scientific image of a 'pulley' to convey a deeply spiritual message. The most notable figure of speech used is Pun on the word 'rest', which means both the 'remainder' of the blessings and 'contentment'. Other figures of speech include Metaphor (comparing 'rest' to a 'jewel') and Inversion. My favourite line is "If goodness lead him not, yet weariness / May toss him to my breast," because it highlights God's infinite wisdom and unconditional desire to reunite with humanity. I like this poem very much because it provides a highly logical and beautiful explanation for human dissatisfaction and spiritual yearning.

7Find and make a sentence of your own showing an example of Pun.

Example of Pun: The bicycle couldn't stand up by itself because it was two tired.
(Explanation: 'Two tired' sounds like 'too tired', playing on the fact that a bicycle literally has two tires and thus cannot stand upright on its own.)

8Write a paragraph on the points in each block given below to get a summary on each of the four stanzas of the poem.

I. When God first created man, He considered him His best creation. Standing by with a glass full of blessings, God decided to pour all the scattered riches of the world and contract them into the small span of man's existence.

II. Consequently, God gifted man with immense strength, followed by beauty, wisdom, honour, and pleasure. However, when almost all the gifts were poured out, God stopped, noticing that only the precious gift of 'Rest' remained at the bottom of the glass.

III. God reasoned that if He bestowed this jewel of 'Rest' upon man, man would become entirely happy and contented with the worldly gifts. He would worship and rest in Nature, completely forgetting the God of Nature, resulting in a spiritual loss for both God and man.

IV. Therefore, God decided to let man keep all the other gifts but withheld 'Rest', leaving him with a repining restlessness. He allowed man to be rich but discontented, knowing that if goodness failed to guide man to Him, his ultimate weariness would act as a pulley, inevitably tossing him back to God's breast.

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