MAK LABS — Std 8 English 3.4 Leisure

1Discuss in groups and share with one another.

This is a group discussion activity. You can use the points below as a model to share your thoughts.

(1) The daily routine of your mother and father on working days: My parents have a very busy schedule. They wake up early, prepare breakfast, get ready, and commute to work. They return in the evening, tired, and spend the rest of the night managing household chores and preparing for the next day.
(2) How your family relaxes on weekends: On weekends, we usually wake up a bit late. We enjoy a special breakfast together, watch a movie, or sometimes visit our relatives.
(3) When you go for a picnic, what and how do you enjoy?: We play outdoor games like badminton, eat home-cooked snacks in the open air, and enjoy the fresh breeze away from the city noise.
(4) Do you spend time admiring and thinking over the beauties of nature? Elaborate: Yes, I love watching the sunset from my balcony. Observing the changing colours of the sky and the birds flying back to their nests gives me peace of mind after a tiring day at school.

2Go through other poems in your textbook or other books and find out lines that contain Imagery. Write them down along with the name of the poem.

"To see angels dancing among the clouds" — A Time to Believe
"The lane is dark and lonely" — Vocation
"The street lamp stands like a giant with one red eye in its head" — Vocation
"And spreads o'er earth the grassy blade" — The Worm

3Prepare an Acrostic from the word 'Leisure'. The words should be related to what one likes to do in free time.

L — Listening to music

E — Enjoying nature

I — Imagining creative things

S — Singing songs

U — Unwinding completely

R — Reading stories

E — Exploring new places

1Say where.......

(a) do the cows and sheep stand? — Beneath the boughs (branches of a tree)
(b) do squirrels store their food? — In the grass inside the woods
(c) do stars shine in the daytime? — In the streams of water
(d) does Beauty's smile begin? — In her eyes

2Think and answer in your own words.

(a) What could have inspired the poet to compose this poem? Do you think it relates to our present day life? Defend your choice.
The poet was likely inspired by observing how modern human beings are always rushing and stressing over daily work, completely ignoring the beautiful natural world around them. Yes, it absolutely relates to our present-day life, perhaps even more now. With technology, gadgets, and endless competition, people are constantly stressed and have "no time to stand and stare" at the simple joys of nature.

(b) Which line proves that in our busy lives we do not even have a fraction of a second to enjoy nature's beauty?
The line "No time to turn at Beauty's glance, / And watch her feet, how they can dance." proves that we don't even have a brief moment to stop and admire nature.

(c) 'Beauty' in stanza 5 to 6 can refer to a beautiful maiden as well as nature itself. Explain when and how nature 'dances' and also 'smiles'.
Nature 'dances' when the wind blows through the trees, causing the leaves, branches, and tall grass to sway gracefully. Nature 'smiles' when colourful flowers bloom in the spring, or when the sun shines brightly after a dark, rainy day.

(d) Why does the poet call our life 'poor'?
The poet calls our life 'poor' because if our lives are entirely filled with stress, worries, and endless work without any time to pause and appreciate the beautiful world around us, it is a spiritually empty and impoverished existence.

3Figures of Speech

(a) Pick out two examples of Personification from the poem.

"No time to turn at Beauty's glance" (Nature is given the human quality of glancing).
"And watch her feet, how they can dance" (Nature is personified as a woman dancing).

(b) Pick out from the poem, two examples of each of the following Figures of Speech.

(1) Alliteration:
"We have no time to stand and stare" (Repetition of the 's' sound).
"Streams full of stars, like skies at night" (Repetition of the 's' sound).
(2) Simile:
"And stare as long as sheep or cows" (Comparison using 'as').
"Streams full of stars, like skies at night" (Comparison using 'like').
(3) Metaphor:
"Streams full of stars" (The sunlight sparkling on the ripples of the stream is directly compared to shining stars).
"Beauty's glance" (The beautiful elements of nature are directly compared to a beautiful maiden).

(c) Refer to the poem 'The Pilgrim' and find examples of Interrogation (Rhetorical Question).

"Why build ye here at even tide?"

4Say where the images from nature given in the poem exist. (AIR / LAND / WATER)

(a) beneath the boughs	LAND
(b) squirrel hide nuts in grass	LAND
(c) streams in daytime	WATER
(d) stars / skies at night	AIR

5Make a paraphrase of the poem 'Leisure' in your own simple words. Write it down in your notebook.

In the poem "Leisure", the poet William Henry Davies expresses deep sadness over the busy, stressful lives of modern human beings. He asks what the purpose of this life is if it is entirely consumed by worries and anxieties, leaving us no free time to simply stand and look at the world around us.

We are so busy that we cannot even spare a moment to stand under the branches of trees and gaze peacefully, the way sheep or cows do. When we pass through the woods, we do not have the time to notice little squirrels hiding their nuts in the grass. In the bright daylight, we fail to admire the rivers and streams that sparkle like starry skies at night.

The poet personifies Nature as a beautiful woman who dances and smiles. He complains that we don't have the time to look at the graceful movements of Nature, nor do we wait to see the beauty fully blossom like a warm smile spreading from her eyes to her lips. The poet concludes by declaring that a life filled only with stress, where we cannot pause to appreciate nature, is truly a miserable and poor life.

3.4 Leisure

Warming Up!

English Workshop