Std 8 English · Unit Two

2.3 The Worm

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

Warming Up!

1'Worms play a very important role in maintaining ecological balance. They are friends of farmers.' Form groups and discuss the significance of worms in the above two roles.

Worms are called the friends of farmers because they play a highly significant role in agriculture and ecology:

They constantly burrow through the soil, which aerates the soil and allows oxygen and water to reach plant roots easily.
They consume decaying plant and animal matter, breaking it down and converting it into nutrient-rich compost (worm castings) that acts as a powerful natural fertilizer.
Their movements loosen hard soil, making it easier for crops to grow and preventing soil erosion.

2Think and write down how the following creatures can be useful :

(a) Dragonfly: They are natural pest controllers. They eat harmful insects, especially mosquitoes, thus preventing diseases like malaria and dengue.
(b) Spider: Spiders spin webs to catch flies and other unwanted indoor and outdoor pests, keeping insect populations under control.
(c) Ants: Ants dig tunnels that aerate the soil. They also act as scavengers by breaking down dead insects and decaying organic matter.
(d) Honeybees: They are essential for pollinating flowers, which is necessary for the growth of fruits, vegetables, and crops. They also provide us with honey and beeswax.
(e) Earthworms: They loosen the soil and convert organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, making the land highly fertile for farming.

3Little creatures in nature can also be your teachers. Think and write what we can learn from the following.

(a) Bees: We can learn the value of hard work, teamwork, and excellent organization.
(b) Ants: We can learn strict discipline, unity, and the importance of planning and saving for the future.
(c) Spiders: We can learn patience, perseverance, and the spirit of never giving up, even when our work (like their web) breaks.
(d) Caterpillars: We can learn patience and hope, showing us that accepting difficult changes can transform us into something beautiful.

4Breeding worms to use them to convert organic waste into fertilizer is called vermiculture or vermicomposting. Find out more about Vermiculture.

This is an independent activity. You can learn how to collect vegetable peels, dry leaves, and organic kitchen waste in a pit or bin in your backyard, and introduce earthworms to it to create rich natural fertilizer (vermicompost) for your home plants.

English Workshop

1Give the modern words for the archaic words from the poem.

Archaic Word	Modern Word
thy	your
being	life / existence
bestow'd	given / gifted
thee	you
thou	you
canst	can

2The poet uses a device where he directly addresses someone absent or abstract. Such a device is the Figure of Speech called 'Apostrophe'. Pick out any two other lines from the poem that contain an Apostrophe.

In this poem, the poet addresses the reader or a careless person walking by.

"O do not lightly take away"
"The life thou canst not give!"

Note: "Turn, turn thy hasty foot aside" is already given as an example in the textbook.

3Think and answer in your own words in your notebook.

(a) Why does the poet appeal to us, to respect the life of a worm?
The poet appeals to us to respect the life of a worm because it is a creation of the same God who created us. God has bestowed His boundless love upon the worm as well. Since we do not have the power to give life to any creature, we have no right to take it away.

(b) Why do you think God created worms? What is their ecological importance?
God created worms to play a vital part in nature's cycle. Ecologically, worms are incredibly important because they loosen the soil, increase its fertility, and break down organic waste into useful compost, acting as natural farmers.

(c) 'Live and let live' is a famous proverb. Which lines from the poem support this proverb?
The lines that support this proverb are:
"Let them enjoy their little day,
Their humble bliss receive;"

(d) Does the poem urge us to protect only worms? What is the general message conveyed through this poem?
No, the poem does not urge us to protect only worms. The worm is just an example of the smallest and most helpless of creatures. The general message of the poem is that every living creature, no matter how small or insignificant it appears, is created by God, has a right to live, and deserves our respect and compassion.

4Find from the library or internet other poems composed on tiny living creatures.

This is a self-study activity. You can look up poems like William Blake's "The Fly" or Emily Dickinson's poems about bees and birds to understand how poets find deep meaning in tiny creatures.

5'Even small things in nature play a big role. So protect nature!' Frame some slogans and draft a short speech on the above topic, which you could give at your school assembly.

Slogans:

Live and let live!
Protect the small to save the all!
Nature's balance is in our hands, protect every creature across the lands.

Short Speech:

Greeting & Salutation: Respected Principal, teachers, and my dear friends. A very good morning to you all.

Introduction of the topic: My name is Amit, and today I am here to share my thoughts on the topic: 'Even small things in nature play a big role. So protect nature!'

Body of the speech: When we look at nature, we often admire the large animals like lions and elephants, or the tall, majestic trees. However, we tend to ignore or step on tiny creatures like worms, ants, bees, and spiders. We forget that these tiny creatures are the silent, hardworking heroes of our ecosystem. Earthworms quietly plough the soil, making it fertile enough to grow our food. Bees tirelessly pollinate flowers, giving us fruits and maintaining plant life. Spiders control harmful pests. If these small creatures disappear, the entire food chain will collapse, and life on Earth will be in grave danger. Every creature has been created by God with a specific purpose. If we cannot give them life, we certainly have no right to destroy them.

Conclusion: Therefore, let us pledge today to respect and protect every living being, big or small. Remember, protecting nature means protecting our own future.

Expression of gratitude: Thank you for being such a wonderful and attentive audience.

6Paraphrase the poem in your own simple language. Write it down in your notebook.

The poet earnestly tells a person walking hurriedly to turn their foot away and not crush a poor, helpless worm. The poet reminds the person that the worm, which they look at with hatred and disgust, was created by the same God who created human beings. God, who is the Lord of all living things, gave us our existence and has gifted a portion of His boundless love to that tiny worm as well.

God made the sun, the moon, and the stars free for all His creations to enjoy. He spread the green grass over the earth for the worms just as much as He did for us. Therefore, the poet appeals to us to let these small creatures enjoy their brief lives and simple joys. Since we human beings do not possess the power to give life to anyone, we definitely do not have the right to take away the life of any creature.

7Frame a pointwise analysis of the poem 'The Worm'.

(a) Poem and poet: The poem is 'The Worm', composed by Thomas Gisborne.
(b) Theme: The central theme of the poem is that we must respect all forms of life. Even the smallest and most helpless creatures, like a worm, are created by God, share the earth with us, and have a fundamental right to live.
(c) Tone: The tone of the poem is earnest, appealing, and didactic (teaching a moral lesson).
(d) Structure and stanzas: The poem is structured into four distinct stanzas, with four lines in each stanza.
(e) Rhyme and Rhythm: The rhyme scheme of the stanzas is abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh (for example, aside/deride, worm/form). The rhythm flows with a steady, gentle beat suitable for an earnest appeal.
(f) Language and Imagery: The poet uses archaic (old English) words such as 'thy', 'thou', 'thee', and 'canst'. The imagery is simple and natural, creating clear mental pictures with phrases like "hasty foot", "grassy blade", and "sun, the moon, the stars".
(g) Figures of Speech: The poem employs Figures of Speech such as Apostrophe (directly addressing the reader), Inversion ("A portion of His boundless love / On that poor worm bestow'd"), Exclamation, and Alliteration.

← 2.2 Nature Created Man and Woman as Equals 2.4 Three Visions for India →