English Poetry – Asleep in the Valley – HS English Suggestion 2023
MCQ Questions [ Mark – 1] Poetry – Asleep in the Valley – Arthur Rimbaud
1.What type of poem is ‘Asleep in the Valley’?
(a) Sonnet (b) Ode (c) Song(d) Lyric
ans. (a) Sonnet
2. Asleep in the Valley’ is aan
(a) nature poem(b) romantic poem (c) anti-war lyric(d) patriotic poem
ans. (c) anti-war lyric
3.Under the feet of the soldier, there were
(a) leaves (b) flowers (c) wood (d) grasses
ans. (b) flowers
4.What is the theme of the poem?
(a) Beauty of nature (b) Peace of mind (c) Glory of war (d) Futility of war
ans. (d) Futility of war
5.What is described as gentle without guile?
(a) The soldier’s face(b) The soldier’s smile(c) The stream(d) The rays of the sun
ans. (b) The soldier’s smile
6.How many red holes are thereon the soldier’s body?
(a) one (b) two (c) three (d) four
ans. (b) two
7. The pillow of the sleeping soldier is made of
(a) cotton (b) feather (c) flowers (d) fern
ans. (d) fern
8. The humming insects don’t disturb him because
(a) he is dead (b) he is a nature lover (c) he is violent (d) he is peaceful
ans. (a) he is dead
9. The soldier lies stretch
(a) in the hollow (b) in the heavy undergrowth (c) on a bed of fern (d) on the mountain top
ans. (b) in the heavy undergrowth
10. Nature is asked to keep the soldier
(a) cold (b) peaceful (c) asleep (d) warm
Ans. (d) warm
Short Answer Type Question[ Mark – 1] Poetry – Asleep in the Valley – Arthur Rimbaud
1. How does the soldier’s smile look in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley”?
ans. The soldier’s smile looks like that of an infant gentle without guile.
2. Where are the feet of the soldier in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’?
ans. The feet of the soldier are among the flowers.
3. Where does the stream leave ‘long strands of silver’?
ans. The stream leaves long strands of silver on bright grass of the valley.
4. Why is nature asked to keep the soldier warm?
ans. Nature is asked to keep the soldier warm lest he may catch cold.
5.Why is the soldier pale?
ans. The soldier is pale because he is dead.
6. “The humming insects don’t disturb his rest”-Why?
ans. The humming insects don’t disturb his rest because he is no
more alive.
7. What suggests that the soldier is dead?
ans. The two red holes on the side of the soldier suggests that he is dead.
8. What fills the hollow full of light?
ans. The sun’s rays fill the hollow full of light.
9. Where does the soldier rest his head?
ans. The soldier rests his head on a pillow made of fern.
10. Mention the two words used to describe the sun-soaked bed.
ans. The two words used to describe the sun-soaked bed are ‘warm’ and ‘green’.
Broad Type Questions [ Marks – 6 ] Poetry – Asleep in the Valley – Arthur Rimbaud
1.How does the poet express the futility of war through his poem “Asleep in the Valley’? What message does he want to convey?
2.Justify the title of the poem, “Asleep in the Valley’ ?
3.“In his side there are two red holes.” Who is the person referred to here ? What do the ‘two red holes’ signify ? What attitude of the poet to war is reflected here ?
Q:- Significance of title./Substance./Main theme./ The picture of the valley./The picture of the soldier|
Describe the tragedy of war through the picture of the soldier./Discuss poet’s attitude towards the war./Describe it as an anti-war poem.
Ans:- Title is the most important thing for every literary piece. The present poem is originally a Franch poem entitled “Le Dormeur du Val”, means “the male sleeper of the valley. “But in the English translation, the title “Asleep in the Valley” doesn’t clearly indicate if the sleeper is male or female. But from the content of the poem it is clearly stated that the sleeper is a young soldier.
In the poem we can see a young soldier lying asleep in the green valley open mouthed with a gentle smile like an innocent’s. A silvery slow stram is flowing through the valley. A pillow made of fern is beneath his head. He is sleeping on the warm, green and sun-soaked bed. His feet are among the flowers. There is a deep silence, but the sound of the humming insects is only heard.
Nature is so kind as well as sympathetic to the tired soldier who is sleeping here. But suddenly we discover two red holes by the side of his body which clearly points out that the young soldier is not sleeping, he is actually dead. He has gone in the world of eternal sleep. He is killed by the name of war. He is a victim of the cruel war. War is nothing but a meaningless massacrer. The poem also depict the futility of war through the poem. War is nothing but the destroyer of the peace. Actually the ironically use of the word “Asleep” in the title, points out to the meaning of death.
As the title of the poem minutely reflects the main theme of the poem, it is highly suggestive as well as justified.
Q:- “The humming insects don’t disturb his rest.”— Who rested and where? What puts him to rest? Why can’t the insects disturb his rest?
Ans:- In Arthur Rimbaud’s anti-war poem “Asleep in the Valley”, the young soldier is taking rest. He rests in the green valley where a slow stream flows.
At first we guess that the young soldier is sleeping in the valley. But at the end, when we see the two red holes by the sides of his body, we understand that he is not sleeping, actually he is dead. He is enjoying rest caused by death.
There are a number of humming insects in the valley. But their sound can’t disturb his rest because he is dead. Now the humming insects have no power to break his eternal sleep.
Q:-“In his side there are two red holes.”—Who has two red holes in his side? What does the expression “in his side” means? What’s caused the “two red holes”? What do they signify?
Ans:- In Arthur Rimbaud’s famous anti-war poem “Asleep in the Valley”, the sleeping soldier has two red holes in his side.
The expression “in his side” means in one side of his body, most probably in the rib.
The bullets made the two red holes.
The two red holes clearly indicates the two bullet injuries of the sleeping soldier. He was an ill-fated victim of war, the worst destroyer of the peace. The expression also shows the merciless brutality of war.