Where the Mind is Without Fear by Rabindranath Tagore
Where the mind is without fear
by Rabindranath Tagore
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Critical Appreciation of the poem
"Where the Mind is without Fear".
In his poem "Where the Mind is without Fear" the poet Rabindranath Tagore unleashes his love for motherland who is chained by the Britishers. The poet is certain that his motherland will be freed from slavery therefore he prays to God for the kind of freedom, people and country he wants for his motherland. The poem is the dream of the poet about his ideal country for his country men. The title itself displays with this dream and it is the starter. "Let my country awake" is the personification that his country is in the deep slumber of slavery. He prays to God that his country should wake up in a heaven of freedom of high ideals that he has for his country. He prays to God to let his high ideals be translated into reality when his country attains freedom. His metaphoric dream of high ideals for his country is the soul of the poem. He wants his country men to be free from any fear and knowledge i.e. the education is free for all. His country should be free from narrow thoughts that divide the people. His people are honest and truthful. Their words display the depth of their thoughts. People are hardworking and always trying to get perfection in their pursuit. People believe in logic and reason and dead habit don't overcome the logic and treason. People are guided by Almighty God and their thoughts and actions keep on getting very wide that they are all encompassing. His metaphor of stream of reason, dreary desert sand of dead habits and narrow domestic walls are very striking. The poet maintains the spontaneous flow of his thoughts throughout the poem. The poet has used free verse to maintain spontaneity.
About the Author
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore, a polymath, is a poet, writer, short story writer, song composer,playwright, essayist and a painter. He was not just a writer but philosopher, thinker and artist who was much ahead of his times. He was basically a Bengali poet who wrote in English also. He was fondly called Gurudev who has inspired generations of readers and people through his writings and thoughts. Tagore, the Bard of Bengal won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his work Geetanjali. He was born in Calcutta on May 7,1861. He composed the national anthem of India. He is also the composer of the national anthem of Bangladesh Amar Sonar Bangla, He has a lot of literary skills and styles to his credit. He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the West and vice-versa. He was the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in literature. Tagore skillfully handled all the genres of literature. Tagore's poetry is mainly lyrical and full of patriotism, love for God, love for nature and love for humanity. His mastery in short
stories is unparalleled. Most of his stories examine “humble lives and their small miseries,” dating from the 1890s, have a poignancy, laced with gentle irony, that is unique to him.
Some important quotes from him are immortal.
"The highest education is that which does not merely give us
information but makes our life in harmony with all existence".
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I woke up and saw that
life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy!"
“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but
for the heart to conquer it.”
Question Answer Exercises for the Students
Multiple Choice Questions
I. Objective Type Questions
(i) In the poem Where the Mind is Without Fear Tagore prays to God for making……
a. his countrymen great
b. making his country great
c. uplifting his countrymen
d. making his country rich
Answer: a. his countrymen great
(ii) Rabindranath Tagore got the Nobel Prize for
literature for his work.........
a. Sharadhanjali
b. Gitanjali
c. Geetmala
d. Savitri
Answer: b. Gitanjali
(iii) Rabindranath Tagore got the Nobel Prize for literature in the year.......
a. 1947
b. 1931
c. 1941
d. 1913
Answer: d. 1913
(iv)The poem Where the Mind is Without Fear is written by.........
a. Sarojini Naidu
b. Rabindranath Tagore
c. William Wordsworth
d. Toru Dutt
Answer: b. Rabindranath Tagore
(v) Rabindranath Tagore is basically a poet from.....
a. West Bengal
b. Orissa
c. Bihar
d. Kerala
Answer: a. West Bengal
(vi) ................is the incredibly famous work by Rabindranath Tagore.
a. Sharadhanjali
b. Gitanjali
c. Geetmala
d. Savitri
Answer: b. Gitanjali
(vi) What does poet mean when he say, “Where the mind is without fear and head is held high”
a. To be fearless and self-respecting
b. To be proud of one's country
c. Not to be afraid and hold the head straight
d. To be fearless and arrogant
Answer: a. To be fearless and self respecting
(vii) What does the poet mean by saying 'Where knowledge is free'?
a. Where people have to pay for education
b. Where people are free to take education from
anywhere they like
c. Where all the people are provided education free of cost
d. Where the right to free education is guaranteed by
the constitution.
Answer: c. Where people are provided education free of cost.
(viii) What are “narrow domestic walls “according to Tagore?
a. Different divisions of society based on caste, community, colour and gender
b. The walls dividing a house
c. Narrow mindedness
d. Broad mindedness
Answer: a. Different divisions of society based on caste, community, colour and gender
(ix) Rabindra Nath Tagore compares “clear stream” to ........
a. Dreary desert sand
b. Reason
c. Dead habit
d. Narrow domestic walls
Answer: b. Reason
(x) 'Where the mind is led forward by thee” The word 'thee' here refers to....
a. Father
b. Poet
c. God
d. You
Answer: c. God
(xi). Antonym of knowledge is…….
a. wisdom
b. intelligence
c. foolish
d. ignorance
(xii). Antonym of mind is……
a. brain
b. leg
c. body
d. objection
Answer: d. ignorance
(xiii). Tagore compares “India’s freedom ” with.....
a. Sleep
b. Heaven
c. Slavery
d. Liberty
Answer: b. Heaven
xiv. Tagore compares “dead habits” with……..
a. River
b. Stream
c. Dreary desert sand
d. Habit
Answer: c. Dreary desert sand
xv. Rabindranath Tagore addresses the poem “Where the Mind is Without Fear “ to.............
a. God
b. The poet
c. The poet's father
d. The poet's mother
Answer: a. God
xvi. The poet wants the mind of his countrymen to be without.....
a. self-respect
b. pride
c. fear
d. narrow mind
Answer: c. fear
xvii. Tagore was born in …….
a.1861
b. 1862
c. 1863
d. 1860
Answer: a.1861
Xviii. Tagore was born in ........
a. Patna
b. Lucknow
c. Calcutta (Kolkata)
d. Delhi
Answer :c. Calcutta (Kolkata)
xix. Our national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was composed by…….
a. Aurobindo
b. Iqbal
c. Sarojini Naidu
d. Tagore
Answer: a. Tagore
xix. The Bard of Bengal Rabindranath Tagore is also known as …….
a. The Mahatma
b. Kobi
c. Gurudev
d. Rashtrakavi
Answer: c. Gurudev
II. Short Answer Type Questions.
Q1. What is meant by the expression ‘Knowledge is free’?
Ans: Knowledge is free means all the people have free access to knowledge. Education is given free to all.
Q2. What narrow domestic walls are referred to by the poet?
Ans:According to the poet narrow domestic walls mean community, caste, colour and creed which divide us. It is narrow mindedness of people. Which prevents us from being united.
Q3. Why does the poet compare reason with stream?
The poet compares reason with stream because reason is clean and clear like a stream which flows on the ground of logic..
Q4. What are the two qualities of mind presented in the poem?
Ans: Constant growth of thought and action and fearlessness of mind are the two qualities that are presented in the poem.
Q5. Why does the poet compare "dead habit" to “dreary desert sand”?
dangerous for logic, reason and common sense. They destroy reason in the same way as the dreary desert sand destroys the current of a stream.
Q6. Whom is the poem addressed to?
Ans: The poem is addressed to God.
Q7. Name the poet of the poem Where the Mind is Without Fear.
Ans: Rabindranath Tagore is the name of the poem Where the Mind is Without Fear.
Q8. How should one's mind think or work according to the poet?
Ans: According to the poet, one's mind should think or work fearlessly.
Q9. What does the poet mean by the phrase 'head held high'?
Ans: The phrase 'head held high' means to be proud of one's nation and culture and be self-respecting.
Q10. According to Tagore, how should knowledge be imparted to people ?
Ans: According to Tagore, education should be provided freely. In this context there should be no barrier of caste, creed, social status and nationality.
Q11. What does the poet mean by 'narrow domestic walls'?
Ans: 'Narrow domestic walls' means narrow minded thinking and discrimination due to community, caste, colour and creed.
Q12. How should our words be, in the opinion of Tagore?
Ans: In the opinion of Tagore, our words should come out from the depth of truth.
Q13. How can 'tireless striving' achieve perfection?
Ans: In Tagore's opinion his countrymen should be untiringly hardworking to achieve perfection in their work...
Q14. What is the reason compared with?
Ans: Reason is compared with clear stream.
Q15. Where has reason lost its way?
Ans: Reason has lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
Q16. What does the poet mean by 'dead habit'?
Ans: According to the poet, dead habit means belief which is not based on reason but tradition..
Q17. Where is the mind led forward by God?
Ans: The mind is led forward by God into ever widening thought and action.
Q18. To whom is the poem addressed?
Ans: The poem is addressed to God.
Q19. Whom do the words 'my father' and 'thee' refer to?
Ans: The words 'my father' and 'thee' refer to God.
Q20. What does the poet mean by “ever widening thoughts and actions”?
Ans: By ever widening thoughts and actions’ the poet means people have great, liberal and generous thoughts and they are reflected in actions also.They are constantly attaining a higher level.
Q 21. "Let my country awake." What does sleep and waking up represent here?
Ans: "Sleep" here stands for slavery and "waking up" stands for freedom from British rule.
Q 22. "Where mind is led forward by thee" What does the above phrase mean?
Ans: The above phrase means that people are guided by God or the inner conscience.
Q 23. What are the different sobriquets by which Rabindranath Tagore is known?
Ans: The sobriquets by which Rabindranath Tagore is known are .the Bard of Bengal,
Gurudev, Kobiguru and Biswakobi.
Q 24. Why has the poet used the word 'tireless' to describe striving?
Ans: The poet has used the word 'tireless' to describe striving because the poet wants
his people strive untiringly.
Q 25. Where is the mind led forward to by God?
Ans: The mind is led forward to ever-widening thoughts and action by God..
III Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. What is the heaven of freedom according to Tagore?
Ans. According to Tagore the heaven of freedom in Independent India freed from British Control. The poet dreams of an ideal country for Indian people after India has attained freedom from British control. He dreams that India would be a country where knowledge would be free for all. Everybody would get education free There shall be no discrimination on the basis of cast colour and creed. People would be broad minded, hardworking and always trying to reach perfection.Knowledge and reason would be respected and all the people would be liberal and broad minded.
Q2. What qualities does the poet wish for his country after independence?
Ans. The poet wishes that knowledge would be free in his country. All would get free education without discrimination. His country would be free from any type of discrimination. People would be truthful and their words would be based on truth. People would give importance to knowledge and reason. There shall be no superstition. People would be broad minded, hardworking and always trying to reach perfection in every field.
Q3. What kind of freedom does the poet desire for his country?
Ans. The poet wishes several freedoms for his country like freedom from fear, freedom from ignorance freedom from discrimination and narrow-mindedness and freedom from dead habits. The poet wants that his people should be fearless, knowledgeable, hardworking and always making untiring efforts to achieve perfection.
Q4. Bring out the significance of the title of the poem.
Ans. The very first line of the poem is the title of the poem and it discloses the intent of the poem in the very beginning because what follows next is very grand and great The title itself declares that the country is in the deep slumber of slavery and poet wishes that his country should awake in heaven of freedom where people are fearless,knowledgeable always making untiring efforts to achieve perfection and having faith in reason and logic not in the dead habits.
Q5. The poem is not meant just for India. Justify.
Ans. The poem appears to be written for the country of the poet that is India. the poet wishes several good qualities for his country when she attains freedom. It should be a heaven of freedom where people are fearless, knowledgeable always making untiring efforts to achieve perfection and having faith in reason and logic not in the dead habits.But can we limit these qualities to India only? Aren't these qualities universal that every country of the world should have? Although the poem appears to be concerned to India only, it is in fact concerned about the whole world, for all the countries of the world.
Q6. What figures of speech are used in the poem?
Ans. Personification is the most prominent feature of the poem. The poet personifies the countries as person in deep slumber. The poet prays to God to his country awake in a heaven of freedom.Next personifications are "tireless striving stretches its arm towards perfection" and "clear stream of reason has not lost its way". Metaphors like "narrow domestic walls" and dreary desert sand of dead habits" are very thought provoking. "Dreary desert sand of dead habits"has alliteration of sound 'd' and sound 's" creates alliteration "where tireless striving stretches its arm towards perfection.
Q7. What effect does where create in the poem?
Ans. The poet lists all the qualities that he wants to see in his country using the world 'Where' followed by a sub-clause which describes those qualities. The whole poem contains such clauses and takes the reader into the dream that the poet sees.
Q3. Write an appreciation of the poem "Where the mind is without fear"
Answer:- See above
IV. Say whether the following statements are True or False:
1. Tagore prays for his Compatriots in the poem Where the Mind is Without Fear - True
2. Tagore was awarded the Nobel prize in 1913 - True
3. According to Tagore, the 'words' must come from the depths of heart - False
4. Tagore prays that his countrymen live with freedom and dignity - True
5. Tagore compares reason to a dreary desert - False
V. Write a paragraph on My Country Bharat.
Answer:
My Country Bharat
The name of my country is India. In Hindi, we call it Bharat or Hindustan. India is a country of unity in diversity. People of different religions like Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs,Christians live here. People celebrate different kinds of festivals together. We all enjoy our unique cultures, customs and traditions. In every part of India people speak different languages and wear different costumes. India was a golden bird before independence. India got independence on 15 August, 1947 and become republic on 26th January, 1950. I am proud of a large number of great men who were born in India and glorified our country and who even sacrificed their lives for Bharatmata. India is the largest democratic country in the world and population wise second largest country in the world. People enjoy their rights in the democratic type of government. India is the biggest attraction point for the tourists from all over the world. There are many more things to speak about India. It was all about it in short. Finally I would like to say that I love my India and I am proud to be an Indian..
VI. Write a paragraph on Rabindranath Tagore
Answer: See above
VII. Write the antonyms of the following words:
Knowledge, Fear, High. . Fragment, Perfection Mind, Wide, Depth, Freedom. Truth,
Answer
Word Antonym
Knowledge Ignorance
Fear Courage
Fragment the whole
Perfection Imperfection
Mind Body
Wide Narrow
Depth Shallowness
Freedom Slavery
Truth Untruth
Comments
Post a Comment