Page 1 :
Questions - Answers, , English, , Term - 2, , Class - 12th, (Krishna Singh), , (A THING OF BEAUTY), THEME:, The poem conveys the message that any beautiful object is forever treasured in our, mind because it provides us eternal and everlasting joy. It has a therapeutic quality and binds us to, the earth despite dejection, monotony and ugliness of our everyday life., CENTRAL IDEA: Beauty is heavenly tonic/drink – an endless fountain of nectar. This beauty, comes in different forms – a tale, a poem, a play, a lovely object of nature, a beautiful moment, or, even the heavenly bodies. It soothes our spirits, gives us eternal pleasure, good health, sound, sleep, mental peace and leaves an indelible image on our mind. It removes sadness from our lives, and gives an everlasting joy., Q1:, , What is the underlying message of the poem “A Thing of Beauty”?, , A thing of beauty is a permanent source of joy and inspiration so we should preserve beauty at any, cost because it is not a transitory or momentary feeling but it leaves a permanent impression on, our mind and soul. Beauty heals the negative impulse of our life., , Q2:, , Why is grandeur associated with mighty dead?, , The greatness with which the great people die is the ‘grandeur of the dooms of the mighty dead’., The poet compares their greatness with that of the beautiful things on account of the fact that the, great people die for giving happiness to the rest of the world. They live in the memory of people for, endless numbers of years., , Q3:, , Keats feels that nature binds us to the earth. How does he justify this?, , Keats feels that man has a strong bond with the nature. Despite the gloom and suffering man is, connected to the earth. This flowery band ties us to the earth. This band is a thing of beauty and,, metaphorically, made of flowers and brings joy. There is an affinity between things of beauty in, nature and in man., , Q4:, , What do you understand by “unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways”?, , According to Keats there are few people who can rise above petty differences and be generous, towards others. These days people are mostly selfish and do not think about others. The trials and, tribulations in our life, and the dishonest and unfair means people adopt to achieve their goals now, have been referred to as the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways., , Q5:, , According to Keats, what spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits?, , John Keats says that pain and suffering are a part of life. These bring us sadness and, despondence. Nut still, we can find hope. The hope and motivation come from nature and remove, the pall of despondence from our spirits. The beautiful sights give us inspiration to continue the, journey of life.

Page 2 :
Q6:, , If you were given an opportunity to share your perception of beauty, what would you, say? Explain., , Beauty of nature is boundless and knows no limits. Heaven, which is known to be the most, beautiful paradise, is the bounty of the earth. It is like an endless fountain that pours the beauty of, nature over mankind. This beauty is called the heaven’s immortal drink and is also eternal and, wishes away the malice from the soul and refreshes it with love and kindness, , Q7:, , ‘Beauty is best left undefined’. Support your position on this statement with your, rationale, coupled with ideas in the poem., , The poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’, by John Keats conveys the message that beauty is everywhere,, and upon examination may be found. The theme of this work is largely centred on nature. In this, particular poem Keats describes the effects that beauty can have on a person. According to Keats, this beauty never diminishes and its effect is felt long after it is gone. Keats emphasizes that beauty, is, “Made for our searching,” meaning that some people may find beauty in places that others may, not. The theme of this poem is that beauty can be found anywhere, and when appreciated can be, used to raise your spirits in times of gloom., , Q8:, , Artists, singers and musicians have a different perception of beauty as compared to, people who are in other professions. Comment., , Beauty is something that artists, singers and musicians perceive and respond to. It may be a, response of awe and amazement, wonder and joy, or something else. It might resemble a “peak, experience” or an epiphany. It might happen while watching a sunset or taking in the view from a, mountaintop—the list goes on. It is a kind of experience, an aesthetic response that is a response, to the thing’s representational qualities, whether it is manmade or natural. Artists, singers and, musicians appreciate the core beauty as they understand the effort and time one exhausts in, becoming one of these skilled performers. However, other professions have visual appeal for, beauty, they appreciate outwardly beauty., , Q9., , Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting, impression on us?, , We feel happy by coming into contact with things of beauty. The thing of beauty provides eternal, and everlasting joy to us because it leaves an everlasting imprint in our mind. Our joy multiples with, every beautiful thought. Likewise, the loveliness of a beautiful thing increases manifold each time, we visualize it on our mind screen. A thing passes into nothingness when it dies and disappears, from our memories. Such a thing is not a thing of beauty. A thing of beauty is an emanating joy, which will keep on increasing forever. It will not cease to exist. When we think of it we are happy,, and in its absence too, it fills our minds with divine memories of it. In our dark days, these very, memories – the thing of beauty – help eradicate the dark cloud, that loads our souls, making room, for hope and optimism.