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I WONDER

I wonder why the grass is green,

And why the wind is never seen?

Who taught the birds to build a nest,

And told the trees to take a rest?

O, when the moon is not quite round,

Where can the missing bit be found?

Who lights the stars, when they blow out,

And makes the lightning flash about?

Who paints the rainbow in the sky,

And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?

Why is it now, do you suppose,

That Dad won’t tell me, if he knows?

Jeannie Kirby

FORM 2

Poem: `I WONDER’ By Jeannie Kirby

Elements Of The Poem :

Persona(Speaker)

- a naive child

Point of view

- First person („I‟ Wonder)

Setting

- Day to night (time) – - Outdoor (place) - green grass, nests on tree, Autumn, stars in sky, crescent moon,

a flash of lightning, rainbow in the sky

- Indoor : with his/ her father

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Theme

- Curiosity of a child

- The wonders of nature

- The longing of knowledge

- The Power of Creator

Moral Values

We should be observant and sensitive to out surroundings

We should always cultivate a sense of wonder in our heart

We should appreciate and take care of the nature created by our Creator

Structure 6 stanzas (6 couplets) Rhyme Scheme

regular (aa bb cc dd ee) Tone

questioning, curiosity

Mood

reflective

Language

- simple, Wh-words/questions

Imagery - nature (grass, wind, bird, moon, stars, lightning, rainbow, clouds)

Poetic Devices - Personification ("trees...take a rest") - Alliteration ("grass is green", "birds to build") Literal meaning

A child is wondering about the natural happenings, asking why the grass is green

(instead of the other colours) and why the wind is invisible. He or she continues to ponder the

person who teaches the birds to build nest and the trees stop growing. He or she also wonders

when the moon is in crescent shape, where the other part of the moon is.

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He or she proceeds to question about the person who makes the stars shining and how

the lightning flash about. He or she keeps on asking who colours the rainbow and puts the

clouds high in sky. He or she cannot get the answers, thus, directs the questions to the other.

Lastly, the child wonders why father doesn‟t tell him or her if he knows the answers

Exercise 1 Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks with ONE suitable word.

The poem is about a child wondering of nature. As he walks he looks ____________ (1)

him. He does not know why the _______ (2) is green, and the wind can be ___________ (3)

but not seen. He would like to know who teaches the birds to build the __________(4). He also

notices that the moon is not always ____________(5). There are so many ______________ (6)

on his mind, such as who __________(7) clouds so high and who ______________ (8) the

rainbow in the sky. If he ________ (9) his father all these questions, he wonders why his father

will not tell him the ______________ (10).

Exercise 2

Questions 1 – 10 are based on the extract from the poem ‘I WONDER’.

1. What does the use of the word „wonder‟ in the poem show?

A. thinking

B. solving problems

C. making silly remarks

D. feeling of shock

2. The phrase „…how the wind looks like‟ tells us that the writer is….

A. curious

B. confused

C. passionate

D. angry

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3. What is „hanging‟ according to the persona?

A. stars

B. clouds

C. rainbow

D. wind

4. Which word means –„to make something look bright‟?

A. paints

B. hangs

C. lights

D. makes

5. The title of the poem implies that the persona has …

A. desire to know

B. very little patience

C. a lot anger

D. no desire to know

6. State one value that we can learn from the poem?

A. Nature should be appreciated

B. Nature should be left alone

C. We must not be so curious

D. We should not ask too many questions.

7. Who is the persona disappointed with?

A. God

B. Her mother

C. Her father

D. Nature

8. What is invisible?

A. The lightning

B. The wind

C. The clouds

D. The moon

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9. The word „fluffy‟ means…

A. light

B. feathery

C. thin

D. crispy

10. Two pairs of rhyming words from the poem.

A. fluffy- clouds

B. round- found

C. lightning-flash

D. birds-build

MODEL QUESTION

PAPER 2 - SECTION B : LITERATURE COMPONENT Read the poem `I Wonder’ and answer the questions that follow. SET 1 1. Who is the persona in the poem?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

2. What is the poem about?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 2 1. What does the persona find puzzling about the birds?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

2. Which phrase in the extract shows that the persona is inquisitive about nature?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

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SET 3 1. What is missing according to persona?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark) 2. Do you think the boy‟s father knows the answer to his questions? Quote a line / two to

support your answer.

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 4 1. From the extract, which element in the sky is colourful? _____________________________________________________ (1 mark) 2. The main themes of the poem are ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 5 1. Based on the poem, what element of Nature can be felt but can never be seen?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

2. How would you feel if your questions are not answered?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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HEIR CONDITIONING

Grand dad did you breathe

before air cons were invented

was it hard staying

alive without modern inventions?

Grandma weren’t you flustered

as you fluttered with paper fans?

Could you communicate before

faxes and long distance calls

became basic necessities?

Grandchild we lived

before your age. Because

of our ignorance,

we did not know

pollution, stress, traffic jams

destruction of forests, streams and hills

we feared God and nature

now nature fears you and

money is your new God.

M SHANmughalingam

Poem: `HEIR CONDITIONING’ By M. SHANmughalingam

Elements Of The Poem:

SETTING

The poem is written in a twentieth century setting as there are references to modern

gadgets such as air cons and faxes. The problems mentioned in the poem also allude to current

problems faced by today generation. These include stress, pollution and traffic jams. The

dialogue could have taken place in the living room or any place that allow two parties to discuss

certain issues.

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PERSONA There are two personas in the poem. They are the grandparents and the grandchild.

SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM

The poem Heir Conditioning is a dialogue between the grandparents and their

grandchild about the differences in their generations. The poet offers two different views from

two different generations through the dialogue. The grandchild asks his or her grandparents

about what life was like in the old days and they explain that life was much simpler and they id

not have to face the problems of today's world. This is because they were not advanced enough

to invent many technological inventions during their time. The poem further explores the

differences between the two generations by giving examples of the problems the grandchild has

to face now such as pollution, stress and traffic jams. The poem ends with a strong message in

the last two lines. The message is those living in the grandchild's have become more

materialistic and that they have to pay the price for the progress.

ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

STANZA 1

Grand dad did you breathe

before air cons were invented was it hard staying

alive without modern inventions? Grandma weren’t you flustered

as you fluttered with paper fans? Could you communicate before faxes and long distance calls became basic necessities?

In the first stanza, the poet asks his grandparents about the life before the technology

arouse and become the important usage in the world nowadays. He asks his grandfather was it

complicated to live in the life without technology as he refers the technology to the invention of

the air cons. Then he asks his grandmother regarding the condition when she used paper fans

to cool herself. He also asks his grandmother what were the possibilities for them to

communicate without faxes and long distance calls compared to the world nowadays.

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STANZA 2

Grandchild we lived before your age. Because

of our ignorance, we did not know

pollution, stress, traffic jams destruction of forests, streams and

hills we feared God and nature now nature fears you and money is your new God.

The second stanza shows the answers given by the poet‟s grandparents that sum up all

the questions in one simple answer. The reason on why they did not experience all the pollution,

stress, traffic jams, and destruction of forests, streams and hills is because of their ignorance;

they were lack of knowledge by that time. His grandparents add, the only thing that they fear is

God and nature but now, the nature turns to fear the entire human race and money is the only

obsession to human.

THEMES

The poem is concerned about the price one has to pay for progress. With the

development, one has to face many problems that can affect the quality of life. The younger

generation has to face greater challenges in life because they have many wants. The poet

highlights the challenges in the present world and attributes them to our own greed and

materialistic ways.

MORAL VALUES

1. We must love our environment.

2. We must be God-fearing.

3. We must not be greedy and materialistic.

4. We must use our knowledge for our own good.

5. We must be grateful with what we have.

6. Progress and development bring about advantages and disadvantages.

7. Present days values are different from yesterday.

8. Greed can lead to destruction.

9. The younger generation has different values.

10. Preserve the environment.

11. We must pay a high price for development.

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TONE AND MOOD

The tone is matter-of-fact and honest. The grandchild poses the questions honestly and

directly to the grandfather. The grandchild asks questions in an innocent and naïve tone …did

you…,was it…weren‟t you…Could you… The grandfather explains and answers in a firm and

serious tone , the voice of someone scolding, preaching and teaching an ignorant person.

(“…we did not …). However in the last two lines we could sense that the grandfather is unhappy

with the present generation as they have become more materialistic in life and their values have

changed.

Exercise 1

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. Which word rhymes with „heir‟?

A. hare C. airy

B. air D. hair

2. What is the tone of the poem?

A. Sad C. Anger

B. Sarcastic D. Sorrow

3. How does the poet view modernization?

A. optimistic C. confident

B. pessimistic D. cynical

4. In stanza 1, the grandparents did not have all the following except

A. air conditioners C. fax machine

B. telephone D. paper fans

5. What does the title of the poem suggest?

A. Changes on how the younger generation thinks.

B. Changes in the mindset of the older generation

C. We must appreciate all the modern inventions

D. Technology is very important to mankind

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6. What is meant in the line we feared God and nature… now nature fears you?

A. we are scared of nature

B. we are scared of God

C. we actually destroyed nature

D. nature destroyed our faith to God

7. What is meant by „money is your new God‟?

A. Money can buy all the new inventions

B. The younger generation worship money.

C. Money is very important in our lives.

D. The older generation realizes the importance of money.

8. What does the word „feared‟ imply?

A. scared of C. hated

B. believed in D. angry at

9. What is the theme of the poem?

A. The usefulness of modern inventions.

B. Technology is not good for us

C. Respecting God

D. Effects of development

10. What can you infer from the line Grand child we lived before your age?

A. Grandparents enjoyed a long life

B. Grandparents have more experience than grandchild

C. Grandparents have lived a difficult life for a long time.

D. Grandparents do not understand grandchild‟s lifestyle

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MODEL QUESTION

PAPER 2 - SECTION B : LITERATURE COMPONENT Read the poem `Heir Conditioning’ and answer the questions that follow.

SET 1

1. What is the poem about?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

2. Name 2 modern inventions mentioned in Stanza 1.

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 2

1. In the first stanza, what does the grandchild wonder? ________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

2. What does the word „we‟ in the second stanza refer to?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

SET 3

1. How did the grandparents live before?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

2. Give a contrast between the past and the present

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

SET 4

1. What is the tone in the last two lines of stanza 2?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

2. What does „Money is your new God” in stanza 2 mean?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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SET 5

1. Which line in the last stanza means that nature is being destroyed by the

young generation?

_____________________________________________________ (1 mark)

2. „Now nature fears you and money is your new God‟ – What value indicated here?

________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)