KSEEB Solutions for Class 10 English Poem Chapter 7 The Blind Boy

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Karnataka State Syllabus Class 10 English Poem Chapter 7 The Blind Boy

The Blind Boy Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes

Understand the poem:

Question 1.
Whose is the voice of the poem?
Answer:
The voice of the blind boy.

Question 2.
‘The blessings of the sight’- line 3. Can you list out a few of them?
Answer:
The beauty of nature, the faces of the dear ones, the magnificence of man-made structures and the majesty of animals.

Question 3.
How does a blind person understand whether it is day or night?
Answer:
By feeling the warmth of the sun.

Question 4.
Read lines 13 and 14. Who is sympathizing with whom?
Answer:
The one gifted with sight, sympathises with the blind boy.

Question 5.
How does the blind boy pacify himself? Quote the lines that suggest this.
Answer:
“but sure with patience I can bear
A loss I ne’er can know
Then let not what I cannot have
My cheer of mind destroy”.

Read and appreciate:

Question 1.
Who do you think is the person addressed as ‘you’ in the poem?
Answer:
You mean reader in the poem.

Question 2.
Read the first stanza carefully. The tone of the speaker is one of
i) surprise
ii) curiosity
iii) sadness. (Choose the appropriate one)
Answer:
(iii) sadness.

Question 3.
The blind boy can feel _________ the sun. (fill in the blank)
Answer:
warmth.

Question 4.
What a normal person can easily understand is almost a riddle to the blind boy. What is it?
Answer:
The difference between day and night.

Question 5.
Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Answer:
abab cbcb dede fgfg hihi.

Question 6.
Match the following and frame appropriate sentences for each phrase thus matched.
Answer:

blessings of	wondrous things
cheers of	sight
talk of	mind

1. Blessings of sight – Those of us who enjoy the blessings of sight should remain ever grateful to God.
2. Cheers of mind – It’s important not to lose cheers of mind even in times of difficulty.
3. Talk of wondrous things – It’s a pleasure to listen to Ramya when she talks of the wondrous things that she saw while on an excursion.

Question 7.
Read the lines from a poem by D. V.G. Does the poem ‘The Blind Boy’ reflect the same idea?
Answer:
Yes, definitely. The blind boy also epitomizes the same spirit of being satisfied with what he has. It is necessary that all of us follow the same line of thought because, as D.V.G. has said, this is the best and easiest way to be happy and content.

Quote from memory:

O say what is that thing called light,
which I must ne’er enjoy.
What are the blessings of the sight,
0 tell your poor blind boy

You talk of wondrous things you see,
You say the sun shines bright;
1 feel him warm, but how can he
Or make it day or night?

My day or night myself I make,
When’ver I sleep or play;
And could I ever keep awake
With me ’twere always day.

With heavy sighs I often hear
You mourn my hapless woe;
But sure with patience I can bear
A loss! ne’er can know

Then let not what I cannot have
My cheer of mind destroy
Whilst thus I sing, I am a king,
Although a poor blind boy.

The Blind Boy Additional Questions and Answers

Answer the following questions in a word or a sentence each:

Question 1.
Who is the speaker and who is he speaking to?
Answer:
The speaker is a blind boy and he is speaking to the readers or to those who have sight.

Question 2.
Why is the boy asking about light?
Answer:
The boy is asking about light because he has never experienced it since he is blind.

Question 3.
How can the sun make day or night?
Answer:
The sun makes day or night by rising or setting.

Question 4.
How does the blind boy make his day or night?
OR
How does the blind boy make a difference between day and night?
Answer:
The blind boy makes his day or night depending on whether he wants to sleep or play.

Question 5.
What is the outcome of the blind boy himself making the day or night?
Answer:
The blind boy says that he never has the night and that it is a day for him always.

Question 6.
Why does the blind boy hear heavy sighs often?
Answer:
The heavy sighs are made by people as a token of pity, acknowledging the plight of the boy.

Question 7.
How does the blind boy know that people are sorry for him?
Answer:
From the heavy sighs made by people.

Question 8.
What is the hapless woe?
OR
What is referred to as the hapless woe?
Answer:
The hapless woe is the boy’s blindness.

Question 9.
Who mourns his hapless woe?
Answer:
The one who pities the blind boy, the one who has the gift of sight.

Question 10.
What is the response of the blind boy to the one who mourns?
Answer:
The blind boy does not want his blindness to be mourned; he wants to bear it with patience.

Question 11.
What is the loss the boy bears?
Answer:
The boy bears the loss of his vision.

Question 12.
Why can the blind boy never know the loss?
Answer:
The blind boy can never know the loss because he has never experienced sight.

Question 13.
What is it that the blind boy cannot have?
Answer:
The boy cannot have the gift of sight.

Question 14.
How will the blind boy’s cheer of mind be destroyed?
Answer:
The blind boy’s cheer of mind would be destroyed if he sat and contemplated how it would be if he could see.

Question 15.
When does the blind boy feel like a king?
Answer:
While he is singing, the blind boy does not feel inferior and feels like a king.

Question 16.
What is the message of the poem ‘The Blind Boy’?
Answer:
The poem conveys the message that while disabilities may hinder one’s ability to take part in daily activities, they do not disable the person from being who he truly is and wants to be.

Question 17.
Who do you think is the person addressed as ‘you’ in the poem?
Answer:
“You’ refers to the people.

Question 18.
What is it that the blind boy cannot enjoy?
Answer:
The blind boy cannot enjoy the blessing of sight.

Question 19.
How do others feel about the blind boy?
Answer:
Others feel sad about the blind boy.

Question 20.
How does the blind boy experience the sun?
Answer:
The blind boy experiences the sun by its warmth.

Question 21.
What does the speaker hear with a heavy sigh?
Answer:
The speaker hears with a heavy sigh other people pitying him as he was blind.

Question 22.
What does the speaker call himself even though he is a poor blind boy?
Answer:
The speaker calls himself a king though he is a poor, blind boy.

Question 23.
Who cannot make day or night for the boy?
Answer:
The sun cannot make the day or night for the boy.

Question 24.
Whose warmth does the speaker feel?
Answer:
The blind boy can feel the warmth of the sun.

Question 25.
What does the speaker always hear?
Answer:
The speaker always hears the sighs of pity of other people for him.

Question 26.
What do the people talk to the blind boy about?
Answer:
The people always talk to the blind boy about his unfortunate state of blindness.

Question 27.
How does the speaker feel when others say the sun shines brightly?
Answer:
It makes no difference for the blind boy if the sun shines brightly. He can feel the warmth of the sun, but as far as the light of the day is concerned, there is no difference for the blind boy.

Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each:

Question 1.
What is the grievance of the blind boy?
Answer:
The blind boy is denied the gift of sight. He does not know what light is or how wonderful the sun looks.

Question 2.
According to the blind boy, what quality is needed to bear a loss?
Answer:
The blind boy says that with patience he will bear the loss. In other words, he wouldn’t rave and rant and complain against the injustice of it all, but accept the cruel blow of fate with patience.

Question 3.
How do others feel about the blind boy? What is his reaction?
Answer:
People feel sorry for the blind boy and try to show sympathy towards him. The blind boy says that he does not really understand what he is missing. So he does not feel that his life is miserable.

Question 4.
How does the blind boy pacify himself?
Answer:
People sympathize with the blind boy. But the boy does not want to be unhappy about what he cannot get. Though he is poor and blind, he feels rich because he is happy.

Question 5.
What a normal person can understand is almost a riddle to the blind boy. What is it?
Answer:
We can recognize day and night. The blind boy can feel the warmth of the sun, but doesn’t know how the sun can make day and night because when he falls asleep it is night and whenever he is awake it is day for him.

Question 6.
What is the message of the poem ‘The Blind Boy’?
Answer:
The message of the poem ‘The Blind Boy’ is we should be happy and contented with what god has given us. We should not spoil our happiness by trying to get what we cannot.

Question 7.
About which things are the speaker aware of?
Answer:
Though the speaker is blind, his other sensory organs are sharp and he can feel what goes on around him. He can feel the warmth of the sun and he even feels the pity of the people around him as he can hear their sighs.

Question 8.
How are the days of the speaker divided?
Answer:
The speaker has no distinction between the day and the night. But his optimism is seen in the fact that he says that with him it was always day. His days and nights were made by h^m and they were decided by him when he wanted to play and when he wanted to sleep.

Question 9.
What is the speaker’s approach to life?
Answer:
The speaker has a positive approach to life. It is surprising that despite his handicap he does not pity himself, but sings joyously, refusing to be depressed. And while he sings thus, he considers himself a king who is blessed with riches.

Answer the following questions in 6-8 sentences each:

Question 1.
Explain how the boy reacts to his blindness.
Answer:
The boy’s reaction to his blindness is a totally unexpected one. Though initially, he expresses his sorrow, he surprises the world by showing that even blindness can be accepted. The poem highlights the spirit of acceptance. Like John Milton, who in his poem ‘On His Blindness’ initially questions God about his cruelty, but later accepts his blindness as the will of God, the blind boy accepts his blindness as a state which is beyond his area of control. He comes up with the simple conclusion that what cannot be changed should be endured cheerfully.

Question 2.
The blind boy is not able to see the beautiful nature around him. But he is able to feel and experience it. Comment.
Answer:
The blind boy says that though he cannot see the sun, he can feel the warmth of the sun. This is an indication that what cannot be seen, can be felt through other sensory organs. Likewise, he may enjoy the presence of a flower through its fragrance and the sturdiness of a tree by touching its bark. This is a common feature with the handicapped. The disabled overcome their disability by banking on the strength of other faculties.

Question 3.
We should feel happy with what we have and never go after what we cannot get’. How has the poet brought out this message in the poem ‘The Blind Boy’?
Answer:
Of all the handicaps, perhaps blindness is the most pitiable. Yet, in the poem ‘The Blind Boy’, we see the blind boy, without seeking the sympathy of others, talking about his blindness as if it were a gift. The poet’s intention here is not to celebrate blindness, but to celebrate the positive mental set-up of people who can overcome their difficulties and emerge victoriously.

By making the boy claim that he can make his own day and night without going by the day order, the poet shows that the choice of overcoming an obstacle lies with every one of us, We need to do this because if we allow our problems to bog down our Spirit, we will invite misery upon ourselves. Life is a precious gift of God and it is important that we make the best use of this rare gift.

Question 4.
Compare and contrast the boy with eyesight and the boy without eyesight.
Answer:
Those with eyesight should be thankful for what they have and not take what they have been blessed with for granted. This point is made in a few ways. The boy asks, “What is the blessing of sight?” This is an eye-opening question for those of us that are blessed with sight because we often do not think about how lucky we are to see when so many people cannot.

Also, he says in the second part, “You talk of wondrous things you see.” This also causes us to stop and think about all of the beautiful and amazing things we are able to see on a day-to-day basis when there are people that will never be able to see anything. This should cause us to be extremely thankful and consider our blessings.

Question 5.
Describe the life of the blind boy.
Answer:
Even though the boy was blind, he made it clear he didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him nor was he going to let anything take away his joy. Even though people feel sorry for him, they shouldn’t because he has patience and knows no different because he has always been blind; he hasn’t lost anything. We shouldn’t let things cause us to lose our cheer because things could be worse.

Even though he was blind and had that disadvantage in life, he still thinks of himself as a king. That optimistic attitude and spirit should be an inspiration to all readers of this poem. The point is to be confident in who you are and don’t feel sorry for yourself o-r expect others to. The blind boy thought highly of himself and displayed confidence despite the fact that he was blind.

Read the following extracts and answer the questions given below them:

Question 1.
O say what is that thing called light, which I must never enjoy.
a) Why is the boy asking about light?
b) Whom is he asking?
c) Why will he never enjoy light?
Answer:
a) The boy is asking about light because he has never experienced it.
b) People with eyesight.
c) The boy is blind. Hence he can never enjoy the light.

Question 2.
But sure with patience, I can bear
A loss I ne’er can know.
a) What is the loss the boy bears?
b) Why can he never know the loss?
c) What quality is needed to bear a loss?
Answer:
a) The boy bears the loss of his vision.
b) He can never know the loss because he has never experienced a sight.
c) The blind boy says that with patience he will bear the loss. He will not rave and rant and complain but accept the cruel blow of fate with patience.

Question 3.
Then let not what I cannot have My cheer of mind destroy.
a) Who is the speaker?
b) What is it that the blind boy cannot have?
c) How will the boy’s cheer of mind be destroyed?
Answer:
a) The blind boy.
b) The blind boy cannot have the gift of sight.
c) The blind boy’s cheer of mind would be destroyed if he sat and contemplated how it would be if he could see. He says that he will not allow, what he does not have, to spoil his cheerfulness.

Question 4.
“I feel him warm, but how can he
Or make it day or night?”
a) Who is the ‘V here?
b) Whose warmth does he feel?
c) Why does he wonder how he makes day or night?
Answer:
a) ‘I’ here refers to the blind boy.
b) He feels the warmth of the sun.
c) The blind boy cannot see the sun rising or setting. So he wonders how he can make day or night.

Question 5.
“And could I ever keep awake With me ‘were always day”.
a) Who is the speaker here?
b) What is he trying to convey here?
c) How would it be always day for him?
Answer:
a) The blind boy is the speaker here.
b) The blind boy cannot see the difference between day and night. To him it is day when he plays and night when he sleeps.
c) If he did not sleep it would always be day for him.

Question 6.
“But sure with patience I can bear
A loss I ne’er can know”.
a) Who is the ‘I’ referred to here?
b) What is the ‘loss’ the speaker can never know?
c) How does he face the loss?
Answer:
a) The blind boy.
b) The loss here refers to the blessing of sight.
c) The blind boy cannot know the loss because he has never experienced sight. He does not want to feel sorry for what he cannot have and destroy his cheer of mind.

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
Which of the following statements is true?
A) The blind boy is born blind.
B) The blind boy becomes blind.
C) The blind boy is partially blind.
D) None of the above.
Answer:
A) The blind boy is born blind.

Question 2.
In the phrase ‘hapless woes’, the word ‘hapless’ could mean
A) lucky
B) unlucky
C) sad
D) cheerful
Answer:
B) unlucky

Question 3.
In the poem ‘The Blind Boy’ heavy sighs could stand for all of the below except one. Choose the answer that is inappropriate
A) sigh of sadness
B) sigh of worry
C) sigh of pity
D) sigh of contentment
Answer:
D) sigh of contentment

Question 4.
The people who mourn and heave ‘heavy sighs’ are those who are
A) caring for him
B) sorry for him
C) helping him
D) not bothered about him
Answer:
B) sorry for him

Question 5.
The boy keeps himself happy by
A) not feeling sorry for himself
B) not forgetting that he is blind
C) not thinking of his loss
D) becoming a king.
Answer:
C) not thinking of his loss

Question 6.
The poet makes us sympathise with
A) a poor boy
B) a boy who was born blind
C) a boy who just turned blind
D) a boy who can never see the day.
Answer:
D) a boy who can never see the day.

Question 7.
“I feel him warm, but how can he
Or make it day or night?” The ‘him’ here refers to’
A) light
B) the sun
C) the moon
D) God.
Answer:
B) the sun

Question 8.
“With heavy sighs, I often hear You mourn my hapless woe”.
Who is mourning here?
A) the people
B) the blind boy
C) the sun
D) the poet.
Answer:
A) the people

Question 9.
“Then let not what I cannot have
My cheer of mind destroy”. This implies that the blind boy is
A) happy though he does not have the blessing of sight
B) happy not to have the blessing of sight
C) unhappy because he does not see day and night
D) jealous of people who have everything.
Answer:
A) happy though he does not have the blessing of sight

Question 10.
Whilst thus I sing, I am a king. The figure of speech used here is
A) metaphor
B) alliteration
C) personification
D) irony.
Answer:
A) metaphor

Question 11.
To the blind boy, the blessing of sight is
A) a curse
B) a riddle
C) a gift
D) a pain
Answer:
B) a riddle

Question 12.
‘My day or night I make’. This line means
A) he decides if it is day or night
B) he can have only day
C) he can have only night
D) he is powerful.
Answer:
A) he decides if it is day or night

The Blind Boy Summary in English

‘The Blind Boy’ is a refreshingly optimistic poem that speaks of the cheerful acceptance of blindness by a boy. Though the poem begins with melancholic references to the sad plight of the blind boy for whom there is no difference between light and night or between night and sight, gradually the poem frees itself from the tone of sorrow and grows to be more and more cheerful. The blind boy, who states that he feels the presence of the sun not by sight, but by warmth, adds with a lightheartedness that he is the maker of his own days and nights. In a jocund manner the blind boy even says, “With me ‘were always day.” It is as if he mocked at the idea of the world of the blind always being dark.

The optimism is such that the blind boy doesn’t want even others to mourn for him. He says in simple words that he will not allow, what he does not have, to spoil his cheerfulness. In other words, it is an amazingly healthy acceptance of his pitiable condition. The blind boy, who refers to himself as ‘your poor blind boy’, ends with the reference to himself as ‘I am a king.’ However, there is underlying pathos throughout the poem, no matter how ready the blind boy is to accept his blindness.

The Blind Boy Summary in Kannada

Glossary:

• blessings: favour, happiness
• sighs: sounds indicating sadness
• mourn: show sorrow or regret
• hapless: unlucky
• cheer: gladness