Song of the Open Road
ICE BREAKERS
ª Choose the mode of travel that you would like the most for a
journey.
(a) Airways (b) Waterways (c) Railways (d)
Roadways
ª Give reasons for your preference. Railways
(a) It is the safest and cheapest mode of travel.
(b) It has great network of railway tracks which have
reached to all corners of the country.
(c) It provides the most comfortable accommodation for
all sorts of passengers.
ª Discuss with your partner, the preparations you would like to
make for the journey chosen.
(a) Clothes suitable to the journey
(b) Enough money
(c) Medicines
(d) Some eatables and water bottle
ª Discuss the
ways in which you would overcome the problems/ hindrances/difficulties you face
during your journey.
(a) won’t panic by the problems
(b) find alternatives to by-pass the problem
(c) try to take help from the concerning authorities
(d) Seek help from co-passengers and people nearby
ª During every journey we have to observe certain rules.
Discuss your ideas of
the journey without any restrictions. You can begin
like this
(a) I would go with selected friends to explore
the nature especially in rainy season.
(b) Our destination will not be fixed but the places
where there will be scenic beauties – rivers, waterfalls, green jungles,
valleys, caves, mountains and such other places.
(c) Though there will be no restrictions to enjoy these
natural things but care must be taken as they may pose dangers if precautions
are not seen.
(d) We must be ready for the difficulties and dangers
such as flood, stones carried away by waterfalls, slippery ways of the forest
and valleys, snakes, scorpions or wild beasts. It’s necessary that we must
observe rules in such jungle tours.
BRAINSTORMING
ª (A1)
(i) Pick out the lines showing that the poet is prepared to enjoy every moment
of his journey.
- Afoot and
light-hearted I take to the open road,
- Healthy, free, the world before me,
- Henceforth I ask not
good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
- Henceforth I whimper no more,
postpone no more, need nothing,
(ii) By ‘old delicious burdens’ the poet means
(a) the luggage
(b) the food he carries
(c) the stress he bears during the travels
(d) sweet memories of the past
ª (iii)
The poet is a person who is free from all inhibitions. Discuss how the concept
of ‘freedom’ is expressed
in the poem.
The title of the poem ‘Song of the Open Road’ itself conveys the concept
of ‘freedom’. When one takes the open road, one feels ‘healthy, free, the world
before me’. You feel light-hearted because you are free to do anything you want
to do. You feel relaxed and untroubled as you have no complaints against
anyone. You want to lead the life in your
own way and that is real freedom.
ª (A2)
(i) Following are the activities of the poet related to his journey on the
road. Divide them into two parts as ‘activities the poet will practise’ and
‘activities he will not practise’.
Activities the poet will practise
(a) Walking along the road though he does not know
where it reaches
(e) Carrying the fond memories of the good people
(h) Reflecting and developing his own ‘self’
Activities the poet will not practise
(b) Complaining about the discomforts during the
journey
(c) Postponing the journey
(d) Praying for good fortune
(f) Creating contacts with famous and influential
people
(g) Striving to achieve high and bright success
(ii) Write down the traits the poet exhibit through
following lines. One is done for you.
(a) Henceforth, I ask for no good fortune I myself
am good fortune : Self-confidence
(b) Henceforth, I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing : Self-sufficiency
(c) I do not want the constellations any nearer : Self-reliance
(d) I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them: Indebtedness
(e) I am filled with them – I will fill them in return : Gratitude
ª (iii)
'Healthy, free, the world before me'.
Express your views regarding the above line.
When you step into the open road, you seem to feel relaxation. The
feeling that you are not compelled by anyone or anything rejuvenates your mind
and body. I think we should not let ourselves burdened under the expectations
of others and do what we feel like doing. Only then the world before us will be
healthy and free.
(A3)
The poet has used many describing words such as 'healthy' in this poem.
Make a list and classify them as –
(a)
For the world – healthy, free
(b) For himself – strong, content
(c) For the road – long, brown
ª (A4)
(i) Read the expression ‘old delicious burdens.’ A burden cannot be delicious.
The poet has used this combination of words to express that he has many sweet
memories of the people and places which he would like to remember forever. The
poet has used seemingly contradictory expressions to convey the meaning that
his heart is full of sweet memories of good and kind people. Though he wants to
be free from any type of attachment, he wants to cherish these sweet memories
in his heart forever. The expression contains opposite ideas that make it seem
absurd or unlikely, although it may be true. This is called ‘Paradox.’
ª (ii)
The road in the poem does not mean only the road to travel. The poet wants to
suggest the road of life. Explain the metaphor with the help of the poem.
There is implied comparison between the road to travel and the road to
life, the way we lead the life.
ª (iii)
Free Verse: Free Verse is a poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular
rhythm. The features of Free Verse are It is a literary device that is free
from limitations of regular metre or rhythm, does not rhyme with fixed forms,
and still it provides an artistic expression. In this way, the poet can give
his own shape to a poem as he desires and can use various poetic devices to
create the effect he considers suitable for the piece.
ª As
Free Verse gives greater freedom for choosing words and conveying their
meanings to readers, it is free from artificiality of a typical poetic
expression. This technique is commonly used in modern poetry.
ª Remember
(a) Although Free Verse requires no metre, rhyme or
other traditional poetic techniques, it is the use of internal pattern of
sounds, the choice of exact words and their chosen places are the factors which
attribute the Free Verse, its lyrical or rhythmic beauty.
ª (b)
Free Verse is completely different from ‘Blank Verse’ which essentially has to
occur in iambic pentameter. Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical
but unrhymed lines. It is described as 'the most common' form of English poetry
which has been influential since the 16th century.
ª (iv)
There are certain words that are repeated in the poem.
For example, ‘no more’ (Line 7).
Find out other similar expressions. Explain the effect they have created in the
poem.
‘I
know’, ‘I carry’ These words are repeated in the poem. By repetition of these
words the emotions behind these expressions are intensified.
ª (v)
The use of personal pronoun 'I' is evident and prominent in this poem. Give
reasons.
The use of personal pronoun ‘I’ gives a personal touch to the poem. It
seems as if the poet is directly addressing the readers and the distance between
the poet and the readers gets close and there is more involvement of the
readers. The message in the poem reaches straight to the readers.
ª (A5)
(i) With the help of the following points, write a poetic appreciation of the poem
‘Song of the Open Road’.
·
About the poem / poet and the title
·
The theme
·
Poetic style
·
The language/ poetic devices used in
the poem
·
Special features
·
Message, values, morals in the poem
·
Your opinion about the poem
About the poem /
poet and the title :
The poem ‘Song of the Open Road’ is composed by the American poet Walt
Whitman. It is an optimistic poem which encourages the readers to choose their
own way of life and free themselves from the worldly expectations.
Theme
:
The
theme of the poem is freedom that one experiences when one chooses his/her own way of leading life
renouncing unnecessary attachment with the world around.
Poetic
Style :
This
poem is written in free verse which suits the theme of the poem. It is a
fifteen line
poem which has been divided into four stanzas. The first stanza
has three lines and other
three stanzas have four lines each.
The language/ poetic devices used
in the poem :
Written in the free verse the poem is noted
for its use of Metaphor, Paradox and
Repetition. The journey of life is compared with the open
road. To render musical effect,
Alliteration is also used.
Special Features :
The use of first person pronoun is a
special feature of this poem. By this, the poet has given a personal touch
to the poem which invites more involvement of the readers. The second feature
is the use of parenthesis
in the last stanza. In the first three stanzas, the poet is detached from the
people around and in
the last stanza he shows his great attachment towards his ‘delicious burden’.
Message, values, morals in the poem :
The poem gives us the message of
freedom. If you want to enjoy your life, it’s necessary to
free yourself from the restrains of others’ expectations. Be yourself and lead your
own life
not others’. While leading your
life freely, let’s not forget to discharge our duties towards
those whom we owe
something.
Your opinion about the poem :
In my opinion this poem has the universal
appeal. It is an inspiration to all. The message of freedom is subtly conveyed through the journey on the open road.
