Class 9 INTER UNIVERSITY PRESS Solutions English Chapter 1 - Where the Mind is Without Fear [Poem]
Where the Mind is Without Fear [Poem] Exercise Passage 1
Solution 1
The poet prays that the people of his country may have no fear in their minds. He makes this prayer as this poem was written during the colonial rule in India when radical thoughts and free-spirited people were repressed.
Solution 2
When knowledge is restricted, various blocks are imposed on the people trying to acquire knowledge. These restrictions are based on wealth, caste, class, gender, religion, etc.
Solution 3
The narrow domestic walls are those of caste, creed, religion, colour, and superstitions. If people get trapped within these 'walls' they will never become broad-minded and progress in life. As a result, the country's progress will be affected.
Solution 4
Yes, truth must be given a lot of importance. It is the truth that prevails in the end. No matter how bitter it is to experience, a single truth is better than thousand sugar coated lies.
Solution 5
In the poem, the poet has expressed a desire for his countrymen to be free not only from physical bondage but also from emotional barriers. He says that the characteristics of truth, fearlessness, clarity of thought and progressive thinking along with freedom from any kind of bondage is necessary for every human being.
Where the Mind is Without Fear [Poem] Exercise Passage 2
Solution 1
The phrase 'from the depth of truth' refers to honesty. The poem was written during the time India was a British colony and Tagore used this phrase to urge Indians to be courageous and speak their hearts out before the world.
Solution 2
The phrase 'tireless striving' is used by the poet to urge his countrymen to break free from sloth and inactivity and struggle hard constantly to achieve perfection in whatever they choose to do and thus make their country a free nation.
Solution 3
The figure of speech is metaphor because reason has been compared to 'a clear stream'. A mind without reason and rationality is stagnated and unable to achieve its goal. On the other hand, a mind that thinks clearly will be able to achieve its goals.
Solution 4
'Dead habit' refers to mindless practicing of obsolete customs and traditions, old beliefs, superstitions and a narrow-minded attitudes. This habit corrodes the mind and renders it useless.
Solution 5
(i)Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
(ii) Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the Mind is Without Fear [Poem] Exercise Passage 3
Solution 1
The 'thee' in the above extract refers to the Almighty God to whom the poem is dedicated.
Solution 2
The poet is asks the Almighty to lead and guide the minds of the people of India who are under the British rule.
Solution 3
The phrase 'ever widening thought and action' refers to a process where people break all obsolete rules, attain thoughtfulness and put those thoughts into action as they fight for freedom from colonial rule.
Solution 4
The phrase 'let my country awake' is an indication of a prayer to the almighty to help the people of India fight for their freedom and break free from the bondages of British rule.
Solution 5
In the poem, the poet talks about freedom on two levels, the freedom of every individual and India's freedom from the British rule, which lasted from 1857 to 1947. After almost a century of bondage, misery and discrimination, the poet feels that it is natural for freedom to feel like heaven. Hence, he has associated freedom to heaven in the given extract.
