Wall -D.S. Dadhalkar English|B.com/BBA General English

 Chapter 8

Wall -D.S. Dadhalkar

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Short answer questions

1) What is the contract taken by the poet?

The poet has taken contract to demolish the walls of the building to demolish the walls of buildings.

2) The poet wants to demolish the walls of villages also.

3) According to Dadhalkar, the world wars were fought for  the walls of nations

4) Walls are built by

1. Kings      2. Grandpas     3. Grandmothers

5) Why were the walls hardened?

The walls were hardened to protect human beings.

6) The people had raised their hands against these walls before. (True/False)

True

7) What does the poet want to learn from history?

Poet learned that his eyes had been entombed in walls and his organs of sense lay mutely by those walls like motionless refugees.

8) Mention the figure of speech in the line, ‘like motionless refugees’.

simile

9) What should the wall be replaced with?

1. Walls   2. New house       3. Gardens

10) Who are eligible to live in the new house?

Only those who can endure space wide enough to gallop in should live

11) What is the prayer of the poet?

The poet will  offer a memorial prayer, and be done with.

12) The “Compass” stands for

1. Right direction  2. Wrong direction 3. A geometrical instrument

Paragraph Answer Questions

1) How does the speaker wish to demolish the walls?

The speaker  had  recently took a contract to demolish the walls of buildings.“Wall” renders both literal and metaphorical interpretations. Social evils are referred as wall by the speaker in the poem. He desires to bring down the walls of destruction that steals peace and harmony of the society. Walls of destruction mean the discrimination existing on the basis of caste, creed, race and language. For centuries, caste, creed, race and language have stood as barriers, thereby destroying the peace and harmony between  nations . Hence, the speaker determines to destroy these walls of barriers to restore peace and harmony. He is predetermined to demolish these walls, but he is unsure of the period that the labour requires because those are reinforced walls which hammers cannot break.

2) What happened to those who raised their hands against the walls?

Many people on many occasions have raised their hands against the walls. For some, their hands became stained with blood. While the flags of others succeeded in fluttering, countless innocent people have been killed and no consideration was given to their lives. These walls of differences taught the conservatives to be as wild as animals for protecting caste, creed and customs, and the walls merely altered their humanity. Social  reformers  who have raised their hands against this cruel inhuman behaviour, were simply labelled as rationalist. The author states that the rationalists are strung up to bloodshed, but the conservatives have been welcomed in the society and their flags are fluttering: “while the flags of others succeeded in fluttering”  signifies  that the conservatives are given red carpet welcome in the society.

3) What is the picture of the wall the poet had before reading history?

Before reading history the poet is uncertain about the birth of those evil motive walls and has zero knowledge about the number of generations that have elapsed through those walls. He did not know the truth behind the walls and how social activists and reformers have raised their hands against in humanness and how distressingly their hands were bloodied and were labelled as rationalist .After reading history he realises that even his eyes had been entombed in walls and his organs of sense  was lying  mutely by those walls like motionless refugees.On enquiring, he found out the walls themselves had drugged them with opium .Poet reveals that, grandpas were the founders of the evil walls and countless generations have travelled with those walls. They have stood as a sensitive barrier for generations and have snatched away innumerable lives. The poet is sad about the past as he  realises the truth behind the walls . He says he himself should break down these evil walls and become a compass to them.

4) What will happen after the walls are demolished?

The extract conveys that the poet is going to smash the walls, thereafter new houses will take birth, and thus it is a call to the people to enter into the new house. New houses refer to a new society that gives away all language ,caste and  cultural difference .“Spacious and lovely”  metaphorically imply the broad-mindedness of the people.When people's mind and their way of thinking are widened, automatically love and happiness will be established in the society. The poet wants the people to be renovated and transformed so that they can enter the new houses which are spacious and lovely. The poet has employed the terms ‘spacious’ and ‘lovely’ to symbolize the pleasant living of people in a rationalised society. 

  But the people who are really renovated will enter into the new spacious house and begin living a new lovely life. Conservatives who have turned down the invitation of the poet are unfit to set foot in the new houses, therefore had to stay in their old houses that are constructed with evil walls.The poet is certain that they have no security for their life and they will be removed out when the walls are demolished, They will remain along with dust and will be buried along with dust and eventually the poet will conduct a memorial prayer for them.

Essay Answer Questions

1) Explain the metaphoric significance of wall in the poem.

D.S. Dadhalkar is a renowned Marathi poet, and the poem “Wall” is originally written by him in Marathi and later translated to English . The metaphorical interpretation  is firmly evident in the poem "Wall".“Wall” renders both literal and metaphorical interpretations. Social evils are referred as wall by the poet in the poem.The poet is uncertain about the birth of those evil motive walls and has zero knowledge about the number of generations that have elapsed through those walls He desires to bring down the walls of destruction that steals peace and harmony of the society. Walls of destruction mean the segregation's existing on the basis of caste, creed, race and linguistic difference. 

The poet desires to bring down the walls of caste, creed, race and linguistic difference which had caused so much destruction and has stolen the  peace and harmony of the society. The poetic lines,“But these walls built by grandpas”  metaphorically reveal, ancestors are the founders of the evil walls and countless generations have travelled with these walls. They have stood as a sensitive barrier for generations and have snatched away innumerable lives.

The poet is undoubtful about demolishing the walls, and considers it as an important time to renovate the society. For centuries, caste, creed, race and language have stood as barriers,thereby seizing the peace and harmony that prevailed between countries and nations which the poet hates. Hence, the poet determines to destroy these walls of barriers to restore peace and harmony. He is predetermined to demolish these walls, but he is unsure of the period that the labour requires because those are reinforced walls which hammers cannot break. 

 The poet is doleful about the past, therefore he desires to design a society wherein brand new houses are going to be born and the people with renovated mindset are welcomed to room in. Metaphorically, new houses emblematic the refurbished souls and minds. Dadhalkar determines and decrees to take up the role of a compass, which figuratively signifies a Guide.Therefore,being a Guide, he has positioned himself to lead and reform the corrupted society and to induct a sluiced ambience wherein people become unimpeachable and dynamic. He is determined to proclaim himself as a Guide of the society

2) Do you think the poet is optimistic at the end of the poem? Substantiate your view.

The poet is optimistic at the end of the poem.He has exhibited optimism by repeatedly composing in his poem that he will demolish the evil walls of  language, caste, creed and race. 

The extract conveys that the poet is going to smash the walls, and after that new houses will take birth, and thus it is a call to the people to enter into the new house. New houses refer to a new society that gives away all linguistic and cultural difference . When the minds of people are renovated, they are treated as new better personalities to enter into the new houses which are spacious and lovely. “Spacious and lovely”  metaphorically imply the broad-mindedness of the people,and when their thinking is widened,automatically love and happiness will be established in the society. When people are narrow-minded, their awareness about the society is narrowed and that creates problems . The view of conservatives is to protect the walls. The poet wants the people to be renovated and transformed so that they can enter the new houses which are spacious and lovely. The poet has employed the terms ‘spacious’ and ‘lovely’ to symbolize the pleasant living of people in a rationalised society. 

 The narrow minded people who have turned down the invitation of the poet are unfit to set foot in the new houses, and hence  they are denied to enter the new spacious house.They had to stay in their old houses that are constructed with evil walls. If they are going to remain in the old house,the poet is certain that they have no security for their life and they will be removed out when the walls are demolished, which shows that they will be treated same as dust. 

But the people who are really renovated will enter into the new spacious house and begin living a new lovely life. Whereas, others will remain along with dust and will be buried along with dust and eventually the poet will conduct a memorial prayer for them. Therefore, it is evident that the call of the poet sounds to be both as an invitation and a warning. It literally sounds to be an invitation to get into the new house and to begin a transformed life, and on the other hand, it is a warning that if they do not accept his invitation, they are welcome to die. The poet has exposed his intelligence by spreading awareness with his rational thoughts and opinion and  has proved himself as a rationalist and a reformer of the conservative society. He desires that transformation must take place in his society that too in his time. The poet is exceedingly certain that transition can be witnessed only when the walls of evil scheme are bulldozed. 

The poet  has exhibited and established  himself as an optimist by repeatedly saying  that he will demolish the evil walls of caste, creed and race. The poet firmly stays on the idea that the social evils can be removed forever only with the support  of rationalised approach and is determined to do so by becoming a compass for the society.Thus we can see that the poet is optimistic that   the evil walls can be removed and a positive change can be brought in the society.

3) The walls are usually built but here in the poem the speaker is demolishing the ‘walls’? Explain the paradox.

The walls are usually built but here in the poem "Wall" the speaker is demolishing the ‘walls’. The paradox,in the poem is that  social evils are referred as wall by the poet.The term  “Wall” renders both literal and metaphorical interpretations.  By wall, the poet is referring to social evils. He desires to bring down the walls of destruction that steals peace and harmony of the society. Walls of destruction mean the discrimination's  existing on the basis of caste, creed, race and language. 

“Wall” refers to social evils  by the poet in the poem. He desires to bring down the walls of destruction that steals peace and harmony of the society. 

The poet is uncertain about the birth of those evil motive walls and has zero knowledge about the number of generations that have elapsed through those wall .For centuries, caste, creed, race and linguistic difference have stood as barriers,thereby seizing the peace and harmony that prevailed between  nations which the poet hates. Hence, the poet determines to destroy these walls of barriers to restore peace and harmony. He is predetermined to demolish these walls, but he is unsure of the period that the labour requires because those are reinforced walls which hammers cannot break. 

The poetic lines,“But these walls / built by grandpas”  metaphorically reveal, grandpas are the founders of the evil walls and countless generations have travelled with these walls. They have stood as a sensitive barrier for generations and have snatched away innumerable lives. The poet is doleful about the past, therefore he desires to design a society wherein brand new houses are going to be born and the people with renovated mindset are welcomed to room in. Metaphorically, new houses emblematic the refurbished souls and minds. Dadhalkar determines and decrees to take up the role of a compass, which figuratively signifies a Guide.Therefore,being a guide, he has positioned himself to lead and reform the corrupted society and to induct a sluiced ambience wherein people become unimpeachable and dynamic. He is determined to proclaim himself as a guide of the society.

Thus we can see that the walls which poet want to destroy are the evil customs and thoughts existing in the society which destroys the peace and harmony among people and hence he wants to demolish it.

4) What are the reflections of the poet about ‘walls’?

The poem reflects the  truth of the present society which is projected as modern and well developed, but still conservative and discriminating, on the basis of language, caste, race and creed. The poet has tagged these discrimination's as social evils. Though it is believed that education has gifted modernisation and rational thinking to the society, it is clear that the present era has not brought in change that poet has expected and so he has composed “Wall” to record his resentment in a highly polished tone. The poet does not want to see modernisation just in labels rather he wanted to experience and witness it in society. 

Even though the poet, had not directly used the terms caste, creed, race and language to imply the metaphorical walls, it is evident that the poet wants to point out these indirectly. The walls were created by ancestors for unknown reasons and countless generations have travelled with these walls.These walls have stood as a sensitive barrier for generations and have been carried out from generation to generations snatching away innumerable lives and now it evolves to be a monster waiting to snatch away even more. Therefore, poet  decides to break down these evil obstacles and eliminate these terms with his intellectual excellence. 

 The poet is doleful about the past, and he desires to design a new society where new houses are going to be born and the people with renovated mindset are welcomed to stay in. Metaphorically, new houses symbolises the reformed souls and minds. New houses refer to a new society that gives away all linguistic and cultural difference . When the minds of people are renovated, they are treated as new better personalities to enter into the new houses which are spacious and lovely. By“spacious and lovely” poet metaphorically implies the broad-mindedness of the people, and believes that when their thinking is widened, automatically love and happiness will be established in the society. When people are narrow-minded, their awareness about the society is narrowed and that creates problems . The view of conservatives is to protect the evil walls. The poet wants the people to be renovated and transformed so that they can enter the new houses which are spacious and lovely. The poet has employed the terms ‘spacious’ and ‘lovely’ to symbolize the pleasant living of people in a rationalised society. Poet determines and pronounce to take up the role of a compass, which signifies a guide to show the right path just like a compass.Being a guide, he had positioned himself to lead and renew the corrupted society where people become trustworthy and dynamic. He is determined to proclaim himself as a guide of the society.

5) What does the Wall signify? Explain.

Same answer as essay 1

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