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(SCERT)
State Council of Educational Research and Training.
CLASS : VI
SUBJECT : ENGLISH (Rainbow i)
Lesson— 1
Afternoon on a hill
COMPLETE CHAPTER SUMMARY:
"Afternoon on a Hill" is a beautiful, short poem written by the famous American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. The poem describes the pure joy and deep peace that a person experiences while spending an afternoon on top of a scenic hill.
The poet states that she will be the happiest creature under the sun. She expresses her deep respect for nature by saying that she will touch a hundred beautiful flowers but will not pluck even a single one, allowing them to live. She stands on the hill observing the high cliffs, the floating clouds, and the rhythmic movement of the grass bowing down and rising up with the wind. As day turns to night, town lights begin to blink through the darkness. The poet calmly identifies the light belonging to her home and prepares to return, fully satisfied by her simple, peaceful encounter with the natural world.
'Afternoon on a Hill' কবিতাটোৰ অসমীয়া সাৰাংশ (Chapter Summary in Assamese)
'Afternoon on a Hill' (আফটাৰনুন অন এ হিল) হৈছে বিখ্যাত আমেৰিকান কবি এড্না চেইণ্ট ভিনচেণ্ট মিলে (Edna St. Vincent Millay) দেৱীয়ে ৰচনা কৰা এটি অতি ধুনীয়া আৰু সৰল প্ৰকৃতিপ্ৰেমী কবিতা। এই কবিতাটোত কবিয়ে এটা আবেলি সময়ত পাহাৰৰ ওপৰত কটোৱা মুহূৰ্তৰ অপাৰ আনন্দ আৰু মানসিক শান্তিৰ কথা বৰ্ণনা কৰিছে।
কবিতাটোৰ মূল সাৰাংশ তলত দিয়া হ’ল:
প্ৰকৃতিৰ বুকুত অপাৰ আনন্দ: কবিয়ে ঘোষণা কৰিছে যে পাহাৰৰ ওপৰত থকাৰ সময়ছাৱাত তেওঁ এই পৃথিৱীৰ আটাইতকৈ সুখী সত্তা বা জীৱ হৈ পৰিব। প্ৰকৃতিৰ সংস্পৰ্শই তেওঁৰ মন আনন্দৰে ভৰাই তুলিছে।
প্ৰকৃতিৰ প্ৰতি সন্মান আৰু সুৰক্ষা: কবিয়ে পাহাৰত ফুলি থকা শ শ ফুল স্পৰ্শ কৰিব, কিন্তু তেওঁ তাৰে এটাও ফুল চিঙি নষ্ট নকৰে। ইয়াৰ দ্বাৰা প্ৰকৃতিৰ সৌন্দৰ্যক আঘাত নকৰাকৈ উপভোগ কৰাৰ এক সুন্দৰ বাৰ্তা পোৱা যায়।
প্ৰাকৃতিক দৃশ্যৰ নিৰীক্ষণ: কবিয়ে অতি শান্ত মাৰ্জিত চকুৰে পাহাৰৰ থিয় খঁহটা শিল (cliffs) আৰু আকাশৰ ডাৱৰবোৰ প্ৰত্যক্ষ কৰিব। ইয়াৰ লগতে বতাহজাকে কেনেকৈ ঘাঁহবোৰক তললৈ হলাই দিছে আৰু ঘাঁহবোৰ পুনৰ থিয় হৈ উঠিছে, সেই দৃশ্য তেওঁ উপভোগ কৰিব।
ঘৰলৈ প্ৰত্যাৱৰ্তন: আবেলি পাৰ হৈ যেতিয়া সন্ধিয়া নামি আহিব আৰু এন্ধাৰ হ’বলৈ ধৰিব, তেতিয়া পাহাৰৰ ওপৰৰ পৰা দূৰৈৰ চহৰখনৰ ঘৰবোৰৰ চাকি-পোহৰবোৰ দেখা পোৱা যাব। কবিয়ে সেই পোহৰৰ মাজৰ পৰা তেওঁৰ নিজৰ ঘৰৰ পোহৰটো চিনি উলিয়াব আৰু শান্তিৰে নিজৰ ঘৰলৈ উভতি আহিব।
মূল ভাব (Theme):
এই কবিতাটোৰ মূল ভাব হৈছে প্ৰকৃতিৰ সাধাৰণ উপাদানসমূহৰ (যেনে: ফুল, বতাহ, ঘাঁহ, ডাৱৰ) মাজত নিহিত হৈ থকা নিঃস্বাৰ্থ আনন্দক উপলব্ধি কৰা আৰু প্ৰকৃতিক ধ্বংস নকৰাকৈ তাক মৰম কৰা।
Activities
1. Answer the following questions:
a) What are the few things that the poet will see while standing on a hill in the afternoon?
Answer: The poet will see cliffs, clouds, a hundred flowers, and the wind bowing down the grass.
b) When will the grass bow down and rise again?
Answer: The grass bows down because of the wind and rises again the next moment.
c) What will the poet do on the hill in the afternoon?
Answer: The poet will touch a hundred flowers without picking them, look at cliffs and clouds with quiet eyes, and watch the wind blow the grass.
d) When will the poet go home?
Answer: The poet will go home when it gets dark and the lights begin to show up from the town.
e) Why do you think the poet will not pick any flowers?
Answer: The poet will not pick any flowers because she loves nature and wants to enjoy its beauty without damaging or destroying it.
2. Write down the stanza from the poem that you like the most:
Answer:
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
3.
4.
5. Group work: Discuss with your friends what you have understood from the poem and share with your class.
Answer: From the poem, we understood that nature brings immense happiness. We should enjoy the beauty of cliffs, clouds, and flowers with quiet eyes, and we must care for nature by not cutting or damaging its plants and flowers.
6. Write the rhyming words from the poem for the ones given below:
brown —
skies —
run —
Answer:
brown — town
skies — eyes
run — sun
7.
8. a) "I will be the gladdest thing / Under the sun!" These two lines from the poem say that nature gives happiness to the poet. Besides happiness, nature gives us a lot of other things. Write down a few such things:
Answer: Nature gives us fresh air, clean water, beautiful flowers, shade-giving trees, fruits, wood, and a safe shelter for birds and animals.
8. b) "Watch the wind bow down the grass / And the grass rise." The poet derives immense pleasure by looking at nature. Observe nature around you. What attracts you? Share with your friend.
Answer: I am deeply attracted to the vibrant colors of blooming flowers, the peaceful sound of flowing river water, and the beautiful scene of a bright sunrise early in the morning.
9. Look at the picture and write about it. You can use the ideas given in the box:
Answer:
This picture displays nature at its best on a bright sunny morning. We can see a beautiful sunrise behind the massive hills, creating a breathtaking view. There is a peaceful river with flowing water running through the valley. The flowers in bloom fill the field with vibrant colors, showing off the pure beauty of nature. Small birds chirping add life to this wonderful, clean environment.
10. Find words related to nature in the grid and encircle them. One is done for you. (Words present: HILL, CLOUD, WIND, SUN, GRASS)
Answer:
Now, make sentences using each word:
HILL: The poet climbed up a steep hill in the afternoon.
CLOUD: A dark cloud was floating calmly across the sky.
WIND: A strong wind made the tall grass bow down.
SUN: The sun shines brightly and lights up our planet.
GRASS: The green grass grew gently all along the river bank.
11. a) In group, discuss with your friend how you can take care of nature. You can use ideas given in the cards.
Answer: We can take care of nature by regularly planting and nurturing trees, conserving every drop of water, disposing of garbage safely in bins, switching off the lights when leaving a room, and walking to nearby places instead of using a vehicle.
11. b) Look at the pictures. These represent some activities for nurturing a plant. Choose the appropriate words or phrases from the box and write them below the pictures:
Picture 1 (Boy clearing small weeds): weeding
Picture 2 (Boy digging and mixing soil nutrients): providing nutrients
Picture 3 (Boy setting up a protective stick structure): fencing
Picture 4 (Boy spraying medicine/water on leaves): protecting from pests and diseases
Picture 5 (Boy watering the plant with a can): watering regularly
Picture 6 (Sun shining brightly on a healthy plant): ensuring sufficient sunlight
12.
13.
14. Read the poem 'Afternoon on a Hill' and find words which belong to different word classes. Write them down in the spaces given below.
a) Noun: hill, flowers, cliffs, clouds, wind, grass, town, lights
b) Pronoun: I, one, which, mine
c) Adjective: gladdest, hundred, quiet
d) Verb: will, touch, pick, look, watch, bow, rise, mark, show
ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
Q1. What is the main setting of the poem?
Answer: The main setting of the poem is a high hill during a clear, bright afternoon.
Q2. How does the poet describe her eyes while looking at nature?
Answer: The poet describes her eyes as "quiet eyes," meaning she is looking at nature peacefully and calmly.
Q3. What action does the wind perform in the poem?
Answer: The wind blows across the hill, forcing the grass to bow down and then rise back up.
Q4. What does the poet intend to do with her own home light at night?
Answer: The poet intends to spot her own house light from the hill, mark it, and follow it back home.
Q5. What shows that the poet does not want to hurt nature?
Answer: The line "I will touch a hundred flowers / And not pick one" directly shows she does not want to hurt nature.
ADDITIONAL MCQs:
Q1. Who wrote the poem "Afternoon on a Hill"?
a) William Wordsworth
b) Edna St. Vincent Millay
c) Robert Frost
d) Rabindranath Tagore
Answer: b) Edna St. Vincent Millay
Q2. Where will the poet be in the afternoon?
a) In a deep forest
b) On a high hill
c) Near a wide sea
d) Inside a dark desert
Answer: b) On a high hill
Q3. How many flowers does the poet say she will touch?
a) One single flower
b) Ten flowers
c) A hundred flowers
d) No flowers at all
Answer: c) A hundred flowers
Q4. What does the wind do to the grass?
a) It tears the grass away
b) It makes the grass bow down
c) It turns the grass brown
d) It stops the grass from growing
Answer: b) It makes the grass bow down
Q5. When the town lights show up, it means it is getting:
a) Morning
b) Afternoon
c) Rainy
d) Dark
Answer: d) Dark
EXAM PREPARATION QUESTIONS
Q1. Read the extract and answer the questions:
"I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,"
1. Who is "I" in these lines?
Answer: "I" refers to the poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay.
2. What two things in the sky/landscape is the speaker looking at?
Answer: The speaker is looking at cliffs and clouds.
3. What is the meaning of "quiet eyes"?
Answer: It means looking at nature with a peaceful, calm, and satisfied mind.
Q2. How does the poem show a transition from daytime to nighttime?
Answer: The poem starts in the bright afternoon with the poet under the sun, and ends with the arrival of darkness, where lights from the town begin to show up.
HOTS QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
Q1. Why does the poet declare that she will be the "gladdest thing under the sun"? What does this tell us about her relationship with nature?
Answer: The poet feels supreme happiness simply by standing on a hill, watching clouds, and touching flowers. This tells us that she has a deep connection with nature and values its living beauty far more than material possessions.
Q2. The poet decides to touch a hundred flowers but "not pick one." What environmental message does this action give to modern readers?
Answer: It teaches us the message of conservation and sustainable appreciation. It shows that we can fully enjoy and admire nature's beauty without destroying it, leaving it intact for others to enjoy.
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