Poem: Geography Lesson
Poem Summary
The poet, Zulfikar Ghose, describes what the city looks like from a jet plane as it takes off and climbs higher into the sky. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each marking a different altitude and a new perspective.
In the first stanza, as the jet takes off ("sprang into the sky"), the poet sees the city below. From this height, it is clear why the city grew in a haphazard, unplanned way. What looked chaotic on the ground now seems to have an "inevitability" about it.
In the second stanza, when the jet reaches ten thousand feet, the poet can see the logic of geography. He understands why cities are located near rivers and why valleys are so populated. The land and water attract people, a fact that is clearly visible from the air.
In the final stanza, when the jet climbs even higher (six miles high), the Earth looks round, and the poet sees that there is more sea than land. From this great height, he can see the planet as a single, unified entity. However, a question remains that he cannot understand: why do humans build "walls" and "fences" across cities, create borders, and hate and kill one another? From that altitude, this division and conflict seem illogical and unnatural.
Working with the Poem
1. Find three or four phrases in stanzas one and two which are likely to occur in a geography lesson.
Answer: The phrases are:
- "the city had developed the way it had"
- "why the valleys were populated"
- "the logic of geography"
- "land and water attracted man"
2. Seen from the window of an aeroplane, the city appears
(i) as haphazard as on ground.
(ii) as neat as a map.
(iii) as developed as necessary.
Mark the right answer.
Answer: (iii) as developed as necessary.
3. Which of the following statements are examples of “the logic of geography”?
(i) There are cities where there are rivers.
(ii) Cities appear as they are not from six miles above the ground.
(iii) It is easy to understand why valleys are populated.
(iv) It is difficult to understand why humans hate and kill one another.
(v) The earth is round, and it has more sea than land.
Answer: The examples of "the logic of geography" are:
- (i) There are cities where there are rivers.
- (iii) It is easy to understand why valleys are populated.
- (v) The earth is round, and it has more sea than land.
4. Mention two things that are
(i) clear from the height.
(ii) not clear from the height.
Answer:
(i) Clear from the height:
- It is clear why cities are located near rivers and why valleys are populated.
- It is clear that the Earth is round and has more sea than land.
(ii) Not clear from the height:
- It is not clear why humans build walls and borders to divide themselves.
- It is not clear why humans hate and kill one another.
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