English : Unit 7 : Poem : The Stick-together Families – by Edgar Albert Guest
Warm up
At the heart of life lie the relationships you have with other people: with family, classmates and friends close-by and far away. All relationships are based on some commonly accepted values like respect, honesty, consideration and commitment. Think about all the important relationships in your life and complete the table given below.
Glossary
conventions (n) – a large formal meeting of people who have a similar interest
shatter (v) – to break suddenly into very small pieces
astray (adv.) – away from the correct path or correct way of doing something
mirth (n) – laughter, humour or happiness
comrade (n) – a friend
A. Based on your understanding of the poem, answer the questions in a sentence or two.
1. The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make
A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break .
a. Who are the gladdest people living?
The wholesome folks who make a circle at the fireside are the gladdest people.
b. Where do they gather?
They gather at the fireside.
c. What can break their unity?
Death can break their unity.
2. And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun
Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done.
a. When do they have their family gatherings?
They have their family gatherings when the busy day is done.
b. Where do they have their family conventions?
They have their family conventions beneath the sun.
c. What does the poet mean by ‘finest conventions’?
By ‘Finest Convention’s means that it is the best meeting of people who have similar interests.
3. There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,
And they’re very quick to shatter all the little family ties.
a. What do the rich and poor folk imagine themselves to be?
The rich and poor folk imagine themselves to be wise.
b. What do they do to their families?
They shatter all the little family ties.
c. Whom does ‘they’ refer to?
‘They’ refer to the rich and poor folk.
4. There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,
That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home
a. Why do they roam?
They roam for gladness that they imagine.
b. According to them, when do they get bright smiles?
According to them, when they wander far from home they get bright smiles.
5. But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,
Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun.
a. Who are the gladdest people?
The gladdest people are those who together share their fun.
b. When do they share their fun?
They share their fun when the busy day is done.
c. What does ‘who’ refer to?
‘Who’ refers to the brothers and sisters.
6. It’s the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,
That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth;
a. Who wins the joys of the earth?
The stick together family wins the joys of earth.
b. How do they find their joy?
They find their joy by hearing the sweetest music and finding the finest mirth.
c. What does the poet mean by ‘stick-together family’?
Stick – together family means joint family.
B. Based on the understanding of the poem, fill in the blanks using the words and phrases given below to make a meaningful summary of the poem.
brothers and sisters, bitterness, joint family, share their fun, rich and the poor folk, shatter their family, charm of life, separate ways, the joy of earth, stick-together families
The poet brings out the difference in the attitudes of children living in joint family and nuclear family. The stick – together families are the happiest of all. Where as the brothers and sisters of nuclear families take separate ways. The gladdest people are the children from joint family who circle near the fireside. No power other than death can break them. The rich and poor folk imagine themselves to be wise and in the process they shatter their family ties. Each of them goes searching for pleasure in their own selected way. They harvest only bitterness and find empty joy. But the wisest among them are the children of the stick-together families. When the busy day is done, they together share their fun. The stick-together family wins the joy of earth. The old house shelters all the charm of life. The poet invites wandering brothers to come and join the stick-together families in their fireside and have fun.
C. Answer the following questions in about 80 – 100 words.
1. The stick-together families are the happiest of all. Explain.
PARAGRAPH FOR TOPPERS:
Title : The stick – together families
Author : Edgar Albert Guest
Character : Brothers and Sisters of joint families
Theme : There is nothing greater than a happy family
There is nothing quite as valuable as a happy family. The poet describes the happiness of the children in joint families. He calls the joint families as the stick together families. The gladdest people in this world are the children from the joint family who circle near the fireside. At the end of each busy day they have the finest meetings. They share their fun together there. They are the people who win the joys of the earth. They are able to hear the sweetest music and find the finest happiness. All the old home roof shelters all the pleasures that life can give. It is the happiest place to live and there is the gladdest play – ground for the children, The wandering brothers can come back to the joint family unto the fireside to enjoy the happiness.
“There is nothing greater than a joint family”.
PARAGRAPH FOR AVERAGE STUDENTS:
Title : The stick – together families
Author : Edgar Albert Guest
Character : Brothers and Sisters of joint families
Theme : There is nothing greater than a happy family
A joint family makes a happy home. The poet describes the happiness of the children in the stick – together families. The children from the joint families are the happiest in the world. They circle near the fireside and share their fun. They have the finest little gatherings after every busy day is done. They win their joys of earth. They find the finest happiness by hearing the sweetest music, The old home shelters them with all charm that life can give. They have the gladdest play – ground. They also have the happiest living place. The wandering brothers can come back to enjoy the happiness of life.
“There is nothing greater than a joint family”.
PARAGRAPH FOR LATE BLOOMERS:
• The stick-together families means joint families.
• All the family members are gathered at the fireside when the busy day is done.
• They share their fun together there.
• They are the people who win the joys of the earth.
• They find the finest happiness by hearing the sweetest music.
• They are binded together by the thread of love.
• Nothing can break their unity except death.
2. Bring out the difference between the children of the joint family and nuclear family.
PARAGRAPH FOR TOPPERS:
Title : The stick – together families
Author : Edgar Albert Guest
Character : Brothers and Sisters of Joint family and nuclear family
Theme : There is nothing greater than a joint family
In his poem, “The Stick – together families” the poet brings out the difference in the attitudes of children living in joint family and nuclear family. The joint families are the happiest of all. The gladdest people are the children from the stick – together families who circle near the fireside. No power except death can break them. But the brothers and sisters from the nuclear families take separate ways. The poor and the rich people imagine themselves to be wise. They are quick enough to shatter their family ties. Each one goes searching for pleasure in their own selected way. They harvest its bitterness and find empty joy. But the children of the joint family are the wisest. When the busy day is done they share their fun together. The children of the joint family win the joy of earth. The old home roof shelters all the brothers and sisters. However there is a chance for the wandering brothers to come back and join the stick – together families in their fireside and have fun.
“The Stick – toget her families are the happiest of all”.
PARAGRAPH FOR AVERAGE STUDENTS:
Title : The stick – together families
Author : Edgar Albert Guest
Character : Brothers and Sisters of Joint family and nuclear family
Theme : There is nothing greater than a joint family
The poet brings out the difference in the attitudes of children living in joint family and nuclear family. The joint families are the happiest of all. But the children of nuclear families take separate ways. The children from the joint families circle the happiest children. The children from the nuclear families take separate ways. Each one goes searching for pleasure in their selected way. The inmates of the joint families are the wisest. Thus they win the joy of earth. The old home shelters all of them. However the wandering brothers return to the joint families and have fun.
“The joint family is the happiest of all”.
PARAGRAPH FOR LATE BLOOMERS:
• The joint families are the happiest of all.
• The gladdest people are the children from the stick together families, who circle near the fireside.
• Nothing can break their unity except death.
• The children from the nuclear families take separate ways.
• They harvest bitterness and find empty joy.
• The inmates of joint family are the wisest.
• After their busy day, they share their fun.
• However the wandering brothers return to the joint families and have fun.
Figure of speech
Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is given human qualities or abilities.
E.g. It’s the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,…
Imagery
Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.
E.g. That hears the sweetest music…
Metaphor
Metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics
E.g. It’s the old home roof that shelters….
There you find the gladdest play-ground…
D. Answer the following
1. There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,…
Pick out the words in alliteration.
Words in alliteration. There, there, they, folk, talk.
2. Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Rhyming words are : far, are : make, break, sun, done.
Rhyme scheme is aa bb cc.
LISTENING
E. Listen to the passage and fill in the blanks with appropriate answer.
Listen to the Passage Family
Family is where we all belong to and from where our identity comes from. A person is valued based on his family and upbringing. Family is a bond, a long lasting relationship that holds a bond with each other. There are many values that one has to learn to get the family bonding in the right manner. Bonding does not happen overnight. It forms with every second, every minute that you spend with your loved ones. The understanding, the acceptance, the belonging and the security all enclosed together is how a family bond is formed.
A close family bond is like a safe harbour, where we feel secure and where we trust that we have someone always there to whom we could turn to when we need them the most.
It is through a family that we learn the values of love, trust, hope, belief, cul-tures, morals, traditions and every little matter that concerns to us. A strong foun-dation for any individual comes from being with a supportive family.
Family is one among the greatest gifts that we get from God. To have par-ents, who support us, teach us values in life, and gives us a strong foundation in character, teach us the importance of love and being loved, trust to be there for one another and many other morals that could be obtained only from a family. A gift not only with lovable parents, but siblings who care and love us beyond themselves.We cannot buy or demand all these things in life, as we are being given to understand their importance.
To be part of a happy family, one should always thank God for the blessing we have in lives, as having a family who cares and loves us is the greatest blessing that any person could get in life.
1. A person is valued based on his family and upbringing.
2. bonding does not happen overnight.
3. A close family bond is like a safe harbour.
4. A strong foundation for any individual comes from being with a supportive family.
5. A gift not only with lovable parents, but siblings who care and love us beyond themselves.
SPEAKING
F. “The building actually rests on the well laid out foundation and hence is strong and still.” How can this be related to a family? Discuss with your partner and share your views in the class.
“The building actually rests on the well laid out foundation and hence is strong and still” is a meaningful statement. Only when the foundation is built well, a building can stand on it firmly. Likewise a foundation is very necessary for the formation of the family. A family is like a building. It does not mean a house but it is a home. A family is invisible or abstract thing. But it is bond, a long lasting relationship that holds a bond with each other. There are many values that one has to get the family bonding in the right manner. A close family bond is like a safe harbour Bonding does not happen overnight. It is through a family we learn the values of love, trust, hope, belief, cultures, morals, traditions and every little matter that concerns to us. A strong foundation for any individual comes from being with a supportive family. As the building serves as a shelter, a family also protects us by all means. We have parents who support us, teach us moral values in life, give us a strong foundation in character, teach us the importance of love and being loved, trust for one another and many other morals that could be obtained from a family. The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations. Families are the foundation of society and create our personal template for giving and receiving love in intimate relationships.
WRITING
G. Write a four-line poem with rhyming words describing your family.
My Family
We’re a sweet little family
We live together quite happily
We’ve a lot of games and fun
As and when the busy day is done