Explanatory note on Lord Ullin’s Daughter – Thomas Campbell

The atmosphere is one of the distinct characteristics of the poem Lord Ullin’s Daughter. The poem starts with an agitated atmosphere that arrests our attention. A chieftain of the highlands rushes to the seashore with his beloved and orders a boatman to row them across the sea without delay. He promises to give the boatman a silver pound.

The chieftain’s restlessness and anxiety are evident here, though why he is in a hurry is not clear. It arouses the boatman’s curiosity to know who they are. Then the chieftain introduces himself as the chief of Ulva Isle and his beloved as Lord Ullin’s daughter. Expressing his anxiety the chieftain tells the boatman in a troubled voice that they have been on the run for three days to escape the wrath of her father.

Adding to his agitation and the upset atmosphere are Lord Ullin’s horsemen chasing the love birds. The chieftain keeps worrying over the thought that if he is slain, what will become of his boney bride. He is being chased by Lord Ullin’s armed men on one hand and faced with the raging waves on the other hand. His miserable condition is like a person stuck between a rock and a stone.

All the forces of nature stand as a barrier on the way of the fleeing lovers. The storm grows wilder; the waves rise higher; the sky becomes more furious and the atmosphere gets darker making it difficult for them to reach a safe destination.

The chieftain’s heart beats rapidly as he hears the ‘tramping sound of the horsemen behind him. To see the impending danger the bride cries out, “O haste thee, haste!” She prefers facing the fury of the wild nature over her angry father. Her fear gives us an idea of how merciless her father could be.

When Lord Ullin catches a glimpse of his daughter amidst the roaring waves, the raging person in him turns into a wailing father. His heart misses a beat to see her in danger. The bride herself is in a dilemma. She stretches one arm towards her father for help and holds her lover with the other arm.

Marking a sudden change in the atmosphere from agitation to tranquility is the transformed mood of Lord Ullin from rage to grief. The lamenting father prays to his daughter to come back, but all his pleas fall on a stony ground. He is left with a heavy heart on the shore lashed by the loud waves.            

W.B Yeats has used many visual and sound images in the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” to express his heart-felt desire to stay close to nature. Pick out those images from the poem and explain them.

The poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is a collage of visual and sound images which are expressive of the poet W.B. Yeats’ yearning to stay close to nature. ‘Small cabin….of clay and wattles’ ‘nine bean-rows’, ‘honey-bee’, ‘bee-loud glade’, ‘midnight’s all a glimmer’, ‘moon a purple glow’, and ‘lake water lapping’ are the prominent visual images in the poem. These visually appealing images are used to reflect the peaceful, soothing natural ambience of the place of Innisfree. The palette of sound images includes ‘linnet’s wings’, ‘cricket sings’ and ‘lake water lapping with low sounds’. These sound images are carefully chosen to reflect the musical ambience of Innisfree.   

Why is the place of Innisfree special or close to the poet W.B. Yeats’ heart in the poem?

The place of Innisfree is close to W.B. Yeats’ heart for several reasons – natural beauty, pleasant environment, soothing ambience and peaceful surrounding. Innisfree is amidst natural artifices. The place appeals to the poet’s heart since it is very close to nature. Days and nights are cozy there. The place is abuzz with the music of crickets and linnets. Silence and peacefulness are nearly synonymous. A place that is free of noise is supposed to be peaceful. However, the silent and placid ambience of Innisfree is eloquent with the music of linnets and crickets. Such music is pleasant to the poet in the place far from the madding crowd.                  

Why I like Chandara the protagonist in Punishment by Rabindranath Tagore

Chandara is the protagonist in the story “Punishment” written by Rabindranath Tagore. In most of his short stories, dramas and novels, the protagonist is a female character. For instance, Ratan in “The Postmaster”, Nirupama in “Dena Paona”, and Binodini in “Chokher Bali” are a few to name among the most famous protagonists created by the Bard of Bengal. In the story “Punishment”, the plot of the story revolves around Chandara and her intentional acceptance of punishment.

The character of Chandara is an embodiment of self esteem, a true characteristic of human beings. In rural backwaters, women depend on their men in all aspects. They take their duty for husbands and children as the only reason to live on. Unlike those rural women, Chandara is conscious of her existence as an independent being. 

She does not let her husband control her. She does not hesitate to quarrel with husband’s sister-in-law; she does not mind the unjust restrictions imposed on her by her husband; she does not forget her own self in service to her husband and his family. To her utter astonishment, Chandara realizes that she does not mean anything to Chidam, when the latter accuses her of the murder in order to save his elder brother from the clutches of law. 

When the police arrest her and present her in court for trial, she does not beg her husband or the judge for her life. For her self-respect, she chooses death sentence from the judge over the humiliation of being with Chidam who does not value her. She embraces her fate with resilience and in silence. It bears out to her strength of character, an identity of Rabindranath Tagore’s most women characters. This is what makes me like Chandara, the life and soul of the story “Punishment.”            

Forest of Arden is the Golden World in As You Like It

The Golden World refers to the Forest of Arden which represents the Conventional pastoral world without any artificial idealization of its unalloyed bliss. In this idyllic region, the passage of time is not measured by minutes or seconds, and therefore hours of worries and anxieties do not trouble one. Here as life is not burdened with duty, nor fraught with toil and moil, all spend their time happily and freely in a state of fanciful idleness. Life in the Forest of Arden away from evils and envy, intrigues and iniquities at court is in harmony with nature. In As You Like It, the Forest of Arden with its natural artifices is a haven of ease and contentment, peace and rest to Duke Senior who seeks pleasure even out of the bowl of melancholy and believes:

Life exempt from public haunt

Find tongues in trees, books, in running brooks

Sermons in stones, and good in everything.

The Forest of Arden is free from the disgraces of reality like corruption, war, strife and avarice but cannot break loose from only one disgrace that is the inclemency of weather causing discomfort to Duke of Senior. The Golden World of the Forest of Arden has been splendidly celebrated in the song of Amiens:

Under the Greenwood true

Who loves to lie with me,

And tune his merry note

Unto the sweet bird’s throat

Come hither, come hither, come hither.

Here shall he see

No enemy.

But winter and rough weather.  

How did the nightingale die in Frog and Nightingale?

The cunning frog pressurized the nightingale to practice more and longer in order to improve the tonal quality of her voice, by taking advantage of the bird’s innocence. He also set his eyes on better billings by making a show of her performance. The foolish bird danced to the tune of her master and lost the sweetness of her voice due to long hour of practice. The hoarse and quivering voice began to leave the audience annoyed and tired. To see a dip in ticket sales, the frog teased her as ‘brainless bird’ and instructed her to puff her lungs out of passion. One day a vein burst due to excessive stress on the lungs, and the poor bird died.        

Who or what is responsible for the nightingale’s death in Frog and Nightingale

The frog was cunning, greedy and jealous of the nightingale. To stay unrivalled in the Bingle Bog, he deliberately chalked out a plan and executed it smartly to cause the bird’s death. The frog presented himself as a noble critic and advised her to get trained by him. Flattered by the frog the bird began to practice for long hours and could not see through his trick. The frog insisted on practice for long hours to improve her tonal quality, and the bird danced to his tune.

Consequently, her voice became hoarse and lost its charm. She became pale and sad. One day a vein burst due to excessive stress on her lungs during practice, and the poor bird died. Thus the frog drove the innocent nightingale to death. The bird herself is responsible for her death. She was not confident of her talent. She believed in the frog more than in herself, and followed his instructions blindly. 


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