Wind

SUMMARY

The poetry piece ‘Wind’ has been composed by "Subramania-Bharti". The poet describes the raw force of the wind in this poem. When the wind blows it breaks the shutters of the windows. It throws down the books on the shelf. It tears the pages of the books. The poet has drawn a living picture of wind which makes fun of weak and crumbling houses, doors, forests and hearts. It not only makes fun of these things but he wind god winnows them and crushes them. The wind is thus a symbol of power or force. The poet draws out a fine moral from the force of wind. He says that the wind will not do any harm to the strong homes, doors or the bodies. It means that if we are strong, even the strong enemy will not harm us in any way. So he suggests us to be strong physically and mentally. Actually the wind is the symbol of difficulties or obstacles humans have to face for their survival.

Comprehension Questions

1. Whom does the poet address in the poem?
The poet addresses the wind.

2. Why does the poet ask the wind not to break down the shutters of the windows?
The shutters are the only thing that separates man from the stormy environment outside. As the poet wants to be protected he asks the wind not to break down the shutters of the windows.

3. Why does the poet ask the wind not to scatter the papers and throw the books
from his shelf?
As the poet is a writer, it is relevant for him to care about papers and books. They are the first things in his room that he doesn’t want to be in disarray.

4. The poet makes an entreaty to the wind to blow softly. Is his plea accepted?
Although the poet makes an entreaty to the wind to blow softly, the windoes not accept his plea. It blows violently and causes destruction.

5. What harm does wind do when it blows hard?
When wind blows hard, it destroys everything. It breaks the shutters of the window, scatters the papers, throws the books, and tears the pages of the books.

6. What does the wind symbolize?
The wind symbolizes power and force.

7. Why does the poet regard wind as ‘God’?
The poet regards wind as God, as it symbolizes power and force. It also separates the weak from the strong, like the chaff from the grain during winnowing.

8. ‘We cannot escape the ill effects of the wind’. Explain.
The wind does not listen to anybody, and its actions are governed by it alone. Therefore, no one can escape the ill effects of the wind by appealing to the wind.

9. How does wind make fun of the weaklings?
The wind pokes whenever it comes face to face with anyone who is too meek and mild to withstand its actions. It crushes them altogether.

10. Why should we make strong houses and doors?
We should make strong houses and doors because the wind crushes weak houses and weak doors.

11. Give the central idea of the poem ‘Wind’?
Subramania Bharati has advised us to be strong physically and mentally. The wind will be our friend only when we are strong. Actually the wind represents the difficulties and challenges. We should encounter them boldly and should be able to stand and face odds or obstacles of life.

12. The wind blows strongly and causes a lot of destruction. How can we make
friends with it?
Strong winds cause a lot of destruction and damage but its energy can be of great use once we make friends with it. This we can do by taking proper precautions and measures. For instance, we can build stronger homes, keeping in mind the fatalities of the wind. We can also build windmills to harness its energy that can be used to generate electricity.

13. Explain the aphorism “We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we
face challenges”.
It is a human tendency to hate problems and challenges because they don't understand that how important these are for our growth. For the growth of any person, it is very important for them to face the challenges of life so that he can learn more about his weakness and strengths.

 Textual Questions

1. What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
In the first stanza the wind breaks the shutters of the windows, it scatters the papers. It even throws down the books and tears the pages. Then it brings rain and disturbs everything.

2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give words in your language if you know them.) Personal response
Yes, I have seen women winnowing grain at home in the villages. Winnowing is generally known as phatkna, pichorna or anaj parchana in Hindi. The villagers use the winnowing fork and more commonly, the winnowing fan, known as chhaaj (in Hindi, for winnowing).

3. What does the poet say the wind god winnows?
The poet says that the wind makes fun of the weak. It crumbles the doors, houses, rafters, wood, bodies, lives and heart. In a way the wind god separates the weak from the strong, like the chaff like the grain during winnowing.

4. What should we do to make friends with the wind?
In order make friends with the wind, the poet asks us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly and practice to make our bodies and hearts stronger.

5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
In the last four lines, the poet inspires us to face the wind, which symbolizes the hardships of our lives, courageously. He tells us that the wind can only extinguish the weak fires; it intensifies the stronger ones. Similarly, adversities deter the weak-hearted but make stronger those who have unfaltering will. In such a case, befriending the wind or the hardships of life makes it easier for us to face them.

6. How does the poet speak to the wind - in anger or with humour? You must also have seen or heard of the wind ‘crumbling lives’. What is your response to this? Is it the same as the poet's?
The poet speaks to the wind in anger. Yes, I have witnessed stormy weather. Strong winds are known to cause plenty of damage and destruction to both life and property. I have seen the wind uprooting trees. Storms, cyclones, gales and strong winds cause havoc on land. I have watched on the television many instances where wind has caused destruction, crushing houses and people. No, my response would not be similar to the poet. Violent wind causes destruction but its energy, if harnessed, can be utilised in generating electricity and for other productive purposes. The wind is responsible for
bringing rain; it cools the land and makes the climate pleasant.

 Poetic device

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem ‘Wind’?
The poem Wind is a Free verse poem. It doesn’t have any rhyme scheme.

2. What is the tone of the poem?
The poet uses a pleading tone in the first stanza of the poem as he makes an entreaty to wind to blow softly. In the second stanza the poet changes his tone to accusatory as he gestures towards the mess in his room, and tells the wind that it is he who is responsible for it. In the third stanza the poet uses a somber tone to express his seriousness and sadness because of the destruction caused by wind. In the ending stanza, the poet uses an advisory tone as he advises us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly and practice to make our bodies and hearts stronger.

3. Identify the figures of speech given below:
a. Wind, come softly.
Apostrophe –The poet directly addresses the wind which is an inanimate object to blow softly.
b. Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers. 
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
Anaphora - The repetition of the same word ‘Don’t’ is used at the beginning of successive verses.
c. There look what you did - you threw them all down
Personification – Wind is endowed with human qualities of throwing/handling things.
d. There look what you did - you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings
Anaphora - The repetition of the same word ‘You’ is used at the
beginning of successive verses.
e. You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings
Personification – Wind is endowed with human qualities of poking
fun.
f. Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, crumbling
wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, crumbling hearts -
Repetition – The word ‘crumbling’ is repeated to add emphasis as
well as for poetic effect.
g. The wind god winnows and crushes them all.
Personification – Wind god is endowed with human qualities of
winnowing and crushing things.
h. He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
Onomatopoeia – The word ‘roar’ is used to describe the noise of fire.
Personification – Wind is endowed with human qualities of making
strong fires roar and flourish.

WORKSHEET

Q1. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

(a) Wind, come softly
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
i. Write about any two destructive activities of the wind.
Two destructive activities of the winds are – (Any two)
(a) It breaks the shutters of windows
(b) It scatters the papers
(c) It throws down the books
ii. To whom does the poet make a request in the above lines?
The poet makes a request to the wind in the above lines.
iii. What appeal is made by the poet?
The poet makes an appeal to the wind not to break down the shutters of the
windows, not to scatter the papers in his room or to throw down the books from
his bookshelves.
iv. Find the antonym for the word ‘gather’
scatter

(b) There, look what you did – you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
i. What does the poet express through these lines?
The poet tells the wind, that it is the wind that is responsible for the mess in his
room.
ii. What effect does the wind have on the poet’s books?
The wind had thrown all the books down from the bookshelves with its force and
torn pages out of those books as well.
iii. The poet does not restrict his vision only to the inside of his house. Explain.
The poet gazes outside his window and accuses the wind of having brought a
bout of rainfall with it, while approaching his house.

iv. Give the antonym for the word ‘tore’.
mended

(c) You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts –
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
i. Whom does the wind trouble? How?
The wind troubles the weaklings. It makes fun of anyone who is too meek and
mild to protest against its actions.
ii. Whom does the wind crumble down?
The wind crumble’s down houses, doors, rafters, wood, weak bodies, and fragile
hearts
iii. Why has the poet used the phrase ’winnows them all’?
The wind god separates the weak from the strong and crushes the weak, just as
the light chaff is separated from the grain during winnowing.
iv. Find the synonym for the word ‘weak’.
Frail

(d) He won’t do what you tell him,
So, come, let’s build strong homes.
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practice to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
i. What does ‘he’ stand for?
‘He’ stands for the wind.
ii. What does the poet advise us?
The poet advises us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly, and to make our
body firm and strong.
iii. ‘He won’t do what you tell him”, what does the line mean?
It means that the wind does not follow our command.
iv. Find a word from the extract that means ‘loyal/faithful’.
steadfast

(e) The wind blows out weak fires
He makes strong fire roar and flourish
His friendship is good
We praise him everyday
i. How does the wind affect the weak fires?
The wind blows out the weak fires.
ii. What is the effect of the wind on strong fire?
The wind makes the strong fire even stronger and increases its power.
iii. How can we be friends with wind?
We can be friends with wind by making ourselves strong, both physically and
mentally.
iv. Find the synonym for the word ‘prosper’.
flourish


Q2. Answer the following in 30 - 40 words.

1. Describe the central idea of the poem.
The poem ‘Wind’ inspires us to face the challenges thrown at us with grit and firm determination. We should be strong enough to face all the hardships of life with courage. Wind symbolizes problems and obstacles that we all face and go through at some point time in our lives.

2. Why is the wind regarded as a symbol of destruction in the poem?
In the poem, first stanza depicts the destruction caused by wind. The wind breaks the shutters of the windows, tears the pages of the books, brings rain again, and destroys the weaker section of the world. The strong or gusty winds represent turmoil and trouble in our life.

3. The wind blows strongly and causes a lot of destruction. How can we make friends with
it?
Strong winds causes a lot of destruction and damage but its energy can be of great use once we make friends with it. This can be done by taking proper precautions and measures. For instance, we can build stronger homes, keep ourselves strong in body and mind. We can also build windmills to harness its energy that can be used to generate electricity.

4. Can wind ever be friend with us?
Wind, literally, can be our friend. Wind is a phenomenon which teaches us to be
strong. Our parents always teach us to be strong and determined. In difficult
times, wind wants us to bravely face our obstacles. Hence, we have to be strong
when there are obstacles in our life so that we don’t get beaten up by them.


Q3. Answer the following in 100 - 120 words.

1. What challenges are posed by wind in the life of the common man?
In our lives, wind disrupts our daily routine. It hampers and dampens the spirit of life around. According to the poet, rain and wind were deeds of nature that are perceived as the tempest forces which destroy the old and evil inside a man in order to create joy and liberty in his mind. Wind is that natural phenomenon which is very difficult to be predict accurately just as our problems which can arise from nowhere. It can hit us at any time of our lives. For frail people, literally and metaphorically, wind creates barriers. Winds does not let a frail body or a frail mind survive but on the other hand if you are strong, you have the power and the will to survive and fight back, wind can never be a threat to your living.

2. Does the poem reflect the human suffering being initiated by wind? Explain with
examples.
Wind is invisible, but the effects it has on this world are clear and evident. The poem reflects upon both the constructive and destructive paths taken by the wind. Wind is extreme and violent, but not necessarily legitimately with anger and emotions. Wind creates compassion, but apathy at the same time in human life. Wind emphasizes the passionate, intense nature of the poet, while the decay and
death inherent suggest the sacrifice and suffering of humans. We also see that wind is a metaphor for the god’s will because its effects in this world can be both beneficial and apparently destructive.