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| After Blenheim |
Extract I
(i) Who was the old man? Who else was with him? Where were they?
Ans. Kasper was the old man who was a farmer. His grandchildren Peterkin and Wilhelmine were with him. They were in the garden
(ii) Why did the old man shake his head? Who found the skull?
Ans. Kasper shook his head with a sigh of reflecting his disappointment at the war that took place a year ago only to devour innocent life. Peterkin found the skull.
(iii) Where was the skull found? Why does the speaker say that the skull was of 'poor' fellow?
Ans. Peterkin found the skull beside the small stream where he was playing. The speaker say that the skull was of 'poor' fellow because The skull belonged to one of the many innocent people who lost their lives in the useless war. The poor fellow became a victim of the war.
(iv) How common were the skull there? At which Place many of them could be found?
Ans. The skull was very common as they can be easily found everywhere in the garden. The skulls were a common sight there. Many of them could be found in the field that Kasper used to plough.
(v) Which victory is referred to in the extract? Who was responsible for the victory?
Ans. The victory of England in the war of the Spanish Succession (1702-1715) is referred to here.
Duke of Marlborough and Savoy’s Prince Eugene were responsible for this victory.
Extract II
(i) Which topic is being discussed in the extract? Who were Peterkin and Wilhelmine? Who was Perkin questioning?
Ans. The cause of the war in which many innocent people were killed is being discussed here, Peterkin and Wilhelmine were the grandchildren of Kasper. He questioned with his grandfather, Kasper.
(ii) In the context of the poem, What special significance do the adjective young and little have?
Ans. The adjectives ‘young’ and ‘little’ are important to highlight the innocence and purity of Peterkin and Wilhelmine. It is through their innocence that the poet has condemned the war.
(iii) What is meant by "Wonder-waiting eyes"? Which figure of speech is used here? Why did Wilhelmine look up with such an eye?
Ans. "Wonder-waiting eye" means expecting to see and hear exciting things. Alliteration is used. Wilhelmine looked up with such eyes because she could not comprehend the cause of the war. It filled her with wonder. She anticipated getting a favorable answer from Kasper.
(iv) Who fought the battle? Was Peterkin given a satisfactory reply? What does the reply show about a common man's attitude toward war?
Ans. The battle was fought between the English and the French forces. Peterkin was not given a satisfactory reply. Kasper did not know the cause of the war but still referred to the victory as great. He seems to be more interested and aware of victory achieved in war than its purpose or benefits It shows that a common man’s ignorance and complacency about the cause and purpose of war. It reflect the believe of the common man that people do die in the war.
Kasper was an old man and he is a farmer. He was a loving and caring grandfather as he spent time with his grandchildren and tried to answer their queries. He had suffered the ill and harmful effects of war during his childhood as he fled from his hometown during the war. Old Kaspar is a representative of common stereotype people who glorify war without a reason. He is conservative and wants to stick to the old ideals. He is complacent by nature as he shows his ignorance towards the devastation caused by war. He also lacks curiosity unlike his grandchildren and never wants to know the purpose of war and what good it brought to mankind.
Extract III
(i) Which country is referred to in the extract? What is meant by "was wasted far and wide"?
Ans. The country is referred in the extract is the English name for the German village of Blindheim, situated on the left bank of Danube River in Bavaria in south Germany i.e. Belhelmine. It refers to the death and destruction caused by the war.
(ii) What did the speaker say about the effects of the battle on his own family?
Ans. The speaker tells that during the war his father lived by a stream at Blenheim. As a result of the war, his father’s house was burnt which forced him to flee with his wife and child, Kasper. They were thus rendered homeless.
(iii) What is meant by ‘a childing mother’? Why do you think the poet specifically points out that ‘many a childing mother….newborn baby died’?
Ans. The phrase ‘Childing mother’ referred to a 'pregnant ladies'. The poet specifically refers to the deaths of a man expecting mother dies with the baby in their womb, which signifies the cruelty of war which not differentiate between guilty and innocent. thus war is a catastrophe for both present and future generations
(iv) What do the last two lines in the extract tell you about the attitude of the speaker towards the events that he is narrating? What are your feelings for the speaker?
Ans. The speaker has been conditioned by the perpetrators of war in such a way that he readily accepted the loss of innocent lives as the price for victory in the war. I pity for the speaker as he sighed at the sight of a poor fellows skull but his conditioning was such that he justified war.
(v) By referring to the incidents in the poem, state how After Blenheim can be said to be an anti-war poem?
Ans. After Blenheim has a scathing criticism of the horrors of war. it shows that international diplomacy, politics and war are matters which are cut off from the lives of common men. In an outburst of praise for the heroes who won the war, Old Kasper reveals the typical inability of an ordinary citizen to grasp the reason why the war took place.
Extract IV
(i) To whom does ‘They’ in the extract refer? Why do you think the sight was shocking even when the battle was won?
Ans. They refer to those who people who witnessed the war and narrate the events of Kasper. Though the war was won, the sight was shocking as thousand of dead bodies of soldiers lay rotting in the field. which shows the undignified aspects of war. the poem has a universal appeal. It is an anti-war poem. It disapproves the destruction to the life and property caused by the war.
The common man and innocent children suffer while the aristocrats win the acclaim. Trivial disputes lead to the death of thousands of people. Thus, the poem highlight that war is futile and should strictly avoid.
(ii) Which " famous victory" is being referred to in the extract? Who was responsible for the victory
Ans. The victory of England in the war of the Spanish Succession (1702-1715) is referred to here.
Duke of Marlborough and Savoy’s Prince Eugene were responsible for this victory.
(iii) What is the tone of the last two lines of the extract? What, according to you, the poet wants to convey in these lines?
Ans. The tone is ironical and sarcastic. The poet wants to question the utility of waging a war, which causes the destruction of both human lives and property.
(iv) What was the occupation of the speaker of these lines? How do you know about his occupation?
Ans. Old Kasper appears to be a farmer by profession. He lived in a cottage in the countryside, where there was a stream nearby and he mentioned that he used to find many skulls while ploughing the field. This indicates his profession.
(v) State clearly how the poet creates an atmosphere of the devastation caused by the war in the poem.
Ans. The devastation caused by war is reflected through the following:
[a]The presence of skulls all over the field,
[b]Kasper’s family rendered homeless when Kasper’s father’s dwelling was burnt,
[c]The deaths of expecting mothers and newborn babies,
[d]The gruesome sight of dead bodies lying on the battlefield and rotting.
Extract V
(i). Who was Duke of Marlboro? Why did he win great praise?
Ans. Duke of Marlboro was an English General. He was the Commander of British forces in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was praised because he defeated the French forces.
(ii). Who was Prince Eugene? Why does the poet refer to him as ‘our good Prince Eugene?
Ans. Prince Eugene was an Austrian General, born in France. He is referred to as ‘our good Prince Eugene’ because, with Marlborough, he defeated the French at Blenheim.
(iii). What ‘thing’ according to Wilhelmine was wicked? Do you agree with her comment? Give the reason to support your answer.
Ans. Wilhelmine did not approve the praise that Duke and Prince Eugene received because she considered their act of killing innocent people in the name of victory was wicked.
Yes, I agreed with her comment as he is a common man who has to suffer where the politicians and the rulers escape and idly boast of wars.
(iv). State briefly the moral of the poem, After Blenheim.
Ans. The message conveys in the poem is that ordinary people, like Kasper themselves, fall victim to the havoc caused by the war and glorify war instead of poisoning its validity. But through the grandchildren, the poet presents a new idea which is based on analytical thinking and questioning. The post has conveyed an anti-war message. It is a protest against the heroic ideals of war.
(v). What according to you is the relevance of the poem in contemporary times? Give reasons to support your answer.
Ans. The poem is relevant as it has a universal appeal. The poem is timeless and can be read irrespective of the time it was written. It is the common man and innocent children who suffer in a war. Modern politicians dismiss the deaths of innocent people in war by referring to them with the impersonal phrase: collateral damage.
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