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| The Patriot - Evergreen Publication |
Comprehension
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Passage 1
(i) The patriot. The patriot has been arrested and is being led to the gallows for his misdeeds. As he is being led, he recalls how just a year ago, he was hero-worshipped by the same people who are now treating him like a villain.
(ii) They refer to common people who had hero-worshipped the patriot a year ago. They would have done anything to please the patriot then, merely for the asking.
(iii) A year ago, the patriot was worshipped when he came back after his grand victory. His path was strewn with fragrant roses. The church-towers were decorated with victory-flags. The whole atmosphere resounded with the sound of church-bells rung in his honour. The church-bells were rung to honour the patriot and to celebrate his glorious victory.
(iv) The speaker was welcomed a year ago when he came back after his grand victory. His path was strewn with flowers. The people were mad in their zeal and enthusiasm. The church-towers blazed with victory-flags. All this shows that he was swayed by enthusiasm. But just after a year he has fallen on evil days. The same people who admired him have become his enemies. He has been arrested and is being led to the gallows. He recalls how he did his best to serve the people. People have proved to be fickle-minded. The ficklemindedness of the people has proved him wrong.
(v) The patriot is punished for some misdeeds done by him during the year. It is sad and ironic that they have completely forgotten his good deeds. It makes him sad to recollect that these very people who worshipped him like a hero a year ago have turned against him. They have forgotten all he had done for them. He feels sad about the ficklemindedness of the people.
Passage 2
(i) The patriot was welcomed because he had won a grand victory. He did whatever he could do for his countrymen. And he did his best. He was welcomed like a hero. His path was strewn with fragrant roses. The church-towers blazed with victory-flags. The whole atmosphere resounded with the sound of church-bells, rung in honour of the patriot. The crowd surged with joy.
(ii) The speaker is in a very sad mood. He is dejected to see that the people have forgotten all that he had done for them. At present, he is being led to the gallows to be executed in public.
(iii) The patriot was overambitious as he says that he tried to do the impossible for the pleasure of his admirers. He did whatever he could do for his countrymen and he did his best. But the result was dismal. He was arrested and being led to the gallows to be executed in public. He feels sad that the people have forgotten all that he had done for them.
(iv) Here it means reward. The speaker tried to do the impossible for the pleasure of his admirers. He did whatever he could do for his countrymen and he did his best. But what reward had he got? He was arrested for some misdeeds and was being led to the gallows to be executed in public. He felt sad that people had forgotten all that he had done for them.
(v) He is being led to the gallows to be executed in public for some misdeeds that he had committed. He reconciles himself with his fate by thinking that if he has not been rewarded by the people, he is certain to be rewarded by God in heaven. He feels safe in the bosom of God.
Passage 3
(i) People have left the town and gone to the Shambles' Gate or quite near the scaffold in order to have a better view of the patriot's execution. Only a few paralysed persons are sitting at the windows.
(ii) The patriot who was hero-worshipped a year ago is being led to the gallows to be executed in public. He has done some misdeeds for which he is being led to the gallows.
(iii) The people try to be at the Shambles' Gate or quite near the scaffold in order to have a better view of the patriot's execution.
It means the gate that leads to the place of execution.
(iv) Most of the people have gone to the Shambles' Gate or quite near the scaffold in order to have a better view of the patriot's execution. Only the paralysed persons are sitting at the windows because they are unable to walk upto the place of execution.
(v) The poet brings out a sharp contrast between the past and the present by saying that people thronged to have a glimpse of the patriot a year ago, but now nobody is there on the house-tops. Most of them have gone to the Shambles' Gate or quite near the scaffold in order to have a better view of the patriot's execution. Only a few paralysed persons are sitting at the windows.
Passage 4
(i) The speaker is in a very bad condition. He is bound tightly with a rope and his forehead is bleeding. He is being led to the gallows. It is so because he has allegedly done some 'wickeď' or 'unpatriotic' deeds.
(ii) The wrists of the patriot have been tightly bound behind with a rope. The rope is so tight that it cuts his wrists. There was no need of binding him so tightly as he could not escape. It only shows the heartlessness of his captors.
(iii) Some people have hurled stones at him to show their resentment for the so-called misdeeds done by him during the year.
(iv) The same people had welcomed him a year ago when he came back after his grand victory. His path was strewn with fragrant roses. The church-towers blazed with victoryflags. The whole atmosphere resounded with the sound of the church-bells rung in his honour. The crowd surged with joy and thronged to have a glimpse of his face. They worshipped him as a hero.
(v) The poem illustrates the fickle-mindedness of the crowd. The crowd welcomed the patriot a year ago. They worshipped him as a hero when he came back after his grand victory. But just after a year he is arrested for some misdeeds and is now being led to the gallows. The same people who thronged to have a glimpse of his face a year ago have now gone to the Shambles' Gate or quite near the scaffold to have a better view of his execution.
Passage 5
(i) This line contrasts what happened to the patriot a year ago with what is happening to him now. A year ago he was honoured like a hero when he entered his city. Now he is leaving the city in great humiliation and insult.
(ii) If the patriot had died of excess of joy a year ago, as some people do, he would not have to face the present humiliation. But then God would not have cared for him thinking that he had been amply rewarded on the earth for his good deeds.
(iii) Though he is being led to the gallows, it is ironic that he feels safer than ever before. He feels that now God will reward him for his good deeds in the other world.
(iv) There is an irony of situation involved here. The patriot is unsafe as he is being mercilessly treated and led to the execution site. It is amusing that he feels safe.
(v) The patriot is optimistic that he will be rewarded by God. Such optimism on the verge of a cruel death seems to be somewhat unrealistic. Ordinary persons do cry or feel sad when taken to the gallows.
