A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal - Beehive - Class 9 - CBSE English
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal, Class 9, beehive, "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" by William Wordsworth is a hauntingly beautiful Romantic poem about death and the eternal nature of the human soul.
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About the author - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was an English poet who, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is credited with launching the Romantic era in English literature. Wordsworth is known for his celebration of nature, his emphasis on the importance of personal experience and emotion, and his use of simple, natural language in his poetry. His most famous works include "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," and "The Prelude." Wordsworth's poetry had a significant influence on the development of English Romanticism and continues to be widely read and studied today.
Summary - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
"A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" by William Wordsworth is a short and haunting poem that speaks of the mystery of death and the eternal nature of the human soul. The speaker of the poem describes how his spirit was sealed in slumber, devoid of any human fears. The spirit is described as an entity that cannot feel the touch of earthly years and is no longer moved by anything.
The speaker then goes on to describe how the spirit lies in a motionless state, completely oblivious to the surrounding world. The spirit neither hears nor sees, and is rolled around in earth's diurnal course along with the rocks, stones, and trees. The poem ends on a note of melancholy resignation, with the speaker acknowledging the finality of death and the unending slumber of the spirit.
Overall, the poem presents a bleak and enigmatic view of death, portraying it as a state of complete emptiness and disconnection from the world. The poem suggests that the human soul is eternal and survives beyond death, but it also hints at the sorrow and loss that accompanies the passing of life. The simple language and evocative imagery of the poem create a sense of quiet beauty and profound sadness, leaving the reader with a haunting impression of the mysteries of life and death.
Themes - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
Death and Mortality
The poem is primarily concerned with the theme of death and mortality. It explores the idea that death is a state of complete emptiness and disconnection from the world. The speaker's description of the spirit lying in a motionless state, devoid of any human feeling or awareness, suggests a finality to death that is both unsettling and melancholic.
The Eternal Nature of the Soul
The poem also touches upon the idea that the human soul is..........................................
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Symbols - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
Sleep/Slumber
The poem's title and opening line use the symbol of sleep or slumber to represent death. The spirit's slumber is a metaphor for the state of death, suggesting that the body may die, but the soul or spirit lives on.
Motionlessness
The speaker's description of the spirit as motionless represents...................................
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Poetic Devices - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
Personification
The poem personifies the spirit, treating it as if it were a human being with human emotions and qualities. This device helps to emphasize the theme of the eternal nature of the soul.
Metaphor
The poem uses the metaphor of...................................
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Vocabulary - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
- Diurnal: This means "daily" or "occurring during the day." In the poem, the phrase "earth's diurnal course" refers to the daily rotation of the Earth.
- Motionless: This means "not...............................
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A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal - Questions and Answers | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
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A slumber did my spirit seal I had no human fears She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years. a. Name the poem and the poet. b. What does 'slumber’ refer to here? c. How did slumber seal the poet's spirit? d. What 'human fears' did the poet not have? Why? e. What do you understand by the expression: 'the touch of earthly years'.
a. Name of the poem is ‘A Slumber did my Spirit Seal’ and the poet is William Wordsworth. b. Slumber here refers to the death of the girl whom he loved. c. The death of that girl wiped out all his happiness from his life. It sealed his spirit and closed off his soul. d. The poet did not have any ‘human fear’ of death for that girl. He didn’t have that fear as she was very young so he had no reason to ever think of her death. e. ‘The touch of earthly years’ means that with passage of time as human age or have disease but the poet didn’t have any such worries for the girl as she was very young.
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No motion has she now; She neither hears nor sees, Rolled round in earth's diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees. a. Why is 'she' motionless and unable to hear or see? b. What do you understand by the expression: 'earth's diurnal course'? c. How is she rolling round in the earth's diurnal course? d. What feelings of the poet do these lines convey?
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What does the poet grieve?
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How does death affect the girl and the poet?
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What grim reminder does the poem give to the readers?
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Why does the poet say that the girl could not be touché by ‘earthly years’?
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What has awakened the poet out of his ‘slumber’?
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“A slumber did my spirit seal,” says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off’ his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great peace?
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The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?
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How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?
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Quiz - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
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