Thinking About the Poem (page 141)
Question 1.
What does the young man mean
by “great honey-coloued /Ramparts at your ear?” Why does he say that young men
are “thrown into despair” by them?
Answer:
The young man in the poem
praises the great honey-colored hair of Anne. Anne’s hair have been called
rampart, meaning a wall. It is called so because they act as a wall, as they
prevent young men from looking beyond those yellow hair and into her soul. Her
hair are so attractive that young men cannot look at anything else. Anne’s
yellow hair are so pretty that young men hopelessly fall in love with her. She
is so pretty that everyone wants her, which cannot happen; hence, they are
thrown into despair.
Question 2.
What colour is the young
woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it td? Why would she want to do
so?
Answer:
Anne s hair are yellow, like the colour of honey. She says that she can
change it to black, brown or carrot; she means that she can change it to any
colour she wants. Anne says so to show that outer beauty is changeable and not
permanent or real. She wants young men to look in her soul and love her for
her inner beauty. In order to do so, she needs to show them the superficiality
of her external beauty.
Question 3.
Objects have qualities which
make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone,
a dress…) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another?
Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you
emphasise?
Answer:
People desire objects because of their qualities that suit their need. The
things we consume, goods we use such as a car, a phone, a dress etc. physical
qualities matter the most. Before buying anything, it is always considered
that the object is durable and looks pretty. If I were to sell a dress, I
would select the one that is very appealing to the eye and comfortable for the
body. Then I would emphasise on the durability of the dress so that the
customer feels that he/she is spending his/her money at the right place and in
the right thing.