Notes of Small Pain In My Chest

Extract I

The soldier boy was………lay still by morning’s night.

(i) Why was the soldier boy sitting underneath a tree during the war?

The soldier boy was sitting underneath a tree during the war because he was fatally wounded and could not get up.

(ii) What is meant by ‘sitting calmly’? What does it show about the condition of the soldier?

The soldier was sitting calmly because he was fatally injured during the war, was thirsty and could not get any help from anybody around.

(iii) Why does the soldier ask the narrator to come near him?

The soldier asked the narrator to come near him because he was thirsty and needed a sip of water.

(iv) How can you conclude that ‘the battle had been long and hard’?

The battle had been long and hard can be discerned from the deep craters in the earth and the number of dead bodies of the soldiers, which the narrator could see lying all around.

(v) What does the poet want to convey in the above extract?

In the above extract, the poet wants to convey the horrors of war and the agony of the soldiers, who fight it out on the battlefield.

Extract II

“ I wonder if you’d………a small pain in my chest.”

(i) Who has been referred to by the soldier as ‘sir’ in the first line of the extract? Where was he at that time?

The narrator has been referred to by the soldier as ‘Sir’. He was on the battlefield at that time.

(ii) Why does the narrator say that the soldier ‘smiled as best as he could’? Which trait of the soldier is portrayed by his smiling?

The soldier, according to the narrator, ‘smiled as best he could’ to hide his pain and suffering from him. It shows the spirit of a soldier, who gives up his life for his country, with a smile on his face.

iii) Why does the soldier want ‘a sip of water’?

The soldier wanted “A sip of water” because he was thirsty and fatigued for he had fought a long and tough battle throughout the night and was fatally wounded.

(iv) Why couldn’t the soldier take any rest? What does it tell us about the condition of the soldier?

The soldier could not take any rest because he had been fighting continuously day and night against the enemy. It tells us about the horrors of war and pain and suffering the soldiers had to endure on the battlefield.

(v) Why was the soldier having a pain in his chest? Why does the call it ‘small’?

The soldier was having a pain in his chest because of the wound he had sustained during the fight on the battlefield. Being a true soldier, who considers everything smaller than his duty for his country, the soldier called it as ‘small pain’. Further, in comparison to the soldiers, who had received larger wounds and had succumbed to their injuries on the battlefield, his was a small pain.

Extract III

As I looked at him……I just have a small pain in my chest.

(i) What caused the large stain on the soldier’s shirt?

The large stain on the soldier’s shirt was caused by a wound he received while fighting on the battlefield.

(ii) Give the meaning of the following:

‘warm blood mixed in with Asian dirt’

‘warm blood mixed in with Asian dirt’ refers to the blood oozing out from the wounds of the soldier and mixing with the dirt of the Asian soil as the war was being fought in Asia.

(iii) What does the soldier mean by saying: Not much?” Why does he say so?

By saying “Not much”, the soldier wanted to say that his wound was nothing in comparison to the wounds suffered by his fellow soldiers, who succumbed to their injuries. He said so because he was still alive.

(iv)Why does the soldier consider himself more lucky than the rest? What has happened to the rest?

The soldier considered himself more lucky than his fellow soldiers because they died of the injuries sustained during the war, while he was still alive.

Extract IV

Must be fatigue…….I felt this small pain in my chest.

(i) Why does the soldier say that ‘must be fatigue? What is the reason for his fatigue?

The soldier was feeling weak and said that his weakness must be due to fatigue. His fatigue was caused by fighting day and night on the battlefield.

(ii) Why does the soldier smile weakly? What does it tell about the condition of the soldier?

The soldier smiled weakly because he had sustained fatal wounds and was in pain. It shows that though the soldier was in pain, he was trying to hide his suffering in the true spirit of a soldier.

(iii)Why does the soldier feel that he is getting old?

The soldier felt that he was getting old because he found himself weak and fatigued after battling it out on the warfront.

(iii) Explain why the soldier feels cold despite the sun shinning brightly?

The soldier felt cold despite the shining sun because the light of his life was fading, i.e., he was about to die due to the fatal wounds that he had received on the battlefield.

(v) Give the meaning of: The night exploded

‘The night exploded’ means that an explosion took place at night. As a result of the explosion the soldier got fatal wounds on his body, whereas a number of his fellow soldiers died because of the injuries sustained during the explosion.

Extract V.

I’m grateful sir……sitting here on day with this pain in my chest?

(i) Why does the narrator describe the soldier’s smile as the brightest that he has ever seen?

The narrator described the soldier’s smile as the brightest that he has ever seen because the soldier wanted to express his gratitude to the narrator for providing water to him as well as to hide the pain he was enduring.

(ii) What does this extract tell us about the physical condition of the soldier?

The soldier was suffering from fatal physical injuries sustained during the explosion at night on the battle field. Due to these injuries he was feeling physically weak and fatigued.

(iii) Why does the soldier consider it silly to be defeated by a small pain in his chest?

The soldier considered it silly to be defeated by a small pain in his chest because he was a young, healthy man, full of energy and enthusiasm, who could have defeated even death.

(iv) What does the soldier think about the reaction his wife and mother would have on seeing him sitting on the battlefield because of a pain in his chest?

The soldier felt ashamed of himself to think about his wife’s reaction when she would see her husband, a strong and grown up man, sitting there defeated. He felt that his mother would never have imagined during his childhood that one day his son would be sitting on the battlefield, defeated by a small pain in his chest.

(v)What does HERE in the last line of the extract signify? What is the mental pain suffered by the young soldier?

‘HERE’ refers to the battlefield. The soldier was undergoing a mental pain at the thought of the reaction his wife and mother would have on seeing him sitting defeated on the battlefield.

Extract VI.

“ Can it be getting dark……….that small pain in his chest.”

(i) Why does the soldier feel that it is getting dark earlier that it used to be?

The soldier felt that it was getting dark earlier than it used to be because the light of his life was fading, as he was slowly losing consciousness because of the fatal injuries sustained on the battlefield and seeing the darkness all around him.

(ii)Who is ‘he’ referred to in the first line of the extract? Why does he wince up at the sun?

‘He’ refers to the soldier. He winced up at the sun with an expression of pain on his face to find out why was it getting dark so early despite the shining sun.

(iii) give the meaning of the following:

(a) I think before I travel on, I’ll get a little rest: In the given line, the soldier told the narrator that before he would start his journey further, he would like to take a little rest. It signifies the soldier’s spirit to continue his duty after taking little rest. It is also symbolic of the final journey, i.e., death, towards which the soldier was heading.

(b) I think I must have cried:

The narrator said “I think I must have cried”. He said so because he could not recall what was his reaction when the wounded soldier died in front of his eyes. It signifies that the narrator was petrified on seeing the horrifying death of the soldier.

(iv) what does the narrator realise when he pulls the soldier towards himself?

When the narrator pulled the soldier towards himself he felt the wound in his chest and the gravity of the pain the soldier was enduring.

(v) Why does the narrator say that he has a large wound in his heart compared to the small one in the soldier’s chest?

The narrator said that he had a large wound in his heart compared to the small one in the soldier’s heart because he was hurt by the suffering of the dead soldier, and felt the guilt on the part of humanity at not being able to give up war and thereby, end the suffering of the soldiers.

Extract VII.

As I looked at him…….just have a small pain in my chest.

(i) How does the expression ‘Asian dirt’ indicate the venue of war? mention any two hardships experienced by the soldier.

The expression ‘Asian dirt’ means Asian soil and this indicates that the war was fought in Asia. The two hardships experienced by the soldier included:

(a) The physical pain caused by the fatal wounds sustained on the battlefield.

(b) The emotional agony at being lonely and surrounded by dead bodies and the thought of his family’s reaction on seeing him defeated.

(ii) In spite of his injury why didn’t the soldier abandon the battlefield?

Despite sustaining fatal injuries during the war, the soldier did not leave the battlefield because he considered it at his duty to continue the fight till the end and die smiling while performing his duty in the true spirit of a soldier.

(iii)Why is the phrase: a small pain in my chest is repeated throughout the poem.

The phrase “a small pain in my chest” is a refrain which is repeated throughout the poem to emphasise the pain and suffering a soldier undergoes on the battlefield.

(iv) Do you like the way the poem ends? Give two reasons to substantiate your opinion.

Yes, indeed the poem has a poignant ending. It makes the readers—(i) feel the agony a soldier endures on the battlefield; and (ii) realise the horrors of war and the need to give up wars for the sake of humanity.

(v) Small pain in my chest is an anti-war poem. What message does it give to its readers?

Small Pain in My Chest is an anti-war poem that describes the horrors of war and conveys the message to shun hatred and warfare.