Notes of After Blenheim
Extract I
And the old man shook
his head……..great victory.
i)
Who was the old man? Who else were with
him? Where were they?
Kasper was the old man. His
grandchildren Peterkin and Wilhelmine were with him. They were sitting in the
sun before their cottage door.
ii)
Why did the old man shake his head and
had a natural sigh? Who found the skull?
Kasper shook his head with a sigh to reflect
his disappointment at the war that took place years ago only to devour innocent
lives.
iii)
Where was the skull found? Why does the
speaker say that the skull was some ‘poor’ fellow?
The skull was found beside the small
stream where Peterkin was playing. The skull belonged to one of the many
innocent people who lost their lives in the tragic war. The poor fellow became
a victim of the war.
iv)
How common were the skulls there? At
which place many of them could be found?
The skulls were a common sight there. Many of them could be found in
the garden or in the field that Kasper used to plough.
v)
What victory is referred to in the
extract? Who was responsible for the victory?
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
Now you tell us what ‘twas…….what they
fought each other for
1. Which
topic is being discussed in the extract? Who were Peterkin and Wilhelmine? Whom
was Peterkin questioning?
The cause of the war in which many
innocent people were killed is being
discussed here. Peterkin and Wilhelmine were innocent grandchildren of old
Kasper. Peterkin was questioning his grandfather, Kasper.
2. In
the context of the poem, what special significance do the adjectives young and
little have?
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.
3. What
is meant by ‘wonder-waiting eyes’? Which figure of speech is used here? Why did
Wilhelmine look up with such eyes?
‘wonder-waiting eyes’ is used for
Wilhelmine, who was expecting to know the casue of the war from her grandfather. The figure of speech used here
is alliteration.
She looked up with such eyes because she
could not comprehend the cause of the
war. It filled her with wonder. She anticipated to get a favourable answer from
Kasper.
4. Who
fought the battle? Was Peterkin given a satisfactory reply? What does the reply
show about a common man’s attitude towards war?
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. It shows that a common man’s ignorance and complacency about the cause
and purpose of war.
5. Give
a brief character sketch of Kaspar.
Kasper was a farmer. He was loving
grandfather as he spent time with his grandchildren and tried to answer their
queries. Kasper was an old man, who was disappointed with the outcome of the war.
However, he was complacent about the cause of war and had accepted the loss of innocent lives as the inevitable
price of victory in the war.
Extract III
With fire and sword the country……at
every famous country.
1. Which
country is referred to in the extract? What is meant by ‘was wasted far and
wide’?
The country referred to is Blenheim,
which is the English name for the German village of Blindheim, situated on the
left bank of the Danube River in Bavaria in Southern Germany. It refers to the
death and destruction caused by the war.
2. What
did the speaker say about the effects of the battle on his own family?
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.
3. What
is meant by ‘a childing mother’? Why do you think the poet specifically points
out that ‘many a childing mother….newborn baby died’?
‘Childing mother’ is a phrase used for a
mother expecting a baby. The poet specifically refers to the deaths of childing
mothers and newborn babies to underline not only the horrors of war but also
the irony of a famous victory.
4. 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?
The speaker has been conditioned by the
prepatrators 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.
5. By
referring to the incidents in the poem, state how After Blenheim can be said to
be an anti-war poem?
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
They say it was a shocking…..a famous
victory.
1. To
whom does ‘they’ in the extract refer?
They refers to those who must have
reported the entire battle scene and its
after effects to Kasper.
2. Why
do you think the sight was shocking even when the battle was won?
The sight was shocking because the war
was won at the price of thousands of lives. The sight of many thousand bodies
lying rotting in the sun was gruesome.
3. What
is the tone of the last two lines of the extract? What, according to you, the
poet want to convey in these lines?
The tone is ironical and sarcastic. The poet
wants to question the utility of waging a war, which causes destruction of both
human lives and property.
4. What
was the occupation of the speaker of these lines? How do you know about his
occupation?
Old Kasper appears to be a farmer by
profession. He lived in a cottage in a 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.
5. State
clearly how the poet creates an atmosphere of devastation caused by war in the
poem.
The devastation caused by war is reflected
through the following:
The presence of skulls all over the
field,
Kasper’s family rendered homeless when
Kasper’s father’s dwelling was burnt,
The deaths of expecting mothers and
newborn babies,
The gruesome sight of dead bodies lying
on the battle field and rotting.
Extrace V
Great praise the Duke….famous victory
1. Who
was Duke of Marlbro? Why did he win great praise?
Duke of Marlbro was an English General.
He was the Commander of British forces in the War of the Spanish Succession. He
was prised because he defeated the
French forces.
2. Who
was Prince Eugene? Why does the poet refer to
him as ‘our good Prince Eugene?
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.
3. What
‘thing’ according to Wilhelmine was wicked? Do you agree with her comment? Give
reason to support your answer.
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, her comment is appropriate as it is
the common man who has to suffer where the politicians and the rulers escape
and idly boast of wars.
4. State
briefly the moral of the poem, After Blenheim.
The poem disapproves of any war as it
brings with itself death, devastation, loss and grief. The poet conveys that
great victories are rendered useless when everything else is lost.
5. What
according to you is the relevance of the poem in contemporary times? Give reasons
to support your answer.
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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ReplyDeletePlease answer_ what did they say about the war? What do you think about them? With reference to stanza 9 of the poem ' after Blenheim
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DeletePlzz can u tell me the answer of this question.in the 9th stanza to whom does "they" in the extract refer? Why do you think the sight was shocking even when the battle was won?
ReplyDeleteit refers to the bystanders and those who first hand saw the destruction caused by war
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ReplyDeleteYou missed a question in 5th passage : "which famous victory is being referred to in tge extract? Who were responsible for the victory?"
ReplyDeleteYou missed a question in 5th passage : "which famous victory is being referred to in the extract? Who were responsible for the victory?"
ReplyDeletePlease tell the answer to this question.
The spelling of 'Kaspar' is written wrong. You have written 'Kasper' but it is Kaspar with a (a).
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