Maharashtra Board Class 10 English Kumarbharti Unit Four Chapter 4.1 A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever PDF Download

A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy For Ever

Warming Up!

Question 1 (A)

Fill in the Acrostic with names of things related to Nature.

B ...........................

E ...........................

A ...........................

U ...........................

T ...........................

Y ...........................

Question 1 (B)

Make a list of 10 words related to the word 'joy', for example, happiness.

1. ........................... 6. ...........................

2. ........................... 7. ...........................

3. ........................... 8. ...........................

4. ........................... 9. ...........................

5. ........................... 10. ...........................

Teacher's Note

You can think of beautiful things you see every day around you. Just like when you visit a park or a garden, you feel happy looking at flowers and trees.

Exam Trick

Remember: Joy means happiness. When you see something beautiful like a butterfly or a rainbow, you feel joy. This feeling stays in your heart forever!

Points to Remember

A thing of beauty makes us happy.
Beautiful things stay in our memory forever.
Nature has many beautiful things like flowers, trees, and sun.
Joy is a feeling of great happiness.

Question 2

Recollect a picnic or a trip to a spot of natural beauty (a hill station/ a beach/forest area etc.) when you were younger.

Write four beautiful unforgettable scenes that left a deep impact on you.

(1) .........................................................................................................................

(2) .........................................................................................................................

(3) .........................................................................................................................

(4) .........................................................................................................................

Teacher's Note

Think of a place you visited when you were small. Maybe a beach where you saw waves, or mountains where you saw snow. Write what made you feel happy.

Exam Trick

Write about real things you saw and felt. Describe colours, sounds, and feelings. For example, "The blue water of the sea made me smile" is better than just "It was nice."

Points to Remember

Write about real memories that are true.
Use beautiful words to describe what you saw.
Tell how the place made you feel happy.
Write about nature like flowers, animals, or sky.

Question 3

Meter in poetry is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in lines of a poem. It gives rhythm to the poem.

Read the poem below aloud and with any coloured pen/ pencil put stress-marks on those syllables that are stressed in the words of the poetic lines.

THE steadfast coursing of the stars,
The waves that ripple to the shore,
The vigorous trees which year by year
Spread upwards more and more ;
The jewel forming in the mine,
The snow that falls so soft and light,
The rising and the setting sun,
The growing glooms of night,
All natural things both live and move
In natural peace that is their own ;
Only in our disordered life
Almost is she unknown.

Teacher's Note

Meter is like a beat in a song. When you read a poem aloud, some words are said loudly and some softly. This creates a rhythm, just like when you clap your hands in a pattern.

Exam Trick

Read the poem slowly out loud. The stressed syllables are the ones you say louder and longer. For example, in the word "STAR-fest", we stress the first part louder.

Points to Remember

Stressed syllables are said louder and longer.
Unstressed syllables are said softer and faster.
Rhythm in a poem is like the beat in music.
Reading a poem aloud helps you find the stressed syllables.

Question 4

Consonance And Assonance

Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds within a word, phrase or a short sentence.

For example: pitter-patter/ chuckle-fickle/ sick-duck/ Betty bought some bitter butter

Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within a word/ phrase/ sentence.

For example: Jack had a bag.

Men sell metal- kettle.

Let the engineer steer without fear.

(Note: Here, the focus is on pronunciation and not on the spellings of words.)

From the above poem pick out examples of consonance and of assonance within words/ phrases.

Teacher's Note

Consonance uses repeating consonant sounds like "pitter-patter". Assonance uses repeating vowel sounds like "lake and make". These make poems sound musical and nice when you read them aloud.

Exam Trick

Remember: Consonance = Consonants (like p, t, k). Assonance = vowel sounds (like a, e, i, o, u). Listen to how the words sound when you say them aloud, not how they are spelled.

Points to Remember

Consonance is the repeat of consonant sounds.
Assonance is the repeat of vowel sounds.
Both make poems sound musical and beautiful.
Always listen to the sounds, not just read the spellings.

A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy For Ever

John Keats (1795-1821) an English poet was one of the most popular of all British Romantic Poets. His poems are characterised by imagery from nature, that appealed to one's senses.

The present poem is the first stanza of a longer poem 'Endymion' based on Greek Mythology. The first line has become proverbial. The poem was first published in 1818.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health and quiet breathing.

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves a way the pall

From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,

Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon

For simple sheep; and such are daffodils

With the green world they live in; and clear rills

That for themselves a cooling covert make

'Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

We have imagined for the mighty dead;

All lovely tales that we have heard or read:

An endless fountain of immortal drink

Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.

bower: a pleasant shady place under trees or climbing plants

morrow: the following day

wreathing: covering

spite: desire to offend/annoy something

despondence: sadness or loss of hope

covert: not openly known or displayed

dearth: shortage

pall: a sheet spread over the dead

boon: gift

rills: streams

brake (Archaic): ferns

brink: edge

dooms: last day of existence known or displayed

List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.

List the things that cause suffering and pain.

Teacher's Note

This poem tells us that beautiful things make us happy. In India, we see beautiful nature all around us - in mountains, rivers, and forests. These things bring joy to our hearts.

Exam Trick

Remember: The poem says "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." This means beautiful things make us happy not just for one day, but for our whole life. We remember them always.

Points to Remember

Beautiful things make us feel happy and peaceful.
Beauty is found in nature like sun, moon, trees, and flowers.
The memory of beauty stays with us forever.
Beautiful things help us forget our sadness and pain.

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