Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit Two Chapter 2.5 Autumn PDF Download

2.5 Autumn

Warming Up!

What changes do you see in nature in each of the following seasons? A few sentences are given below as examples. Use these and your own to describe a season appropriately.

New grass sprouts.

Tender leaves shoot out on plants or trees.

Migratory birds return.

The sun shines brighter than before.

We see mist in the morning.

There are sudden showers and hailstorms.

Trees blossom.

(a) Name the six seasons according to the Indian calendar. Which of the seasons is equivalent to Autumn?

(b) What changes do we see in the life of human beings when the season changes? Write with reference to their (a) clothes (b) diet (c) celebrations

Teacher's Note

In India, we have six seasons - Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Winter, Spring, and a small season in between. Autumn comes after monsoon when the rains stop and the weather becomes cool and pleasant. Just like how your mother changes your clothes from heavy sweaters to lighter cotton clothes when seasons change, nature also changes its dress.

Exam Trick

Remember the six Indian seasons in order: Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Hemant (the small season). Write them down 5 times at home - this will help you never forget them in the exam!

Points to Remember

India has six seasons, not four like in other countries.
Autumn comes after the monsoon rains stop.
In autumn, the weather becomes cool and pleasant.
New grass grows and flowers bloom in autumn.
Our clothes, food, and celebrations change with each season.

2. Guess what is personified and fill in the gaps. Choose from the brackets. (Sun, alarm, bird, car, wind, stars, machine)

(a) The weary car was also petrol-hungry.

(b) The playful wind whistled among the trees.

(c) The annoying alarm screamed at 5 am.

(d) The naughty stars winked at me from above.

(e) The rising sun stretched its arms.

(f) The cheerful bird sang as it perched on a tree.

(g) The tireless machine hummed as it worked hard.

Teacher's Note

Personification means giving human qualities to non-human things. When you say "the wind whistled," you are giving the wind a human quality - the ability to whistle. In your village, you might say "the monsoon danced" or "the sun smiled down on the crops."

Exam Trick

To find personification, ask yourself: "Is this thing being described like a human?" If yes, it's personification. The sun cannot really stretch, but we say it does - that's personification!

Points to Remember

Personification gives human qualities to non-living things.
Words like "stretched," "whistled," "smiled," and "winked" show personification.
It makes the writing more interesting and beautiful.
Animals and objects can be personified in poems and stories.
This is a common figure of speech in English literature.

Autumn

Questions to Think About

Why is Autumn called a 'maiden fair'?

What is the cooing of birds compared to?

How does Autumn dress up at night?

Word Meanings

slender: slim

diadem: crown

bars (here): patches

ruffles: disturb a smooth surface

THE autumn comes, a maiden fair

In slenderness and grace,

With nodding rice-stems in her hair

And lilies in her face.

In flowers of grasses she is clad;

And as she moves along,

Birds greet her with their cooing glad

Like a bracelet's tinkling song.

A diadem adorns the night!

Of multitudinous stars;

Her silken robe is white moonlight,

Set free from cloudy bars;

And on her face (the radiant moon)

Bewitching smiles are shown:

She seems a slender maid, who soon

Will be a woman grown.

- Kalidas

Translated by Prof. A. W. Ryder

Teacher's Note

This beautiful poem was written by Kalidas, a famous poet from ancient India. He describes autumn as a beautiful young girl. In India, poets have always compared seasons to people - monsoon as a king, winter as a queen, and autumn as a fair young maiden.

Exam Trick

Remember: The poem has two parts - daytime (first two stanzas) and nighttime (last two stanzas). During day, autumn wears rice and grass. At night, she wears stars and moonlight. Write this down and you'll remember the whole poem!

Points to Remember

Autumn is described as a beautiful maiden or young girl.
Her hair has rice stems, and her clothes are made of grass flowers.
Birds greet her with their cooing sound.
At night, the moon is her face and stars are her crown.
The poem shows how the poet saw nature as a living, beautiful person.

English Workshop

1. Find three lines each, that contain images of nature in the autumn season.

During daytime (1)

(2)

(3)

At night (1)

(2)

(3)

2. Pick out words from the poem that describe the following. List them in Column 'A'. Substitute each of those describing words with another word/phrase of the same meaning.

3. Find one example of each of the following from the poem:

Simile

Metaphor

4. Write the rhyme scheme of the poem. (Refer to the Language Study pages.)

5. Think and write in your own words.

(a) Why is the maiden Autumn said to wear rice stems in her hair?

(b) How can the tender maiden Autumn become a full grown woman? What change in nature does this imply?

(c) Why do you think, birds greet the autumn season gladly?

6. Compare the Indian Monsoon season to a powerful king of a prosperous kingdom. Write down a few similarities. Use them to compose a poem of your own.

7. Which is your favourite 'Nature' poem from your mother tongue? Write the poem and try to translate it into English. Your translation can be in the form of a poem or a paraphrase.

8. Read the ode 'To Autumn' by the famous poet John Keats. 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...'

Teacher's Note

These exercises help you understand how poets use words beautifully to describe nature. In your mother tongue also, there are many beautiful nature poems. Try to find one and translate it - this will help you understand both languages better.

Exam Trick

For finding simile and metaphor: Simile uses "like" or "as" (like a bracelet's tinkling song), while metaphor directly compares without using these words. Circle the word "like" or "as" in the poem - that's your simile!

Points to Remember

Simile compares two things using "like" or "as."
Metaphor compares two things without using "like" or "as."
The poem uses nature images - rice, grass, birds, stars, and moon.
Images can be from daytime or nighttime.
Good poems help us see nature in a new and beautiful way.

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