Last min Revision

DUST OF SNOW- (SYMBOL OF HEALING)

&A LETTER TO GOD
TASK 1

1. Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
i. Trees can symbolize many things. Of many symbols, the hemlock tree represents,
write the symbol that Frost drew upon in all likelihood, for this poem.
Symbol of Endurance: Oak Tree :: ________ : Hemlock Tree
ii. Choose the option that lists the possible feelings of the poet prior to the
experience shared in the poem.
i. Reassured
ii. Disappointed
iii. Curious
iv. Demotivated
v. Thankful
vi. Disheartened
vii. Impulsive

Options:

a. i, iii and vii

b. ii, iv and vi
c. v and vii
d. i and iii

iii. Identify the option that DOES NOT use the word rue correctly.

a. The film was a disaster and he rued his decision to act in it.
b. I am sure she rued the day she listened to a fortune-teller.
c. It wasn't long before I rued my disobedience and my deceit.
d. Others finally rue the one who is dishonest and heartless.

iv. Synecdoche is a rhetorical device that uses a part to represent the whole. E.g., a
great set of wheels! (Set of wheels has been used for car.) Pick an example of
synecdoche from the poem.
v. Choose the option showing the reason NOT corresponding with ...a crow Shook
down on me/The dust of snow.

a. The crow's landing on the branch of the tree.

b. The shivering of the crow, due to the cold.
c. The readjustment of position of the crow on the branch.
d. The cawing of the crow hidden in the foliage.

2. Rationalise what you think the poet was probably doing when the dust of snow fell on
him?
3. The dusting of snow on account of the crow helped to make the poet's day better. How do
you think the crow's droppings might have impacted the poet?
4. What does the presence of a hemlock tree tell you about the setting of the poem Dust of
snow?
5. Small things in life make significant changes in our life. Elaborate with reference to the
poem Dust of Snow.
6. Imagine that Frost is of present day and has been invited to write for an e-zine - Teen
Talk.
He chooses to draw upon his experience with the crow and the dusting of snow to share
his thoughts on Every cloud has a silver lining. As Frost, express your thoughts for the
e-zine.

CHECK ANSWERS BELOW

Solution
1.
i. Symbol of Healing
ii. b. ii, iv and vi
iii. d. Others finally rue the one who is dishonest and heartless.
iv. Has given my heart/A change of mood
(Because it is not only his heart but his entire person that is now experiencing
a better mood as a result of the actions of the crow.)
v. b. The shivering of the crow, due to the cold.
2. Before the dust of fell on the poet he was in a depressed mood. He didn't want to do
anything. So far, the day had been quite gloomy and wastage for him.
3. The dust of snow removed all the laziness of the poet. It saved the whole day of the poet.
The crow's droppings might have ruined the poet's mood from bad to worst.
4. The poem presents a perfect setting. The hemlock tree is a symbol of sadness. The poet's
mood was also sad. But the falling off the dust of snow changed the poet's mood.
5. The poem, ‘Dust of Snow’, reiterates that the little things in life can make huge changes
in our life. It also shows that if we can take the hard times of life in stride, eventually
something will happen to change our situation into happier times. The simple things that
we do for others can make all the difference. For example, those random acts of kindness
that we do and how much they brighten a person’s day and sometimes change their
future. The little things also cause us to have a spirit that is willing to change and
therefore succeed. Noticing and appreciating all the small things in life will make our life
happier.
6. 'Every cloud has a silver lining'. We should never leave confidence in difficult times
because it will lead us to better days. A dark cloud is a kind of difficulty, misfortune and
worst times in life. The silver lining is a hope for progress and an opportunity to go ahead
in life.
Similarly, in the poem, the poet is in a depressed and hopeless mood. He feels that the
whole day has been wasted. But fortunately, it is not so. The falling of the dust of snow
on him bring a sudden change in his mood. He realizes that all is not lost. There is still
hope for redemption. The change of landscape has changed his mood. Cheerfulness had
replaced the feeling of regret. Hence, falling of dust of snow proved to be a silver lining
on the cloud of gloom.

Task 2

1. Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

Has given my heart,
A change of mood.
And saved some part,
Of the day I rued.
i. What did it shake on the poet?
a. Dust of snow
b. Branch
c. Dust
d. None of these
ii. ________ is the poet of the above lines.
 iii. What was the mood of the poet in the beginning of the poem?

a. Sad mood
b. Happy mood
c. Confuse mood
d. No mood at all
iv. What does “Dust of Snow” represent?
v. Name the poetic device used in the line “Has given my heart”

a. alliteration
b. metaphor
c. oxymoron
d. simile
2. What is the dust of snow? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the
poet’s mood changed?
3. Justify the role of the crow in changing the poet’s mood in the poem Dust of Snow.
4. What did the poet think of the day before the fall of dust of snow on him?
5. Our mental condition depends on our surroundings. Explain with reference to the
poem Dust of Snow.
6. Our attitude towards a situation evokes both negative and positive responses. Analyse
this with reference to the poem, Dust of Snow to bring out the inherent valuable lessons.

Solution

1.
i. a. Dust of snow
ii. Robert Frost
iii. a. Sad mood
iv. Dust of Snow represents the healing power of Nature.
2. 'Dust of Snow' means the small particles of snow that can be felt in the air after or during
snowfall. The poet is very sad and is sitting under the hemlock tree. Suddenly a crow
shakes the tree and the dust of snow falls on the poet. This incident changes the poet's
mood as he starts to think about nature and beauty.
3. Traditionally, a crow is considered ominous and the harbinger of doom and evil. The
poet’s mood was also sad but suddenly the way in which the crow shook the hemlock tree
and made the dust of snow fall on the poet changed the poet’s mood. Perhaps it gave the
poet inspiration to shake off his depressive thoughts and revive his cheerful mood. Thus
the crow acted as a catalyst for a positive change.
4. Before the fall of the dust of snow on him, the poet seemed to be in a depressed mood.
He was holding the day in regret. He was sad deep down in his heart. However, his
mental state changed after the incident and he started to look at the surroundings.
5. Our environment is an important determinant of our mood. It is true indeed that our
mental conditions depend on our surroundings. If the surroundings are positive, our
thoughts and mental condition will be healthy. Likewise, if our surroundings are
negative, our mental condition and thought process will be negative.
In the poem ‘Dust of Snow’, the poet writes about a crow who shakes off the snow dust.
This depicts how the crow shaking off snow dust made the poet shake off all his miseries
and sadness in the same way. Such small imageries present around us, have a lot to teach
us. These can change the mood of the people as they did to the poet in the poem.
6. Any situation we face evokes both positive and negative responses. The poet in the poem,
‘Dust of Snow’ was in a sorrowful mood. However, when a crow shook down the ‘dust
of snow’ on him, his bitter mood changed into a more optimistic one. Now, being in a
sorrowful or bad mood already, the poet could have gotten angry at the crow also.
However, the snow becomes a positive medium of change for him. It made him cheerful
to some extent and helped him forget his sadness, at least for a few moments. One must
not take things for granted and should be open and accept whichever way nature chooses
to bless us. Hence, instead of the negative aspect, we should focus on the positive one,
because our response may greatly affect the outcome of incidents.
 A letter to God

TASK 3 Revision

1. Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

In the north-east huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh
and sweet. The man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the
rain on his body, and when he returned, he exclaimed, these aren’t raindrops falling
from the sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little
ones are fives.
i. Why were the raindrops like new coins for Lencho?
a. Because he thought that the rain will yield a good harvest
b. Because Lencho thought he could practice rain water harvesting
c. Because it saved him from the cost of irrigation
d. Because it censured better weather for the transportation of goods
ii. How did these new coins ultimately bring disaster to his cornfield?

a. They over-watered his crops

b. They blocked the irrigation canals
c. They turned into hailstones and destroyed all his crops
d. They flooded the roads, halting any transportation
iii. The hailstones truly resemble new ________.
iv. How did these hailstones bring disaster to Lencho?
v. How did Lencho feel after the storm?

a. Lencho was utterly unhappy and distressed.

b. He was in a frenzy.
c. He was sad but relieved.
d. He felt suicidal.
2. Why would you not agree with Lencho calling them a bunch of crooks?
3. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
5. The people at the post-office contribute to put together whatever they can manage, for
Lencho.

a. What do you think was the main reason behind their help? Would you have done
the same if you were one of the employees?
b. As an employee, write about your perspective and reason(s) for contributing to
the fund. The fact that you don't want to say 'no' to a cause initiated by your boss,
can also be an equally compelling reason!

6. In the lesson A Letter to God, what moral values does the postmaster display in his
behaviour?

CHECK ANSWERS

SOLUTIONS

i. a. Because he thought that the rain will yield a good harvest.

ii. c. They turned into hailstones and destroyed all his crops
iii. silver coins
iv. The hailstones brought disaster to Lencho by destroying his entire field. The
corn was totally destroyed.
v. a. Lencho was utterly unhappy and distressed.
2. Lencho was not at all justified in calling them 'a bunch of crooks' because they helped
him by collecting money and understanding Lencho's unshakable faith in God. Each one
of them parted with some money for the act of charity which 'a bunch of crooks' would
never do.
3. Lencho has complete faith in God. The following sentences in the story tell us about this:

i. Lencho thought only one hope-the the help of God.

ii. He wrote, "God" if you don't help, my family and I will go hungry this year."
iii. Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money.

4. When the hailstorm stopped Lecho was filled with utter sadness. He was troubled to see
the corn which was totally destroyed. Nothing was left in the fields. He and his family
had to go hungry without corn. The rain affected his life badly.
5.

a. The main reason behind their help was to keep Lencho's faith in God intact. Yes, I
would also like to help someone who has such an immense faith in Almighty God
by giving a part of my earning just like the postmaster and the post office
employees did.
b. Exactly, saying 'no' to a cause initiated by my boss won't be a wise decision.
Lencho, who was a poor farmer, was in a fear of going hungry this year. His ripe
corn got destroyed due to an unexpected hailstorm. Lending a helping hand is a
true spirit of a true human being. I, too, won't hesitate while helping Lencho.
Moreover, to find people like Lencho is very rare in this materialistic world. He
was true gem of his own type. And helping such a man was infact, just like
helping God himself

6. The Postmaster first laughed looking at the letter which had a strange address. But soon
he became serious. He was surprised at the faith that Lencho had in God. He wanted his
faith to be intact in God. The postmaster was a kind and compassionate human being. He
tried to keep Lencho's faith in God intact by collecting the amount for him. He was an
empathetic and softhearted person who cared for Lencho. He displayed good leadership
qualities by asking each Post office employee to contribute to his extent. The postmaster
himself gave a part of his salary and also requested his employees and a few friends to
contribute for the good cause as a charity. He encouraged to perceive others in a more
positive light. He was a man who fostered a sense of community building and wished to
spread positivity which helps in creating a healthy society.