MATRIC ENGLISH SINDH BOARD BEAUTIFUL HANDS

 

BEAUTIFUL HANDS

 

Reference:

This poem is written by an American poetess Ellen M.H.Gates. She wrote religious songs. Collection of her poems were published in 1987 and 1910.

Central Idea:

Mother’s hands are the symbol of Love. A mother is a pivot, around which the whole family revolves. She relieves the tedium of life, sheds the divine light in the darkness, alleviates distress, does her duties by her children makes them happy, healthy and intelligent citizens of tomorrow. The progress of a nation depends upon the care and skill with which mothers rear up their children.

Theme:

The theme of this poem can be expressed in the words of Napoleon:

“Give me good mothers, I’ll Give you a good nation.”

or

“The hands that rock the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”

 

Fill in the blanks.

i.                    The poem “Beautiful Hands” is written by Ellen M. H. Gates.

ii.                   Ellen M. H. Gates was born in Torrington Connecticut (USA) in1835.

iii.               She wrote religious songs "The Home of the Soul" and "Eternity" for well-known magazines.

iv.                Collections of her poems were published in 1897 and 1910.

v.                  Such beautiful, beautiful hands, they're neither white nor small;

vi.                And you, I know, would scarcely think that they were fair at all.

vii.              I've looked on hands whose form and hue a sculptor's dream might be,

viii.           Yet are these aged wrinkled hands most beautiful to me

ix.                These patient hands kept toiling on that the children might be glad,

x.                  I almost weep when looking back to childhood's distant day.

xi.                I think how these hands rested not when mine were at their play.

xii.             They're growing feeble now,

xiii.           When 'neath the daisies, out of sight,

xiv.            But oh! beyond the shadowy lands where all is bright and fair,

xv.              When crystal streams, through endless years,

 

 

 

 

 

Question and Answers:

 

Q.1    What words or phrases tell us that they are not pretty in the physical sense?

Ans. The words “ages and wrinkled” tell us that the hands are not beautiful in their physical appearance. It means that these hands are old and full of wrinkles. They are neither fair nor small but rough and big.

 

 

Q.2    Why does the poetess praise the hands in the second stanza?

Ans. The poetess praises the hands in the second stanza because these hands carelessly work hard in spite of exhaustion and utter fatigue in order to provide happiness to her children. The poetess is showing repentance because when she was young, she could’ve helped her mother in doing chores of daily life but she did not.

 

 

Q.3    In the third stanza, what does “These hands must be folded be” mean?

Ans. The words, “These hands must be folded” mean that the death time of the poetess mother was near to come. The poetess is showing her grief because soon her mother would be under the layers of wildflowers in a folding manner.

 

Q.4    Who does the poetess praise in this poem?

Ans. In this poem, the poetess pays a high tribute to her mother’s hands for their spiritual beauty. She further defined these hands that they worked restlessly in spite of facing tribulations of life so that her family might enjoy a happy life.

 

Reference to the context:

 

           “Such beautiful, beautiful hands,

They're neither white nor small;

And you, I know, would scarcely think

That they were fair at all.

I've looked on hands whose form and hue

A sculptor's dream might be,

Yet are these aged wrinkled hands

Most beautiful to me.”

 

i.                   Name the poem. Who wrote this poem?

Ans.     The name of the poem is “Beautiful Hands”.  Ellen M.H Gates wrote this poem.

ii.                 Whose hands are praised in the above stanza?

Ans.     A mother’s hands are praised in the above stanza. The poetess beautifully praises the mother’s hands in a spiritual sense.

iii.                What words or phrases tell us that they are not pretty in the physical sense?

Ans.    The phrase “Aged Wrinkled hands” expresses the idea that the mother’s hands are not physically pretty but spiritually beautiful.

 

         

         “But oh! beyond the shadowy lands,

Where all is bright and fair,

I know full well these dear old hands

Will palms of victory bear;

When crystal streams, through endless years,

Flow over golden sands,

And where the old are young again,

I'll clasp my mother's hands.”

 

i.                   Name the poem. Who wrote this poem?

Ans.     The name of the poem is “Beautiful Hands”.  Ellen M.H Gates wrote this poem.

ii.                 How does the poetess praise the hands in the above stanza?

Ans.     The poetess says that mother’s hands are the light in the dark. Mother’s hands are      the stream in drought. Mother’s hands are the symbol of victory on the battlefield.

iii.               Who is the speaker of the above stanza?

            Ans.        The poetess Ellen M.H Gates is the speaker of the above stanza. As she used the pronoun ‘I’ in                                 two of the lines of the stanza that gives us an idea about the speaker of the stanza.