Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Short Answer Questions

Q1: What was not liked by the young men?
Ans: The young men are obsessed with appearances rather than the real person. It is important to note that everyone wants to be loved for their true personality rather than their appearance just like how the poem designates. The young man mentioned in the poem dislikes gray or red hair, and they are more concerned with outer beauty than with inner beauty.

Q2: The young woman’s hair is yellow coloured. She is ready to change her hair color to another color. Why would she want to do so?
Ans: The young woman is willing to do so because she wants to be loved for her nature and her inner self rather than for her appearance. Furthermore, she wishes to be loved for her inner beauty rather than her yellow hair color.

Q3: What does the old religious man say?
Ans: The old religious man claims to have discovered a text proving that only God can love us for who we are and not for our physical beauty. He is the one who truly cares about us. God is the only one who does not judge a person by his or her looks.

Q4: What is the central idea of the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’?
Ans: The poem expresses the idea that physical beauty is important for young men or humans, but God does not love humans for their physical beauty. In this poem, the poet describes a lover who adores a young lady’s yellow hair but despises her ramparts. His love is rejected by the lady.

Q5: To whom is the first stanza of the poem addressed? What does the speaker say to her?
Ans: The poem’s first stanza is addressed to a lady named Anne Gregory. She had a significant impact on the poet. He held a high regard for her. He tells her that, despite her noble status, no one would love her solely for herself.

Q6: What are Anne’s views on external beauty?
Ans: Anne does not value external beauty and wishes to be loved for who she is. She claims that her beautiful hair, which attracts so many men, can be changed and coloured in various ways. This demonstrates Anne’s belief that external beauty is unimportant and changeable.

Q7: Why do young men love Anne for her hair and not for herself alone?
Ans: Anne Gregory is so stunning that no man can look past her exterior beauty and into her true nature. Her attractive external features keep men from getting to know the real her. This is what causes the speaker to say that young men love Anne for her hair rather than for herself.

Q8: Between whom does the conversation in the poem take place?
Ans: The poem is a dialogue between a speaker, who could be the poet or Anne Gregory’s lover or friend, and Anne Gregory herself. The other speaker believes that young men love Anne because of her external beauty, but Anne claims that this is not true and that young men should love her for herself.

Q9: Why is the youth in despair in the poem “For Anne Gregory”?
Ans: The young man loves Anne. He is attracted to her external beauty. Young men are in despair because of her exquisite beauty. They want to make her fall in love with them.

Q10: What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured / Ramparts in your ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by them? ”
Ans: The “great honey-colored / Ramparts at your ear” refers to the beautiful yellow coloured hair that falls at the woman’s ear and covers it like a wall around a fort. He says that the young men are “thrown into despair” by them because they look so beautiful on the women that her beauty gets thoroughly enhanced. The young men fall in love with her and feel despair because they cannot win her heart. He says that it is not possible that someone would love her alone and not her yellow hair.

Long Answer Questions
Q11: The poet in the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that we should give importance to inner beauty and not physical appearance. Elaborate with reference to the poem.
Ans: In the conversation  between Anne Gregory and another speaker, the poet tried to show that inner beauty is true beauty, while physical appearance is changeable and therefore meaningless. The first speaker tells Anne that young men love her for her beautiful yellow hair and may never love her for who she really is.  Anne replies that her hair color can be changed to black, brown or carrot, which means that outer beauty is superficial and men should not love her for that. With Anne’s answer, the poet explained that only God preferred inner beauty to physical appearance. No one else loved someone for his or her inner beauty, other than God.

Q12: How right or wrong is it to judge someone on the basis of his/her physical appearance?
Ans: Physical appearance never gives a true image of a person, because it can be changed with the help of clothes, make-up and the like. Something that is not true and real should not be a parameter to judge the person who wears it. A man must be judged by his behavior, which shows the true qualities of his personality. Thus, in her response, Anne explains that her beautiful hair color that attracts men is variable, so that men should not fall in love with her based on her hair color.
I believe that a person’s behavior and qualities make his personality and they are the true parameters which help us know them better.

Q13: Why do you think the other speaker mentioned the old religious man and the text that proves that only God can love Anne for herself alone?
Ans: This is because the speaker wanted to tell Anne that her wish for men not to see her outer beauty will not be fulfilled. The speaker tells Anne that only God can be so great that he shuns external beauty and looks beyond it. Man, on the other hand, falls in love with everything that looks beautiful on the outside and does not care about what is on the inside.
The speaker is trying to guide and counsel Anne. He wants to warn her of the lovers who are attracted to her hair color. They do not love her truly and so, he wants to safeguard Anne from becoming a victim.

Q14: Do we love people because we like their appearances or we are fascinated by their physical appearances? How does Anne Gregory want to be loved?
Ans: It is a world of pomp and pageantry. Things and people are often disliked and loved not because of their merits, but because of their appearance. Anne Gregory’s honey auburn hair looks like the ramparts of a fortress as it falls over her ears. Many love Anne Gregory just because of her blonde hair. Anne, however, does not like to be loved and loved like this. After all, what does color matter? She can dye her hair anyway she wants. She can paint them brown, black, red or whatever she wants. If the lover only likes her beautiful hair, she will not accept him. She should be loved “for herself”. But this world does not go according to his wishes. According to the poem, only God can love a person as he is. Beautiful blonde hair will continue to attract people, even if most of us change our mindsets and appearance will continue to play a role in one’s life. Generally, we all are affected by the appearance of a person, though it does influence our likes or dislikes for others, even when it should not.

Q15: People are not objects. They should be valued for being themselves. What lesson does the poet want to give to the readers through this poem?
Ans: That is entirely correct. People are not inanimate objects. Appearances can be deceiving. A person should be liked and loved for who he or she is. We are tempted and dazzled by outward appearances. Many people would like to see Anne’s beautiful hair fall over her ears like the ramparts of a fort. Many people adore Anne Gregory because of her stunning yellow hair. Finding a true lover who loves Anne for ‘herself alone’ would be difficult. One might wonder, “What’s the big deal about yellow hair?” but Anne laughs at this notion and the idea of being loved because of her yellow hair. She can dye her hair any color she wants, including brown, black, carrot, and yellow. However, the irony of this world and the poem is that people will continue to be tempted and dazzled by glamor, show and outward appearances. According to the poem, only God can love a person for ‘himself or herself’ alone.

Q16: What is the theme of the poem ‘ For Anne Gregory’?
Ans: The idea of ”beauty” is a cultural or man-made concept. Therefore this thought is very one-dimensional and unchanging. The women with lighter hair (and lighter skin, though that’s not the point here) are considered beautiful, while the women with darker hair are considered ugly. This idea is so widespread that everyone takes it for granted and blindly believes in it. Even Anne Gregory thinks the same way about beauty. She believes that if she dyes her hair black, brown or red, she will look ugly, unlike her natural blonde and honey colored hair, which make her beautiful. However, the poet gives us an alternative image of beauty when he tells Anne that because she is a beautiful person inside, she cannot look ugly even if she wants to. It means that beauty is within us, not outside.
By repeatedly telling Anne that men only love her because of her yellow hair, the poet has made it clear that men only judge women by their physical appearance. However, the poet believes that this is very wrong. He believes that men should get to know who women are inside and appreciate them for the same reason. He knows who Anne really is and therefore can be assured that she is a beautiful person inside.

Q17: What according to you is the tone of the poem?
Ans: William Butler Yeats wrote the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ in a conversational tone. The poem is a dialogue between the poet and Anne Gregory. The poem discusses how various people perceive beauty. Humans age, and their beauty gradually fades. It is only temporary, and there is no way to stay young and retain everything. The poem also links love and beauty.
The poet expresses his views on how people place far too much emphasis on something as insignificant as hair. Men are drawn to women with golden hair because they find it attractive. The poet refers to the protagonist’s hair as ramparts. Ramparts are defensive fortifications that aid in one’s safety. As a result, the poet suggests that her hair is like a fortress that frames her face. According to the poet, it is difficult to find people who love Anne Gregory for who she is as a person. Men are only drawn to her physical beauty. These men are not perfect lovers because their love may fade if Miss Gregory loses her hair and beauty.

Q18: Imagine Anne Gregory grows up to be a motivational speaker. As Anne Gregory, write a short speech on the importance of loving oneself. You may begin this way: Dear friends
The importance of believing in oneself can never be overstated. It becomes most important, therefore, to love oneself. I learnt this, as a young teen, the day a poet pointed out that…… (continue)……….
Ans: Dear Friends,
The importance of believing in yourself can never be overstated. Therefore, the most important thing is to love yourself. I learned this as a young teenager when a poet made me realize that this world is obsessed with acting, glamor and glitz. I learned this as a young teenager the day a poet remarked that no man in this world would love me for myself. Men  always desperately love me  for my physical features and outer beauty.
Many love me just for my blonde hair. But I don’t want that kind of love based on looks. I want true love. Love  based on the heart and soul of a person. I want someone to love me for who I am instead of what I look like because my appearance changes over time. True love cannot be sustained by something that changes over time, but it can be sustained by something that is not physical, ie. spirituality and the true inner self.
All I can say, at least for myself, is that I don’t enjoy the love that  my golden hair and such things direct. I am not hopeless and I will definitely find my true love one day.

Q19: Just as a love for outer appearances is not true love, love for the sake of money is not true love either. Pen down a dialogue exchange between Anne Gregory and any character from “The Proposal” where Ane tries to explain how loving others simply for who they are is the most important virtue that everyone must possess.
Ans:

• Anne Gregory: Hello! I don’t think you should marry Lomov for his money. It ain’t love, baby. This is selfishness. True love is based entirely  on a person’s inner beauty, not on any physical or social qualities, Natalya. 
• Natalja: I don’t agree with you, Anne. Money is important and a motivation in itself. that brings a smile to the people around you. You can’t do without money. If no one is available, he risks becoming depressed. His social standing is at stake. Money is an obstacle from happiness to sadness. Money Is More Important Than Love: 
• Anne Gregory: I can’t believe it. I firmly believe that money will never bring happiness. Money can buy an expensive bed, but not a good night’s sleep. Love can do that. At the end of the day, the most important thing for a full and happy life is to love all that you are and trust that life will love you in return.

Q20: Imagine the poem was written for Anne Gregory’s brother, Miller Gregory.
(a) Would that poem be different from the original poem? If so, highlight the differences it would have.
(b) Pen down the advice you think the poet persona would have given to Miller Gregory.
Ans: a) If the poem had been written for Miller Gregory, Anne Gregory’s brother, it would have been completely different from the original poem. This is because according to the world and society, women are considered naturally sensitive and tender and delicate. Then, instead of describing Gregory’s physical beauty, the poet Miller might have been talking about his chivalry or bravery, which is more appropriate for a man to attribute to ‘manhood’.
(b) The views expressed by the poet in the poem certainly indicate that the poet would have advised Miller Gregory to praise the inner qualities of his lady love rather than to seek physical beauty. The poet would have advised him not to be flattered by his appearance. It attracts and dazzles us, but let him know that it is temporary and illusory. As said in the poem, Only God can love a person “for himself”. However,  a man should also be guided by this quality to love a woman or any person unconditionally, regardless of their physical beauty.