Poem: A Lecture Upon the Shadow NCERT Solutions | Class 12 English Kaleidoscope - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Understanding The Poem

Q1: How do the shadows before noon differ from the shadows afternoon? What do the two kinds of shadow represent?
Ans: The Poet refers to Noon as 12 PM, a very short time. A minute preceding or succeeding Noon is either morning or evening. In a relationship based on love, there is an opportune time when two people understand each other perfectly. Similarly, the shadows before and after Noon are meant to describe the actors’ relationship in love before and after the right time when their relationship has matured and they understand each other perfectly. The shadow before noon is clear whereas afternoon it fades away.

Q2: Love is described as light. What makes the poet talk about shadows?
Ans: According to the Poet, the shadows represent the ups and downs in a relationship based on love. The shadows represent parallel human bonding which is tested over a gradual period of time. The length of the shadow is meant to depict maturity in love. As described in the poem, the shortest length of the shadow is an Noon (12 PM) depicting utmost understanding as compared to a longer shadow during the early part of the day.

Q3: Comment on the use of the image of the shadows for the idea that the poet wants to convey.
Ans: The poet has to clear ideologies in narration. One depicting the bond of love and understanding between two people. This ideology compares the relationship based on the length of the shadow. In the second ideology, the Poet draws a simile to love being intrinsic and extrinsic during the latter and initial stages of the relationship respectively.

Q4: The poet seems to be addressing his beloved in the poem. What is the message he wishes to convey to her?
Ans: The poet in the poem while addressing his beloved wants to convey her about the different stages of love. He is trying to explain his lady love that at the beginning of love everything seems to be good and smooth in a relation. He tries to make her understand that when the love is fresh both the people don’t look at their personalities they only think of love but as the relation grows they get to know each other much closer, and have a clearer picture. Over period of time, love grows maturity comes. He tries to explain that there are ups and downs in every relation.

Q5: Instead of ‘A Lecture Upon Love’ the poet calls the poem ‘A Lecture Upon the Shadow’. What is the effect that this has on our reading of the poem?
Ans: Love is referred to as a strong bond or attraction between the two souls. In fact it is the shadow of devotion. The true form if love is this devotion. The poet has adopted the shadow as the best imagery of love. 

Talking About The Text

Q1: Notice the spelling of the following words
houres - shadowes - Sunne
noone - clearnesse - behinde
The ‘e’ that was used in Donne’s period got dropped from English orthography later. Pick out the other words in the poem that have this peculiar feature.
Ans: The other words in the poem that have this peculiar feature are:
i. Thine
ii. Worke
iii. Blinde
iv. Thee

Q2: Take note also that the apostrophe is not used for indicating the possessive form: loves philosophy.
Ans: i. Produc’d
ii. Reduc’d
iii. Now’tis
iv. Attain’d
v. High’st

Q3: Examples from other poems from this period:

• How neatly doe we give one onely name
• To parents issue and the sunnes bright starre!

Ans: In the  given words, in the first sentence doe , the actual word is 'do' Onely, the actual word is ' only '  In both words, 'e' is used    In the second sentence apostrophe is not used, in words like parents and sunnes . ‘e’ was used and apostrophe was not used in Donnie’s period. Poet got dropped it from English orthography later. 

Try This Out

Q1: Notice the adjectives in phrases such as ‘infant loves’ and ‘brave clearnesse’. What is the meaning of these adjectives
(i) in isolation
(ii) as part of these phrases.
Ans: (i) The meaning of the adjective in isolation is to be away from everyone or to stay alone.
(ii) The meaning of the adjective as part of these phrase means repetition of words at the starting of a line.