Poem 3 - Keeping Quiet Class 12 English Flamingo

Key Points of the Poem

• The poem Keeping Quiet written by Pablo Neruda is about peace, fraternity and prosperity. This poem during 1950s, a time when the world had suffered a dead war.
• The poet too has experienced the repercussions of war and his appeal for peace shows that he is fed up seeing humans killing each other for power and money.
• In this poem, the poet asks us to keep quiet for a while and stop doing the worldly things and instead think about ourselves, our nature and our brothers whom we hate, Poet believes that, this way we will be able to build a better world.
• The poem has been divided into five stanzas. The lines vary from stanza to stanza. The poem is quite easy to understand. However we will go word by word to make everything clear.

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Detailed Summary

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

In the first stanza, the poet asks the audience to pause, stop doing anything, count to twelve, and then keep still—i.e., remain silent. The phrase "count to twelve" is symbolic and may signify our daily routine or even unity (as the clock’s hands meet at twelve).

Regardless of the meaning, the poet is asking us to remain silent. At this moment, we will not speak in any language (since languages often create barriers and divisions), but instead, we will keep silent, which is the universal language, a uniting factor.

The poet also urges us to stop for a second and not move our arms, suggesting that we leave aside our work and worldly pursuits, and instead remain in silence.

The first stanza conveys that the poet is against the barriers that divide us and the worldly desires that fuel them.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

The poet imagines a world where we pause our worldly affairs and remain silent. It would be an exotic (strange) moment, free from rush and the noise of engines (machines). In this moment of stillness, we would all be united in a strange but peaceful togetherness.

The poet also imagines that fishermen would not harm whales in the cold sea, and the man gathering salt would pause and reflect on his hurt hands, caused by excessive work.

During this moment of stillness, we would wonder why we do what we do, and this reflection would surely impact our thinking.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

In this stanza, Neruda addresses those who are responsible for environmental destruction and violence—those who prepare green wars (i.e., deforestation), wars with gas (pollution), and wars with fire (weapons). He imagines that these people would put on clean clothes (symbolizing a change of heart) and walk peacefully with their brothers in the shade (symbolizing protection and peace), doing nothing harmful.

The poet clarifies that he doesn’t mean total inactivity. Instead, he advocates for no more harm to others. Life is meant to be lived in peace, not perpetuating death. This line is especially emotional as the poet, having experienced the destruction of World War II, does not wish to witness any more mass deaths.

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.

Neruda criticizes humanity’s single-mindedness—our obsession with growth, greed, and materialism. If we could pause and embrace silence for once, we could break the sadness that stems from not understanding ourselves and our self-destructive tendencies. The poet suggests that this mentality—our greed and selfishness—causes wars, murders, and destruction, and prevents us from understanding our true, peaceful nature.

Neruda believes that if we take a moment to be silent, we can heal the sadness that pervades our lives.

Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

In the final stanza, the poet uses the Earth as a metaphor for patience and perseverance. Although nature may appear dead at times (such as trees growing slowly), it is always alive in the end. The poet encourages us to be like the Earth—patient, enduring, and always hopeful.

He repeats the initial lines, signaling that it is now time for action. The poet asks us to count to twelve and remain silent, fulfilling his purpose of changing our mentality.

Conclusion

The summary of Keeping Quiet reveals the profound impact that silence and self-introspection can have in making the world a better place.

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Literary Devices

1. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

   • Example: “we will count,” “sudden strangeness,” “stop for one second,” “his hurt hands,” “clean clothes.”

2. Repetition: The repetition of phrases for emphasis.

   • Example: “without rush, without engines.”

3. Symbolism: Various symbols are used throughout the poem.

   • Examples: “Brothers” symbolize humanity, “green wars” refer to deforestation, “wars with gas” symbolize pollution, “clean clothes” represent a change in perspective, “shade” symbolizes protection.

4. Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas.

   • Example: “count to twelve and we will all keep still.” Counting and keeping still are contrasting actions.

5. Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things.

   • Example: “Earth can teach us.”

6. Metaphor: A comparison between two things that aren't alike but have something in common.

   • Example: “shade” as protection.

7. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence across multiple lines.

   • Example: “Now we will count to twelve
     and we will all keep still.”

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Difficult Words

• Still - Without movement, Calm
• For Once - One Single Time
• Exotic - Unusual, Strange
• Rush - Hurry
• Engines - Factory, Vehicles
• Cold Sea - Sea whose water is cold
• Whale - Type of a big Fish
• Huge - Very Big
• Interrupt - Break