The Flower School Summary Class 7 English Oxford

About the Poet

Rabindranath Tagore, a renowned Indian poet, writer, and philosopher, was born in 1861 in Calcutta, India. He became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Tagore's works often explored themes of nature, spirituality, love, and human emotions.

Key Points of the Poem

• This poem describes the arrival of rain and how it influences nature.
• The poem consists of multiple stanzas that vividly depict the reactions of flowers to the rain.
• It portrays a child's innocent musings about the behavior of flowers during rain.
• Themes of nature, childhood curiosity, and the cycle of life are prevalent throughout the poem.

Detailed Summary

Stanza 1
When storm-clouds rumble in the sky and June showers come down
The moist east wind comes marching over the heath to blow its
bagpipes among the bamboos.

In this part of the poem, the poet talks about stormy weather. Imagine the sky looking dark and scary, like it's ready to pour down rain. The rainy season in June brings heavy showers. The wind from the east, which is moist and gentle, moves over the open land known as the heath. It's almost like the wind is making music by blowing through the bamboos like bagpipes, creating a unique sound.

Stanza 2
Then crowds of flowers come out Of a sudden, from nobody knows
where, and dance upon the grass in wild glee.

Now, in this part, the poet describes how suddenly a lot of flowers appear out of nowhere. It's like a surprise! These flowers seem to pop up from unknown places and start dancing happily on the grass. They move around joyfully, as if they are celebrating something special.

Stanza 3
They do their lessons with doors shut, and if they want to
come out to play before it is time, their master makes them stand
in a corner.

Here, the poet imagines that these flowers have a secret life. He says that they have lessons to learn, just like children in a school. When it's not time for them to come out and play, their teacher makes them stay indoors. If they try to come out early, they are scolded and made to stand in a corner, just like when children misbehave in class.

Stanza 4
When the rain comes they have their holidays.
Branches clash together in the forest, and the leaves rustle
in the wild wind, the thunder-clouds clap their giant hands and the
flower children rush out in dresses of pink and yellow and white.

This stanza tells us that when it rains, the flowers get to take a break from their lessons. The poet paints a picture of the forest during a storm. The branches of the trees hit against each other, and the leaves make soft sounds as they move in the strong wind. It's like the clouds are applauding with loud claps of thunder, and then the flowers, like children, happily come out in their colorful dresses of pink, yellow, and white.

Stanza 5
Do you know, mother, their home is in the sky, where the stars are.
Haven't you seen how eager they are to get there? Don't you
know why they are in such a hurry?
Of course, I can guess to Whom they raise their arms; they
have their mother as I have my own

In the final stanza, the poet wonders if you know that the flowers actually belong in the sky, where the stars twinkle at night. He asks if you've noticed how excited they seem to reach up to the sky. It's like they are in a rush to get there. The poet then mentions that he can guess why the flowers are reaching towards the sky. Just like he has his own mother, the flowers also have a special connection or "mother" they are reaching out to, symbolizing a deeper meaning and connection between nature and something beyond our understanding. 

Theme/Message

Theme:

• Nature's cycle and its impact on living beings.
• The bond between nature and human emotions.
• The curiosity and innocence of childhood.

Message:

• Nature's rhythms and patterns affect all living things, even flowers.
• There is a deep connection between humans and the natural world.
• Childhood wonder and imagination can offer unique insights into the workings of nature.

Difficult Words

1. Rumble: make a continuous deep, resonant sound.
2. Heath: an area of open uncultivated land.
3. Bagpipes: a musical instrument with a reed melody pipe and one or more accompanying drone pipes sounded by the breath.
4. Glee: great delight.
5. Rustle: make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves or paper.
6. Eager: strongly wanting to do or have something.
7. Emerge: move out of or away from something and become visible.
8. Clash: meet and come into violent conflict.
9. Curiosity: a strong desire to know or learn something.
10. Musings: a period of reflection or thought.