A Thing of Beauty;NCERT Solutions and Summary for Class 12

                         A Thing of Beauty

                                                  -John Keats

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Summary:

"A Thing of Beauty" by John Keats is a romantic poem.It is primarily based on Greek mythology about a shepherd named Endymion and his quest for his love Diana.However,during his quest he falls in with an Earthly maiden,who later turned out to be Diana.

Stanza-1:(A Thing of beauty....and quiet         breathing.)

In the above lines,the poet says that beauty is perennial and stays forever.Beauty never fades away and on the contrary it increases with every passing moment of time.It flourishes more than ever with every passing day and grows along time.For the poet,beauty is like a beautiful shady tree under whose shade all creatures can sleep peacefully and experience a life full of prosperity and good health.

Stanza-2:(Therefore,on every morrow...from our dark spirits.)

According to the poet,he thinks that everyday,it is beauty which fills us with the spirit to live life with zeal.Beauty has one of the sole reasons which gives to strength to live through sad moments and with several cruel people around us.Had there been no beauty,the Earth would be full of cruel and fake people.There would moments full of sadness and gloom.Keats is of the opinion that beauty is being created by God in order to remove sadness from our hearts.So,beauty becomes one of the reasons why humanity has still managed to flourish even with the rise of vices.

Stanza-3:(Such the moon....mid forest brake)

In the 3rd stanza,the poet describes the beautiful things which are present in Earth.These are the Sun,Moon,trees,flowers such as Daffodils and the rivers.The poet says that all these things are kind of a blessing bestowed upon all the creatures by Mother Earth so life can be beautiful.He futher goes on to describe how each of them add beauty to our lives.The trees provide us shade,flowers with beauty,rivers with their cool and clear water during hot summers.All of these are the beauties of nature which are like a favourite boon for all of us.

Stanza-4:(Rich with a....heaven's brink)

The poet further carries on with the description of the more beautiful things which are present on Earth.He gives various examples of what he thinks is/are beautiful.Some of these are the beautiful musk roses which have a great fragrance,the tales of warriors who laid their lives for their countries or humanity.He again repeats his point how these beautiful things are the gifts of God for all of us.They are like a nectar given by God to us and these beauties are immortal.These small yet beautiful things are one of the prime reasons why we can be happy despite having innumerable sorrows in our lives.

Difficult Words:

i)Bower:A shady place under the tree.

ii)Morrow:The following day.

iii)Wreathing:Surround or to encircle.

iv)Despondence:Depressed.

v)Gloomy:Sad.

vi)Boon:A blessing.

vii)Rills:A small stream.

viii)Brake:A process of slowing down.

ix)Grandeur:High rank or socially important.

x)Brink:Edge.

Rhyme Scheme:

aa bb cc dd

Literary Devices:

i)Metaphor:"Bower Quiet"- Calmness of the bower is compared to the calming effect of a beautiful thing.

ii)Anaphora:"Of noble nature—Of all the    unhealthy"

iii)Inversion:Normal order of words is reversed.

"Are we wreathing a flowery band."

iv)Antithesis:Opposite words placed together.

"Old and young"

v)Imagery:"Bushes full of musk roses."

About Author:

John Keats was born in London in the year 1795 and died in Rome in 1821 at the young age of 25 because of his illness.He is one of the most famous romantic poets ever.His poems are still considered as to be the benchmark of what is considered as absolute beauty.

NCERT Questions:

A)Think it Out.

1)There are various beautiful things mentioned in the poem.These include the Sun,Moon,shady trees, beautiful daffodil flowers,streams of clear water,dense green bushes of forest ferns where fragrant musk roses grow.The poet is also of the opinion that the tales of heroic men who sacrifice their lives are also very beautiful.

2)Along with the beautiful things,the poet has also made an attempt to list the things which cause suffering and pain.Some of these are the desire to offend others,hopelessness,lack of noble men,bad health,unhappiness,gloom and darkness.

3)The poet is a lover of beauty.By the means of his senses,he discovers beauty and establishes the fact that man is linked to nature eternally.The poet thinks that these things of beauty are like wreaths of beautiful flowers.With all the beautiful and enchanting things surrounding us,we seem to weave a flowery band everyday.All these keeps us attached to the beauties of the Earth.

4)Life can be challenging at various junctions of time.There are many situations which become so troublesome that they dampen our spirits.However,some form beauty or another brings love and cheerfulness in our lives in spite of everything against us.A thing of beauty has the ability to remove the pall of sadness and makes us fall in love with life again.

5)The "mighty dead" were very powerful and dominating persons during their own times.Their achievements made them 'mighty' and great.Their noble works are still praiseworthy.We imagine that such mighty dead forefathers will certainly attain grandeur on the doomsday.Hence,the poet has associated 'grandeur' with the 'mighty dead'.

6)Things of beauty make us feel happy by coming in contact with them.These things leave a lasting impression on us.And Keats makes it absolutely certain by his own statement-"A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever".Its beauty never diminshes or declines with the passage of time.Its loveliness goes on increasing with every moment.And being perrenial,it removes the pall of sadness that covers our spirits.

7)The poem uses a very enchanting image to describe the beautiful bounty of the Earth.The poet has referred to the endless fountain of immortal drink.According to the poet,it is constantly poured into our hearts blissfully from heaven.This is the reason why the poet calls the 'beautiful bounty of the Earth' as 'an endless fountain of immortal drink'.

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