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Echoing Green: NBSE class 9 English notes, questions, answers
Get notes, questions, answers, solutions, Assam, pdf, and extras of NBSE class 9 English chapter Echoing Green by William Blake. However, these notes should be used only for references and additions/modifications should be made as per the requirements.
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Summary
The Echoing Green by William Blake is a joyful poem celebrating the advent of spring. The green fields, chirruping birds and playing children remind the elderly observers of their own childhood. Thus the season brings joy to all. The older people remember their youth, just as these children will someday be reminded of it by their own descendants. These children, too, in their old age will talk of their youth. The old man sitting under the oak tree in the green is a symbol of strength and security.
In the last stanza, the mood is melancholic where the “echoing” green becomes the “darkening” green. Spring will always come, but it will eventually end. This symbolises that the joy and vitality of the season will give way to the coldness and gloominess of autumn and winter. Similarly, there will always be young people to celebrate their joy in this world, but every young child will one day grow into an adult like “Old John,” who must sit and remember his joyful youth.
Textual questions and answers
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The ‘echoing green’ in the poem means
A. childhood and youth B. the spring season C. the echo of laughter in the meadows D. the break of dawn
Answer: A. childhood and youth
2. The poem talks about the cycle of day and night as also the
A. cycle of season changes B. water cycle from the lakes to the sky C. cycle of change and decay D. life cycle of man
Answer: D. life cycle of man
3. The rhyme scheme of the second stanza is
A. aabbaabbaa B. bcdabcdab C. aaabbbcccd D. aabbccddee
Answer: D. aabbccddee
4. The line ‘The sun does descend’ refers to
A. the end of day B. the last stage in the life of a man C. evening and old age D. the arrival of winter
Answer: C. evening and old age
5. The first stanza ends with ‘the echoing green’ whereas the last stanza ends with ‘the darkening green’. This shows the transition from
A. dawn to dusk B. youth to old age B. both the above options D. none of the above options
Answer: C. both the above options
Answer these questions
1. In line 2, the skies are referred to as ‘happy’. What do you think this description means? Why would ‘happy’ be used to describe the skies?
Answer: It means that the children are happy due to the good weather. The word “happy” is used to describe the sky because of the clear, bright sky.
2. Pick the words in stanza I that bring out the happiness that envelopes everything.
Answer: Happy, merry, sing, welcome, cheerful, sound.
3. In line 11, the speaker refers to ‘Old John’, an old man who remembers his own childhood. Do you think this is a real person?
Answer: Old John may be a real person or a symbol representing old age, memories, and nostalgia.
4. What are the ‘old folk’ doing?
Answer: The old folks are sitting beneath the shade of an oak tree watching the children playing on the green field and they laugh seeing children playing and those remind them of their own childhood days.
5. In the last stanza, what are the ‘little ones’ doing?
Answer: The little ones are getting ready to go to bed to rest since they are tired after playing for all these times like the birds return to their nests when they are tired at the sunset.
6. Contrast the mood of the last stanza with that in the earlier part of the poem.
Answer: The first part of the poem Echoing Green by William Blake expresses a brighter time where the children are full of energy, enjoying the best part of their lives and the weather is as perfect as it can be. Altogether it pictures a happy scene. It symbolises the youthful days.
In the second part, however, the bright day comes to an end, marking the approach of a gloomy time where the children are now tired and want to go to their houses. The best of the time has gone. It symbolises the conclusion of the youthful days.
7. To what are old age and youth being compared in this poem? Why?
Answer: Old age and youth are being compared to the morning and the evening of the day in this poem.
In the poem Echoing Green by William Blake, youth is compared to the bright and comfortable morning of the day as, like the morning, youth is also the start of a long journey and it is a time of activity and energy. He compared old age to the dark evening as, like the evening, old age is also the end of the journey and people are no longer full of energy but tired.
8. Do you think the word ‘echo’ resonates with the mood of the scene? Give reasons.
Answer: Yes, the word ‘echo’ resonates with the mood of the scene.
The word ‘echo’ perfectly captures the essence of the scene, as watching the children at play, old John and the folks under the oak tree get nostalgic and start to think about their own childhood. They start reminiscing about the stories of their own youths.
9. Fill in the blanks with words/ phrases from the box below.
Answer: This is a joyful poem celebrating the advent of spring. The green fields, chirping birds and playing children remind the elderly observers of their own youth. Thus the season brings joy to all. The older people remember their youth just as these children will someday be reminded of it by their own descendants. These children too in their old age will talk of joys. The old man sitting under the oak in the green is a symbol of strength and security.
In the last stanza, the mood is melancholic where the “Echoing” green becomes the “darkening” green. Spring will always come, but it will eventually end. This symbolizes that joys and vitality of the season will give way to the cold of autumn and winter. Similarly, there will always be young people to celebrate their joy in this world, but every young child will one day grow into an adult like “Old John” who must sit and remember his joyful youth.
Style
The poem is marked by its simplicity of expression and structure, quick rhyming and commonplace vocabulary. Do these qualities have any bearing on the theme on the poem? Explain.
The poem’s style, marked by simple expression, quick rhyming, and familiar language, underscores its themes. This approach makes the joy of childhood and the cyclical nature of life both accessible and relatable. The quick rhymes contribute to a musical rhythm that echoes childhood’s playfulness, while the everyday vocabulary emphasizes the universality of youth, aging, and the natural cycles. Through these stylistic choices, Blake highlights life’s inherent joy and inevitability in a manner that resonates widely, encouraging reflection on personal experiences and the natural world.
Appreciation
1. What is the setting for this poem?
Answer: The poem Echoing Green by William Blake is about the different contrasting phases of life that a person must experience one at a time. This is beautifully represented in the poem through the picture of a village field where both young and old people gather to play and talk and reminisce.
2. Blake paints many a beautiful picture through his poetic verse to provide a vivid imagery. These sounds and images accompany the children playing outdoors. Fill in the table with this imagery.
Answer:
| Visual Imagery | Aural Imagery |
| happy the skies the sun does arise the darkening green | merry bells ring the skylark and thrush the birds of the bush sing louder around |
3. The poem follows the structure of a day- ‘the sun does arise’ at the beginning of the first verse, and ‘the sun does descend’ in the middle of the third stanza and can be read as a metaphor for human life. Explain this extended metaphor.
Answer: The rising sun symbolises childhood or youth when everyone is happy and joyful. Sports represent activities that dominate the youthful days. The descending sun symbolises the inevitable conclusion of life and old age when everyone is tired and just wants to go back home and sleep.
4. ‘On the echoing green’- is repeated twice in the poem. Why do you think it is repeated?
Answer: I think it is repeated twice to emphasise the never-ending cycle of the same phases of life through the lives of different people at different points in time. It was repeated to show that whatever was happening, had already happened before, and would be happening again.
5. Blake’s idea was to portray the ‘rising and setting’ of human life amidst the colourful backdrop of Nature. Explain.
Answer: Blake started the poem with the mention of the rising sun, to denote the beginning of the day, or metaphorically, the beginning of life. The rising sun symbolises childhood or youth, a time when everyone is happy and joyful. Even nature and its creatures appear to align with the merry-mindedness of the phase of life while sports and activities dominate the phase. With the advent of twilight and darkness at the end of the day, Blake pictured the gloomy end of the day or life, when people are tired and old and all they want is to go back home and fall asleep.
Read the lines from the poem and answer
1. The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush
Sing louder around
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the echoing green.
a) What time of the year is this?
b) What time of the day is it?
c) Mention the two happy sounds.
d) Mention the rhyme scheme.
Answer: a) This is the time of spring.
b) It is the morning time.
c) The two happy sounds are the sounds of the singing birds and the ringing bells of the churches.
d) The rhyme scheme is aa, bb, cc.
2. Old John with white hair
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak
Among the old folk.
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say:
‘Such such were the joys
when we all girls and boys,
a) What is old John doing?
b) What is he watching?
c) What is the tone/mood in these lines?
Answer: a) Old John along with other folks is sitting beneath the shade of an Oak tree.
b) He is watching the children playing.
c) The tone and mood in these lines indicate joy.
3. Till the little ones weary
No more can be merry;
The sun does descend”
And our sports have an end.
a) What are the children doing?
b) How has the mood changed?
c) What part of the cycle of life is it?
Answer: a) The children are tired and so they run to their mothers and fall to sleep on their laps.
b) The mood has changed to weariness or tiredness.
c) It refers to old age.
Extra MCQs
1. Who is mentioned as enjoying the echoing green under an oak?
A. Children playing B. Birds singing C. Old John with white hair D. The skylark and thrush
Answer: C. Old John with white hair
2. What symbolizes the end of activities in the poem?
A. The sun rising B. The children sleeping C. The sun descending D. Birds leaving the nest
Answer: C. The sun descending
3. What represents joy and vitality in the poem?
A. The darkening green B. The echoing green C. The arrival of winter D. The setting of the sun
Answer: B. The echoing green
4. What does ‘Old John’ symbolize in the poem?
A. Childhood innocence B. Nature’s beauty C. The passage of time and reminiscence D. The joy of spring
Answer: C. The passage of time and reminiscence
5. How are the skies described at the beginning of the poem?
A. Stormy B. Clear C. Happy D. Dark
Answer: C. Happy
6. What marks the transition from morning to evening in the poem?
A. The laughing of old folk B. The echo of laughter in the meadows C. The descent of the sun D. The end of spring
Answer: C. The descent of the sun
7. What does the poem contrast through its depiction of the echoing green?
A. Different seasons B. Youth and old age C. Various types of birds D. Day and night
Answer: B. Youth and old age
8. What is the effect of the echoing green on the old folk?
A. It makes them sad B. It brings back memories C. It tires them D. It confuses them
Answer: B. It brings back memories
9. How does the poem describe the end of the day?
A. As a continuation of joy B. With a sense of loss C. As a time of quiet reflection D. As a sudden event
Answer: C. As a time of quiet reflection
10. What does the changing description from ‘the echoing green’ to ‘the darkening green’ signify?
A. The changing of the seasons B. The end of childhood C. The cycle of day and night D. The inevitability of aging
Answer: D. The inevitability of aging
Extra questions and answers
1. What is the significance of the sun’s rise and descent in the poem?
Answer: The sun’s rise signifies the beginning of life and joy, as it brings happiness and initiates the day’s activities. Its descent symbolizes the end of the day and metaphorically, the cycle of life, where activities cease, and rest begins.
2. How do the children react to the echoing green?
Answer: The children engage enthusiastically in their sports and play, fully immersed in the joy and freedom that the green space offers, illustrating the innocence and energy of youth.
3. What role does Old John play in the poem?
Answer: Old John represents the elder generation, observing the children’s play with a sense of nostalgia. He laughs away care, symbolizing a connection between past joy and present observation, bridging generations.
4. Describe the transition from day to night in the poem.
Answer: The transition from day to night is marked by the children becoming weary and the sun descending, signaling the end of play and the onset of rest, mirroring the larger cycle of life and the inevitable passage of time.
5. What does the echoing green symbolize?
Answer: The echoing green symbolizes a place of joy, community, and the cycle of life, serving as a backdrop to the innocent play of children and the reflective nostalgia of the elderly.
6. How does the poem depict the cycle of life?
Answer: The poem uses the cycle of a single day, from sunrise to sunset, as a metaphor for the cycle of life, highlighting themes of joy, play, aging, and rest, to illustrate the transient nature of life and youth.
7. Analyze the symbolism of the sun in “The Echoing Green.”
Answer: The sun in “The Echoing Green” symbolizes life, warmth, and the passing of time. Its rising marks the beginning of activities, filling the green with light and energy, which allows for the unfolding of joy and play. As the sun sets, it signifies the end of the day’s joys and the approach of rest, mirroring the larger cycle of life. This celestial body acts as a universal clock that dictates the rhythm of life on the green, reflecting the natural progression from joy to tranquility.
8. What does the transition from morning to evening suggest about the poem’s deeper meanings?
Answer: The transition from morning to evening in the poem suggests a deeper contemplation of the impermanence of life and the inevitable progression from youth to old age. As the day progresses from the vibrant energy of morning to the calm of evening, it metaphorically represents the human lifecycle, from the innocence and playfulness of youth to the reflective tranquility of age. This transition underscores the poem’s meditation on the fleeting nature of happiness and the universal experience of aging.
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