BEGLA-137 Language Through Literature Assignment Answer 2023

BEGLA 137: Language through Literature

Programme: BAG/BEGLA-137

Course Code: BEGLA-137/2022-23

BEGLA-137: Language through Literature

Assignment July, 2022 & January, 2023 Sessions
(Based on Blocks 1 – 4)
Max. Marks: 100

Answer all questions.

1. Discuss the relationship between Language and Literature. Also comment on
how the literary language is different from ordinary language. (20)
Answer:

The course Language Through Literature (BEGLA 137) is all about exploring the
relationship between language and literature. Literature is essentially a creative and imaginative
use of language, and this course aims to help you understand how even the most common
elements of language are used dexterously and aesthetically in literature/oratory to please,
entertain, persuade, gratify, and create aesthetic appeal.

The literary language is different from ordinary language in several ways. Literary language
often employs figurative language such as metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole to
create vivid imagery and convey complex ideas. It also tends to be more formal and structured
than ordinary language, with a greater emphasis on rhythm, sound patterns, and syntax.
Additionally, literary works often use allusions to other works of literature or historical events to
add depth and meaning.

Overall, the relationship between language and literature is a complex one that involves both
the technical aspects of language usage as well as the creative aspects of literary expression.
This course will help you explore these connections in greater detail.

2. Read the whole of the poem Baby Running Barefoot by D.H. Lawrence given
below and try to answer the questions given at the end. (10 Marks)

When the white feet of the baby beat across the grass
The little white feet nod like white flowers in a wind,
They poise and run like puffs of wind that pass
Over water where the weeds are thinned.
And the sight of their white playing in the grass
Is winsome as a robin’s song, so fluttering;
Or like two butterflies that settle on a glass
Cup for a moment, soft little wing-beats uttering.
And I wish that the baby would tack across here to me
Like a wind-shadow running on a pond, so she could
stand With two little bare white feet upon my knee
And I could feel her feet in either hand.
Cool as syringa buds in morning hours,
Or firm and silken as young peony flowers.

(a) What is the picture that comes to your mind when you read the poem?
Answer:

The poem “Baby Running Barefoot” by D.H. Lawrence describes the image of a baby running
barefoot across the grass. The little white feet of the baby nod like white flowers in a wind and
run like puffs of wind that pass over water where the weeds are thinned. The sight of their white
playing in the grass is described as winsome as a robin’s song, so fluttering; or like two
butterflies that settle on a glass cup for a moment, soft little wing-beats uttering. Therefore, the
picture that comes to mind when reading this poem is that of a playful and carefree baby
running barefoot across the grass.

(b) Make a list of the similes used by the poet.
Answer:

Certainly! The poet uses the following similes in the poem “Baby Running Barefoot” by D.H.
Lawrence: 1. “Thelittle white feet nod like white flowers in a wind” 2. “Theypoise and run like
puffs of wind that pass Over water where the weeds are thinned” 3. “Iswinsome as a robin’s
song, so fluttering” 4. “Orlike two butterflies that settle on a glass Cup for a moment, soft little
wing-beats uttering” 5. “Coolas syringa buds in morning hours, Orfirm and silken as young
peony flowers” These similes help to create vivid imagery and convey the beauty of the baby’s
feet as they run across the grass.

(c) How do the similes make the description more vivid to us?
Answer:

The similes used in the poem “Baby Running Barefoot” by D.H. Lawrence make the description
more vivid by comparing the baby’s feet to other objects or phenomena that are familiar to us.
For example, when the poet compares the baby’s feet to white flowers nodding in the wind, it
helps us visualize how delicate and graceful they are. Similarly, when he compares them to
puffs of wind passing over water, it helps us imagine how light and airy they are as they run
across the grass.

The similes also help to create a sense of movement and playfulness in the poem. When the
poet compares the baby’s feet to butterflies settling on a glass cup or describes them as
fluttering like a robin’s song, it creates a sense of joy and freedom that is associated with
childhood.

Overall, the similes used in this poem help to create a vivid and memorable image of a playful
and carefree baby running barefoot across the grass.

3. Insert appropriate modal auxiliaries in the blanks. The required meanings are
given in brackets:

i) You …………… do as you are told. (strong obligation: tone of command)

ii) Children ……………be very noisy. (theoretical possibility)

iii) As a child, I. …………… recite the whole of Gita. (general ability in the past)

iv) He ………….. be very annoyed with me to write a letter like that. (a necessary conclusion
from evidence)

v) He was so weak he …………. n’t even raise his hand. (general ability in the past)

vi) You …………….. consult a specialist if you want to. (permission)

vii) He …………… smoke heavily. (habit in the past)

viii) He …………….. come tomorrow. (weak possibility)

ix) ‘ ……….. I order a coffee for you?’ (offer)

x) ‘…………. you mind opening the door?’ (polite request)

Answer:

i) You must do as you are told. (strong obligation: tone of command)

ii) Children can be very noisy. (theoretical possibility)

iii) As a child, I could recite the whole of Gita. (general ability in the past)

iv) He must be very annoyed with me to write a letter like that. (a necessary conclusion from
evidence)

v) He was so weak he couldn’t even raise his hand. (general ability in the past)

vi) You may consult a specialist if you want to. (permission)

vii) He used to smoke heavily. (habit in the past)

viii) He might come tomorrow. (weak possibility)

ix) ‘Shall I order a coffee for you?’ (offer)

x) ‘Would you mind opening the door?’ (polite request)

4. Make five words using each prefix ‘pre’ and ‘non’. (10)
Sure, here are five words using the prefix ‘pre’:

1. Precaution 2. Preview 3. Prearrange 4. Preconceive 5. Preschool
And here are five words using the prefix ‘non’:

Answer:
1. Nonfiction 2. Nonsense 3. Nonverbal 4. Nonprofit 5. Nonchalant

5. Make five words using each suffix ‘ism’ and ‘ship’. (10)
Sure, here are five words using the suffix ‘ism’:
1. Capitalism 2. Feminism 3. Racism 4. Socialism 5. Buddhism

And here are five words using the suffix ‘ship’:
1. Friendship 2. Leadership 3. Scholarship 4. Apprenticeship 5. Membership

6. Put the bracketed verb in the correct form in the following sentences and
identify the verb phrase type:

i) He is (sing). __________________
ii) Arun may be (expel). _____________________________________
iii) He has (accept) his mistake. ________________________________
iv) You ought (accept) your mistake. ____________________________
v) Arun has been (watch) the game for two hours. ________________
vi) This song has already been (sing) twice._____________________
vii) As a young man, I used (walk) seven miles a day. _________________
viii) He should have been (punish) for his carelessness. _________________
ix) I was (lead) to believe that the matter had (be) settled.____________________
x) This programme is (be) watched by millions of people all over the
country._____________________________

Answer:
i) He is singing. (Present continuous)
ii) Arun may be expelled. (Modal + passive infinitive)
iii) He has accepted his mistake. (Present perfect)
iv) You ought to accept your mistake. (Modal + base form of verb)
v) Arun has been watching the game for two hours. (Present perfect continuous)
vi) This song has already been sung twice. (Present perfect passive)
vii) As a young man, I used to walk seven miles a day. (Used to + base form of verb)
viii) He should have been punished for his carelessness. (Modal + have + past participle)
ix) I was led to believe that the matter had been settled. (Passive infinitive + past participle)
x) This programme is being watched by millions of people all over the country. (Present
continuous passive)

7. Read this passage from the story The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand and
answer the questions given at the end. (5 x 6 = 30)

It was the festival of Spring. From the wintry shades of narrow lanes and alleys emerged a gaily
clad humanity, thick as a crowd of bright-coloured rabbits issuing from a warren, and entering
the flooded sea of sparkling silver sunshine outside the city gates, sped towards the fair. Some
walked, some rode on horses, others sat, being carried in bamboo and bullock-carts. One little
boy ran between his parent’s legs, brimming over with life and laughter, as the joyous, smiling
morning, with its open greetings and unashamed invitations to come away into the fields, full of
flowers and songs.

“Come, child, come,” called his parents, as he lagged behind, arrested by the toys in the shops
that lined the way.
He hurried towards his parents, his feet obedient to their call, his eyes still lingering on the
receding toys. As he came to where they had stopped to wait for him, he could not suppress the
desire of his heart, even though he well knew the old, cold stare of refusal in their eyes.
“I want that toy,” he pleaded.
His father looked at him red-eyed in his familiar tyrant’s way. His mother, melted by the free
spirit of the day, was tender, and giving him her finger to catch, said;
“Look, child, what is before you.”
The faint disgust of the child’s unfulfilled desire had hardly been quelled in the heavy, pouting
sob of a breath, “M—o—th—e-r”, when the pleasure of what was before him filled him eager
eyes. They had left the dusty road on which they had walked so far to wend its weary way
circuitously to the north, and had entered a footpath in a field.

It was a flowering mustard-field, pale, pale, like melting gold, as it swept across miles and miles
of even land, a river of yellow light, ebbing and falling with each fresh eddy of wild wind, and
straying at places into broad, rich tributary streams, yet running in a constant sunny sweep
towards the distant mirage of an ocean of silver light. Where it ended, on a side stood a dense
group of low, mud walled houses put into relief both by the lower forms of a denser crowd of
yellow-robed men and women and by high-pitched sequence of whistling, creaking, squeaking,
roaring, humming noises that rose from it, across the groves, to the blue-throated sky like the
weird, strange sound of Siva’s mad laughter.

(a) What words and phrases in the opening paragraph suggest the festive mood of the crowd?
Answer:

The words and phrases in the opening paragraph that suggest the festive mood of the crowd
are “gaily clad humanity,” “joyous, smiling morning,” “open greetings,” “unashamed invitations to
come away into the fields, full of flowers and songs.”

(b) In the first paragraph, what is the crowd of people compared to? What figure of speech is it?
Answer:

In the first paragraph, the crowd of people is compared to “bright-coloured rabbits issuing from a
warren.” This is a simile.

(c) Give the meanings of the following expressions:
i) a gaily clad humanity
ii) lagged behind
iii) receding toys
iv) red-eyed
v) circuitously
vi) put into relief
Answers:

i) “a gaily clad humanity” means a group of people dressed in bright and cheerful clothing.
ii) “lagged behind” means to fall behind or move more slowly than others.
iii) “receding toys” means toys that are moving away or becoming more distant.
iv) “red-eyed” means having red eyes, which could be due to crying, lack of sleep, or other
reasons.
v) “circuitously” means in a roundabout or indirect way.
vi) “put into relief” means to highlight or emphasize something by contrasting it with its
surroundings.

(d) The mustard field is compared to a river of yellow light. Write the comparison in your own
words.
Answer:

The mustard field is compared to a river of yellow light, which means that the field looks like a
flowing stream of bright yellow color, similar to how light appears when it reflects off a surface
and creates a shining, radiant effect.

(e) The whistling, creaking, squeaking, roaring, humming noises’ are likened to ‘Siva’s mad
laughter. What does this comparison suggest?
Answer:
The comparison of the whistling, creaking, squeaking, roaring, and humming noises to “Siva’s
mad laughter” suggests that the sounds are chaotic and unpredictable, similar to the wild and
uncontrollable nature of the Hindu god Siva. It also implies a sense of energy and intensity in
the sounds.

(f) What literary device has the writer adopted in the use of words such as ‘whistling’, ‘creaking’,
‘squeaking’, ‘roaring’ and ‘humming’?
Answer:

The writer has adopted the literary device of onomatopoeia in the use of words such as
“whistling”, “creaking”, “squeaking”, “roaring”, and “humming”. Onomatopoeia is a figure of
speech in which words are used to imitate sounds