Now the leaves are falling fast Subjective Question

1. What does the poet mean when he says, “Now the leaves are falling fast”?

Ans. The poet intends to point towards the fag end of life. Just as in the autumn season the trees become leafless in the same way a person slowly advances towards death and finally goes to grave.

2. What are the words in the second stanza that suggest death and the effect of death on human body?

Ans. Following words in the second stanza suggest death and its effect on the human body:

Whispering neighbours, left and right,

Pluck us from the real delight,

And the active hands must freeze,

Lonely on the separate knees

3. How do we complete our last journey to the grave?

Ans. After death, hundreds of people carry the dead body on their shoulders to the cremation ground or in a wooden coffin to the grave.

4. What do the ‘Trolls’ do in the ‘leafless wood’?

Ans. Trolls wander here and there in search of food in the leafless wood. They desperately look for food for their survival.

5. Who are the ‘travellers’ and how will they be ‘blessed’?

Ans. Here the ‘travellers’ refers to the old persons and they are blessed with the last distress, that is the end of life or death.

6. Which words in the first stanza suggest objects from nature?

Ans. Nurse’s flowers are the words in the first stanza which suggest objects from nature.

7. Who are the ‘whispering neighbours’?

Ans. ‘Agents’ or ‘Messengers’ of death are the whispering neighbours.

8. How does human life become miserable?

Ans. When a person suffers from diseases or other ailments, the human life becomes miserable.

9. In what way will the travellers be blessed?

Ans. Travellers will be blessed by those white water falls which emanate from the mountain’s top and bless the travellers after death.

10. Falling of leaves suggests the process of death and human waste on a large scale. Explain with reference to the poem.

Ans. Falling of leaves is compared to the process of death which human beings undergo. It means that a human life is just like a leaf which meets an instant death the moment it falls from the tree. Human life begins with conception and then birth of a baby takes place who slowly grows like a leaf on a tree. Just as with the change of season leaves fall down and decay, in the similar way, human life also decays day by day.

11. The poet is critical of negative tendencies of the human society. What are these tendencies? Give details.

Ans. The poet W. H. Auden is critical of the negative human tendencies which are primarily developed because of the human society. In his poem, the poet has described the frustrations and disappointments inherent in human life. The aspirations remain largely unfulfilled and the sense of loneliness and desperation prevails and every individual lives and dies in that. The poet says that people in the society are selfish by and large and they never care for others. Society has divided people into different sects and creeds. People are totally self centered and are not bothered about their moral obligations. In this way, the poet has characterised some of the negative tendencies of the human society.

12. Who are the ‘Strolls’ in the real world?

Ans. Stroll is a wicked and an ugly creature as mentioned in the Scandinavian mythology. In the real world strolls are those people who do not follow the moral code of conduct. They exist and survive and have complete disregard for the human values and moral ethics. They are selfish and disturb others for achievement of their personal goals. They hurt and harm the noble people in the society through hatred and violence.

13. Though the poet refers to ‘death’ several times, yet the poem is not a pessimistic one. Justify your answer.

Ans. The poet W. H. Auden refers to death several times in the poem, yet he does not think that everything is for the worst. Life span of human beings is composed of several stages and death is the last stage. Before this last stage a man tries to fulfill all his aspirations by doing his duty and work properly as assigned by the creator of this whole universe. For this reason life is valuable and one must make optimum use of every moment of life for the welfare and benefit of all living creatures.