A River by A.K. Ramanujan Questions and Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
Who is the poet of “A River”?
A.K. Ramanujan.
What city is mentioned in the poem?
Madurai.
What is the river described as doing every summer?
It dries to a trickle.
What clogs the watergates of the river?
Straw and women’s hair.
What are the dry stones compared to in the poem?
Shaven water-buffaloes lounging in the sun.
What did the poets sing about?
The floods.
What happened when the floods occurred?
The river carried off houses, a pregnant woman, and cows.
How many houses did the flood carry away?
Three village houses.
What is the name of the pregnant woman mentioned?
The poem doesn’t mention her name.
What animals are mentioned in the poem?
Cows named Gopi and Brinda.
What do the new poets do in the poem?
They quote the old poets.
What is missing in the old poets’ verse?
No one speaks of the pregnant woman drowned.
What is the river described as having enough water for?
To be poetic about only once a year.
What happens in the first half-hour of the flood?
The flood carries away houses, cows, and a pregnant woman.
What does the poem say about the twins in the pregnant woman?
They were expected to be identical twins with no moles on their bodies.
What is used to distinguish the twins?
Different colored diapers.
What is compared to wet stones in the poem?
Sleepy crocodiles.
What is the mood of the poem?
Reflective and somber.
How is the river described in the poem?
As both poetic and destructive.
What is the poem’s main contrast?
The idealized poetic image of the river vs. its real-life destructive power.
Short Answer Questions
How does the poet describe the river in Madurai?
The poet describes the river as a life-giving force that dries up in the summer to a trickle, exposing the sand beneath. He paints a picture of the river’s ebbing life, highlighting the contrast between its usual floods, which are celebrated in poetry, and the tragedy it causes when it actually floods, taking lives and property away.
What are the key visual images used to describe the state of the river and its surroundings?
The poet uses vivid imagery, such as “bare sand ribs,” “clogging the watergates with straw and women’s hair,” and “wet stones glistening like sleepy crocodiles.” These images contrast the once powerful river with its current lifeless state, creating a stark, almost haunting atmosphere around the river’s diminished form.
Why does the poet mention the pregnant woman in the poem?
The pregnant woman is mentioned to highlight the tragic consequences of the river’s floods. While the poets of the past romanticized the floods, they ignored the real-life victims, like the woman and her unborn twins, drowned in the waters. This humanizes the flood and points out the neglect in poetic traditions that focus on nature’s beauty, ignoring its destructive power.
How does the poet contrast the old and new poets in the poem?
The old poets are depicted as celebrating the floods in their poetry, focusing on the beauty and power of nature. In contrast, the new poets, though quoting the old poets, fail to address the human tragedy caused by the floods, such as the pregnant woman and her twins. This shift suggests that contemporary poets have become disconnected from real-life struggles.
What role does the river play in the poem, both literally and symbolically?
Literally, the river is a life-sustaining force that brings floods, carrying away homes and lives. Symbolically, it represents the dual nature of nature itself—capable of both beauty and destruction. The river’s annual flood cycle contrasts with its almost lifeless trickle in the summer, echoing the impermanence of life and nature’s unpredictable power.
How does the poet use the names “Gopi” and “Brinda” for the cows?
The names “Gopi” and “Brinda” are symbolic of typical, common names in rural India, evoking the everyday lives of villagers. By mentioning these cows in such a matter-of-fact way, the poet underscores the ordinary lives disrupted by the floods. These familiar names add a sense of realism to the tragedy, making it more personal and relatable.
What is the significance of the poem’s ending, where the poet mentions the pregnant woman expecting twins?
The ending emphasizes the brutal reality of the flood’s consequences. The poet highlights the tragedy of the pregnant woman’s death, and the loss of her unborn children, emphasizing the loss of innocent lives. The specific details about the twins, like their identical nature and different colored diapers, make the tragedy even more poignant, showing the life that was lost even before it began.
How does the poet use irony in describing the river’s floods?
There is irony in how the river, which is typically celebrated in poetry for its floods, is revealed to be a force of destruction in real life. The flood, which poets of the past idealized, takes away innocent lives and property. This stark contrast between poetic idealization and the harsh reality of the floods critiques the romanticized view of nature often seen in traditional poetry.
How does the poem reflect on the relationship between poetry and reality?
The poem critiques the gap between the idealized world of poetry and the real-world consequences of natural events. While poets of the past glorified the river’s floods, they ignored the suffering and loss caused by those very floods. The poem suggests that poetry should also address the harsh realities of life, rather than just focusing on nature’s grandeur and beauty.
What is the tone of the poem, and how does it contribute to the overall message?
The tone of the poem is reflective, somber, and somewhat ironic. The poet uses this tone to emphasize the gap between the idealized poetic vision of the river and its actual impact on human lives. This reflective tone highlights the poem’s message about the need to recognize the full truth of nature’s power—both its beauty and its potential for destruction.
