Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Solutions Poem  7 – The Stick-together families

Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Solutions Poem  7 – The Stick-together families

Poem  7 – The Stick-together families

Tamilnadu Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Guide The Stick-together families Textbook Questions and Answers

A. Based on your understanding of the poem, answer the questions in a sentence or two.

1. “The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make
A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break.”

Question (a).
Who are the gladdest people living?
Answer:
The gladdest people are those who live together as wholesome folks.

Question (b).
Where do they gather?
Answer:
They gather at the fireside.

Question (c).
What can break their unity?
Answer:
Only death can break their unity.

2. “And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done. ”

Question (a).
When do they have their family gatherings?
Answer:
They have their family gatherings at the end of the busy day.

Question (b).
Where do they have their family conventions?
Answer:
The family conventions are held beneath the sun.

Question (c).
What does the poet mean by ‘finest conventions’?
Answer:
The finest conventions mean a family get together.

3. “There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,
And they’re very quick to shatter all the little family ties. ”

Question (a).
What do the rich and poor folk imagine themselves to be?
Answer:
The rich and the poor folks imagine themselves to be wise.

Question (b).
What do they do to their families?
Answer:
They are quick to shatter their little family ties.

Question (c).
Whom does ‘they’ refer to?
Answer:
They refer to the rich and poor people who do not consider the little family ties as valuable and shatter them.

4. “There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,
That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home”

Question (a).
Why do they roam?
Answer:
They roam to attain gladness.

Question (b).
According to them, when do they get bright smiles?
Answer:
They get bright smiles when they wander far from home.

5. “But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,
Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun.”

Question (a).
Who are the gladdest people?
Answer:
The gladdest people are those brothers and sisters who share their fun.

Question (b).
When do they share their fun?
Answer:
They share their fun when the busy day is done.

Question (c).
What does ‘who’ refer to?
Answer:
Who refers to the brothers and sisters.

6. “It’s the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,

That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth;”

Question (a).
Who wins the joys of the earth?
Answer:
The stick-together families win the joys of earth.

Question (b).
How do they find their joy?
Answer:
They find their joys by being together and hearing the sweetest music

Question (c).
What does the poet mean by ‘stick-together family’?
Answer:
The stick-together family means those families who spend time together (Joint families) and share their fun and sorrows and can be only separated after death.

Additional Questions

1. “ The stick-together families are happier by far
Then the brothers and the sisters who take separate highways are.
The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make
A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break.
And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun
Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done. ”

Question (a).
Give the rhyme scheme of the above lines.
Answer:
‘aabbcc’ is the rhyme scheme of the above lines.

Question (b).
Pick out the rhyming words.
Answer:
‘far and are’, ‘make and break’ and ‘sun and done’ are the rhyming words.

Question (c).
What does the poet mean by ‘day is done’?
Answer:
The poet means that the day has come to an end.

Question (d).
What can break the circle at the fireside?
Answer:
Death can break a circle at the fireside.

Question (e).
What do the stick-together families do when the busy day is done?
Answer:
The stick-together families have little family gatherings when the busy day is done.

Question (f).
Mention the figure of speech in the last line.
Answer:
The figure of speech in the last line is alliteration, (day is done)

2. “There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,
And they’re very quick to shatter all the little family ties.”

Question (a).
What does the poet mean by the term, ‘family ties’?
Answer:
The poet by the term ‘family ties’ means family bonds.

Question (b).
Pick out the rhyming words.
Answer:
The rhyming words are wise and ties.

Question (c).
Who shatters the family ties?
Answer:
The rich and the poor folk who think they are intelligent are quick to shatter the family ties.

3. “Each goes searching after pleasure in his own selected way,
Each with strangers likes to wander, and with strangers likes to play.”

Question (a).
Identify the figure of speech in the first line.
Answer:
Alliteration is the figure of speech in the first line.

Question (b).
Write the alliterated words in the first line.
Answer:
The alliterated words are searching and selected in the first line.

4. “There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,
That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home.
That the strange friend is the true friend, and they travel far astray
They waste their lives in striving for a joy that’s far away,
But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,
Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun. ”

Question (a).
Mention the rhyme scheme?
Answer:
‘aabbcc’ is the rhyme scheme.

Question (b).
Give the rhyming words for away and home.
Answer:
The rhyming words for away and home are astray and roam respectively.

Question (c).
What is meant by ‘astray’?
Answer:
Being lost in this world due to bad ways is the meaning of astray.

Question (d).
How do they waste their lives?
Answer:
They waste their lives in striving for a joy that cannot be easily got.

5. “And, O weary, wandering brother, if contentment you would win,
Come you back unto the fireside and be comrade with your kin.”

Question (a).
What are the alliterated words in the first line?
Answer:
The alliterated words are weary, wandering.

Question (b).
Who is a comrade?
Answer:
A comrade is a friend.

Question (c).
What should the weary wandering brother do?
Answer:
The weary wandering brother should come back to the fireside and be friends with the kith and kin.

Question (d).
What do you mean by ‘kin’?
Answer:
Kin means relatives.

B. Based on the understanding of the poem, fill in the blanks using the words and phrases given below to make a meaningful summary of the poem.

brothers and sisters	bitterness	joint family s	share their fun
rich and the poor folk	shatter their family	charm of life	separate ways
he joy of earth		stick-together families

The poet brings out the difference in the attitudes of children living in joint family and nuclear family. The (1) …………………., are the happiest of all. Where as the (2) …………………… of nuclear families take (3) ………………………. The gladdest people are the children from (4) …………………….. who circle near the fireside. No power other than death can break them. The (5) …………………. imagine themselves to be wise and in the process they (6) ……………………. ties. Each of them goes searching for pleasure in their own selected way. They harvest only (7) …………. and find empty joy. But the wisest among them are the children of the stick-together families. When the busy day is done, they together (8) ……………… The stick-together family wins (9) ………………. The old house shelters all the (10) …………………… The poet invites wandering brothers to come and join the stick-together families in their fireside and have fun.
Answers

1. stick-together families
2. brothers and sisters
3. separate ways
4. joint family
5. rich and the poor folk
6. shatter their family
7. bitterness
8. share their fun
9. the joy of earth
10. charm of life

C. Answer the following questions in about 80-100 words.

Question 1.
The stick-together families are the happiest of all. Explain.
Answer:
Title: The stick – together families
Author: Edgar Albert Guest
Characters: Brothers and Sisters of joint families
Theme: There is nothing greater than a happy family.

There is nothing quite as valuable as a happy family. The poet describes the happiness of the children in joint families. He calls the joint families the stick together families. The gladdest people in this world are the children from the joint family who circle near the fireside. At the end of each busy day, they have the finest meetings.

They share their fun together there. They are the people who win the joys of the earth. They are able to hear the sweetest music and find the finest happiness. All the old home roof shelters all the pleasures that life can give. It is the happiest place to live and there is the gladdest playground for the children The wandering brothers can come back to the joint family unto the fireside to enjoy the happiness.

“There is nothing greater than a joint family”.

Question 2.
Bring out the difference between the children of the joint family and the nuclear family.
Answer:
The joint families are definitely happier than the members in the nuclear family who take separate ways. The joint family meets at the end of the day while the nuclear family meets occasionally. Members of the nuclear family go searching after pleasure in their own selected way but the joint family loves to travel together. People in nuclear families waste their lives in searching for a joy that’s far away. But the happiest kind of people in joint families shares their fun together. The children in the stick-together families win the joys of the earth whereas children in joint families travel far away seeking pleasure in vain.

Appreciate The Poem

D. Answer the following

Question 1.
There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,…
Pick out the words in alliteration.
Answer:
‘There’ and ‘they’ are the words that alliterate.

Question 2.
Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Answer:
Rhyming words are: far, are: make, break, sun, done. The rhyme scheme is aa bb cc.

Additional Questions & Answers

A. Answer the questions that follow each set of poetic lines.

1. But it’s bitterness they harvest, and it’s empty joy they find
For the children that are wisest are the stick – together kind.

Question (a)
What does ‘they’ refer to?
Answer:
‘They’ refers to the children from the nuclear family.

Question (b)
What do they harvest?
Answer:
They harvest the bitterness.

Question (c)
What do they find?
Answer:
They find empty joy.

Question (d)
Who is the wisest?
Answer:
The stick – together kind of children are the wisest.

2. Each goes searching after pleasure in his own selected way
Each with strangers likes to wander and with strangers likes to play.

Question (a)
What does each go searching after?
Answer:
Each goes searching after pleasure.

Question (b)
Where does each go?
Answer:
Each goes in his own selected way.

Question (c)
Whom does each like to wander with?
Answer:
Each likes to wander with strangers.

Question (d)
What does each like to do with strangers?
Answer:
Each likes to play with strangers.

3. That the strange friend is a true friend and they travel far astray.
They waste their lives striving for a joy that’s far away.

Question (a)
Who is a true friend?
Answer:
The strange friend is a true friend.

Question (b)
What do ‘they’ refer to?
Answer:
‘They’ refers to the children from a nuclear family.

Question (c)
What is meant by ‘astray’?
Answer:
‘Astray’ means wrongdoing.

Question (d)
What for do they waste lives in striving?
Answer:
They waste their lives in striving for a joy that is far away.

4. It s the old home roof that shelters all the charm that life can give
There you find the gladdest playground, there the happiest spot to live

Question (a)
What does the old home roof shelter?
Answer:
The old home roof shelters all the charm that life can give.

Question (b)
What do nuclear family children find in the old home?
Answer:
Nuclear family children find the gladdest playground there.

Question (c)
What is the happiest spot to live?
Answer:
The old home is the happiest spot to live.

5. And O weary wandering brothers, if contentment you would win
Come you back unto the fireside and be comrade with your kin

Question (a)
Who are the wandering brothers?
Answer:
The wandering brothers are the children from the nuclear family.

Question (b)
Why are they weary?
Answer:
They wandered far away. So they are weary.

Question (c)
What would they win if they return unto fireside?
Answer:
They would win contentment if they return unto fireside.

Question (d)
Pick out the words in alliteration.
Answer:
The words in alliteration:
Line – 1: weary, wandering.
Line – 2: come, comrade; back, be; you, your.

Listening Activity

E. Listen to the passage and fill in the blanks with an appropriate answers.

(For listening to the passage refer to our website www.fullcircleeducation.in) Family is where we all belong to and from where our identity comes from. A person is valued based on his family and upbringing. Family is a bond, a long-lasting relationship that holds a bond with each other. There are many values that one has to learn to get the family bonding in the right manner. Bonding does not happen overnight. It forms with every second, every minute that you spend with your loved ones. The understanding, the acceptance, the belonging and the security all enclosed together is how a family bond is formed.

A close family bond is like a safe harbour, where we feel secure and where we trust that we have someone always there to whom we could turn to when we need them the most. It is through a family that we learn the values of love, trust, hope, belief, cultures, morals, traditions and every little matter that concerns to us. A strong foundation for any individual comes from being with a supportive family.

Family is one among the greatest gifts that we get from God. To have parents, who support us, teach us values in life, and gives us a strong foundation in character, teach us the importance of love and being loved, trust to be there for one another and many other morals that could be obtained only from a family. A gift not only with lovable parents, but siblings who care and love us beyond themselves. We cannot buy or demand all these things in life, as we are being given to understand their importance.

To be part of a happy family, one should always thank God for the blessing we have in lives, as having a family who cares and loves us is the greatest blessing that any person could get in life.

1. A person is valued based on his …………………..
2. ………………….. does not happen overnight.
3. A close family bond is like a ……………………….
4. A strong foundation for any individual comes from being with a …………………….
5. A gift not only with …………….. but …………………….. who care and love us beyond themselves.

Answers

1. family and upbringing
2. Bonding
3. safe harbour
4. supportive family
5. lovable parents, siblings

Speaking:

F. “The building actually rests on the well laid out foundation and hence is strong and still.” How can this be related to a family? Discuss with your partner and share your views in the class.

“The building actually rests on the well laid out foundation and hence is strong and still” is a mean¬ingful statement. Only when the foundation is built well, a building can stand on it firmly. Likewise, a foundation is very necessary for the formation of the family.

A family is like a building. It does not mean a house but it is a home. A family is an invisible or abstract thing. But it is a bond, a long lasting relationship that holds a bond with each other. There are many values that one has to get the family bonding in the right manner.

A close family bond is like a safe harbour Bonding does not happen overnight. It is through a family we learn the values of love, trust, hope, belief, cultures, morals, traditions, and every little matter that concerns us. A strong foundation for any individual comes from being with a supportive family. As the building serves as a shelter, a family also protects us by all means.

We have parents who support us, teach us moral values in life, give us a strong foundation in character, teach us the importance of love and being loved trust for one another, and many other morals that could be obtained from a family. The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations. Families are the foundation of society and create our personal template for giving and receiving love in intimate relationships.

Writing:

G. Write a four-line poem with rhyming words describing your family.

My Family:
We‘re a sweet little family
We live together quite happily
We have a lot of games and fun
As and when the busy day is done

The Stick-together families About The Poet:

Edgar Albert Guest born on 20th August 1881, was an English-born American poet, popular in the first half of the 20th century, commonly known as the People’s Poet due to his inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. Elis first poem appeared on 11th December 1898. For 40 years, Guest was widely read throughout North America. Guest has penned around 11,000 poems that has appeared in 300 newspapers and collected in more than 20 books. Even today it occasionally appears in periodicals such as Reader’s Digest.

The Stick-together families Summary:

The poet envisions the joint families who are much happier than the brothers and sisters who take their separate ways. The gladdest people are those who circle around a fireside that no power but death can break. The finest conventions beneath the sun is the family gatherings after a busy day. Rich or poor folks, who think they are wise, break their family ties and wander away searching for joy in strangers and material things. But in fact, the stick together families alone enjoy the true joys of the earth, enjoy the sweetest music and finds mirth. An old home shelters the charm that life can give, and a happiest spot to live. Hence the poet asks people who go their separate ways to come together and comrade with their kin.

The Stick-together families Glossary:

Textual:

astray – away from the correct path or correct way of doing something
comrade – a friend
conventions – a large formal meeting of people who have a similar interest
mirth – laughter, humour or happiness
shatter – to break suddenly into very small pieces