KEEPING QUIET

By Pablo Neruda

SUMMARY

Pablo Neruda emphasizes on the need to keep still and doing nothing for a while in our life. He is of the opinion that all our fears, anxiety, disturbance, and problems in life are because of our overactivity. He advises us to stop doing whatever we are doing, be silent, calm, and relaxed, forgetting all the differences and worries of the world. It is at this moment when we will truly be with ourselves. During these moments we start understanding ourselves. We will be able to realize how much harm we have caused to ourselves, others, and the nature by over selfish acts.

Once we sit in silence and meditate that will create the feeling of understanding for others too. We will realize that others are not our enemies but brothers. We will feel safe and secured. Our urge to fight and wage war will diminish. We will stop harming nature also with our insatiable desire to benefit ourselves only. We will learn to be selfless in action.

He advises that doing nothing should not be confused with total inactivity. He warns total inactivity is death and he is not advocating death. He suggests learning the art of selfless action from nature. Nature is always at work of creation, but we never see it doing it in hurriedness and anxiety. Things in nature seem inactive when to look at it but by the passage of time we find it has grown. This is how trees, leaves, flowers etc. grow in nature.

POETIC DEVICES

Anaphora: Repetition of “lets” in two consecutive lines: (lets not speak in any language, / lets stop for one second)

Metonymy: The word ‘language’ has been used by the poet to show different races.

Pun: “arm” has two meanings: body part and weapon

Metaphor: clean clothes

Repetition: The word "war" has been repeated.

Euphemism: No truck with death

Personification: The poet has personified the Earth by saying - the Earth can teach us.

MEANING OF THE PHRASES

count to twelve: twelve signs on the clock to measure hours. Indication to start and always be in the state of introspection.

the face of the Earth: refers to the people of the nations, religion, race etc.

let’s not speak in any language: 1. Different language means different race, region, country etc. 2. Language is a symbol of the things creates difference. Nothing which creates difference should be used while the session of keeping quiet.

not move our arms so much: don’t use your body and weapons to harm people and nature.

exotic moment: that peaceful moment of without activity and hastiness will be unusual and interesting because people never sit quiet forgetting all their work therefore they have never experienced it in their life.

sudden strangeness: People will enjoy that peaceful moment because that will be joy giving and unusual.

Fishermen: symbol of the oppressor who harms others and the nature.

Whale: symbol of the oppressed

Green wars: the destruction that human activities cause to the environment.

Wars with gas: Alliteration, Chemical war

Wars with fires: Wars with fire weapons: missile, bombs, bullets etc.

victory with no survivors: victory should be the source of happiness but the victory with war will be at the cost of losing people and things. Therefore, it will bring dejection only.

Clean clothes: leaving the clothes that have become dirty because of being involved in wars and over activity. It also denotes forgetting the grudges against one another and keeping good thoughts for each other.

in the shade: clean hearts for one another will remove the feeling of insecurity from people of the world. They will develop a sense of brotherhood for one another.

Life is what it is about: Life means action and change. Total inactivity brings stagnation which means death.

no truck with death: the poet has no connection with total inactivity which means death. He is not advocating death.

everything seems dead and later proves to be alive: in nature nothing seems happening. We can see the trees, flowers etc. growing. They all look quiet and still but we can notice them only when they have sprouted up or have increased in size.

A. Answer the following in 30-40 words each.

1. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans: No, he doesn’t advocate either total inactivity or death. He makes it quite clear that ‘stillness’ should not be confused with “total inactivity or equated to it. Total inactivity brings death. But Neruda has ‘no truck with death’. His stillness means halting of harmful and hostile human activities.

2. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

Ans: Man’s sadness is formed out of his own actions and thoughts. It is quite ironical that man who understands so much fails to understand himself and his action. He does not how harmful his thoughts and actions are for the nature and for himself. His madness about benefiting himself causes him only pain and anguish.

3. What does the poet want us to learn from the Earth?

Ans: The Earth is the epitome of quiet, nonstop and selfless activity. The nature never sits idle and is always at work. However, we can never notice the big work of creation incessantly taking place in nature. We never see the action of production; we just see and benefit ourselves with the products. The nature bestows its gifts to everyone without any discrimination. The poet wants us to bring this calmness and selflessness in our activities.

Note: for long questions read the summary of the poem.

B. Extract Based Questions

Perhaps the Earth can teach us

As when everything seems dead

And later proves to be alive

Now I will count upto twelve

And you keep quiet and I will go

1. Name the poem and the poet.
2. What does the Earth teach us?
3. What is the significance of counting upto twelve?
4. Why does the poet urge to “keep quiet”?