Introduction
CBSE NCERT Notes for Class 10 English (Poem) Chapter 7 – Animals
The poem “Animals” is included in Chapter 7 of CBSE Class 10 English First Flight. Walt Whitman wrote the poem, which is adapted from one of his literary works, ‘Song of Myself’ in Leaves of Grass. To assist students with their test preparation, we have included the Summary and Notes for CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Animals Poem. We have described each line of the poem in-depth in these English Notes to aid pupils with their comprehension. They may also return to the synopsis around test time to get a rapid knowledge of poetry.
CBSE Class 10 English notes will assist students in studying the topic thoroughly and clearly.
These CBSE Class 10 English notes were written by subject experts who made the study material very basic, both in terms of language and format.
STANZA 1
I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain’ d,
I stand and look at them long and long.
EXPLANATION
In these lines, the poet expresses his desire to transform into an animal and live among animals.
The animals appear to be calm, peaceful, and self-controlled, according to the poet. They never express any dissatisfaction with anything.
The poet wishes to spend a long time with animals because of their qualities. He stands there for a long time, staring at them.
STANZA 2
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God.
EXPLANATION
The poet claims in these lines that animals do not whine and cry about their plight like humans do.
Animals, unlike humans, do not stay awake at night weeping for their transgressions.
The poet is implying that animals differ from humans in that they do not express anger or grief.
He also claims that talking about animals’ responsibilities to God does not make him sick.
The poet is implying that animals do not pray to God for forgiveness or to have their desires fulfilled in the same way that humans do.
STANZA 3
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole
Earth.
EXPLANATION
In these lines, the poet claims that he has yet to encounter a single animal that appears to be unhappy.
There isn’t a single animal on the planet who is obsessed with accumulating more and more things.
Animals do not bow or show respect to other animals or their ancestors in the same way that humans do.
All animals, according to the poet, are equal and do not need to respect one another. As a result, no one on the planet is respectable or happy for the animals.
STANZA 4
So they show their relations to me and
I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and
negligently drop them?
EXPLANATION
In these lines, the poet claims that the animals demonstrate their resemblance to him, which he happily accepts. Animals, he believes, represent humans in some way.
They appear to possess innate qualities that humans once possessed, such as kindness, self-control, and innocence.
Animals remind the poet of these qualities that represent humanity’s lost values. The poet begins to question how animals acquired these characteristics.
In their madness to acquire more things, the poet believes that humans have carelessly dropped these virtues and forgotten all about them.
Central Idea of the Poem
The poem ‘Animals’ demonstrates the poet’s affection for animals. Animals, according to the poet, are superior to humans and possess all of the qualities that humans lack or have forgotten.
The poet wishes to transform into an animal and live a life free of sins and sorrow.
The poem’s theme is not to praise animals, but to contrast humans with them in order to highlight human nature’s flaws.
The poet believes that humans once possessed all of these qualities, but that they have since lost them.