NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English Hornbill: The Laburnum Top
The Laburnum Top
Think it out
Question 1: What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Answer-
The beginning and the ending of the poem feature the same image of the Laburnum tree, emphasizing the central cycle of life and stillness:
(a) Beginning: The Laburnum top is silent, quite still. The initial state is marked by inactivity in the yellow September sunlight, with a few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.
(b) Ending: The poem concludes with the Laburnum top returning to its original state: “And the laburnum subsides to empty”. The tree becomes silent again after the goldfinch departs towards the infinite.
Question 2: To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer-
The goldfinch’s movement is compared to a lizard. The basis for this comparison is the nature of the movement: it is described as sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt. This suggests a sudden, smooth, and quick movement.
Question 3: Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Answer-
The image of the engine is evoked because the goldfinch brings sudden, intense, and mechanical activity to the silent tree:
(a) The noise of the bird and her fledglings is described as a machine that starts up, characterized by chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings.
(b) The activity within the branches is intense and rapid—The whole tree trembles and thrills.
(c) The poet states, “It is the engine of her family. She stokes it full”, implying that the bird's efforts are the power source that feeds and sustains her young.
Question 4: What do you like most about the poem?
Answer-
Note: This is a subjective question designed for reflection. The answer focuses on key poetic elements observed in the source.
The most striking element is the vivid use of imagery and contrast. The poem successfully captures the transformation of the tree from a state of silence and emptiness to a sudden burst of intense, thrilling life. The comparison of the goldfinch to an engine is highly effective, transforming a natural scene into a mechanical system that is stoked full and then subsides back to empty.
Question 5: What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?
Answer-
The phrase “her barred face identity mask” refers to the specific, distinctive markings on the face of the goldfinch. The "barred face" highlights the dark, linear pattern of the markings, and the term "identity mask" signifies that this unique pattern serves as the bird's recognizable feature.