Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 10 The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 10 The Lake Isle of Innisfree Question answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse throughout different chapters Assam Board HS Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 10 The Lake Isle of Innisfree, Class 12 Alternative English Question Answer, HS 2nd year Alternative English Question And Answer and select needs one.

Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 10 The Lake Isle of Innisfree

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Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 10 The Lake Isle of Innisfree Solutions for All Subject, You can practice these here.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Chapter: 5

POETRY

COMPREHENSION

A. Answer in one or two words.

1. Where does the poet want to go?

Ans: The poet wants to go to a small island in Ireland called Innisfree.

2. What will he build there?

Ans: He will build a small cabin there.

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3. With what will he build it?

Ans: He will build it with clay and wattles.

4. What will the poet plant there?

Ans: Poet wants to grow nine rows of beans there.

5. How, according to the poet, will peace arrive in Innisfree?

Ans: The poet finds peace in nature at the Lake Isle of Innisfree, surrounded by trees, birds, and a serene atmosphere. He describes peace as “dropping slowly” from the morning veils to the crickets’ song, comparing it to morning dew. The cloudy sky appears as a hidden veil, adding to the tranquility. Longing for a simple life, he seeks harmony and peace through nature’s beauty.

B. Answer in a few words.

1. Where is Innisfree located?

Ans: Innisfree located in County Sligo, Ireland. 

2. What is the significance of the ‘bee-loud glade’?

Ans: The phrase ‘bee-loud glade’ refers to the buzzing of wild bees in nature. Through this, the poet envisions his dream home on the lake isle, where he imagines bees humming around the hive he longs to create. This image highlights his deep yearning for a pastoral life in a lakeside cabin made of clay and wattles, in contrast to the dull, ‘pavements grey’ of the city. This realization strengthens his resolve to go to Innisfree, where he can live in solitude, surrounded by peace and tranquility.

3. What does the speaker mean by ‘peace comes dropping slow’?

Ans: In the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, the poet says that “peace comes dropping slowly” which means nature is patient and slow unlike the city life which is full of hurry. For him, in nature, everything is calm, peaceful and slow. For him, the lake isle of Innisfree stands for pure natural beauty, pleasure and peace; that stands as a startling contrast to the hectic and artificial life in a city. The forest of Innisfree seems to be a symbol of happiness and mystery that makes him long to live a simple life; where he can find peace through communion with nature.

4. How does the poem create a sense of nostalgia using imagery?

Ans: The poem reflects the speaker’s longing to escape his busy life and find emotional and spiritual renewal at Innisfree. Here, Innisfree symbolizes his lost youth, an era he cannot physically return to but revisits emotionally through vivid memories of its sights and sounds, which have left a lasting impression on his mind. He beautifully describes the tranquil landscape, from the peaceful mornings to the glowing moonlit nights. The serene atmosphere of the isle left such a deep impact on him that he feels a spiritual connection to the place. He now hears an inner calling, just as he once heard the soothing sounds of nature at Innisfree. He beautifully portrays the vast, open stretch of land with a very tranquil environment prevailing from morning till evening; and how the place glows at midnight with the glimmering of the moon and the stars. The calm, quiet, soothing environment of this Isle impressed him so much that he developed a spiritual kinship with this place. Не can now hear voices calling within himself just as he heard the sounds of nature in Innisfree.The existence of Innisfree as the poet’s state of mind is as true as the real Innisfree.

The images of this place haunt the poet in such a manner that he can visualize everything not in his mind but in his heart. The real place has given him such beautiful memories that he cherishes them even when he is amidst the roads and pavements of a city. His desire to escape to Innisfree is so strong that his thoughts are overpowered by it. Through the poem, Yeats experienced the urge to return to a simpler, more familiar life as a kind of homesickness which expressed itself as a desire to “return” to Innisfree.

C. Answer these questions briefly.

1. What does the poet mean by ‘arise and go’?

Ans: Through the phrase “arise and go,” the poet reaffirms his strong desire to leave behind the chaotic life of London and travel to Innisfree.The Irish Lake Isle of Innisfree stands for pure natural beauty, pleasure and peace. It provides a stark contrast to the hectic and artificial life in a city.The speaker expresses a deep and persistent longing to escape the city and immerse himself in nature’s serenity. Expressing this desire in the poem, the speaker uttered the phrase, “I will arise and go now”. This line expresses his eagerness to escape from the city life and go to the peaceful and blissful environment of Innisfree.

2. Where does the poet stand when he hears ‘the deep heart’s core’?

Ans: The poet is standing on the roadway or on the pavements of grey colour, far away from Innisfree. This colour epitomises decay which is used as a contrast to the vibrant greenery and colour of the floral beauty of Innisfree. However, standing even there, he can hear the sounds of the lake water lapping by the shore. Thus, standing on the roads and pavements of an urban center, he hears “In the deep heart’s core”, the sounds of Nature that fill the air at Innisfree. In his memory and imagination, the quiet rippling of the lake remains ever-present. This deep connection to the place awakens a strong yearning in him, making him feel an urgent need to return to the Lake Isle of Innisfree.

3. Which times of the day are referred to and why?

Ans: In the poem, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, the poet refers to the span of time from morning to evening. He portrays midnight and noon as radiant, each with its own distinct brilliance: the twinkling light of the moon and stars at midnight and the rich purple glow at noon. The poet describes morning in a glimmer, noon in a purple glow, and evening full of Linnet’s wings. 

4. Name the different creatures mentioned in the poem.

Ans: There are many creatures mentioned in the poem “The Lake of Innisfree” like honey bees, crickets and the linnets. These creatures in unison create beautiful scenery and the poet imagines enjoying it.

D. Answer in detail.

1. What is the significance of the Lake Isle of Innisfree to the speaker?

Ans: The poem’s speaker fantasizes about building a solitary, peaceful life on Innisfree, an uninhabited island in Ireland. While providing a dreamy, picturesque view of the island, the speaker also emphasizes the incompatibility of its virtues with modern life. When describing Innisfree, the speaker employs mystical language, portraying nature as a powerful spiritual force. The poem opens with the phrase “I will arise and go,” a line that appears verbatim in the King James Bible (a text Yeats, born into a Protestant family, likely encountered in worship). This allusion to the Bible at the poem’s very outset establishes that the speaker’s concerns and especially the fixation on Innisfree-are spiritual in nature. Subtle references to religious tradition continue, such as “the veils of morning” -a metaphor that likens early morning weather, such as fog and dew, to head coverings often worn for religious purposes. Phrases like “purple glow” and “midnight’s all a glimmer” further create a dreamlike, almost supernatural atmosphere. The speaker also shares a deep personal connection with Innisfree, describing how it calls out to him “always night and day,” summoning him with an almost relentless pull. He feels this connection so profoundly that he hears it “in the deep heart’s core,” believing that responding to its call will bring him “some peace.” Through this, the speaker presents nature as a divine force that offers inner serenity, while the bleak and rigid nature of city life stands as a major obstacle to spiritual fulfillment.

However, the speaker remains embedded within an urban landscape, despite nature calling “always night and day.” By revealing the chasm between the speaker’s daydream and reality, the poem implicitly questions the attainability of a meaningful connection with nature in modern civilization.

At the same time, the speaker emphasizes that communion with nature is the only path to attaining such spiritual rewards. In other words, modern society interferes with the pursuit of peace and truth. The speaker repeats the phrase “I will arise and go” as well as “and go.”

When envisioning his ideal life on the island, he repeatedly refers to Innisfree as “there,” stressing that fulfillment is unattainable “here,” in the urban setting. In lines 4-5, the poem suggests that true spiritual awakening occurs not in large societies but in solitude, in harmony with nature. The speaker expresses a wish to “live alone” on Innisfree, immediately followed by the declaration, “I shall have some peace there,” reinforcing the idea that peace can only be found outside the city. Finally, in the poem’s penultimate line, the sound of splashing water entrances the speaker, who “stand[s] on the roadway, or on the pavements grey.” The inversion in this line draws attention to the word “grey,” emphasizing the dull and lifeless nature of the urban world, further underscoring the contrast between the speaker’s present reality and his dream of returning to the tranquil beauty of Innisfree.

2. What poetic devices does Yeats use in the poem? How do they contribute to the poem’s meaning and effect?

Ans: The poem is a lyric that seems to celebrate the simplicity, bounty, peace and diversity of nature. To express the central theme of the poem, several literary devices have been used in the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree such as metaphor to show direct comparison between two things which the use of as or like. e.g. “veils of the morning”, “deep heart’s core”. Here night is referred to as veils of morning. Similarly poet’s desires are referred to as deep heart’s core. Alliteration which is possible with the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “a hive for the honey-bee”, “live alone in the bee-loud glade”, “a glimmer, and noon a purple glow”, “lake water lapping with low sounds”. While Anaphora is the repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses. e.g. “I will”, “go”. He further used personification which is the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human. e.g. “cricket sings”. Singing is the characteristic of humans and has been attributed to cricket (an insect). Also, images have been employed throughout the poem such as Visual Images (midnight’s all a glimmer, noon a purple glow), Auditory Images (the bee-loud glade, the cricket sings, I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore) etc. These words tap into several different senses, encouraging the reader to feel, heat, and see a scene. Yeats uses “alliteration” and “assonance” to emphasize the sound and mood of the poem.

3. What is the role of nostalgia in the poem? How is it expressed?

Ans: Nostalgia plays a significant role in the poem as it reflects the speaker’s deep longing for the peaceful and idyllic past associated with Innisfree. It is expressed through vivid imagery and sensory details, where the poet reminisces about his boyhood visits to the tranquil Lake Isle of Innisfree. He longs to return, imagining a simple life in harmony with nature-building a small cabin, growing beans, and keeping bees for honey. The poem contrasts the serene beauty of Innisfree, with its misty mornings, twinkling stars, and soothing natural sounds, against the artificial and monotonous city life. The poet feels an intense yearning, hearing the lake’s waters in his heart wherever he goes, symbolizing his deep emotional and spiritual connection to the place. This nostalgic reflection emphasizes his desire to escape urban life and find solace in nature’s tranquility.

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