Treasure Trove Workbook Answers
The Patriot
Passage - 1
1. It was roses, roses,................"...."and afterword, what else?"
i) The speaker of the above lines is a national hero. He is looked upon as a patrior. He is given a rousing welcome when he comes Roses are strewn all over his path in his honour.
ii) This line tells us that the speaker is talking of a pasr event-an event that happened exacty a year ago.
iii) Alliteration is the figure of speech used in this iinc, 'm' sound is repeared thrice-'myrtle", mixed and 'mad'.
iv) 'They' in the line given above refe: to the crowd of people who had gathered to welcome the speaker. This line indicates hero worship. People are so inoxicated with enthusiasm that they are willing to go any extent to serve their hero.
v) The speaker was given a most astonishing reception. Almost everybody came to welcome him. Roses mixed with martyl were showered on him.The flags were erected on the top of the church, and bells run to his arrival.
Passage - 2
i) The speaker is 'I' in the above extract. The sun implies the most difficult object to attain. Leaping at the sun alludes to the mythical story of lcarus. He glued wings with wax and tried to reach the sun. But the heat of the sun melted the wax and lcarus fell to his death.
ii) The speaker was over-ambitious. He wanted power. He tried to over-reach his objective. He did something impossibte for the people. But the people proved ungrateful. They turned against him. He is being treated as a traitor. So the speaker regrets having helped them. The word 'Alack!' tells us this.
iii) The speaker is refering to the reward he got for serving his people. He is dishonoured and is being led to the gallows like a criminal.
iv) The speaker trusted people. He calls them loving friends. But his friends turned their backs on him in the hour of his adversity. Nobody is there to comfort and console him. They cannot be considered 'Ioving'.
v) The poet feels sad about the past. He recalls the events of the year past with a heavy heart. He regrets having served people who loved him a years ago but hate him. Despite hrs sadness, he is optimistic. He hopes he will be rewarded for his service in heaven.
Passage - 3
i) A year ago the house tops were crowded with people. Almost everybody was there to have a glimpse of him. But everything has changed over a year's time. The house tops are empty. People have gone to the scaffold to watch him being hanged.
ii) The speaker was everybody's darling hero a year ago. They showered roses on him when he arrived. But the speaker has done something so bad that everybody hates him. Instead of roses stones are pelted on him.
iii) People hero-worshipped the speaker a year ago. They looked upon him as a patriot and their savior. Now they look upon him as a traitor. They hate him, and want to see him hanged soon.
iv) The scene at the gallows is referred to as the best of the sight. People are not eager to see him led through the streets. They are eager to see him draged to on the streets and hanged at the gallows.
v) The speaker hands are tied behind his back and he is being dragged through the streets of gallows. Probably he has commited something grave. But the poet does not tell about the misdeed the speaker did.So , it cannot be determined that the punishment is justified. But speaker thinks it is unjust.
Passage - 4
i) "I" , the speaker is being led to gallows because he is going to be hanged. 'Rain' symbolises misery and misfortune here. The speaker is drenched to a bone and looks very miserable.
ii) The speaker is treated in most inhuman way. He is treated like a most hateful traitor. His hands are tied so tightly that ropes are cutting his skin.
iii) The speaker's forehead is bleeding becuase someone has flung a stone on him.His hands are tied so tightly that he can not move his hand. So , he cannot touch his blood but feel it flowing down. Earlier , a year ago , roses not stones were showered.
iv) The mood of the people changes like wind. Just a year ago people game his hero's welcome and loved him.But in short period of time the tied has turned. The speaker has fallen from their favour and beign led to gallows.
v) The speaker says that he is being punished for his year's misdeed. But he does not clarify the misdeeds. He says that he being unjustly punished. It appears he don't think he has done any wrong.
Passage - 5
i) A year ago the speaker entered the town to a hero's welcome. Now he is going out of the town to be hanged.
ii) The speaker means to say that some peopie died while they were still glorified. Thus they were rewarded by the world. The poet has used alliteration. The 'd' sound in 'dropped down dead' is repeated.
iii) The speaker says that he has served the people, but the people did not reward him. Rather, they are going to hang him. Now he is safer. God is indebted to him. He will reward him. Had he been reward here below, he could not hope to get any reward in heaven.
iv) Browning could see light even in the darkest situation. The speaker is going to be hanged still he is not gloomy. He is full of hope. He hopes God will reward him in "heaven.
v) There are hundreds of examples in history to show how people rose from a scratch to glory and power, and how most popular and powerful peopl sank into oblivion. The speaker was the hero of the people but in year's time he fell from people's favour.
