Porus and his elephant class 8

 Porus And His Elephant  Class 8

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                  Central Idea: 

The poem “Porus and his Elephant” is a poem in ballad form. The poem celebrates the heroic deed of an animal that led to its own death but saved his master. The poem praises the loyalty of the animal and presents the fact that animals though dumb can show their love and affection in their own special ways.

                  Summary:

The poem “Porus and his Elephant” written by an Australian poet, “Mary Dobson” remembers an old story of a king named Porus and his faithful Elephant. Porus has been presented as a protagonist in this poem and his foe Alexander as an antagonist. The poem presents the site of the battlefield where the two enemies Porus and Alexander were to fight. It was the plain land on the banks of great Jehlum River. Porus came with his army mounted on elephants on the one side of the bank while on the other Alexander marched with his men on horses. Both the sides were raging with fury and it was hard to tell which would win. In the midst of the fiercely going battle, Porus was wounded and he fell from his elephant. His elephant realised, his master was in pain and could not fight anymore. Thus, it took the charge of saving its master. The elephant stood above its master to act as a shield against all attacks that might have harmed its master. He used his loud ferocious trumpeting voice to scare away the enemy. He scared the enemy forces and none dared to step forward to cause harm to Porus. The elephant then used his powerful trunk and lifted him to a safe place, so that his master can rest and recover from his injuries but the poor elephant itself succumbs to the injuries and dies and so is born this great legend of an animal loyalty and bravery.

The poet feels sorry for the faithful beast. He says, these animals cannot speak ,however they too have emotions ,they too are potent to love because they have been made that way by the Almighty. These animals express their love and emotions by crying and sighing.

             Textual Questions

QNO1:How did the elephant saved the life of Porus?

Ans: The elephant stood above its master and bore all the attacks of enemies on itself and thus saved its master from further injuries which could have otherwise caused his death.

Qno2:What does the poet mean by:

Ah! these dumb things that but cry and pant

They too can, love for God make them so.”

Answer: The given couplet is an extract from the poem 'Porus and his Elephant composed by Mary Dobson. Mary Dobson through the given lines infers that our conventional / traditional belief that all animals are dumb and emotionless (as they can't express their emotions in words) is absolutely wrong. She asserts that even animals can love and care for others as God has blessed them with these qualities.

Qno3:Write the story told in the poem in your own words.

Refer to the summary

Qno4:What is the rhyme scheme for the poem?

Ans: The poem has the alternate rhyme scheme ABAB,CDCD,EFEF,GHGH,IJIJ,KLKL,MNMN,OPOP,BCBC.

Qno5:The poem reflects the faithfulness of an elephant towards its master. Explain.

Ans:The poem centers around a dumb heroic elephant .The poem narrates the heroic part played by this beast in saving its master, Porus who was badly injured in the battlefield. The elephant stood above his master to shield him from enemy attacks. Afterwards ,he lifted him on his back and carried him to a safer place. The elephant succeeded in protecting its master but sacrificed its own life in doing so. Thus, the story shows the admirable courage and faithfulness of an elephant towards its master.

  Make Sentence 

To hold at bay: During the public rally, the volunteers held the crowd at bay.

 Battle pride: The commander, in battle pride, advanced towards the enemy lines.

 Fought the more: On sensing the danger to their lives, the trapped soldiers fought the more. 

a Gallant part: Porus was saved due to the gallant part played by his elephant in the battlefield.

 Mighty trunk: The elephant lifted huge logs of wood with its mighty trunk.

 USE THE GIVEN WORDS AS VERBS AND NOUNS: 

1. Record: Noun: 

He holds the record for the fastest fifty. 

b. Verb: Please record my statement. 2. Present: 

. Noun: She thanked her friend for the beautiful present. 

1. Verb: He presented the Mayor with a memento.

 3. Object 

Noun: She picked up a strange object from the ground.

 1. Verb: l objected to his rude behaviour. 

4. Contest: 

.. Noun: He participated in the painting contest. 

b. Verb: He contested for the post of the Vice President. 

5. Produce: .. Noun: The produce from his field is of a superior quality. 

Verb: Our company produces the best quality health products. 

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