The Kites
Daphne Lister
Extracts
1.Up in the air
See the kites fly,
Like coloured birds
In the wind-whipped sky.
Questions:
Question 1.
What imagery is used to describe the kites in the poem?
Answer:
The kites are described as “coloured birds” in the “wind-whipped sky.”
Question 2.
What is the sky described as in the poem?
Wind-whipped
Question 3.
What is the setting of the kites in the stanza?
Up in the air.
4.How does the comparison of kites to “coloured birds” enhance the portrayal of
their movement in the sky?
Answer:
The comparison enhances the portrayal by emphasizing the kites’ vibrant colours
and graceful, bird-like movement in the sky.
2.I wish I were small
And light as air,
I would climb on a kite
And sail up there.
Questions:
Question 1.
What does the speaker wish to be like in order to climb on a kite?
Answer:
The speaker wishes to be small and light as air.
Question 2.
What does the speaker want to do once they are small and light as air?
Answer:
The speaker wants to climb on a kite and sail up into the sky.
Question 3.
Why does the speaker express a desire to be small and light?
Answer:
The speaker expresses this desire to be able to climb on a kite and
experience flying.
Question 4.
What type of imagery is used in the stanza to convey the speaker’s wish?
Answer:
Imagery of flight and floating
Question 5.
How does the speaker’s wish reflect her imagination and desires?
Answer:
It shows a desire for adventure and freedom.
Stanza-III
Then I would drift upon
i The paper wings,
And hear the songs
That the wild wind sings.
Stanza-III
Then I would drift upon
i The paper wings,
And hear the songs
That the wild wind sings.
Questions:
Question 1.
What does the speaker wish to do upon the paper wings?
Answer:
Drift
Question 2.
What does the speaker refer to as “the paper wings”?
Answer:
A kite
Question 3.
What kind of sounds does the speaker hope to hear while drifting on the paper
wings?
The songs that the wild wind sings
Question 4.
Which of the following best describes the “wild wind” in the poem?
(a) Calm and soothing
(b) Soft and gentle
(c) Strong and untamed
(d) Warm and comforting
Answer:
(c) Strong and untamed
Question 5.
What does the’phrase “hear the songs” suggest about the wind?
Answer:
It suggests that the wind makes melodious or rhythmic sounds.
Stanza-IV
What fun it would be
To look right down,
Over the park
And the rooftops of town.
Questions:
Question 1.
What does the speaker find fun in the poem?
Answer:
The speaker finds it fun to look right down.
Question 2.
What does the speaker want to look down over?
Answer:
The speaker wants to look down over the park and the rooftops of town.
Question 3.
Which two specific locations does the speaker mention looking down on?
Answer:
The park and the rooftops of town.
What does the speaker find fun in the poem?
Answer:
The speaker finds it fun to look right down.
Question 2.
What does the speaker want to look down over?
Answer:
The speaker wants to look down over the park and the rooftops of town.
Question 3.
Which two specific locations does the speaker mention looking down on?
Answer:
The park and the rooftops of town.
Question 4.
What is implied about the speaker’s perspective?
(a) The speaker is on the ground.
(b) The speaker is looking through binoculars.
(c) The speaker is viewing from above.
(d) The speaker is sitting in a café.
Answer:
(c) The speaker is viewing from above.
Question 5.
Why might looking down over the park and rooftops be described as fun?
(a) It offers a close view of people.
(b) It provides a unique and expansive perspective.
(c) It allows the speaker to see inside buildings.
(d) It involves playing games in the park.
Ans.
(b) It provides a unique and expansive perspective.
Stanza-V
The people below
Would stand and stare,
And wish they were me
High, high in the air.
Questions:
Question 1.
What would the people below do when they see the speaker in the air?
Answer:
The people below would stand and stare.
Question 2.
What might the people below wish for after seeing the speaker?
Answer:
The people below might wish they were the speaker, high in the air.
Question 3.
How does the speaker’s position affect the people below?
Answer:
The speaker’s high position causes the people below to feel envious and
stare in admiration
Question 3.
How does the speaker’s position affect the people below?
Answer:
The speaker’s high position causes the people below to feel envious and
stare in admiration.
Question 4.
What emotion is suggested for the people below in response to the speaker’s
height?
Answer:
The people below feel a sense of admiration and envy.
Question 5.
What does the repeated word “high” in the phrase suggest about the
speaker’s position?
(a) The speaker is slightly elevated.
(b) The speaker is very far away.
(c) The speaker is extremely elevated.
(d) The speaker is at ground level.
Answer:
(c) The speaker is extremely elevated.
Question 6.
What is implied about the people below’s feelings towards the speaker’s
position?
(a) They are indifferent.
(b) They are disinterested.
(c) They are envious and wish to be in the same position.
(d) They are angry and upset.
Answer:
(c) They are envious and wish to be in the same position.
