Class 11 NCERT Solutions eNGLISH 

Woven Words Poetry Chapter 8

for Elkana

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM 

Q1. Comment on the subtlety with which the poet captures the general pattern of communication within a family.

✅ 20 Words:

The poet shows simple family talk. The wife complains, the husband stays silent, and the child speaks his honest feelings.

✅ 40 Words:

The poet shows how family members talk daily. The wife speaks her mind, the husband silently escapes arguments, and the child expresses his needs. This simple scene reflects family communication in a sweet, natural, and relatable way.

✅ 60 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel gently shows how a family talks in normal life. The wife comments on things; the husband avoids arguments by staying quiet, and the child boldly speaks his needs. Their interaction reflects how families often balance love, small complaints, and innocent demands. Through this simple scene, the poet beautifully shows family bonds and understanding.

✅ 80 Words:

The poet beautifully presents how family members talk and behave daily. The wife points out small faults, like a broken windowpane. The husband avoids arguing and looks away, choosing peace over conflict. Their son boldly says what he wants, showing his honesty. The poet gently highlights these real, everyday moments of family life. This subtle yet deep portrayal shows love, small disagreements, and innocent honesty, reflecting how families lovingly deal with life’s simple situations.

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Q2. Poetic effect is achieved in the poem through understatement and asides. Discuss this with examples.

✅ 20 Words:

The poet uses soft humour and simple comments, like “the man she loves happened to be me,” creating a light, sweet tone.

✅ 40 Words:

The poet adds gentle humour through simple lines. When he says, “the man she loves happened to be me,” he playfully accepts his faults. This understatement and aside bring out warmth, making the poem more human, relatable, and easy to enjoy.

✅ 60 Words:

In the poem, humour and gentle criticism are shown through understatement and asides. The line, “the man she loves happened to be me,” humorously accepts the husband’s faults. This light tone avoids harshness and creates a loving, natural family picture. These simple side comments give the poem charm and make it relatable to readers who experience similar situations.

✅ 80 Words:

The poet skillfully creates a poetic effect through gentle humour and quiet side comments. For example, when he says, “the man she loves happened to be me,” it’s a playful confession of his shortcomings. Instead of big arguments, the family uses small asides and soft comments. These understatements bring warmth and simplicity to the poem. They reflect the natural way people in families communicate—with teasing, love, and gentle jokes that make everyday situations light and meaningful.

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Q3. How is the idyllic juxtaposed with the pedestrian in the poem?

✅ 20 Words:

The peaceful evening and soft breeze contrast with simple family talks about chores and a child’s hungry demand for food.

✅ 40 Words:

The poem shows peaceful nature, like a warm evening and breeze, alongside everyday matters like fixing a windowpane or the child asking for food. This balance of beauty and daily life makes the scene both ordinary and special, just like real-life moments.

✅ 60 Words:

The poet beautifully mixes peaceful nature with daily family life. The evening breeze and calm atmosphere create an idyllic scene, but family talks about broken windows and dinner needs bring in the pedestrian side. This shows how beauty and routine co-exist in our lives, making normal family moments both poetic and real. Such contrasts make the poem meaningful.

✅ 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel wonderfully blends the calm beauty of the evening with the simple realities of family life. While the poet describes a peaceful April evening and gentle breezes, the family talks about chores like fixing a windowpane, and their son demands food. This contrast between the idyllic and the ordinary shows how beauty and daily life go hand in hand. Such juxtapositions reflect how small moments in life carry poetic charm despite their simplicity.

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**Q4. Explain the undertones in the statement:

‘Wife and husband in unusual rapport

state one unspoken thought’:**

✅ 20 Words:

The poet means both parents silently agree that their child must learn patience, even without speaking about it aloud.

✅ 40 Words:

This line shows that both husband and wife silently understand the need to discipline their child. Even without saying it aloud, they both know the child must learn patience and wait for dinner. This silent agreement reflects their bond and shared responsibility.

✅ 60 Words:

The poet gently shows that both parents, despite their differences, silently agree on one thing: their son must be taught discipline. Without arguing, they share this unspoken thought. This line highlights how couples often disagree on small matters but come together when guiding their children, showing love, unity, and mutual understanding in parenting.

✅ 80 Words:

This line highlights a special moment when the wife and husband, usually not in perfect agreement, silently share the same thought. Even without talking about it, they both know their son needs to learn patience and discipline. Despite their small daily differences, they unite in this responsibility. The poet beautifully presents how parents, though different in personality, come together in love and care for their child’s better upbringing, creating a touching and real-life family moment.

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**Q5. Comment on the capitalisation of all the words in the line:

‘Children Must be Disciplined’.**

✅ 20 Words:

Capitalisation highlights its importance. It shows the serious, rule-like belief of the parents about teaching discipline to their child.

✅ 40 Words:

The poet capitalises this line to make it stand out, like a big rule. It shows how strongly parents believe in teaching their child discipline. This makes the line sound like an important life lesson, not just a passing thought.

✅ 60 Words:

The capitalisation of this line turns a simple thought into a strong, almost universal rule. It shows how serious and important parents think discipline is in a child’s life. This style highlights the formal, rule-like way families pass on values. By doing this, the poet humorously points out how parents treat daily family lessons like important life commandments.

✅ 80 Words:

The capitalisation of every word in the line “Children Must be Disciplined” gives it a serious, formal tone. It makes this everyday parental advice sound like an official law. This highlights how parents strongly believe in teaching children good habits. The capital letters draw attention to their shared belief, turning a simple family instruction into a big life lesson. The poet also adds a touch of humour, showing how small rules in family life feel very grand sometimes.

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Q6. What makes the urgency of the child’s demand seem logical?

✅ 20 Words:

The child says if he waits, he will no longer feel hungry. His logic is innocent yet completely understandable and real.

✅ 40 Words:

The child argues that if he waits five minutes, his hunger will go away. His clear and simple logic makes sense. It reflects how children feel their needs in the moment and express them honestly without thinking about social rules.

✅ 60 Words:

The boy’s demand for dinner seems logical because he explains that if he waits, his hunger will disappear. This honest, simple reasoning shows a child’s innocent view of life. For him, feelings are real only in the present moment. His argument is practical, reflecting a child’s clear, straightforward way of thinking, making his request sound smart and genuine.

✅ 80 Words:

The child’s urgent request makes sense because he clearly explains his feelings. He says that if he waits for five minutes, his hunger will be gone, making dinner useless. This shows his practical and innocent thinking. He lives in the present and feels his needs deeply in the moment. His logic touches the father’s heart, who admires his son’s honesty and clarity. The boy’s argument is both simple and wise, showing how children view the world directly and truthfully.

EXTRA QUESTIONS 

✅ Q1. What is the setting of the poem “For Elkana”?

🔹 20 Words:

The poem is set on a calm April evening. The family sits outdoors, enjoying the breeze and sharing simple moments.

🔹 40 Words:

The poet describes a quiet April evening where the family sits outside on the lawn. The cool breeze, soft atmosphere, and peaceful surroundings create a calm, comforting setting where simple family talks happen naturally, showing love and togetherness.

🔹 60 Words:

The peaceful setting of the poem is an April evening, where gentle breezes blow across the lawn. The family places their chairs unevenly and sits in silence, enjoying nature’s calm. This quiet moment becomes the backdrop for small family conversations and the child’s innocent demands. The poet turns this simple setting into a warm, relatable scene of family bonding.

🔹 80 Words:

In “For Elkana,” the poet creates a peaceful setting on a warm April evening. Gentle breezes softly blow, and the family brings their chairs down to the lawn, relaxing outdoors. The setting is calm and quiet, giving them space to reflect and talk. Against this background of nature’s peace, small family interactions take place—a conversation about a broken windowpane and the child’s innocent demand for dinner. The poet beautifully turns this simple, ordinary moment into something emotionally rich and poetic.

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✅ Q2. How does the poet portray his wife in the poem?

🔹 20 Words:

The poet shows his wife as observant and practical. She lovingly criticizes and gently manages the home and the child.

🔹 40 Words:

In the poem, the wife is caring yet critical. She notices small flaws like a broken windowpane and calmly handles the child’s demand. She balances responsibility with love, showing the real personality of a mother and wife who manages family life wisely.

🔹 60 Words:

The poet describes his wife as an observant and practical woman. She notices a broken windowpane and suggests how to fix it, like any concerned homemaker. Even when their son demands dinner, she calmly tells him to wait, showing her role as a patient mother. The poet shows her loving but firm personality, reflecting how women lovingly manage both home and family responsibilities.

🔹 80 Words:

In “For Elkana,” the poet lovingly portrays his wife as a caring yet practical woman. She notices and comments on household flaws, like the broken windowpane, reflecting her attention to detail. Her loving firmness shines when their son demands dinner—she calmly tells him to wait, showing her patience and discipline. Through his light tone, the poet captures her real-life qualities of love, responsibility, and gentle authority. She becomes a relatable figure who balances affection and practical wisdom in family life.

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✅ Q3. What does the child’s demand reveal about his character?

🔹 20 Words:

The child is honest and logical. He speaks directly about his hunger and argues smartly for what he needs immediately.

🔹 40 Words:

The child’s demand shows his honesty and sharp thinking. He knows he is hungry now and argues that waiting will make the hunger disappear. His straightforward, logical reasoning reflects his innocent but strong-willed nature, making him a smart and relatable character.

🔹 60 Words:

The poem’s child shows strong personality traits through his demand for dinner. He speaks honestly and argues logically, saying he is hungry now and waiting will change that. His words reflect a child’s innocent clarity and practical thinking. Despite his young age, he confidently expresses his feelings. This shows his determination and logical approach, making him similar in spirit to his father, who admires this quality.

🔹 80 Words:

In “For Elkana,” the child’s demand for dinner highlights his logical, straightforward character. He clearly expresses his present hunger and argues that if he waits five minutes, the hunger will vanish, making the wait pointless. This reasoning, though simple, is powerful and shows his sharp mind and confidence. His honest communication and determination reflect a child’s innocence mixed with wisdom. The poet admires these qualities in his son, seeing a reflection of himself in the child’s logical thinking and courage.

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✅ Q4. Why does the father admire his son’s argument?

🔹 20 Words:

The father admires his son’s honesty and clear logic. He sees his own bold, straightforward nature reflected in his child.

🔹 40 Words:

The father finds his son’s reasoning simple but logical. The boy’s clear demand and truthful nature remind the father of himself. He appreciates the boy’s courage to speak his feelings openly, showing a deep bond of understanding between father and son.

🔹 60 Words:

The father appreciates his son’s clear, logical demand for dinner. When the boy says he won’t be hungry in five minutes, it shows his honest nature. The father sees himself in his child’s boldness and logical thinking. This moment of recognition fills the father with love and pride. He respects his son’s courage to speak the truth without hesitation.

🔹 80 Words:

The father admires his son’s simple but powerful logic. The boy’s clear reasoning—that he is hungry now, and waiting will change that—shows honesty and courage. In this moment, the father sees his own traits in his son: boldness, clarity, and determination. This creates a touching bond between them. The father values his son’s ability to express his feelings truthfully, appreciating how children think clearly without unnecessary complications, reminding him of his own youthful clarity and spirit.

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✅ Q5. What role does humour play in the poem?

🔹 20 Words:

Humour in the poem makes family situations light and loving. It adds charm to small arguments and ordinary conversations.

🔹 40 Words:

The poem uses gentle humour to show the family’s life. Instead of serious fights, the husband’s asides and the child’s cleverness bring smiles. Humour makes the family’s daily moments feel warm, relatable, and full of love rather than conflict.

🔹 60 Words:

Humour plays an important role in making the poem light and warm. The poet describes small family situations, like fixing the windowpane or the child demanding dinner, in a playful tone. The husband’s silent acceptance of his faults and the child’s innocent logic add charm. This humour makes the poem relatable, showing that even family tensions can be handled with love and laughter.

🔹 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel uses gentle humour throughout the poem to turn ordinary family life into a delightful experience. He humorously presents the wife’s complaints, the husband’s quiet reactions, and the child’s innocent yet smart demands. Rather than serious arguments, the poem presents these family situations in a playful, light-hearted way. This humour softens family tensions, making readers smile at life’s small struggles. It shows that everyday family life, with all its ups and downs, is best lived with laughter and love.

✅ Q6. How does the poem show a balance between discipline and love in parenting?

🔹 20 Words:

The poem shows parents balancing love and discipline. They gently ask their child to wait but still care about his needs.

🔹 40 Words:

The parents lovingly try to teach discipline by asking their son to wait for dinner. Yet, they also understand his hunger and feelings. This balance between setting rules and showing care reflects the real-life parenting style filled with affection and responsibility.

🔹 60 Words:

The poem reflects how parents balance discipline with love. The mother asks the son to wait for dinner, showing the importance of patience. But they also smile at his innocence and finally give in to his hunger. This delicate balance between teaching discipline and fulfilling a child’s needs highlights the loving nature of parents who guide with care, not harshness.

🔹 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel’s poem beautifully shows how parents blend discipline with love in raising a child. When their son demands dinner, the mother asks him to wait, teaching him patience. Yet, they both smile at his innocent logic and finally give him dinner, showing they value his feelings. This mix of gentle rules and warmth reflects real parenting, where love and discipline go hand in hand, ensuring a child grows with kindness and responsibility, not strictness alone.

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✅ Q7. What does the title “For Elkana” signify?

🔹 20 Words:

The title “For Elkana” shows the poem is dedicated to the poet’s son, Elkana, describing their sweet family moment.

🔹 40 Words:

The poem is a heartfelt dedication to the poet’s son, Elkana. Through this title, the poet highlights a personal family moment, sharing love, learning, and laughter. It makes the poem a warm memory of fatherhood and childhood innocence.

🔹 60 Words:

The title “For Elkana” is a personal dedication by Nissim Ezekiel to his son. The poem captures a simple yet special family evening, turning an ordinary moment into a loving memory. Through this title, the poet shows how much he values these little family experiences, sharing the joy of parenting and the delight of seeing his son’s innocent, logical nature.

🔹 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel titles his poem “For Elkana” as a loving dedication to his son. The entire poem revolves around a simple family moment shared with Elkana, reflecting love, humour, and learning. The title makes the poem deeply personal, showing the poet’s affection and pride in his son’s sharp, innocent logic. It transforms an everyday event into a treasured memory. Through this, Ezekiel celebrates the beauty of fatherhood and the priceless value of shared family experiences.

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✅ Q8. How does the father escape arguments with his wife?

🔹 20 Words:

The father escapes arguments by silently looking away and focusing on his own thoughts instead of reacting to his wife’s words.

🔹 40 Words:

The poet avoids conflict with his wife by turning his attention inward. Instead of arguing when his wife points out faults, he looks away, finding peace in his own thoughts. This reflects his calm, peaceful approach to handling small family disagreements with maturity.

🔹 60 Words:

In the poem, the husband avoids arguing with his wife when she points out household flaws. He calmly turns his attention to his thoughts, creating a peaceful mental escape. This shows his patient and silent way of avoiding unnecessary conflict. Rather than reacting angrily, he keeps the harmony in their relationship through quiet understanding, showing maturity in handling daily family situations.

🔹 80 Words:

The father escapes arguments in a calm and peaceful way. When his wife notices a broken windowpane and makes suggestions, he avoids replying or disagreeing. Instead, he turns his gaze inward, focusing on the quiet beauty of the moment behind his eyes. This peaceful withdrawal prevents unnecessary arguments. His response reflects wisdom and patience, showing how mature relationships survive by choosing peace over petty disagreements. This subtle handling of conflict adds depth and charm to the poem’s family portrayal.

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✅ Q9. How does the mother handle the child’s stubborn demand?

🔹 20 Words:

The mother patiently tells the child to wait for dinner, showing firmness. She lovingly balances discipline with gentle care.

🔹 40 Words:

The mother responds calmly to her son’s stubborn demand. She wags her finger and tells him to wait for five minutes, teaching patience. Though firm, her tone is caring, reflecting how mothers discipline their children lovingly without harshness, balancing authority and affection.

🔹 60 Words:

When the child stubbornly demands dinner, the mother remains calm and patient. She gently but firmly instructs him to wait for five minutes, showing her role as a caring disciplinarian. Her actions reflect how mothers guide their children towards patience and discipline. She balances love and authority, ensuring her child learns good habits without feeling unloved, creating a nurturing yet guiding environment at home.

🔹 80 Words:

The mother in the poem handles her son’s stubbornness with loving firmness. Instead of giving in immediately, she wags her finger and clearly tells him to wait for five minutes. This reflects her nurturing role in teaching the child patience and discipline. She doesn’t shout or scold but uses calm words to set boundaries. Her approach shows how mothers blend care and authority to guide their children’s behaviour gently, teaching important life lessons through daily family interactions.

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✅ Q10. What message does the poem give about family life?

🔹 20 Words:

The poem shows that family life is filled with love, small disagreements, humour, and understanding, making simple moments beautiful.

🔹 40 Words:

“For Elkana” highlights that family life is not perfect but beautiful. Small complaints, innocent demands, and quiet love make it special. Through humour and patience, families balance love and discipline, creating happiness even in ordinary moments, making life meaningful.

🔹 60 Words:

The poem beautifully shares that family life is a mix of love, small disagreements, and sweet laughter. Though people have faults, they accept and care for each other. Even in ordinary evenings and simple talks, love shines through. The poem suggests that joy lies in accepting each other’s imperfections and handling family life with humour, patience, and gentle understanding.

🔹 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel’s “For Elkana” gives a heartwarming message about family life. It teaches that even ordinary moments, like fixing a windowpane or a child’s dinner demand, are filled with love and meaning. Families face small complaints and innocent stubbornness, but they balance them with humour, patience, and understanding. The poet shows that true happiness lies in these simple, everyday situations. Love, acceptance, and gentle discipline make family life peaceful, turning simple evenings into treasured memories.

✅ Q11. What role does silence play in the poem?

🔹 20 Words:

Silence shows peaceful family moments. It reflects the comfort of sitting together without speaking, enjoying the evening’s calm beauty.

🔹 40 Words:

The family sits in silence before words come. This peaceful silence shows comfort, togetherness, and understanding without talking. Silence reflects their calm bond, where they don’t need to speak all the time to feel close and connected in love.

🔹 60 Words:

Silence in the poem represents calmness and understanding within the family. The poet, his wife, and son sit quietly, enjoying the peaceful evening before conversations begin. This silence reflects a mature bond where words are not always necessary. It symbolizes peace, mutual comfort, and the joy of simply being together without forcing communication, making the moment beautiful and real.

🔹 80 Words:

The silence in the poem plays a beautiful role in showing peaceful family bonding. Before any words are spoken, the family sits together in quiet harmony, enjoying the gentle breeze. This silence reflects their comfort with each other, where they do not need constant conversation to feel connected. It symbolizes emotional maturity and deep understanding within a family. Through this stillness, the poet shows how silence itself can be a warm, loving form of communication in daily life.

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✅ Q12. What emotions does the poem highlight in a family relationship?

🔹 20 Words:

The poem highlights love, patience, humour, and understanding. These emotions help the family handle small conflicts with care and peace.

🔹 40 Words:

The poem shows how love, patience, and humour make family life special. Even when small disagreements happen, such as the wife’s complaints or the son’s stubbornness, the family stays bonded through care and mutual understanding. These emotions create warmth.

🔹 60 Words:

In “For Elkana,” the poet highlights key family emotions like love, patience, and humour. These feelings help the family handle daily conflicts, like a wife’s observations or a child’s urgent hunger, without anger. The family respects each other’s feelings and gently resolves issues, showing emotional maturity. This emotional warmth makes ordinary moments beautiful, emphasizing that strong relationships grow through kindness and understanding.

🔹 80 Words:

The poem highlights the important emotions that hold a family together. Love is seen in the way the father quietly admires his wife and son. Patience shines when the mother calmly handles her son’s hunger. Humour appears in the poet’s light remarks and the child’s logical demands. These feelings help the family manage small daily troubles peacefully. The poet shows that it’s not grand gestures, but such everyday love, gentle patience, and simple understanding that create a happy family life.

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✅ Q13. Why does the poet call the child a “little bastard” humorously?

🔹 20 Words:

The poet jokingly calls his child a “little bastard” because of his smart argument. It shows affection and gentle humour.

🔹 40 Words:

When the child logically argues for food, the poet affectionately and humorously calls him a “little bastard.” This phrase isn’t rude but reflects a father’s playful pride in his son’s sharp mind, showing loving humour and deep affection.

🔹 60 Words:

The poet uses the phrase “little bastard” humorously, showing his affection for his son’s cleverness. The child’s bold and logical argument surprises and amuses the father. This light-hearted expression is not meant harshly but playfully acknowledges the son’s sharp thinking. It reflects the warmth and closeness of their relationship, where teasing words express love rather than anger.

🔹 80 Words:

In “For Elkana,” the poet affectionately calls his son a “little bastard” after the boy’s sharp argument. This phrase, though strong, is used with loving humour. It shows how the father admires his child’s clear thinking and determination. Rather than feeling annoyed, the poet feels pride in seeing his son speak with such confidence. This playful remark reflects the comfort and affection in their bond, where teasing words express closeness and mutual respect rather than anger or disrespect.

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✅ Q14. How does the child express his need clearly?

🔹 20 Words:

The child clearly says, “I am hungry now.” His simple, honest words show his immediate need without confusion or hesitation.

🔹 40 Words:

The child’s clear words, “I am hungry now,” show his honest and simple expression of need. He doesn’t hide his feelings or delay his demand. His straightforward approach reflects a child’s innocent honesty and practical thinking, making his point clear.

🔹 60 Words:

The child expresses his hunger with complete honesty and clarity. He firmly says, “I am hungry now,” and argues logically why waiting makes no sense. His straightforwardness reflects how children express their needs without fear or hesitation. This clear, simple communication makes his request feel genuine and practical. The poet admires this honesty, seeing it as a beautiful part of his child’s innocent personality.

🔹 80 Words:

In the poem, the child expresses his need in the clearest way possible. He firmly states, “I am hungry now,” showing his honesty and practical mindset. Unlike adults, who often delay or hide their needs, the child speaks his feelings openly. He explains that waiting will remove his hunger, making dinner pointless. This clear expression reflects his simple, innocent nature. The father admires this directness, appreciating his child’s courage to speak his truth without hesitation, fear, or confusion.

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✅ Q15. What makes the family moment memorable in the poem?

🔹 20 Words:

The family moment becomes memorable because of love, humour, and the child’s innocent demand, making an ordinary evening special.

🔹 40 Words:

The simple evening becomes memorable through laughter, love, and the child’s innocent stubbornness. The peaceful setting, gentle humour, and shared family understanding turn a normal dinner request into a touching, unforgettable family experience, showing the joy in simple life moments.

🔹 60 Words:

The poem’s family moment stands out because of the love, humour, and innocence it reflects. A normal dinner request turns into a special memory when the child’s logical stubbornness, the mother’s calm firmness, and the father’s quiet admiration come together. Their laughter and understanding bind them emotionally. This small scene beautifully shows how ordinary family interactions create cherished, lifelong memories filled with warmth.

🔹 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel beautifully turns an ordinary family evening into a memorable moment in “For Elkana.” The peaceful setting, simple conversation, and the child’s innocent demand blend together with love and humour. What could have been a routine dinner request becomes special through their laughter, the father’s quiet admiration, and the mother’s gentle patience. The poet highlights that life’s greatest joys are hidden in such simple, loving moments shared with family, making them unforgettable in the heart’s memory.

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✅ Q16. Why does the poet avoid contradicting his wife?

🔹 20 Words:

The poet avoids arguing with his wife because he values peace. He silently accepts her opinions to maintain family harmony.

🔹 40 Words:

The poet chooses not to contradict his wife because he prefers peace over small arguments. He knows that debating her observations will disturb the calm family atmosphere. His silence reflects understanding, maturity, and his desire to keep the family bond strong.

🔹 60 Words:

The poet avoids contradicting his wife to keep the peace in their relationship. He understands that arguing over small matters, like fixing a windowpane, is pointless. Instead, he silently accepts her remarks, valuing harmony over pride. His actions reflect maturity and love. Through this silence, the poet shows how family peace is preserved not by winning arguments but by valuing understanding and emotional closeness.

🔹 80 Words:

In “For Elkana,” the poet chooses silence instead of contradiction when his wife points out a broken windowpane. He knows from experience that arguing about such small matters only disrupts peace. By silently accepting her words, he protects the loving atmosphere of their family evening. His calm response reflects his maturity and emotional wisdom. The poet shows that true love means sometimes letting go of ego, valuing peace over proving oneself right, and keeping the family bond intact and happy.

✅ Q17. How does the poem reflect daily family life?

🔹 20 Words:

The poem reflects daily family life through simple talks, small complaints, and a child’s innocent demands, showing love and care.

🔹 40 Words:

The poet describes small family moments like fixing a window, quiet relaxation, and a child’s demand for dinner. These simple, daily happenings reflect the real-life joys and struggles of family life, showing how love and humour keep families close.

🔹 60 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel’s poem reflects the beauty of daily family life. Simple activities like enjoying the evening breeze, noticing broken things, and a child asking for food are shown warmly. These ordinary moments carry love, care, and gentle humour. The poet highlights how small conversations, innocent stubbornness, and silent understanding form the essence of family life, making everyday moments meaningful and unforgettable.

🔹 80 Words:

“For Elkana” beautifully reflects daily family life by showing simple yet meaningful moments. The poet shares a peaceful evening where a wife comments on a broken window, a husband silently observes, and a child demands food. These ordinary activities reflect the love, small disagreements, and warmth that every family experiences. Through humour and understanding, the poet turns these everyday moments into poetry, showing that family life’s real joy lies not in big events but in daily love and laughter.

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✅ Q18. How is the father’s inner world different from the outer scene?

🔹 20 Words:

Outside, the scene is peaceful and routine. Inside, the father escapes into beautiful thoughts, avoiding his wife’s small complaints.

🔹 40 Words:

The outside scene shows a peaceful family evening with small complaints and talks. But the father’s inner world is different—he escapes to quiet thoughts behind his eyes, finding comfort in imagination rather than focusing on his wife’s remarks and daily worries.

🔹 60 Words:

The father’s inner world is calm and peaceful compared to the ordinary outer world. While his wife talks about a broken window, he looks inward, escaping to peaceful thoughts. This contrast shows how he finds emotional space within himself, separating his mind from minor household complaints. It highlights how sometimes, people mentally step away from small troubles to protect their peace and happiness.

🔹 80 Words:

In the poem, the outer scene reflects everyday life—family members sitting on the lawn, sharing small talks and noticing household problems. But the father’s inner world is far different. He quietly escapes into his thoughts, creating a peaceful space behind his eyes, away from his wife’s comments. This shows how people often build mental escapes to protect their peace from daily worries. The poet beautifully contrasts the calm inner mind with the routine outer world, reflecting human nature’s complexity.

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✅ Q19. How does the poem end, and what does it suggest?

🔹 20 Words:

The poem ends with laughter and togetherness. It suggests that love and humour solve small family conflicts, bringing happiness.

🔹 40 Words:

The poem ends on a happy note as the family laughs together and goes inside. This joyful ending suggests that despite disagreements, love and laughter bring people closer. Small family conflicts are solved not with anger but with care and humour.

🔹 60 Words:

The poem ends with delightful laughter from the wife, which brings the family together. They leave the lawn and go inside, showing unity and peace. This ending suggests that families may face small conflicts or stubbornness, but love, humour, and understanding make them strong. The poet highlights that happiness lies in shared laughter, making everyday troubles feel small compared to the bond of family love.

🔹 80 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel ends the poem with a beautiful moment of family unity. The wife’s laughter fills the air, bringing joy to the husband and son. They all rise from their chairs and go inside together, leaving behind their small disagreements. This peaceful ending suggests that love, humour, and togetherness help families overcome daily conflicts. The poet shows that even in ordinary life, shared laughter creates deep bonds. This ending reflects the warmth and joy found in simple family moments.

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✅ Q20. What literary devices does the poet use in the poem?

🔹 20 Words:

The poet uses humour, imagery, understatement, and gentle irony to describe family life in a simple and poetic manner.

🔹 40 Words:

Nissim Ezekiel uses literary devices like imagery to describe the evening scene, humour in family interactions, and understatement in the father’s quiet thoughts. Gentle irony appears in the child’s logical argument. These devices make ordinary family life feel poetic and touching.

🔹 60 Words:

The poem uses various literary devices to make family life poetic. Imagery paints the calm evening and the lawn scene. Humour appears in the father’s remarks and the child’s demands. Understatement shows the father’s quiet acceptance of family quirks. Irony shines in the child’s logic. Together, these devices turn daily family moments into meaningful poetry, creating warmth, relatability, and emotional beauty.

🔹 80 Words:

In “For Elkana,” Nissim Ezekiel uses many literary devices to enrich the poem. Imagery beautifully describes the peaceful April evening and the family’s relaxed mood. Humour and understatement reflect the father’s gentle acceptance of household troubles and his playful pride in his son’s logic. The poet also uses irony when the child logically argues about his hunger. These literary touches transform an ordinary family scene into heartfelt poetry, showing how simple life moments can be rich in emotion and meaning.