Geography Lesson Class 8 English Honeydew Poem 3 Summary is available here. This summary is created by the subject experts of CBSE Wale . The poem is included in the Honeydew reader book, which is the main English textbook for Class 8 students. By using this summary, students can better understand the poem and improve their English language skills.
Geography Lesson Class 8 English Honeydew Poem 3 Summary
Geography Lesson Short Summary
In the poem “Geography Lesson”, the poet talks about what he thinks of the land when he sees it from above. He doesn’t think it looks nice and keeps going higher. The poet sees that there are many cities and valleys on the land. This makes him understand that people need land and water to live. He also realises that there is more water than land on earth. The poet also notices that people create borders that cause hate among them.
Geography Lesson Short Summary In Hindi
“Geography Lesson” कविता में कवि इस बारे में बात करता है कि जब वह ऊपर से जमीन देखता है तो वह उसके बारे में क्या सोचता है। उसे नहीं लगता कि यह अच्छा लग रहा है और वह ऊपर की ओर बढ़ता रहता है। कवि देखता है कि भूमि पर अनेक नगर और घाटियाँ हैं। इससे उन्हें समझ में आता है कि लोगों को जीने के लिए जमीन और पानी की जरूरत होती है। उसे यह भी पता चलता है कि धरती पर जमीन से ज्यादा पानी है। कवि यह भी देखता है कि लोग सीमाएँ बनाते हैं जो उनके बीच घृणा पैदा करती हैं।
Geography Lesson Summary
This poem is written by Zulfikar Ghose. Ghose talks about three things in this poem. First, he describes how things look from the sky. Second, he talks about how people built cities and towns. Lastly, he discusses why people dislike each other.
The poem shows that the poet is worried about people not getting along and having problems with each other. The poem starts with the poet looking down on the city from a plane. From up high, everything looks tiny, but he can see the whole city very well. The poet notices that the city doesn’t look well-planned and is messy. It doesn’t have a particular look or style. The poet’s concern with the city’s disorder suggests that he is worried about how people relate to each other in society.
As the poet’s jet climbed to a height of 10,000 feet, he could see that cities were often located near rivers or other sources of water. He understood that the availability of water was the reason behind the cities’ disorganisation. The cities grew and developed based on the resources they had available. People settled near water resources because they needed water for nearly everything they did. The poet realised that fertile land and water are essential for human life. He could see that the cities developed logically based on these fundamental needs.
Access to clean drinking water is crucial to human survival. Water plays a vital role in nearly all human activities, including agriculture, manufacturing, commerce, transportation, and more. The poet also came to understand that the Earth has more water than land, and that the Earth is round.
In the final part of the poem, the poet reflects on the reasons why humans build walls, boundaries, and fences. Despite having knowledge about the Earth, its shape, and the development of civilizations, cities, and nations, humans have failed to learn how to live peacefully on this amazing planet. The poet is confused and saddened by the fact that people hate each other so much, and he feels that people are selfish, jealous, and have narrow perspectives. He also recognizes that the Earth is one, but the people who live on it have divided and fragmented it.
The poet believes that people on the planet do not live in harmony together for trivial reasons. He feels that if people could put aside their differences and live peacefully together, the planet would be a beautiful and amazing place to live.
Geography Lesson Summary In Hindi
यह कविता जुल्फिकार घोष ने लिखी है। घोष इस कविता में तीन बातों के बारे में बात करते हैं। सबसे पहले, वह वर्णन करता है कि चीजें आसमान से कैसे दिखती हैं। दूसरा, वह इस बारे में बात करता है कि कैसे लोगों ने शहरों और कस्बों का निर्माण किया। अंत में, वह चर्चा करता है कि लोग एक-दूसरे को नापसंद क्यों करते हैं।
कविता से पता चलता है कि कवि इस बात से चिंतित है कि लोग साथ नहीं दे रहे हैं और एक दूसरे के साथ समस्याएँ हैं। कविता की शुरुआत कवि द्वारा विमान से नीचे शहर को देखने से होती है। ऊपर से, सब कुछ छोटा दिखता है, लेकिन वह पूरे शहर को अच्छी तरह देख सकता है। कवि ने नोटिस किया कि शहर सुनियोजित नहीं दिखता है और गन्दा है। इसका कोई विशेष रूप या शैली नहीं है। शहर की अव्यवस्था के साथ कवि की चिंता बताती है कि वह इस बात से चिंतित है कि लोग समाज में एक-दूसरे से कैसे संबंधित हैं।
जैसे ही कवि का जेट 10,000 फीट की ऊंचाई पर चढ़ा, वह देख सकता था कि शहर अक्सर नदियों या पानी के अन्य स्रोतों के पास स्थित होते थे। उन्होंने समझा कि शहरों की अव्यवस्था के पीछे पानी की उपलब्धता का कारण था। उपलब्ध संसाधनों के आधार पर शहरों का विकास और विकास हुआ। लोग जल संसाधनों के पास बस गए क्योंकि उन्हें अपने लगभग हर काम के लिए पानी की आवश्यकता थी। कवि ने अनुभव किया कि उपजाऊ भूमि और जल मानव जीवन के लिए आवश्यक हैं। वह देख सकता था कि इन मूलभूत आवश्यकताओं के आधार पर शहरों का तार्किक विकास हुआ।
स्वच्छ पेयजल तक पहुंच मानव अस्तित्व के लिए महत्वपूर्ण है। पानी लगभग सभी मानव गतिविधियों में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाता है, जिसमें कृषि, निर्माण, वाणिज्य, परिवहन, और बहुत कुछ शामिल है। कवि को यह भी समझ में आया कि पृथ्वी में जमीन से ज्यादा पानी है और पृथ्वी गोल है।
कविता के अंतिम भाग में, कवि उन कारणों पर विचार करता है कि मनुष्य क्यों दीवारें, सीमाएँ और बाड़ बनाते हैं। पृथ्वी, उसके आकार और सभ्यताओं, शहरों और राष्ट्रों के विकास के बारे में ज्ञान होने के बावजूद, मनुष्य इस अद्भुत ग्रह पर शांति से रहना सीखने में विफल रहे हैं। कवि इस बात से भ्रमित और दुखी है कि लोग एक-दूसरे से इतनी नफरत करते हैं, और उसे लगता है कि लोग स्वार्थी, ईर्ष्यालु और संकीर्ण दृष्टिकोण रखते हैं। वह यह भी मानता है कि पृथ्वी एक है, लेकिन इस पर रहने वालों ने इसे विभाजित और खंडित किया है।
कवि का मानना है कि ग्रह पर लोग तुच्छ कारणों से एक साथ सद्भाव में नहीं रहते हैं। उन्हें लगता है कि अगर लोग अपने मतभेदों को भुलाकर एक साथ शांति से रह सकें, तो यह ग्रह रहने के लिए एक सुंदर और अद्भुत जगह होगी।
The Explanation of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
Stanza 1
When the jet sprang into the sky,
it was clear why the city had
developed the way it had,
seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.
There seemed an inevitability
about what on ground had looked haphazard,
unplanned and without style
When the jet sprang into the sky.
Important Word Meaning
Sprang: It means to leap or jump suddenly and quickly.
Scaled: Here this word describes the process of reducing the size of the city to six inches to the mile.
Inevitability: It refers to the quality or state of being inevitable, meaning unavoidable or bound to happen.
Haphazard: It is an adjective that refers to something that is lacking any order or organisation, characterised by randomness or chance.
Unplanned: “Unplanned” is an adjective that describes something that has not been carefully thought out or designed in advance, lacking a clear or intentional plan.
Explanation
This stanza describes the poet’s experience of flying in a jet and looking down at the city from above. The first line, “When the jet sprang into the sky,” sets the scene and suggests the suddenness and excitement of taking off into the air. As the jet rises, the poet observes the city from a high vantage point and is able to see the full scope of the city, which appears scaled down to six inches per mile. This change in perspective allows the poet to see the city in a new light, and he realises that the seemingly haphazard and unplanned appearance of the city from ground level actually has a certain inevitability and order to it when viewed from above. The final line of the stanza, “When the jet sprang into the sky,” is repeated, emphasising the significance of this moment and the impact it has on the poet’s perception of the city.
Poetic Devices
Alliteration: The repetition of the “s” sound in “when the jet sprang into the sky” and the repetition of the “w” sound in “why the city had developed the way it had.”
Imagery: The stanza creates a vivid image of the city from the perspective of a jet flying overhead.
Metaphor: The poet compares the view of the city from the jet to a scaled-down model, using the phrase “seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.”
Enjambment: The sentences are broken across lines, which helps create a sense of momentum and urgency in the poem.
Personification: The phrase “There seemed an inevitability” gives human-like qualities to the concept of inevitability.
Stanza 2
When the jet reached ten thousand feet,
it was clear why the country
had cities where the rivers ran
and why the valleys were populated.
The logic of geography —
that land and water attracted man —
was clearly delineated
When the jet reached ten thousand feet.
Important Word Meaning
Logic: “Logic” refers to the reasoning or the process of forming a conclusion from premises, based on principles of valid reasoning.
Delineated: “Delineated” means to describe or portray something precisely or clearly.
Explanation
In this stanza of the poem, the speaker talks about how the view from ten thousand feet up in the air provides clarity about why cities are located where they are. The speaker says that cities are often located near rivers or other bodies of water, which is why valleys tend to be populated. The speaker describes this as the “logic of geography,” the idea that people are naturally drawn to land and water. The word “delineated” means clearly defined or marked out, and the speaker uses this word to describe how the relationship between people and their environment becomes clear from this height.
Poetic Devices
Enjambment: The first line flows into the second line without a pause or punctuation, creating a sense of continuity and momentum.
Imagery: The use of visual imagery such as “ten thousand feet,” “rivers,” and “valleys” creates a clear picture in the reader’s mind.
Personification: The line “land and water attracted man” personifies the natural elements, giving them human-like qualities.
Alliteration: The repetition of the “w” sound in “why the country had cities where the rivers ran” creates a musical effect.
Repetition: The repetition of “when the jet” at the beginning and end of the stanza creates a circular structure, emphasising the idea of a journey.
Stanza 3
When the jet rose six miles high,
it was clear the earth was round
and that it had more sea than land.
But it was difficult to understand
that the men on the earth found
causes to hate each other, to build
walls across cities and to kill.
From that height, it was not clear why.
Important Word Meaning
Rose: “Rose” in the context of the poem means the upward movement of the jet or the act of ascending to a higher altitude.
Causes: The word “causes” can refer to the reason, motive, or source of something. In the context of the poem stanza provided, it refers to the underlying reasons why people build walls and engage in acts of violence against each other, despite the fact that from a bird’s eye view, it is difficult to see the differences that separate them.
Explanation
This stanza describes the poet’s observation and reflection when the jet rose six miles high in the sky. The first two lines indicate that from that height, the poet can clearly see that the earth is round and that there is more sea than land. However, the following lines express the poet’s confusion about why humans have created reasons to hate and harm each other, such as building walls and killing. From the height of the jet, these conflicts seem senseless and unnecessary.
The last line of the stanza – “From that height, it was not clear why” – emphasises the poet’s confusion and implies that perhaps a higher perspective or understanding is necessary to make sense of human conflicts.
Poetic Devices
Hyperbole: “six miles high” – an exaggerated statement to emphasise the height and distance of the jet from the ground.
Metaphor: “the earth was round” – comparing the shape of the earth to a round object to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind.
Repetition: “it was clear” – repeated at the beginning of two lines to emphasise the clarity of the observations made from the jet.
Irony: “But it was difficult to understand that the men on the earth found causes to hate each other” – the irony lies in the fact that despite gaining a broader perspective of the world, the speaker still cannot comprehend why humans resort to violence and conflict.
Allusion: “walls across cities” – an allusion to the various physical and metaphorical barriers that humans create between themselves, separating them from each other.
Enjambment: The lines “found/causes” and “build/walls” are enjambed, which gives a sense of continuity and flow to the stanza.
Imagery: The use of visual images, such as “rose six miles high,” “earth was round,” and “more sea than land” creates vivid mental pictures in the reader’s mind.
Poet of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
The poet of the poem “Geography Lesson” is Zulfikar Ghose.
About the Poet of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
Zulfikar Ghose is a Pakistani-born British poet, novelist, and essayist. He was born in Sialkot, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan) in 1935. After the partition of India, his family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), where he spent most of his childhood. He later moved to England in 1952 to attend Keele University, where he studied English Literature. Ghose has published several poetry collections, including “The Violent West”, “The Loss of India”, and “Hammersmith and the Rivers of London”. He has also written novels such as “The Contradictions”, “Don Bueno”, and “The Incredible Brazilian”. In addition to writing, Ghose has taught English literature at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Dallas. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991 for his novel “The Incredible Brazilian”.
Theme of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
The main theme of the poem “Geography Lesson” is the contrast between the beauty and order of the natural world and the chaos and destruction caused by human beings through their wars, conflicts, and divisions. The poem reflects on how the perspective gained from a higher viewpoint can help us understand the logic and patterns of the earth, but also highlights the irony that despite our intelligence and knowledge, we are unable to live in peace and harmony with each other.
Main Idea of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
The main idea of the poem “Geography Lesson” is to show how perspective changes when one looks at the world from a different angle or height. It also emphasises the interconnectedness of people and the inevitability of the way societies and cities are formed based on the logic of geography. Furthermore, it critiques the human tendency to create divisions and conflicts despite living on the same planet.
Moral of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
The moral of the poem “Geography Lesson” is that human beings should learn to live in harmony with each other and with the planet they inhabit. It emphasises the importance of understanding geography and its influence on human behaviour and interactions. The poem suggests that hatred, division, and conflict are unnecessary and prevent humans from fully appreciating the beauty and wonder of the world around them.
Message of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
The message of the poem “Geography Lesson” is that we should look at the world with a broader perspective and try to understand the bigger picture. We should recognize that our differences are small compared to the vastness of the planet and that we should strive for unity and peace instead of building walls and fighting each other. By seeing the world from a different perspective, we can gain a greater appreciation for our planet and its inhabitants.
Conclusion of the Poem “Geography Lesson”
The conclusion of the poem “Geography Lesson” is that from a higher perspective, like that of a jet flying high in the sky, the divisions and conflicts among humans based on geography, race, and other factors seem small and insignificant compared to the vastness and unity of the Earth. The poet urges us to overcome our differences and live in harmony with each other and the planet.
Rhyme Scheme of the poem “Geography Lesson”
The rhyme scheme of the poem “Geography Lesson” by Zulfikar Ghose is irregular and does not follow a specific pattern. There are some instances of rhyme, such as “sky/high” and “land/understand,” but overall the poem relies more on repetition of certain phrases and images rather than strict adherence to a particular rhyme scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To The Poem Geography Lesson
Question 1. What was difficult to understand from that height in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. In the poem “Geography Lesson”, it was difficult to understand why people on earth found causes to hate each other, to build walls across cities and to kill, from the height of six miles where the jet rose.
Question 2. What was clear from that height in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. From the height of the jet in the poem “Geography Lesson,” it was clear that the earth was round, had more sea than land, and the logic of geography – that land and water attracted man.
Question 3. At what height was the jet in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. In the poem “Geography Lesson”, the jet rose to six miles high.
Question 4. What was the logic of geography in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. In the poem “Geography Lesson,” the logic of geography was that land and water attracted man, which explains why cities developed along rivers and why valleys were populated.
Question 5. What was difficult to understand about the earth when the jet was six miles high in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. When the jet was six miles high in the poem “Geography Lesson”, it was difficult to understand why humans found causes to hate each other, build walls across cities and kill each other, even though from that height it was not clear why.
Question 6. What was once most necessary for the emergence of a city in the past in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. According to the poem “Geography Lesson”, the most necessary thing for the emergence of a city in the past was the presence of water, as land and water attracted man due to the logic of geography.
Question 7. What geographic lessons did the poet in the jet learn when the jet reached ten thousand feet in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. When the jet reached ten thousand feet in the poem “Geography Lesson”, the poet learned that the logic of geography is that land and water attract humans, and this is why cities are often built near rivers and valleys are populated.
Question 8. Where was the poet in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. The poet is sitting in a jet aeroplane.
Question 9. What did the poet observe from the height in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. The poet in the poem “Geography Lesson” observed various aspects of the earth from the height of the jet, such as the round shape of the earth, the abundance of sea over land, the geography that attracted human settlements, and the man-made divisions and conflicts on the earth.
Question 10. What length did the poet compare 1 mile with in the poem “Geography Lesson”?
Answer. The poet compared one mile with six inches in the poem “Geography Lesson.”