English
2.8 Small Towns and River (Poem)
- By Mamang Dai
Q. Write appreciation of the poem Small Towns and River
Critical appreciation of the poem ‘Small Towns and River’
Points:
1) Title, poet and the poem
2) The theme
3) The language/style and the poetic devices
4) Special features, message, moral values in the poem
5) Your opinion about the poem
Answer:
Title, poet and the poem:
One of the most eminent poetesses Mamang Dai has written this poem
dedicated to the beauty of nature specially the river and its features. She is a
writer from North-east India, Arunachal Pradesh and has played a key role in
the nature saving campaign. In this poem, she describes a landscape and its
immortal features where river is the most dominant factor. It is a nature poem,
but with a difference that while celebrating nature around her hometown, the
poet also laments the destruction of that nature to make a way for the lifeless
small towns along the river.
The theme:
The poem begins with the concept of death which is quite shocking for the
readers. It mentions that the town reminds the poetess about death. life is called
as temporary and rituals are permanent, which is very true. The mentioned town
is changing constantly but development is quite active. The river has a
predominant presence in her poem. It is depicted as the one alongside which lie
numerous small towns, the one with a soul, the one which ‘knows, the one
which brings grief to inhabitants of the towns in summer and the one which
knows about the ‘immortality’ of its water. She speaks of life during childhood,
full of happiness, transitioning into the later life of anxiety, as symbolized by the
growth of the small towns by the river.
2.8 Small Towns and River (Poem)
- By Mamang Dai
Q. Write appreciation of the poem Small Towns and River
Critical appreciation of the poem ‘Small Towns and River’
Points:
1) Title, poet and the poem
2) The theme
3) The language/style and the poetic devices
4) Special features, message, moral values in the poem
5) Your opinion about the poem
Answer:
Title, poet and the poem:
One of the most eminent poetesses Mamang Dai has written this poem
dedicated to the beauty of nature specially the river and its features. She is a
writer from North-east India, Arunachal Pradesh and has played a key role in
the nature saving campaign. In this poem, she describes a landscape and its
immortal features where river is the most dominant factor. It is a nature poem,
but with a difference that while celebrating nature around her hometown, the
poet also laments the destruction of that nature to make a way for the lifeless
small towns along the river.
The theme:
The poem begins with the concept of death which is quite shocking for the
readers. It mentions that the town reminds the poetess about death. life is called
as temporary and rituals are permanent, which is very true. The mentioned town
is changing constantly but development is quite active. The river has a
predominant presence in her poem. It is depicted as the one alongside which lie
numerous small towns, the one with a soul, the one which ‘knows, the one
which brings grief to inhabitants of the towns in summer and the one which
knows about the ‘immortality’ of its water. She speaks of life during childhood,
full of happiness, transitioning into the later life of anxiety, as symbolized by the
growth of the small towns by the river.
