Poem 8 - The Patriot (Workbook Answers 1 to 3)
Treasure Trove
Poem - 8
The Patriot
(Workbook Answers 1 to 3)
Extract 1
1. The speaker of the poem is a patriot who narrates the story of his golden past. His path was filled with roses as the people of his town gave him a grand welcome when he returned after war.
2. The line 'a year ago on this day' is significant because it helps the reader to understand the speaker's past, and contrasts it with his present state. A year ago, people welcomed him and treated him as a hero. A year later, people treat him as a disgrace.
3. The figure of speech used is Alliteration. The sound 'm' is repeated in this line.
'Myrtle' is a flower. 'Myrtle' symbolises the love shown to the speaker by the townspeople. To welcome the speaker, the people had thrown Myrtle flowers on the road.
4. 'They' refers to the people of the town. This line tells us that on the day when the speaker was welcomed by the people, they were so happy that they would have given him anything he asked.
5. The speaker had received a grand welcome. People had thrown flowers on the road to welcome him. The roofs were full of people . The church spires were decorated with flags. The old walls shook because of the cheering of the people. They were ready to give him him anything he wanted.
Extract 2
1. The narrator is 'I' in the above extract.
'Leaping at the sun' is a reference to the story of Icarus. In the Greek mythology, there was a person named Icarus who made wings of wax and flew to the sun. When he reached close to the sun, the wings melted and he died. The story is used to refer to stupid acts done by the people. In the poem, the narrator says he was stupid like Icarus, which caused his downfall.
2. The speaker 'leaped at the sun' for his loving friends. The word 'Alack' shows the speaker's regret.
3. The word 'harvest' refers to the treatment the narrator receives from the people, a year after his grand welcome. He had done his best for his friends and people, but the result that he got was ill-treatment from the people.
4. No, we don't consider those people as 'loving'. Although the people showed respect to the narrator when he had returned, a year they they treated him disrespectfully. They threw stones at him and were going to execute him.
5. Yes, the speaker feels sad about his past. He remembers the welcome given to him by the people, a year ago. There is no one to welcome him now, instead, they want him killed.
Extract 3
1. A year ago on his arrival, the rooftops were full of people. The old walls of the buildings shook due to the noise. But now, there is no one to welcome him. He is treated as a criminal. There is no one on the roof except for the people suffering from palsy.
2. The poem doesn't mention the reason for the speaker's present condition. We can assume that the speaker did something, which greatly offended the people. Maybe, in the name of helping his 'loving friends', he crossed the line and committed a grave crime. Or maybe he was ignored by the people and didn't receive any support from them. He had become so poor that he had to commit crimes to survive.
3. There was total contrast in people's attitude towards the patriot, a year later. They had welcomed him by throwing flowers, but now they throw stones at him. The roofs were full of people to welcome him, but now they are empty. The streets were filled with people cheering for him and asking him his wishes, but now the people abuse him and want him dead.
4. "The best of the sight" refers to the sight of the speaker's execution. The people were ready to worship him and fulfill his wishes, but now they want to kill him.
5. The speaker is being taken to the scaffold to be executed for his 'misdeeds'. We cannot justify this action because the reason for the speaker's execution is not revealed in the poem. We do not know the whether he is innocent or guilty. Thus, we cannot justify or condemn his execution.