Class 9 - Poem 4: A Doctor's Journal Entry Of For August 6, 1945
Poem 4
A Doctor's Journal Entry of For August 6, 1945
1. a
2. c
3. b
4. d
5. c
6. b
7. c
8. d
9. c
10. b
11. d
12. a
13. d
14. a
Contextual Questions
Extract 1
Extract 2
Extract 4
Ans 2: A soldier helped him. He gave the narrator a towel which he had on his neck. It is symbolic of giving what he had to help the narrator. The soldier's act shows basic human goodness which in turn gave confidence to the narrator.
Ans 3: The narrator sent his wife to the hospital because he realised that he could not walk as his legs were stiff with dried with blood as they were burnt. He justified his decision by saying that they had no choice.
Ans 4: When Yecko-san left for the hospital, the narrator felt lonely. The powerful nations like USA cause destruction and suffering to common people to display their power and isolate their enemies. Nobody comes to the rescue of the defeated people.
Ans 5: The narrator people that looked like silhouettes of humans, ghosts or scarecrows. They were walking like zombies with outstretched arms. They were naked but silent.
Extract 5
Ans 1: The morning is described as calm, beautiful and warm. The narrator was waking up, getting out of bed and looking out of window. He was optimistic like the morning.
Ans 2: The narrator was startled by two sudden flashes. He thought that they were magnesium flares seen during a war.
Ans 3: The walls of the building collapsed and the debris got scattered all over and the dust swirled around him. The clothes of the people got burnt. The people were either dead or mutilated. They walked like zombies, naked but not conscious of it.
Ans 4: The narrator was severely injured. A splinter protruded from his thigh, his right side bled, his cheek was torn. His blood gushed out from his neck.
Ans 5:
(a) The morning dawned, there were no strong winds, picturing nature and warm sunlight.
(b) A bright sudden flesh of light followed by another one startled the narrator.
Ans 1: There was a deep cut in his neck making the blood gush out. The narrator was panic-stricken because he thought that the blood was from his artery and he would quickly bleed to death.
Ans 2: Yecko-san was holding her elbow. It means her elbow was injured. She was blood stained and pale. She must be seriously injured which caused a loss of blood and made her look pale.
Ans 3: The narrator consoled his wife by saying "We'll be fine". It shows that the narrator was optimistic, caring, comforting and with strong human spirit.
Ans 4: They found a human head on the street. The narrator then apologised but realised that the person was dead. He felt afraid.
Ans 5: In the poem, there are many scenarios depicted that state how an atmosphere of fear was created in the minds of the narrator and his wife. Everything around them had collapsed only timber and debris are left over. Both were bleeding and their conditions are horrifying. They nearly tripped on a human head. All these examples create an atmosphere of fear due to the explosion.
Extract 3
Ans 1: The human being on whose head the narrator and his wife tripped, was dead. A gate had fallen on him and crushed him.
Ans 2: A house was standing and like a pack of cards swayed, tilted and collapsed. The swirling dust gave rise to a fire that was spread by the winds.
Ans 3: The narrator decides to go to the hospital for help and also to aid the hospital staff. He also told his wife to go alone and seek help as he couldn't walk anymore.
Ans 4: The narrator couldn't aid his staff at the hospital because he himself was injured and bleeding profusely. His legs felt weak and he was forced to sit on the ground.
Ans 5: The narrator couldn't walk because his leg was injured. He had to sit on the ground. He was thirsty but there was no water available. He was short of breath. Although he was naked, he felt no shame.
Ans 1: The speaker was short of breath because he was badly injured, bleeding profusely and walking had tired him. The symbolism in this expression is how the Japanese dealt with the calamity and with their unbeatable spirit and hard work they rose up and gradually rebuilt their shattered city and their world.
Ans 2: A soldier helped him. He gave the narrator a towel which he had on his neck. It is symbolic of giving what he had to help the narrator. The soldier's act shows basic human goodness which in turn gave confidence to the narrator.
Ans 3: The narrator sent his wife to the hospital because he realised that he could not walk as his legs were stiff with dried with blood as they were burnt. He justified his decision by saying that they had no choice.
Ans 4: When Yecko-san left for the hospital, the narrator felt lonely. The powerful nations like USA cause destruction and suffering to common people to display their power and isolate their enemies. Nobody comes to the rescue of the defeated people.
Ans 5: The narrator people that looked like silhouettes of humans, ghosts or scarecrows. They were walking like zombies with outstretched arms. They were naked but silent.
Extract 5
Ans 1: The speaker means that the people looked like silhouettes against the grey background. They were looking so because the bombing caused destruction, buildings collapsed and dust was everywhere.
Ans 2: The people walked like zombies with arms outstretched, hands dangling and shell-shocked. They were all silent and walking towards the hospital.
Ans 3: The people were burnt badly. Any movement was painful especially when flesh touched flesh. The narrator was breathless, could not walk and was bleeding. His wife was pale due to loss of blood.
Ans 4:
(a) The flesh on their body was burnt badly so if flesh touched flesh it would cause immense pain.
(b) walked in a straight line in the same direction without touching one another or making any noise.