A. Work in small groups and discuss the questions given below:
Question 1. Have you seen grass?
Answer:
Yes, I have seen grass.
I Am Like Grass
Question 2. How does it look?
Answer:
It looks green.
I Am Like Grass
Question 3. How do you feel when you walk on it? Answer:
While walking I feel soft sensation and I feel pleasant enough.
I Am Like Grass
Question 4. Can a man be compared to grass? Read, the poem and see why the poet thinks himself similar to grass. Answer:
Yes, a man can be compared to grass. Because he is humble and low like grass. It cannot be obliterated forever. Similar is the case with human life.
I Am Like Grass
B.1. Answer the following questions very briefly:
Question 1. Why does the poet say that he is like grass? Answer:
The poet says that he is like grass because he has the ability to bounce back as does the grass after chopping and moving.
Question 2. Why does the poet say that he will sprout again even after being mowed down? Answer:
The poet says that he will sprout again even after being moved down because nothing can erase his identity.
I Am Like Grass
Question 3. What makes the poet say that people can’t erase his identity? Answer:
Because he has the capability to sprout again and his mantle can cover everything.
I Am Like Grass
Question 4. What will his mantle cover? Answer:
His mantle will cover everything.
I Am Like Grass
B.2. Answer the following questions very briefly:
Question 1. What do Banga and Sangrur refer to? Answer:
Banga and Sangrur refer to the fact that no destruction of human life can have a permanent effect. Life will definitely bounce back sometime.
I Am Like Grass
Question 2. “And reduce the whole district of Ludhiana to ashes.” What does this line suggest? Answer:
The given line suggests that it is easy to destroy human habitation but no destruction can be forever. It is only a matter of time that these habitations start teeming with life again.
Question 3. What time will it take for the poet to come back to his normal state? Answer:
It can not take more than ten years for the poet to come back to his normal state.
I Am Like Grass
Question 4. Why will the tourists visit the green jungle or Barnala? Answer:
The tourists will visit the green ‘jungle of Barnala’ for its greenery which is suggestive to life.
I Am Like Grass
C.1. Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Why has the poet compared himself to grass? What are the features of grass? Answer:
The poet has compared himself to grass because of the similarity between human life and grass. As grass is soft, smooth and can be cut easily but the more important thing is that it has the capability to sprout after being chopped. Similar is the case with human life. No destruction of human life or habitation can be forever.
Question 2. The grass is soft, smooth and not rough. It is easily cut. But the poet here has used it as a symbol. What does grass symbolise here? Answer:
The poet has used grass as a symbol here. It is to suggest that sprouting or bouncing back to life is innate to human life or nature. It is the symbol of regeneration, greenery and happiness.
I Am Like Grass
Question 3. The poem suggests the resolute nature of the poet. Do you agree with it? Give your own opinion. Answer:
No mowing or chopping of the grass can destroy it forever. The fact that the poet compares himself to the grass clearly suggests that he. too has the resoluteness of the grass to survive. He is confident that he cannot be destroyed forever. The poet seems to be an optimist. This is very important in the poem.
I Am Like Grass
Question 4. What is the background of his poem? In what circumstances do you think this poem has been written? Answer:
The background of this poem is according to my view is terrorism. I think the poem has been written during the turbulence in Punjab when some terrorists tried to disturb the peace. That was the circumstances in which the poem was written.
