Moles
'Do they, as I pass overhead, stop in their work to hear my tread?!'
What work are they doing?
-They are building homes, collecting food, or resting.
'Do they, as I pass overhead, stop in their work to hear my tread?!'
Where are 'they'? What is meant by 'overhead'?
They are in the underground. Overhead means the speaker walking above the ground.
What has been likened to Earth's gigantic bones? Why?
The buried rocks and stones deep down are compared to earth’s gigantic bone. Bones form the structure of our body, similarly the rocks and stone underground form the structure of earth.
Why is the place underground called 'the country of the dead'?
The place underground is called so because the creatures living there die there.
Who is the writer of the poem "Underground"?
James Reeves
What activities do the speaker imagine in their storybooks?
The speaker imagines many exciting activities like exploring the forest, lying in hunters camp, and traveling to far-off lands. These adventures come alive in the child's imagination as he reads the storybooks.
Explain the phrase ‘backward looks.’
The phrase backward looks, suggests the child glancing back at his imaginary adventures or remembering the world of stories as he returns to reality. It reflects a sense of nostalgia and longing for the magical world he created in his imagination.
Where does the speaker lie?
The speaker lies in the hunter’s camp.
How does the speaker play at books?
The speaker crawls behind the sofa and pretends to be in a hunter’s camp where he plays at his books.
What does the phrase “country of the dead” refer to?
The phrase “country of the dead” refers to the underground world where things are buried.
Who is the writer of the poem "The Land of Story Books"?
R.L. Stevenson
What does the phrase “country of the dead” refer to?
The phrase “country of the dead” refers to the underground world where things are buried.
Inthedeepkingdom underground
There isno light and little sound
Downbelow theearth's green floor
Therabbit andthemole explore.
Identify the rhyming words
underground - sound
floor - explore
Downward the branching tree-roots spread
Into the country of dead.
Deep down, the buried rocks and stones
Are like the earth’s gigantic bones
Identify the line in which the poetic device simile is used and explain what is being compared to what.
In this simile, the buried rocks and stones are being compared to the Earth’s gigantic bones.
And play at books I have read
Till it is time to go to bed.
At what time does the speaker play at books?
The speaker plays with books before bedtime.
Downward the branching tree-roots spread
Into the country of dead.
Deep down, the buried rocks and stones
Are like the earth’s gigantic bones
Where do the roots of the tree spread?
The tree roots spread below the earth.
What has been likened to Earth's gigantic bones? Why?
The buried rocks and stones deep down are compared to earth’s gigantic bone. Bones form the structure of our body, similarly the rocks and stone underground form the structure of earth.
What does the speaker mean when he says that his parents do not play at anything. How do you think he feels about this? How does he overcome this feeling?
When the speaker says his parents “do not play at anything,” he means they are busy with serious adult activities and do not join him in play or imagination. He feels lonely and left out because they cannot share his world of adventure and stories. However, he overcomes this feeling by turning to his storybooks, where he creates his own world full of excitement and friends, finding comfort and joy in his imagination instead of the real world.
James Reeves presents a world that exists beneath the surface of the earth in the poem “Underground.” Describe how the poet brings this hidden world to life and explain the message he wants readers to understand.
In “Underground,” James Reeves describes the busy and active life that exists beneath the earth, which humans usually do not notice. He uses vivid imagery and personification to show roots growing, creatures moving, and the soil working silently. The poet makes the underground world seem alive and important. Through this, he teaches readers to respect nature and understand that many important activities happen quietly and unseen beneath the ground for a harmonious nature.
"Deep down, the buried rocks and stones"
Identify the poetive device used in this line.
Deep down—Alliteration