Q. Do you obey your parents ? Do you obey your teachers ?...............
Class VII
Sub- English
Poem� The Rebel�
Poet
D. J. Enright
Prepared by :
Pankaj Kr. Jaiswal (TGT English)
JNV : Champhai (Mizoram)
A Rebel chooses another way
Central Idea of the Poem
The poem “Rebel” is composed by D. J. Enright. This poem is in the form of unrhymed couplets. It tells the nature of a rebel.
In this amusing poem, the poet shows contradictory attitude of a rebel by using funny remarks, which creates much humour in the poem. He says that a rebel does whatever he likes despite what anyone else says .He does just opposite of what others do, by doing contradictory actions. He always stands up for his personal opinions. But a rebel is straight forward who looks with new ideas. He is a good critic also.
A Rebel doesn’t want to follow others but follows ownself
The Rebel
Animated video
The Rebel
When everybody has short hair,
The rebel lets his hair grow long.
When everybody has long hair,
The rebel cuts his hair short.
When everybody talks during the lesson,
The rebel doesn’t say a word.
When nobody talks during the lesson,
The rebel creates a disturbance.
When everybody wears a uniform,
The rebel dresses in fantastic clothes.
When everybody wears fantastic clothes,
The rebel dresses soberly.
In the company of dog lovers,
The rebel expresses a preference for cats.
In the company of cat lovers,
The rebel puts in a good word for dogs.
When everybody is praising the sun,
The rebel remarks on the need for rain.
When everybody is greeting the rain,
The rebel regrets the absence of sun.
When everybody goes to the meeting,
The rebel stays at home and reads a book.
When everybody stays at home and reads a book,
The rebel goes to the meeting.
When everybody says, Yes please,
The rebel says, No thank you.
When everybody says , No thank you,
The rebel says, Yes please.
It is very good that we have rebels.
You may not find it very good to be one.
D. J. Enright
Vocabulary
Word Form Meaning
Rebel Noun revolutionary
Fantastic Adjective fabulous
Soberly Adverb simply (not bright or colourful)
Preference Noun selection
Puts in Verb to apply
Remarks Verb to point out ,to comment
Greeting Verb welcoming
Regrets Verb to feel sorry
Poem Based Grammar Practice
1- Find out all the main verbs used in the poem.
2- How will you identify a main verb and a helping verb ?
Note- (i) Main verb and Principal verb are same.
(ii) Helping verb and Auxiliary verb are same.
PISA Based Questions on the Poem
1- Do you know anyone who is rebellious by nature ? If yes, write about some rebellious actions of his/hers.
2- Do you think a rebel can harm others ? If Yes, How ?
3- Generally, it is seen people do actions as others do and it brings no change in people’s thinking/ideology. As a rebel, what will you do for bringing a change in society ?
4- What are the positive qualities in a rebel ?
Text Book Based Questions
1- If someone doesn’t wear a uniform to school, what do you think the teacher will say ?
Ans. When someone doesn’t wear a uniform, the teacher will say that you should wear your uniform regularly.
2- When everyone wants a clear sky , what does the rebel want most ?
Ans. When everyone wants a clear sky, the rebel wishes for rain.
3- If the rebel has a dog for a pet, what is everyone else likely to have ?
Ans. Everyone is likely to have a cat when rebels have a dog.
4- Why is it good to have rebels ?
Ans. Rebels act as critics who always come with new ideas.
5- Why is it not good to be a rebel oneself ?
Ans. It is not good for oneself to be a rebel because you have to stand alone all the time and you will have no friends.
6- Would you like to be a rebel ? If yes, why ? If not, why not ?
Ans. No, I would not like to be a rebel. I do not want to hurt the feelings of the people close to me. I don’t want to be a source of bitterness among the people.
Assignment