For Anne Gregory -Class 10 First Flight

yellow hair – symbolises external beauty

Questions and Answers – For Anne Gregory

1. What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured /Ramparts at your ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by them?

Ans. The young man means to say that the golden hair that surrounds her face and covers her ears are like the protective walls that surround forts and castles.

He says so because the men who fall hopelessly in love with her beauty will face anguish, as she is bound to reject most of them.

2. What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?

Ans. The woman is a blonde with yellow coloured hair.

She says that she can change it to brown, black or carrot red if she wants.

She would want to change the colour of her hair as she would like to test the love of her admirer. She does not want her lover to love her for her golden locks but for her internal qualities.

3. Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress…) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise?

Ans. While buying something I would first look at the quality of the thing and then its appearance. While appearance does matter a lot, if the quality is inferior it would prove to be a bad bargain.

4. What about people? Do we love others because we like their qualities, whether physical or mental? Or is it possible to love someone “for themselves alone”? Are some people ‘more lovable’ than others? Discuss this question in pairs or in groups, considering points like the following.

Ans.

(i) a parent or caregiver’s love for a newborn baby, for a mentally or physically challenged child, for a clever child or a prodigy

A parent’s or caregiver’s love would be the same for all of them as they would love the child unconditionally for being their real self and not for the qualities they possess.

(ii) the public’s love for a film star, a sportsperson, a politician, or a social worker

The public would adore the celebrities for the qualities they possess and not for their internal qualities.

(iii) your love for a friend, or brother or sister

A friends or siblings love is dependent on the relationship they develop with time. It may change with the change in attitudes over time.

(iv) your love for a pet, and the pet’s love for you.

A pet owners or a pet’s love is unconditional as they are loved for their internal qualities.

5. You have perhaps concluded that people are not objects to be valued for their qualities or riches rather than for themselves. But elsewhere Yeats asks the question: How can we separate the dancer from the dance? Is it possible to separate ‘the person himself or herself’ from how the person looks, sounds, walks, and so on? Think of how you or a friend or member of your family has changed over the years. Has your relationship also changed? In what way?

Yes, a lot of relationships change with time. Very close friends who are separated develop distance in their relationships with time.

Extra Questions:

Q. Why do you think that the young man refers to the old religious man and the religious text to prove that only God can love Anne for her inner self?

Ans. I believe that the man wants to convince the woman that humans are influenced by superficial things and love people for external reasons rather than internal qualities. Therefore, the speaker refers to the religious old man and the religious text to make her believe, that it is only God who can look deep into the human soul and love a person for who she is. It is also a human tendency to believe something when it is linked to religion and God rather than facts.

Q. Expound two ways in which Anne could practically put the poet’s advice into use.

Ans. Anne could test true love of her future lover by- firstly, changing her hair colour to some other colour and secondly, appearing to be less attractive and simply exhibiting the talents and qualities she possesses.

Q. The yellow hair is a symbol in the poem. Support this statement with reference to the poem.

Ans. Yes, yellow hair symbolises external beauty. The phrase ‘yellow hair’ has been used thrice in the poem to emphasise that women are loved for their external beauty rather than for their own selves. The speaker tells the woman that young men would fall in love with her because of her yellow mane. The woman replies she would change the colour of her hair so that men would love her for herself to which the speaker tells her that it is only God who can love her for herself.

Q. The advice given by elders is crucial to young lives. Elaborate with reference to the poem.

Ans. Yes, the elders have more experience of life than the young people hence they want the youth to avoid making mistakes and getting hurt. Therefore, the speaker says that according to an old religious man it is written in the text that it is only God who can love a person for what he or she is so she would only be loved by humans for external factors.

Q. The poet in the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that we should give importance to inner beauty and not physical appearance. Elaborate with reference to the poem.

Ans. The poem gives us the message that true love is all about giving importance to inner qualities rather than attractive appearances or external beauty. Through the conversation between the speaker and Anne Gregory the poem wants the reader to understand that physical appearances are changeable and hence unimportant one must love someone for the inner beauty which is the true beauty.  The speaker tells the woman that young men would fall in love with her because of her yellow mane. The woman replies she would change the colour of her hair so that men would love her for herself to which the speaker tells her that it is only God who has enough depth to love her for her inner beauty. Therefore, we should also try to love people for their qualities and inner beauty rather than external ones.

Q. Internal qualities are more important than external qualities. Elucidate with reference to the poems  ‘For Anne Gregory’ and ‘Custard the Dragon’.

Ans. In Anne Gregory the speaker tells Anne that her outward beauty would prevent her lover from seeking deep into her personality and loving her for herself. Anne contradicts and says that she can change her outward appearance any time as outward appearances are changeable. She wants her lover to love her for her inner qualities. The speaker reiterates and tells her that it is not possible for humans to love a person for her inner qualities and only God has the ability to do so.

In ‘Custard the Dragon’, Custard has a fierce appearance but appears to have a timid nature, but when crisis arose he showed exemplary courage and saved his friends. However, due to his peace loving nature he went back to his old ways as did his friends. Both the poems give us the message that one should put more importance in internal qualities than external ones.

Q8. Imagine Anne Gregory grows up to be a motivational speaker. As Anne Gregory, write a short speech on the importance of loving oneself. You may begin this way: Dear friends

The importance of believing in oneself can never be overstated. It becomes most important, therefore, to love oneself. I learnt this, as a young teen, the day a poet pointed out that…… (continue)……….

Ans. Dear Friends,

The importance of believing in oneself can never be overstated. Therefore, the most important thing is to love oneself. I learned this as a young teenager when a poet pointed out that people in this world are obsessed with external appearances. He told me that no man would ever love me for myself. Men are attracted by my blonde hair and will go into despair when I reject them.

I don’t want my soul-mate to love me for my looks, I want him to love me for my inner qualities. I want true love which is based on the heart and soul of a person. External beauty is changeable and I will lose my beauty as I grow old, but love based on inner qualities will not change.

I am sure that I will find someone who will love me for my qualities rather than looks, just like God does. I too will love my partner for his heart rather than external qualities.

Q9. Just as a love for outer appearances is not true love, love for the sake of money is not true love either. Pen down a dialogue exchange between Anne Gregory and any character from “The Proposal” where Anne tries to explain how loving others simply for who they are is the most important virtue that everyone must possess.

Ans.

 Anne Gregory: Hi! Natalya, I think you will repent later if you marry Lomov for his money. It is wrong to marry someone just because it is convenient. I am sure he too is not in love with you but is marrying you for external factors.

Natalya:  Well, I too want true love just like everyone but money is important in life. Lomov thinks in the same line and is marrying me for my money too. Therefore, I think is perfectly okay to marry for social standing. Money is more important than love, as the saying goes – ‘When poverty knocks the door, love flies out of the window.’

Anne Gregory: I don’t agree with you. I request you too think over it before tying the knot. We are all seeking happiness in life and I don’t believe that only money can bring happiness. You must find a partner who will love you for what you are and will appreciate you for your qualities. Lomov and you are not agreeable partners and will be unhappy if you marry each other for the sake of external factors.

Q10. Imagine the poem was written for Anne Gregory’s brother, Miller Gregory.

(a) Would that poem be different from the original poem? If so, highlight the differences it would have.

(b) Pen down the advice you think the poet persona would have given to Miller Gregory.

Ans. a) If the poem was written for Miller Gregory, Anne Gregory’s brother, it would have been completely different from the original poem. This is because the men have not been sensitised to appreciate women for their inner beauty. The poet would have been advising Miller about his career and courage, which is the parameter by which a man is judged.

(b) The poet would have advised Miller Gregory that ladies would not love him for who he is, but for his social standing and financial status. He would have advised him not to be influenced by the attention showered by his lover as would be an illusion. He would say that only God can love him “for himself” and others would love him for some external quality or the other.

For Anne Gregory

This poem is a conversation between a young man and a young woman. What are they arguing about?

“Never shall a young man,

Thrown into despair

By those great honey-coloured

Ramparts at your ear,

Love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.”

“But I can get a hair-dye

And set such colour there,

Brown, or black, or carrot,

That young men in despair

May love me for myself alone

And not my yellow hair.”

“I heard an old religious man

But yesternight declare

That he had found a text to prove

That only God, my dear,

Could love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.”

                                             WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

About the poet -William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) was an Irish nationalist, poet, writer and a dramatist. He was born in Sandymouth, Dublin in Ireland. He was educated in London and Dublin, and was interested in folklore and mythology. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 Some of his famous poems are ‘The Second Coming’, ’Sailing to Byzantium’, ‘The Stolen Child’, ’Easter 1916’ and ‘Lake Isle of Innisfree’. He along with Lady Gregory founded the Abbey  Theatre. Anne Gregory was the grand-daughter of Lady Gregory. When Anne met Yeats he remarked that she had hair ‘ like a cornfield in the sun’. Anne at first thought the poem was doggerel but was pleased when he got it published.

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Word meanings

Despair – hopelessness

ramparts: the high, wide walls around a castle or fort, for example, the ramparts of the Red Fort

hair-dye – colour for colouring hair

yesternight – last night

declare – announce

text – written material

Rhyme scheme – abcbdb

Theme – The theme is the external vs internal beauty. Through the conversation between the man and a woman the poem throws light on how true love is more about inner qualities rather than external beauty.

Message – The poem gives us the message that true love is all about giving importance to inner qualities rather than attractive appearances or external beauty. Although everyone knows that beauty is extrinsic, superficial and transient, still it acts as a measuring stick for people to form opinions about someone. It is a human tendency to be carried away by shallow superficial things like beauty and wealth when they judge a person. . Humans as a whole are influence by external attractiveness. It is only God who can love a person for what a person is.

Synopsis of the poem – For Anne Gregory

The poem is a conversation between the poet and a young girl named Anne Gregory. The poem begins with the speaker addressing Anne Gregory. He tells her that her lovely hair can make any man fall hopelessly in love with her. He means to say that young men will love her for her beautiful hair and her appearance, and will never look deep into who she really is and love her for her actual self. Her gorgeous hair has been compared to walls of a fort symbolising outer beauty that prevents men from looking deep into her soul. This makes the poet believe that men can only love her for her external beauty.

In the second stanza, Anne Gregory responds to the poet’s remarks, and says that she could always dye her hair brown, black or red so that the young men hopelessly in love with her would love her for her real self and not for being blonde. She means to say that just like the colour of her hair is changeable, outer beauty is changeable and hence not true. She wants the young men who fall in love with her – to love her for what she is, and not for her external appearance.

In the final stanza the poet then says that he had heard an old religious man declare the night before, that he had found a written text which would prove that it is only God who can love a person for what a person really is. He means to say that humans do not have the depth and understanding to look inside the soul of a person. Humans are carried away by the glitter of outside attractiveness and do not care to look at the internal beauty of a person. It is only God who loves a person for internal qualities, unlike others who love people for their beauty and other external reasons.

Literary Devices

Metaphor – indirect comparison

honey-coloured/ Ramparts at your ear – her hair is compared with thick walls of a fort

Alliteration– (repetition of same sound in proximity)

And not your yellow hair.”

And set such colour there,     – ‘s’ sound has been repeated

Brown, or black,                     – ‘b’ sound has been repeated

May love me for myself alone -‘m’ sound has been repeated

That he had                             – ‘t’ sound has been repeated

Enjambment – a sentence continuing in the next line without punctuation

1.Thrown into despair

   By those great honey-coloured

   Ramparts at your ear,

2.That young men in despair

   May love me for myself alone

   And not my yellow hair.

3.I heard an old religious man

   But yesternight declare

   That he had found a text to prove

   That only God,

Assonance – repetition of vowel sound in close proximity

Could love you for yourself alone – ‘o’ sound is repeated

Anaphora – When two consecutive lines begin with the same letter

That he had found a text to prove

That only God, my dear,

Synecdoche– part for whole.

And not your yellow hair – here yellow hair stands for beautiful Anne

Repetition– (repeating words for emphasis)

yellow hair – yellow hair has been repeated thrice in the poem

Symbolism – use of symbols to represent something