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Old Thursday, January 19, 2023
hammadtahir hammadtahir is offline
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Post 2001 Comprehension

Read the following passage and answer the questions given at the end in your own words.
Poetry is the language of imagination and the passions. It relates to whatever gives immediate pleasure or pain to human mind. It comes home to the bosoms and business of men: for nothing but what comes home to them in the most general and intelligible shape can be a subject of poetry. Poetry is the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself. He who has a contempt for poetry cannot have much respect for himself or for anything else. Whatever there is a sense of beauty, or power, or harmony, as in the motion of the waves of the sea, in the growth of a flower, there is a poetry in its birth. If history is a grave study, poetry may be said to be graver, its materials lie deeper, and are spread wider. History treats, for the most part, cumbersome and unwieldy masses of things, the empty cases in which the affairs of the world are packed, under the heads of intrigue or war, in different states, and from century to century but there is no thought or feeling that can have entered into the mind of man which he would be eager to communicate to others, or they would listen to with delight, that is not a fit subject for poetry. It is not a branch of authorship: it is “the stuff of which our life is made”. The rest is mere oblivision, a dead letter, for all that is worth remembering gin life is the poetry of it. Fear is Poetry, hope is poetry, love is poetry; hatred is poetry. Poetry is that fine particle within us that expands, refines, raises our whole being; without “man’s life is poor as beasts”. In fact, man is a poetical animal. The child Is a poet when he first plays hide and seek, or repeats the story of Jack the Giant Killer, the shepherd–boy is a poet when he first crowns his mistress with a garland of flowers; the countryman when he stops he stops to look at the rainbow; the miser when he hugs his gold; the courtier when he builds his hope upon a smile; the vain, the ambitious the proud, the choleric man, the hero and the coward, the beggar and the king, all live in a world of their own making; and the poet does no more than describe what all others think and act.
(Hazlitt)

1. In what sense is poetry the language of the imagination and the passion?
Poetry is the language of the imagination and the passion because it is a form of expression that allows for the expression of emotions, feelings, and ideas that are not necessarily based in reality. It allows for the exploration of the imagination and the expression of the passions.

2. How is poetry the Universal Language of the heart?
Poetry is the Universal Language of the heart because it is a form of expression that can be understood and appreciated by people of all cultures and backgrounds. It speaks to the human experience and emotions, and connects people to nature and their inner selves.

3. What is the difference between history and poetry?
History is a study of past events, often focusing on political and societal events, while poetry is a form of expression that explores emotions, feelings, and ideas. History is often seen as a serious, analytical study, while poetry is seen as more imaginative and emotional.

4. Explain the phrase: “Man is a poetical animal”.
The phrase "Man is a poetical animal" means that people have a natural inclination towards poetry, and that it is a fundamental part of the human experience. People have the ability to be creative and express themselves in poetic ways.

5. What are some of the actions which Hazlitt calls poetry and its doers poet?
Hazlitt calls poetry various actions like fear, hope, love, hatred and the actions of people like child playing hide and seek, shepherd-boy, countryman, miser, courtier, vain, ambitious, proud, choleric man, hero, coward, beggar, king etc. He calls these actions poetry and the people who do them poet.

6. Explain the followings underlined expression in the passage.
  • It relates to whatever gives immediate pleasure or pain to human heart - This means that poetry speaks to the emotions and feelings of people and can evoke pleasure or pain.
  • A sense of beauty, or power, or harmony - This means that poetry can evoke feelings of beauty, power, or harmony in the reader or listener.
  • Cumbersome and unwieldy masses of things. - This means that history often deals with large and complex events, while poetry deals with more emotional and personal themes.
  • It is the stuff of which our life is made. - This means that poetry is an essential part of human life and experience.
  • The poet does no more than describe what all others think and act. - This means that the poet's role is to observe and describe the actions and thoughts of others, rather than creating new ideas or experiences.
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