SUMMARY OF THE POEM, ABANDONED

5C. ABANDONED

(Poem)

Introduction

This poem was written by Dr.Suraya Nasim. The title of the poem says ‘left unwanted or rejected permanently’. This poem talks about a newly born baby who was thrown into the garbage bin (dust bin) by her mother. This was the most pathetic plight (very sad & difficult situation) for her to come across. That scene moved the poetess and made her to write this poem.

This poem is meant to feel but not for singing with joy. The words in this poem came like directly from her heart like a flow. These words in the poem are very easy to read and understand.

Summary

A newly born baby, of some days of age, was thrown into the dustbin by her mother. The mother had her reasons to do so. The garbage was located on the outskirts of the city. It contained mosquitoes and some other insects that bitten the baby’s finger very badly. The baby cried a lot for help, but there was nobody as it was dark night on the outskirts. The fingers were bleeding and giving dirty smell. The infected body was exposed to the radiation and spread all over the area.

The baby cried bitterly in an uncontrolled manner and finally died in the frightening dark, cold night. That was the baby rejected by the destiny and society. As it was bitterly cold outside, the baby struggled a lot to hold her breathe. She took quick breathes in order to get alive. That was the baby thrown into the garbage like a waste material.

The baby was with cyanosed (greenish blue) lips; see blue nose and tiny, soft, smooth fingertips.  The baby’s body was tattered and the skin was badly damaged by the insects.

There was a dirty, fat and black cat sitting on the edge of the dust bin searching for its food. It found its food (rats) in the dust bin eating the baby. The rats were tearing baby’s head with their sharp teeth and biting the ears of the baby to eat as the food. Then, the cat jumps over giving ‘meow’ sound and the rats too get ready to attack the cat. A violent fight takes place between the cat and the rats for the food. The baby was already dead. The only sin of the baby was to come to this world where the people were unkind and society was uncivilized.

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The Summary by

CHANDRA SHEKER CH

Faculty of English

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6.BIO-DIVERSITY

"The theme is more relevant than ever in the wake of sweeping changes taking place in different spheres across the world. The process of development has assumed a new dimension in the recent times. It has been a direct attack on the biodiversity and large scale exploitation of resources for private profits. This problem is likely to aggravate further making life on the planet miserable. There is every need to think about today and tomorrow. This becomes the rationale for including the present texts for reading. The learners will certainly become aware of their role in preserving the pristine nature of the environment as they read and reflect on the passages in this unit."

Part-A: Environment

It is an interview by Japan’s NHK Radio with Wangari Maathai, a well-known  environmentalist and a Nobel Prize winner from Africa. She started the Green Belt Movement and also fought for equal rights for women in Africa.

Part-B: Or will the Dreamer Wake?

The very title of the poem is interesting. It is a question arousing interest in the minds of the readers. It clearly depicts how certain species of animals are about to disappear. The dreamer , perhaps, here is the man; the destruction is caused in four directions. It seems that man is still dreaming about something. The animals like tigress, white bear, songthrush and whale are disappearing very fast. But the question is whether the dreamer or the man would wake up in the right time, is an open ended question.

Part-C: A Tale of Three Villages

It tells us the stories of three villages that are vulnerable to pollution with dangerous chemicals and radioactive dust. It presents a clear picture of many hundreds of villages which are in the same plight as the three villages depicted here.

Glossary

• Green Belt Movement (n) : a movement to protect environment
• Fodder (n) : food for farm animals
• Forested (adj) : forested areas are covered in forests (place where trees are densely grown)
• Pristine (adj) : extremely fresh or clean
• Indigenous (adj) : native
• Biological diversity (n) : the variety of plants and animals in a particular place
• Exotic species (n) : unusual plants
• Plaintive (adj) : sounds sad
• Snuffles (n) : to breathe noisily through your nose
• Gleaming (adj) : to shine softly
• Glaciers (n) : a large mass of ice which moves slowly down a mountain valley
• Warbles (v) : to sing with a high continuous but quickly changing sound
• Birth fills (n) : the process of giving birth to a baby
• Solemn (adj) : very serious and not happy
• Out stretched (v) : stretched out to full length
• Apron (n) : piece of clothing that covers the front part of your clothes and is tied around your waist.
• Radioactive dust (n) : the dust that comes out of radioactive reaction

Phrasal Verbs

• Trailed off (phr. Verb) : it (voice) becomes gradually quieter and then stops
• Trailed off ( phr v) : became gradually quieter and stopped
• Broke down (phr v) : lost control of feelings and started crying
• Go about ( ph.r v) : tackle
• Fight over (phr. v) : argue about something

Synonyms

• Profound : deep, fathomless

Antonyms

• Exotic x indigenous
• Ominous x auspicious
• Barren x fertile