Questions-Answers of the Poem "A Day" (Class 12 Com. English)

Important Questions-Answers

1) What, according to the speaker, is a day?

According to the speaker, a day is the journey of life which has its connection with birth and death. In fact, a day is life, where sunrise is birth and sunset is death. It also refers to the beauty of life and uncertainty of death.

2) How does the poet describe the morning sun in the first stanza?

In the first stanza, the poet describes the morning sun as the sign of happiness. According to her, the golden rays of the sun extend like a ribbon, its rays change the colour of steeple into amethyst and its news travel very quickly like a squirrel giving happiness, excitement and energy to everyone.

3) Is the speaker watching the morning sun? Why? Why not?

Yes, the speaker is watching the morning sun. The speaker is paying attention towards the beautiful rays of the sun, he is observing the change in colour of the steeple and hills untying their bonnet and listening to the beautiful songs of bobolinks. So, these activities confirm that the speaker is watching the morning sun.

4) How does the sun set?

According to the speaker, the golden rays of the sun slowly changes into purple and yellow colour when the sun is about to set. In fact, the speaker does not know how the sun sets. According to the speaker, the sun is mysterious, so he even does not know how the sun sets and where it goes bringing darkness and unhappiness.

5) What does the line ‘The news like squirrels ran’ mean?

In the phrase, the news of the sunrise has been compared with squirrels’ running. The meaning is that when the sun rises, its rays spread very fast like squirrels’ speed. In fact, the poet uses this simile to convey the idea that the news of sunrise spreads very fast giving people joy, excitement and energy.

6) What do you understand by the line ‘The hills untied their bonnets’?

The line ‘The hills untied their bonnets’ is an example of personification. It implies that when the sun rises, its rays fall on the top of the hills and the hills that have been covered by darkness becomes clear, beautiful and attractive.