QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q1. What happens when the mind is without fear? Is fearless society a just society? Why?
When the mind is without fear, one can truly enjoy ones freedom. According to
Rabindranath Tagore, the first essential prerequisite for people to enjoy their freedom is a
fearless state.
Yes, a fearless society is a just society as only if nation is built where people have nothing
to fear, then the people will be able to fully appreciate their freedom.

Q2. What are narrow domestic walls? What are the results of constructing narrow domestic
walls?
The poet uses the phrase narrow domestic walls to suggest the community divisions based
on caste, creed, religious bigotry, gender, etc. It is called narrow as it is a result of narrow-
mindedness of people. The result of constructing such narrow domestic walls is more
oppression and suppression by the advantageous people on the less advantageous.

Q3. What is broken up in fragments and how?

The world, that is the humanity is broken up in fragments by the narrow domestic walls
such as gender discrimination, casteist oppression, communal hatred and violence and
terrorist attacks happening all around us.

Q4. Do you think that we still live in a world which is broken up in fragments by narrow
domestic walls? Why do you think so?
Yes, we still live in a world broken up in fragments by narrow domestic walls as we still
have casteist oppression, gender discrimination and violence and communal hatred and riots,
and terrorist attacks happening all around us.

Q5. What do you understand by clear stream of reason? What is reason?

The phrase clear stream of reason signifies pure reason. Reason is being rational and not
tied by superstition and unreasonable traditions.

Q6. What is the dead habit according to the poet? What should happen to dead habits?
Why or why not?
By the phrase dead habits, Rabindranath Tagore refers to old customs.
The poet is of the view that the dead habits should not bind peoples mind. People should
think and act rationally and not blindly follow old customs. If people do not have rational
mind and merely follow old customs then it would be detrimental for the nation as the nation
would not progress.

Q7. How does dead habits obstruct the realization of freedom?

Dead habits or old customs make a nation as arid as desert and make man slave to irrational
beliefs and thoughts which according to the poet obstructs true realization of Indias freedom.

Q8. Who is thee? What significance does thee has in the works of the poet?
Rabindranath Tagore refers to God by saying thee. Tagore being a spiritual person and
mystic poet tries to locate the ultimate truth in God and therefore in his works God and
spirituality has a special significance.
Q9. What does the poet mean by ever widening thought and action?
Rabindranath Tagore thinks that one should always try to progress, develop and upgrade
oneself with ones thoughts and actions which are being referred to as ever-widening. If
one thinks and acts accordingly then one is always thinking of developing, that is widening
and yearning for more.

Q10. What is Heaven of freedom according to the poet?

Heaven of Freedom is freedom in its ideal state when people are fearless and rational to
think and do whatever they feel like, when people can live with self-respect and pursue
knowledge according to their wish.

Q11. Is the dream of the poet realized? Is so, how? It not, why not?
No, the poets dream is not realized as well have not got the kind of freedom that
Rabindranath Tagore envisioned in the poem. It is true that we have achieved freedom; but
we still live in a society where various manmade discriminations are dividing the society,
where fear grips our mind still, where violence is still prevalent in various aspects of social
and cultural life, where everyone is not in a situation to pursue knowledge as they want to and
where we are still victims of old customs.

FORM:
The verse form of the poem is free verse, having no metrical patterns or rhymes. He was
credited for having discovered this new form of composing poems, called prose poems.
ALLITERATION in Where the Mind is Without Fear:
Tagore has used alliteration in his poem, Where the Mind is without Fear. Alliteration is the
repeated use of the same consonant sound at the beginning of each word in a line of verse.
Here, in this poem, the examples of alliteration are as follows,-
head held high, where the world, dreary desert sand of dead habit and where words.

METAPHOR:
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action
that does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance. In simpler words, comparing
two words but not clearly stating. Examples of metaphor in the poem,-
clear stream of reason and dreary desert sand of dead habit.

PERSONIFICATION:
a tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection is an example of fine personification
in the poem. Personification refers to attribution of human qualities to inanimate ideas. Here
the tireless striving has been personified like a human being stretching his arms to reach his
goal through perfection.