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Gulmohar Reader 8

Gulmohar Reader 8

Orient BlackSwan

ICSEClass 8
English

The Rock and the Sea

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

About Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an American novelist, writer and advocate for social reform. She is remembered for standing up for women's rights.

THE ROCK

I AM the Rock, presumptuous Sea!
I am set to encounter thee.
Angry and loud, or gentle and still,
I am set here to limit thy power, and I will−
I am the Rock!

I am the Rock, beguiling Sea!
I know thou art fair as fair can be,
With golden glitter and silver sheen,
And bosom of blue and garments of green.
Thou mayst pat my cheek with baby hands,
And lap my feet in diamond sands,
And play before me as children play;
but plead as thou wilt, I bar the way!
I am the Rock!

THE SEA

I am the sea. I hold the land
As one holds an apple in his hand.
Hold it fast with sleepless eyes,
Watching the continents sink and rise.
Out of my bosom the mountains grow,
Back to its depths they crumble slow:
The earth is a helpless child to me−
I am the Sea!

I am the sea. The earth I sway;
Granite to me is potter's clay;
Under the touch of my careless waves
it rises in turrets and sinks in caves;
The iron cliffs that edge the land 
I grind to pebbles and sift to sand,
And beach-grass bloweth and children play
In what were the rocks of yesterday;
It is but  a moment of sport to me−
I am the Sea!

Available Answers

  1. 1.

    I AM the Rock, presumptuous Sea! / I am set to encounter thee.

    1. Why do you think the Rock needs to assert its power over the Sea?
    2. Why does the Rock call the Sea 'presumptuous'?
    3. What does 'encounter thee' mean? Does 'encounter' mean something more than just 'meet' here?
  2. 2.

    Thou mayst pat my cheek with baby hands, / And lap my feet in diamond sands

    1. What do the actions of the Sea suggest it is doing?
    2. How has the Rock characterised the Sea? Which word from this stanza makes it absolutely clear?
    3. How has the tone of the Rock changed from the first stanza to the second?
  3. 3.

    As one holds an apple in his hand./ hold it fast with sleepless eyes

    1. Why do you think the Sea is described as holding the land like one holds an apple in one's hand?
    2. Why have the eyes been described as 'sleepless'?
    3. What kind of relationship do you think the land and the sea share?
  4. 4.

    Look at the poem as a conversation between the Rock and the Sea. Is the sea sending a message to the Rock? What is the sea trying to prove to the Rock? Support your answer with phrases or sentences from the poem.

  5. 5.

    The poet has personified both the Rock and Sea and created very distinct personalities. The dialogue between them makes this difference more prominent. Write down two adjectives to describe the personalities of the Rock and the Sea.

  6. 6.

    Both the Rock and the sea stand for the forces of Nature.

    1. How does reading the poem make you feel?
    2. What does the last stanza of the poem tell us about change in Nature?
1 more answer(s) available.

Comments
It is helpful
15 May 2024Swati S.
Apologies for a wrong feedback. It is of no use. There is no material that is useful for us.
15 May 2024Swati S.
Fully disappointed
19 Jul 2025Mahesh K.
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