Poem 2.6 Money by W. H. Davies Brainstorming activities

 

 

BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES

          A1 'Money does not mean everything in life ' Discuss with your partner and justify the statement by giving examples.Take the help of the following points. 

 

           Money cannot give you eternal happiness

           Art, music and literature can give you an ending              

          happiness 

          Money is short-lived 

          Money cannot purchase happiness and contentment

           Answer: - 

Money cannot give you eternal  happiness

The happiness that is derived from money will wear off sooner or later as the excitement provided by material possessions ceases after a point.

Art , music and literature can give you an unending happiness

Indulgence in fields of humanity can continually provide one with newer  insights, while books can be ones window to different worlds enabling one together multiple perspectives from different genres.The sublime power of music has been proven time and again. The happiness derived from these indulgences last forever because they emotions experienced through them last forever . Art ,  music and literature can have a life-changing impact on one's life and can be a source of joy so great that everyone else pales in comparison.

Money is short- lived 

Money is fickle temperament , it can take one from rags to riches and riches to rags to due to circumstances beyond one's control.Thus one may not always have access to all the comforts and luxury that money can buy.At such a stage one would be forced to look for comfort in other things in life like friendships, relationships, etc.

 

Money cannot purchase happiness and contentment

With money one can buy the most expensive things but one cannot put a price on happiness the feeling of joy and contentment comes from within. It cannot be purchase or sold. One can buy stuff that makes one happy but that happiness will eventually wear off. The only way one can want to be genuinely happy and content is to generate that happiness from within.A person who is content with self is content at all times.

(ii) Debate on the topic in groups 'Money is the solution for everything.' 

Teacher : Good Afternoon, everybody! Today we are going to have a debate on the topic 'Money is the solution for everything . ' We have two groups Group A will be represented by Rajni and Sushant and Sandeep and Mihika will represent Group B one member of each group will introduce the topic , then will they will debate on it and  at the end of the second member of the groups will conclude. Please give them a big hand.

Rajni:  Good afternoon , we are we feel happy that money has the solution for everything. If you are sick , you go to the best hospital and get yourself treated with expensive medicines.Money can buy all the luxuries as well as the necessities of life. Everybody is not fortunate to live in comfort and ease  that money can provide.

Sandeep : Good afternoon,  I do not think money has so much power to solve everything in life. Yes,  I do agree money can make provision for the best medical facilities for a rich person but can it give him life.A person can buy a palatial mansion with huge amount of money but to make it your home, he needs an affectionate family,  love , emotion and passion.All these are needed for a person's emotional security in life which obviously money cannot provide.

Teacher : Now you can start debating

Sushant:  I do not agree with my friend , Sandeep . Money can also make somebody genuinely smile.If you have money,  you can help a needy person.All your emotions remain only a thought without money. You can donate generously for a good cause. If you have enough resources to do so . In a huge country like India where we have multiple problems money power is an absolute necessity.

Mihika : Here,  we are debating on the money as the solution for everything . Yes,  money is a necessary evil. It is needed for the basic necessity of life but money should not be allowed to be one's master . If that happens money will start ruling and the man will lose basic sentiments and emotions which are also valuable in life. Money is useful but one need to know how to use it judiciously. If we allowed money to dominate which happens in most of the time. It will generate problems rather than being the solution for everything.

Rajni : We conclude that money gives us the financial security which is an absolute necessity in life. I may have many good ideas but I cannot proceed one step without the help of money.It may not have the power to provide emotional needs of a person but for his survival, he needs money.

Sandeep : As we have said before money can be the source of money problem of life.  It makes a person greedy asking for more in the process invite problems in life at those moments all his false friends leave him and he find himself alone in life struggling for survival. 

(A2)  (i) State whether the following statements are True or   False.

             Correct the False statements with the help of the poem.

(a)           The poet knew no joy till he was rich.

-         False

-         The poet knew no joy till he was poor.

(b)           The poet felt that he should talk about his poverty.

-         False

-         The poet felt that he should not talk about his money.

(c)            When poet had money, he had many true friends.

-         False

-         When poet had money, he had many false friends.

(d)           When poet became poor he had a few real friends.

-         True

(ii) Write reasons for the following statements.

(a)           Friends came knocking all day at the poet’s door.

-         When the poet was rich at that time he had many friends. They were always around and were friendly with him. But according to the poet they were knocking door or connected because of his wealth. Those were false friends called as ‘fair-feathered friends.’  

(b)           Poor men’s wives hum like bees.

-         Poor men have no worries. They do not have to safeguard their wealth from liars and cheaters . They are satisfied in their life. They only think about their daily bread and butter. They do not accumulate wealth or think on protecting money.  Their wives are busy and do not have time to wish for fancy things or gossip. So a happy man has a happy busy wife. They are busy in their daily works and satisfied in their life.

 (iii) Money makes the world go round. Explain it in the light of the poet’s  experience.

-         ‘Money makes the world go round,’ is a popular saying and it aptly proved by the poet’s experience. It means money is the most important thing in the world. Every man needs money but a few are satisfied. When he had money, he had many friends who would come knocking at his door. But when he became poor, his circle had only few friends left, who were true to him. He could enjoy his life.   

(iv)  Poor men need not go up so much as rich men should come down. Express your views regarding this statement.

Answer : - The Statement “poor men need not go up so much as rich men should come down “ signifies that it is not required for the poor people to become rich because in their poverty they have find true happiness.  They work hard, live simple life and are satisfied too in their lives. They don’t think about unnecessary things. On the contrary rich men’s life style is quite different from poor men.  Their necessities are beyond the necessities of poor man. But they are happy and always worry about the safety of their wealth. So poor men need not go up so much as rich men should come down.

 

(A3) (i) Find out meanings of the phrases given below and use them in your own sentences.

(a)           Be in the money – have a lot of money

-I think he is in the money because he is purchasing costly things.

(b)           Win lots of money- hit a jackpot/ be lucky

-         My friend had won lots of money from his business.

(c)            For my money -  in exchange for / worth the amount

-         They are helping me for my money.

(d)           Money for old rope- money that is easily earned or gotten

-         Now a days mask sellers are getting money for old rope.

(e)           Put one’s money where one’s mouth is – To take appropriate action to support what one has said.

-  He puts his money where his mouth is by regularly donating a part of his/her earnings to charity.

(ii) Complete the crossword with the help of the clues from the poem.

Across                                                                                    

(1)           A brass musical instrument - TRUMPET

(2)           A low steady continuous sound- HUM

(3)           False - UNTRUE

(4)           Say something - SPEAK

    Down

(5)        Not imaginary - REAL

(6)        Ponder - THINK

(7)        Stinging insects - BEES

(8)        In large number – MANY

(9)        Strike a surface noisily- KNOCK

 

 (A4) (i) Complete the following table.

Sr. No	Figures of speech	Line of the poem	Explanation
1	Inversion	Much have I thought of life, and seen	Inversion: Words are not arranged in prose order. The correct Prose order is  I have thought much of life and seen.
2	Simile	Then felt I like a child that holds	Simile : ‘poet himself’ is directly compared with ‘child’.
	Repetition	When I had money, money, O!	Word ‘money’ is repeated for poetic effect.
4	Onomatopoeia	And how their wives do hum like bees	In this line the word ‘hum’ express sound.
5	Antithesis	Poor men. Think I, need not go up So much as rich men should come down.	In these lines two opposite words (poor men ,  rich men) are expressed.

 

(ii) Identify the rhyme scheme of all the stanzas of the poem.

-         First stanza –      abcb

-         Second stanza –  abcb

-         Third stanza –     abcb

-         Fourth stanza –  abcb

-         Fifth stanza –      abab

  iii)  Compose a short poem on ‘friendship’

-         Our friendship is golden,

Like the shining sun,

My door is always open ,

You are always welcome!

(A6)  WRITE AN APPRECIATION OF THE POEM CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

•       About the poem, poet and title.

•        Theme/summary /gist of the poem

•       Poetic style/ language, poetic devices used in the poem.

•       Special features/ novelties/ focusing elements.

•       Moral/Message/values learnt from the poem.

•       Your opinion about the poem.

Answer : -

•       About the poem, poet and title.

In this poem the poet tells about the rich man who wants to be a poor man to find the real happiness. We cannot enjoy life when we are rich. Our friends too are false. In short the role of money in happy life is depicted in this poem. 

The title -‘Money’ is a simple and meaningful. It depicts the importance of money in bringing happiness in life. 

He was a Welsh poet and writer. In the United Kingdom and the United States, He spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or hobo. In middle of the age, He became a peddler and street singer in England.‘The Soul’s Destroyer and other Poems’ is his first publication of the poem volume after several years of a wandering life.

•       Theme/summary /gist of the poem

The theme of the poem is about rich man who wants to the poor in search of real happiness. The poet has depicted the value of money in our life. When we are rich we always worry about its safety. We cannot enjoy life. We can enjoy only when we are poor and satisfied.  So the theme of the poem is –‘Money is not everything and ‘The effect of money on the behaviour of people.’

•       Poetic style/ language, poetic devices used in the poem.

The poem depicts what is the role of money in our life. The poem consists of five stanzas of 4 lines each.   The language is easy and simple. The tone is of little depression. The poet has used Alliteration, Simile, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Inversion, Antithesis etc. figures of speech in this poem. First four stanzas are carrying the same rhyming scheme that is abcb  but last one means the fifth stanza’s rhyming scheme is abab.  

•       Special features/ novelties/ focusing elements.

The poet has used narrative technique to enhance the effect of the poem.  In the poem, Money, the poet has used a fine imagery to describe the true and false friends. The images are like –money, trumpet, bees, death, life of poor men and life of rich men.  

•       Moral/Message/values learnt from the poem.

•       The poem, Money, teaches a moral lesson.  The message of the poem is the poet has clear message about the value of true friendship which cannot be purchased by money is important in life as long as it does not have to compromise with falsehood ; when the poet became poor he got containment inspite of not having the power of money as he has gained more valuable things in life of your friends.

•       ‘Money does not bring true happiness’ as well as ‘The value of money in true friendship’. The lack of money does not mean the lack of happiness. The rich cry while the poor laugh. The poem gives us a valuable message of satisfaction, the worth of money and truth of modern materialistic world.

•       Your opinion about the poem.

This message impressed me the most as it is so difficult to find a true friend in the materialistic world. I am really inspired by reading this poem. I understood that in this materialistic, man-made world most of the people think about money but money is not everything in life and doesn’t bring the true happiness.  I personally learnt that we should be satisfied whatever we have with us in our life.  

Prepared and Presented by

Mrs. Premjit Sunil Gatigante

premjitgatigante13.blogspot.com

Shriniwas Bagarka Junior College, Andheri East, Mumbai- 400 059