To Posterity Question & Answers (Litmosphere)

 

1  1.Comment on the opening line of the poem “To Posterity”?

The opening line of the poem To posterity predicts the future existence of books and expresses anxieties and apprehensions of the poet. He visualizes a situation in which books have stopped working and it can no longer influence the readers. Books turned to be the lifeless objects and rests in the graveyard.

 

2    2.What are the apprehensions of the poet about the future?

Due to the rapid digital revolution happened in 1950s, the books turned to be insignificant but the reading and writing have been replaced by easily accessible new media. So, the poet is very much concerned about this situation and expresses his apprehensions and anxieties regarding the future existence of the books.

 

3    3.What does the poet mean by “framed in words”?

Words can certainly reflect the real beauty of the nature. Speaker talks about the fading away of the books due to the advent of new media and states that the fragrance and color of flowers and the delicious taste of fruits embedded in words, which are contained in books have disappeared.

 

4    4.What does the poet mean by “wingless birds”?

According to Louis MacNeice Books can remarkably ignite and enhance human imagination. Poet compares the situation of life without books to wingless birds. A wingless bird can’t fly similarly one can’t create visual senses without books.

Books can lift human soul to any places.

 

II. Answer the following questions in a paragraph

1 1.Comment on the language of the poem? 

  The modern British poet Louis MacNeice exhibits his craftsmanship through the short and concise poem “To Posterity”. It reminds the famous Shakespearean epigram ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’, as the shot lines convey big and serious reflections regarding the future of books. The poet selects comparatively normal and easily accessibly language because the central aim of the poet is shed light on the serious aspect. He talks about the new age in which the rapid digital revolution causes to the disappearance of books. Emerging new media badly affected the uses of books.

According to the poet books can only convey the real beauty of the nature it can also enhance imaginative sensibility.For the poet the serious truth value is more important than the rhetorical aspects. Thus, he expresses his verses in simple language.

      2.Comment on the use of images in the poem?

The poem is highly thought provoking as it seriously discusses the negative impact of the digital age. The emerging new media completely replaced the use of books hence, the poet expresses his worries. To convey his poetic thought effectively MacNeice uses images like graveyard, some scenes of nature and wingless birds.

 First of all he places the books in the graveyard because of the outbreak of new media books lacked its significance and turned to be completely out of use. Reading and even speaking are replaced by easily accessible and advanced modern media. So he brings the imagery of the graveyard primarily because books happened to be inactive and abandoned. Later, he beautifully brings some natural imageries of flowers, fruits, green grasses and skies then argues that the real natural beauty is conveyed only through words.  

            Finally there comes the most interesting image of wingless birds. He affirms the fact that wingless birds can never fly similarly books are highly essential for human kind. They can’t even think about a world without books.

 

3     3.Comment on the tone and the effect of the poem?

The Poet is very much concerned about the future of books at the same time he is well aware of the emerging new media. It rapidly damaged the intimacy between human beings and books. Thus, the tone of anxiety and apprehension are well expressed by the poet right from the beginning itself. The new media such as Television and Radio got immense popularity and accessibility and it leads to the gradual disappearance of books. Poet also marks his tone of lamentation.

Poet proposes that the true natural beauty can never be well exhibited through new media. The real sense of feeling always lies in the pages of books. Every words can easily draw pictures in the minds of the readers.

So the ultimate aim of the speaker is to create an awareness among the general public regarding their ignorant attitude due to the outbreak of the digital age.