NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English (Woven Words) Poetry 8 Elkana

Class : 11th

Subject : English

Chapter : 8

Chapter Name : Elkana

Q1 Comment on the subtlety with which the poet captures the general pattern of communication
within a family.

Answer. Nissim Ezekiel has captured the essence of daily conversation that takes among the
family. Ezekiel very brilliantly tells how conversations in Indian families look like. To make
readers more connected he employs few real-life incidents to make it look more authentic. The
three people. The husband very easily ignores what his wife says, as he believes her talk holds
no importance. He avoids getting into mess by simply saying what she is saying is right. The
third member is the kid. And that kid holds importance and his demands are not shooed away,
instead fulfilled by both the parents.

Q2 Poetic effect is achieved in the poem through understatement and asides. Discuss this with
examples.

Answer. The literary technique understatement is used to enhance the poem. Poet’s main
concern is not the family but the environment around them. For instance the poet talks about
the broken window panes, it may be useless in the real world but in the poem it holds a lot of
significance. The other aspect is that the husband claims that ‘the man she loves who happens
to be me’. Although he pays zero attention to what his lady but inside he knows she loves him
that makes him really happy.