Chapter 7: Words (0903CH07)

Words are important because they express thoughts, emotions, and ideas clearly. Yet communication can happen without words through gestures, facial expressions, music, or art. These non-verbal forms also convey meaning and connect people deeply.

1. depart 2. pilgrim 3. weeds 4. joy 5. lonely 6. world 7. fruit

Rhyming sets: care/air, weeds/needs, impart/heart, cheer/dear. Rhyme scheme: ABAB in most stanzas.

"words, like summer birds, depart" → Simile (words compared to birds flying away). "heart, a pilgrim upon earth" → Metaphor (heart compared to a traveller). "words ... as little worth as weeds" → Metaphor (worthless words compared to weeds). "If words could satisfy the chest ... Oft satisfy the least!" → Irony (words fail to satisfy). "The world might hold a feast" → Hyperbole (exaggeration of satisfaction). "plants that make a gaudy show ... blossom to the root" → Metaphor (empty words compared to flashy plants). "cannot grow one particle of fruit" → Symbolism (words without meaning produce no value).

Words like "heart," "joy," "worth," and "dear" are repeated to emphasise the contrast between empty words and sincere ones, highlighting the importance of truth and simplicity.

Stanza 4 → frustration Stanza 5 → admiration Stanza 6 → disillusionment

The hyperbole: "the world might hold a feast" (a wild exaggeration of universal celebration). 1. I have tonnes of things to do this weekend. 2. The player missed the basket by a mile. 3. My mother is so tired that she can sleep for a decade. 4. I will be back in two seconds.

Because, like a pilgrim journeying in search of something sacred, the heart travels through life seeking genuine comfort and meaning, which mere words often fail to provide.

The heart needs words at times of sorrow, loneliness or distress, when it seeks comfort, reassurance or connection from others.

like weeds, they grow easily and in abundance but serve no real purpose or value, offering nothing of true worth to the heart.

Disappointment and loneliness — the heart feels let down that words cannot offer the comfort it seeks, deepening its sense of isolation.

They suggest that communication through words alone is often insufficient and superficial; true comfort comes from sincerity and connection, not mere quantity of words.

Words can satisfy the chest (the heart/emotions) when they are sincere and meaningful, genuinely comforting and fulfilling an emotional need.

Words are ‘tested’ when we actually rely on them in moments of real need, to see whether they can truly comfort or satisfy us.

It implies universal celebration and joy — that if mere words could truly satisfy, the whole world would be joyfully content.

they are often empty and insincere, sounding impressive without carrying real emotional substance or truth.

A. always (oft/often means ‘frequently’ or ‘usually’, not ‘always’).

The poet compares fleeting, insincere words to summer birds that depart, leaving only empty air behind — suggesting words vanish quickly without leaving any lasting comfort or substance.

The poet believes a few sincere, truthful words touch the heart more deeply than countless empty ones, showing that quality and sincerity matter far more than quantity in communication.

Yes, the poet contrasts empty, insincere words (like weeds) with a few truly sincere words (which bring deep joy), highlighting that value lies in sincerity, not abundance.

The heart is called a 'pilgrim upon earth', wandering and seeking comfort; a 'lonely home' is mentioned as cheered by few precious words, showing how isolation and longing run through the poem.

The poet uses images like weeds and gaudy, fruitless plants to show words can look impressive but lack substance. To address this, we should speak fewer, more sincere and truthful words.

satisfy the heart → makes one happy depart and leave but empty air → makes no impact hosts of words → many words never touch the heart → does not appeal to our emotions wins its sunny way → cheers up a person plants that cannot grow fruit → there is no outcome

Model (pilgrim): Meaning — a person who travels to a sacred place; Synonym — traveller; Antonym — settler; Sentence — The pilgrim walked many miles to reach the temple; Sketch — a figure with a walking stick and bag.

True: 1 (the girl was excited to participate), 2 (the boy asked, somewhat doubtfully, whether the topic could lead to an engaging talk), 4 (the boy was unaware of the role of body language, asking "Body language? How?"). False: 3 (the girl actually says people WANT to share and relate experiences, not keep them to themselves), 5 (the girl stresses body language has a SIGNIFICANT role, not an insignificant one). The four true statements are 1, 2, 4 and 6 (by elimination, since 3 and 5 directly contradict the dialogue).

Model: "I chose Gautama Buddha’s quotation, ‘Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care...’ because it reminds me that words have real power to influence others, for good or ill. Once, a careless comment I made hurt a friend, and I later learnt to think before speaking."

Model essay on "Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care..." (Gautama Buddha): Introduction — mention the quotation, speaker and why it appealed to me. Body — explain how words influence relationships and give a personal example of careless vs. careful speech. Conclusion — reaffirm the importance of speaking thoughtfully in daily life.

Model: read each line aloud and mark the stressed (´) and unstressed (˘) syllables. For example, "Words, like sum-mer birds, de-part" → ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ´. Identify the pattern in each line — most lines follow an iambic rhythm with some variations. Share and compare your markings with the class.