Where the Mind is Without Fear: Rabindranath Tagore

 

                  Where the mind is without Fear

A famous poem by – Rabindranath Tagore

         

 

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action—

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

 

Meanings: 

 

head held high: walk without fear or walk with pride and self respect

 

fragments: pieces

 

domestic: pertaining to family

 

narrow domestic walls : division on the basis of religion, caste, class and colour in societies

   and between countries of the world.

 

tireless striving : continuous efforts and struggle.

 

stretches its arm : aims at achieving a goal.

 

deary: dull

dead habit : old traditional rituals and customs that are harmful

 

ever-widening : forever broadening one’s outlook.

 

heaven of freedom : condition of total freedom of good thoughts, good words and good deeds, while respecting those of others.

 

The head is held high- A person with self-respect, and proud of possessing it.

 

Narrow domestic walls- Narrow mindedness.

 

Knowledge is free- Education is given to all.

 

Depth of truth- Sincerity of heart.

 

Mind is without fear- A fearless person.

 

Clear stream of reason- Clear thinking.

 

Dead habits -Dried, infertile land of sands,

 

Ever-  widening thought and action Broadening the outlook and attitude.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS :-

i) To whom is the poet speaking to ? What is he saying?

 

Answer : The poet is speaking to God. He is requesting to God to free his country from the shackles of superstitions and prejudices laid down by the age old customs and practices. He is wishing for a nation where everyone within the fold of brotherhood is free to hold up one’s head high and one’s voice can be heard without having any apprehension or fear of oppression. He talks about a nation where knowledge is not restricted by narrow ideas and is free of cost.

 

ii) Which narrow walls is the poet talking about?

Answer : According to the poet, petty considerations of nationality, caste and creed should not divide the people. Prejudice and superstitions which narrow the mind and divide the people should be a thing of the past. There should be no factionalism in the country. The people must rise above the narrow walls of caste, religion and community. They should remain united.

 

iii) What does the speaker mean by ‘where tireless striving stretches its arm towards perfection’?

Answer : Through lines lines, the speaker wishes that his countrymen strive towards perfection without getting tired. A country whose people work without laziness is sure to achieve perfection in all fields and aspects. Everyone should be free to toil and work hard for anything they desire either for their own or for the good of the nation.

 

 

iv) What kind of freedom does the poet desire for his country?

Answer : Poet desires for freedom of thoughts and habits for his countrymen. He wishes for a freedom from narrow limits set up by the society, from fear and from a world which is broken into fragments. In other words, the poet dreams of a country free from the shackles of foreign rule and from all other obstacles like fear, superstitions, casteism, regionalism, narrow mindedness, imperfection and irrationality.

v) After reading the poem, what do you think about the state of the country at this moment in poet’s eyes?

Answer : Probably, according to the poet, the country is in a state of ignorance and that’s why he desires freedom for his country. He wants his country to move to a state where knowledge is free and individuals are free from the bondage of narrow ideas set up by the society. He considers people to be slave of bad habits that is affecting their life as well as the nation’s life. According to him, the British rule had robbed India of its pride and dignity by reducing it to a ruined nation.

 

 

Question 2 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

 

i) Name the poem and the poet. What does ‘dead habit’ refer to?

Answer : The name of the poem is ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ and the name of the poet is Rabindranath Tagore. ‘Dead habit’ refers to the old customs and practices which are a threat to humanity and modernity. These practices don’t allow human beings to accept new thoughts which can make the world a better place to live in.

 

ii) What do the above lines say?

Answer : In the above lines, the poet requests God to lead his country to a place where the reasoning faculty is not lost among outdated customs and traditions. The poet does not want his people to dwell in the mistakes of the past or be possessed by it. He wants the country to be led forward by God into the freedom of broadened attitude and mindset. He requests ‘The Father’ to awaken his country into such a ‘heaven of freedom’.

 

iii) Why are habits compared to desert sand?

Answer : Habits that are dead are compared to desert sand because desert is dry and fruitless. It’s not green and life-giving. Similarly dead habits are not useful for individuals and society. The people must not turn out to be slave of bad habits that can affect their life as well as the nation’s life. Hence, it is better to day away with them.

 

iv) Do you agree with the poet that our minds should be fearless and free? Give options.

Answer : Yes, I agree that our minds should be fearless and free from the oppressor. It should be free but in a positive way or attitude. A free mind can be both beautiful and harmless. It is upto us how we use it and make of it. A fearful mind cannot express itself truly. If our mind is free we can hold our head high and our voice can he heard without any apprehensions.

 

v) Why does the poet want freedom for his country?

Answer : The poet wants freedom for his country because being free from the shackles of ignorance and narrow-mindedness would take it to the heights of success and it will create a name for itself in the whole world. Without freedom the people of his country cannot progress and hence the nation will not progress. He, thus, requests God to grant such freedom of mind and body to his country.

 

SHORT ANS TYPE

 

(a) How is the world broken into fragments?

Ans. Our world is broken into fragments on the basis of religion, caste, class, customs, rituals, traditions and colour in societies and between countries of the world.

 

(b) Explain what the ‘tireless striving’ should, be for.

Ans.‘Tireless striving’ means continuous efforts and struggle aiming towards perfection.

 

(c) ‘Where come out from the depth of truth.’ Explain in your own words.

Ans. The words spoken by an individual should come straight from the heart without being afraid of any

consequences.

 

(d) Who is ‘Thee’ in the poem? What does the poet appeal to ‘Thee’ to do?

Ans. ‘Thee’ is referred to ‘God’ by the poet. The poet appeals to God to awaken his country into a heaven experiencing true freedom of good thoughts, good words and good action.

 

(e) What qualities does the poet wish to inculcate in his countrymen?

Ans. The poet wishes to inculcate the qualities of hard work and broadmindedness in his countrymen.

 

(f) What does the poet pray to the Almighty for?

Ans. Rabindranath Tagore pleads with the Almighty to awaken his countrymen into a heaven of freedom having good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

 

(g) What are ‘reason’ and ‘dead habit’ compared to?

Ans. Reason is like clear stream and ‘dead habit’ is like dreary desert sand.

 

(h) What does the poet wish for?

Ans. The poet wishes to awaken his country into a heaven of freedom having good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

 

(2)-

 (a) Is the poem a prayer for India alone?

Ans. No, this poem is a universal prayer that reflects a every citizen’s wish for his country.

 

(b) What should the words we speak reflect?

Ans. The words we speak should always reflect integrity, honesty and truth.

 

(c) What should people keep on widening? How can it be done?

Ans. People should keep on widening their thoughts and actions and this can be done by a mind which fearless and head held high.

 

(d) From what darkness of night should our nation awaken?

Ans. Our nation should arise from the darkness of ignorance, old traditional rituals and customs and division based on religion, caste, colour, race and class.

 

 

(e) What attributes of Rabindranath Tagore does the poem (prayer) reflect?

Ans. The poem reflects the following attributes of Rabindranath Tagore’s:

patriotism;

concern for his countrymen;

faith in God, clear thinking;

broad mindedness;

love for truth, education, good thoughts and deeds;

respect for other’s freedom.

strong disapproval to ignorance, old traditional rituals and customs.

his opposition to division based on religion, caste, colour, race and class.

 

(f) What effect does the repetition of the word ‘where’ at the beginning of each line?

Ans. The repetition of the word ‘where’ points out to the place – that is our country India where Tagore wants God to show His mercy.

 

Figures of Speech in the poem –  Where the mind is without fear

 

Alliteration:

head held high

deary desert of sand of dead habit

Metaphor:

narrow domestic walls

clear stream of reason

dreary desert sand of dead habit

Personification:

Where tireless striving stretches its arm towards perfection.

 

Appreciation of a Poem

 

The title of the poem: ‘Where the mind is without fear…..’

 

The poet: Rabindranath Tagore

 

Rhyme scheme: The poem is written in free verse without any rhyme scheme.

 

Favourite line/lines: ‘Into the heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake’. I like this line because it is a prayer asking God for freedom for my country.

 

Theme/Central idea: This poem is a prayer to Almighty God asking to grant the country (India), freedom. It brings out not only Rabindranath Tagore’s profound love for God but also his deep patriotic feeling.

 

Special Features (Type of the poem, language, tone, implied meaning, etc.): This is a patriotic poem. It is extremely thought provoking and inspirational. It invokes a strong feeling of hard work and progress of the country.

 

 

(A) Complete the following sentences using your own interpretation.

1. When the mind is without fear and head unbowed, we enjoy total freedom.

2. When knowledge is free, every citizen enjoys the right to education and learning.

3. We can prevent social injustice when we pull down discriminatory walls of caste, class, religion etc.

4. Constant effort and strife leads to perfection.

5. Logical thinking and reasoning can put a stop to superstition.

6. Tagore appeals to God to make his country a heaven where people can walk and work freely with their heads held high.

 

 

 

type of poem :-

 

1. A long story-poem, often mythical epic.

2. A short story poem with a message ballad

3. A poem of 14 lines sonnet

4. A song-like poem lyric

5. A poem with no uniformity of rhyme, rhythm etc. free verse

6. A poem set in picturesque, rustic background idyll

7. A sad poem, lamenting death of a loved one elegy

8. A 5-line short funny poem with rhyme-scheme aabba. Limerick

9. A poem written, just to create humour humorous

 

   Terminology:-

 

Humanism	A rationalistic outlook towards humans rather than a divine or supernatural one.
Patriotism	Quality of being patriotic vigorous support for one’s country.
Internationalism	State or process of being international.
Liberalism	Holding liberal views.
Environmentalism	Concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment.