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Sunday, 1 July 2018

The Person I Am Looking For : Paraphrase


If you do not get lowered in your own eyes
While you raise yourself in those of others
If you do not give in to gossips and lies
Rather heed them not, saying, ‘Who bothers?’
You may be the person I am looking for.

Read the above stanza as following to facilitate the learning. Students will learn by themselves. This method focuses on learning by students. Here teachers are expected to play the role of facilitator. You may be the person I am looking for.
If you do not get lowered in your own eyes
While you raise yourself in those of others
You may be the person I am looking for.
If you do not give in to gossips and lies
Rather heed them not, saying, ‘Who bothers?’

Let's facilitate. 'You' stands for readers/ people. 'I' stands the poet. Let the students try to understand the poem with this pattern. Tell the students to copy the last line of the first stanza and then the first and the second lines. Tell them to read these lines together and try to guess the meaning. Thereafter students will copy the last line of the first stanza and the third and the fourth lines. Tell them to read those lines together and comprehend. Ask them what they learned.
Follow the pattern for the complete poem. Some of the students might find difficulty in comprehending this way. Let's paraphrase the poem.

If you crave not for praise when you win
And look not for sympathy while you lose
If cheers let not your head toss or spin
And after a set-back you offer no excuse.
You may be the person I am looking for.

  If you accept counsel without getting sore
And re-assess yourself in the light thereof
If you pledge not to be obstinate any more
And meet others without any frown or scoff.
You may be the person I am looking for.

  If you have the will to live and courage to die
You are a beacon-light for people far and wide
If you ignore the jeers and, thus, expose the lie
‘That virtue and success do not go side by side.’
You are the person I am looking for.

The poet is looking for the person with certain qualities and good behavior. The poet mentions those qualities in the poem. The person should not get lowered in his eyes while he raises in the eyes of others. His behavior should be crystal clear. He should neither give in to gossips nor lie. Rather he should not pay attention to the gossips. The gossips and lies are not worth to be bothered. He should be indifferent toward success and failure. He should not desire for praise on winning. He should not expect sympathy on loosing. Even grand success should not make feel heady. His feet should be on the land. Even though he gets a set back (failed) he should not beg for excuse. Better he should take the responsibility and work ahead. The poet expects these type of qualities in the person. The poet wants the person to accept advise readily without getting sore. He should think about the advice and behave accordingly. He should not be obstinate. He should have politeness and courtesy. He should not get angry. The poet expects the person to have these qualities. The person the poet is looking for should have strong desire to live and courage to die. Such a person is beacon light for the masses.He should ignore jeers. He should open the lie behind the assumption that 'success and virtue do not go side by side.' Many people are of the opinion that the righteous person do get success and the successful person is not righteous. But it is not true.

6 comments:

Thank you.