10th Std Anne Gregory

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. What was not liked by the young men?

Ans. The young men do not love the real person but love the appearances. Everyone wants one should be loved for his actual personality and not by what he looks like. The young man does not like grey or yellow hair and they do not care for inner beauty but loves the physical beauty.

2. The young woman’s hair is yellow coloured. She is ready to change her hair colour to another colour. Why would she want to do so?

Ans. The young woman is ready to do so because she wants someone to love her. Moreover’ she wants that someone should love her for her inner beauty and not for the colour of her hair.

3. What is the central idea of the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’?

Ans. The central theme of the poem is that young men often love appearances and not the real person within. Everyone wants that he or she should be loved for what he or she is from inside. The poet feels that only inner beauty is the true essence of life. The poem states that physical beauty may be important for young men or the human beings.He the almighty loves the human beings irrespective of their colour or physical features.

4. What does the old religious man have to say?

Ans. The old religious man says that he has found a text which proves that only God could love us for ourselves alone and not for physical beauty. He is the only one who truly loves us, as he has created us the way we are.

Q.5. What is the central idea of the poem `For Anne Gregory’?

Ans. The poem conveys the idea that physical beauty may be important for young men or human beings. But God does not love human beings for their physical beauty. In this poem, the poet gives an example of a lover who loves the yellow hair of a young lady but does not like her ramparts. The lady disapproves his love.

Q.6. To whom is the first stanza of the poem addressed? What does the speaker say to her?

Ans. The first stanza of the poem is addressed to a lady named Anne Gregory. She had a great influence on the poet. He had great respect for her. He tells her that although she is a noble lady, yet nobody would love her for herself alone.

Q.7. What makes a young man not to love the woman referred to in the first stanza?

Ans. The woman has beautiful yellow hair. But the outer part of her ears is not attractive. The poet says that never shall man love her only for herself.

Q.8. What does the woman say she can do to make herself more desirable to young men? What does this show?

Ans. The woman says that she would dye her hair brown, black or in carrot colour. This shows that young men give more importance to physical appearance than inner beauty.

Q.9. What does the religious man tell the poet about God’s love for man?

Ans. The religious man has told the poet that he has found a religious text. According to that, God loves a person, not for his or her physical qualities. He loves human beings for their inner qualities.


Q10. Why shall a young person never be thrown into despair?

Ans. Generally, a young man develops some fascination for a beautiful lady. Sometimes the external appearance of the lady affects him deeply. The honey-coloured hair of the lady may lead him to love her without caring for the inherent qualities of her head and heart. It may throw him into despair.

Q11. What are those ‘great honey-coloured ramparts’ at the ears of that young lady? What is the poetic device used here?

Ans. The blonde hair of Anne Gregory is honey-coloured. The long honey-coloured hair falls down in curls covering her ears. The long hair falling on the ears look like the wide walls or ramparts around a fort. The poet uses ‘metaphor’ quite effectively to produce the desired effect.

Q12. Why should a young man never love a young woman for ‘herself alone’?

Ans. A young man is generally attracted by the outward appearances of a young woman. Her beautiful face or her blonde hair may attract him towards her. It is quite possible that a young man may never love a woman for what she actually is. He never loves her for ‘herself alone’.

Q13. What does the lady want to do and why?

Ans. The young lady, Anne Gregory doesn’t like that a young man should love her for her external appearance or for her beautiful yellow hair. External appearances can easily be changed. She can dye her hair black, brown or of carrot’s, the way she likes. She wants that she should be loved not for her yellow hair but for ‘herself-alone’.

Q14. Why doesn’t the young woman like to be loved for her yellow hair? What does she want to prove?

Ans. The young lady has a point to prove. She wants to prove that she can change her external appearance or the colour of her hair easily. She can dye her hair brown, black or of carrot’s colour. But she doesn’t want to be loved for her beautiful long yellow hair. She should be loved for `herself alone’ or for what she actually is.

Q15. What did the old religious man declare? What did he want to prove?

Ans. The poet heard an old religious man declare one truth the previous night. He quoted a text to prove his point. He wanted to prove that only God can love a woman for ‘herself alone’ without caring for her beautiful exterior or yellow hair. Human beings can’t resist external temptations or appearances.

Q16. What is the difference between God’s attitude towards a young woman and the attitude of humans towards her?

Ans. God goes beyond external appearances. God loves a woman for ‘herself alone’. He pays no attention to her beautiful looks or yellow hair. On the other hand, humans can’t go beyond outward appearances and beautiful yellow hair.

Q17. What is the theme or the central idea of the poem?

Ans. In ‘For Anne Gregory’ W.B. Yeats gives a definite message. Human beings can’t go beyond external appearances. Their love is just skin-deep. A young woman like Anne Gregory may be liked and loved not for what she actually is but for the colour of her hair. Only godliness in man can penetrate and go beyond these physical appearances and see the inner beauty and nobility of the soul.

Q18. What are the honey-coloured ramparts?

Ans. The ramparts are the honey-coloured or golden hair of the young woman hanging down her ears for a kind of defensive wall for her rosy cheeks, red lips and starry eyes.

Q19. How will the hair-dye help Anne?

Ans. The hair-dye will help Anne in changing the colour of her hair from yellow to brown or black or carrot. Thus she would prove that a young lover loves her for herself alone and not for her honey coloured hair.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. Do we love people because we like their appearances or we are fascinated by their physical appearances? How does Anne Gregory want to be loved?

Ans. This is the world of pomp and show. Things and people are often liked and loved not because of their merit but because of their external appearances. Anne Gregory’s honey-coloured yellowish hair look like the ramparts of a fort when they fall on her ears. There are many who love Anne Gregory only for her yellow hair. However, Anne doesn’t like to be liked and loved this way. After all, how does the colour matter? She can dye her hair the way she likes. She can dye them brown, black, of carrot’s colour or the way she likes. If her lover likes only for her beautiful hair, she won’t accept him. She should be loved for `herself alone’. But this world doesn’t go by her wish. Only God can love a person for what he is. Human beings will go on being tempted by beautiful yellow hair.

Q2. Appearances may be deceptive. People are not objects,they should be valued for being themselves. What lesson does the poet want to give to the readers through this poem?

Ans. Truly stated that people are not objects and appearances may be deceptive. A person should be liked and loved for being himself or ‘herself. Outwardly appearances do tempt and dazzle us. There may be many persons who would love to see Anne’s beautiful hair falling over her ears like the ramparts of a fort. Many would love Anne Gregory for her beautiful yellow hair. It would be difficult to find a real lover who loves Anne for `herself alone’. What is so great about yellow hair? Anne ridicules the idea of being loved for her yellow hair. She can dye her hair the way she likes — brown, black, carrot or yellow. But the irony of this world is that people will go on being tempted and dazzled by glamour, show and outwardly appearances. Only God can love a person for ‘himself or herself’ alone.