P-5 Confessions of a Born Spectator
Ogden
Nash
1. Who wrote the poem 'Confessions of a Born Spectator'?
Ans. Ogden Nash.
Q. 2. Who is the spectator talking about in this poem?
Ans. About
athletes and sportsmen.
Q. 3. What does the poet call himself in this poem?
Ans. A born
spectator.
Q.4. What does the poet prefer to be in his poem
'Confessions of a Born Spectator'?
Ans. Just a
spectator.
Q. 5. Is the spectator proud and complacent to be a
spectator only?
Ans. Yes.
Q. 6. Who does the speaker admire in this poem?
Ans. All types of
athletes.
Q. 7. What does the phrase 'heroic deeds' in this poem
stand for?
Ans. The victories
and prizes won by sportsmen.
Q. 8. What does the spectator's prudence tell him?
Ans. To remain a
spectator and not to take part in games.
Q. 9. What dangers involved in sports are described in this
poem?
Ans. Swollen eyes,
broken knees and cracked wrists.
Q. 10. What prevents the spectator from competing with
athletes?
Ans. The fear of
blows and injuries.
A1-
The poet is glad that he is not a player or an athlete.
A2-
The poet admires the athlete because they work hard to win matches or for
money.
A3-
Because he feels shy of taking part in games.
A4-
The poet’s ego asks him to take part in games. But his prudence (bu`DIm`qw)
tells him that games are risky. These can injure him. So his prudence wins and
he decided not to become an athlete.
A5-
The poet is ready to eat, drink and do anything for the athletes. But he is not
ready to compete with them.
Ex-2
My limp…… heroic
deeds.
Ans-
(a) He is scared of getting hurt while performing such deeds.
By
tickets…. Radium.
Ans-
(b) The poet would pay anything for buying tickets to watch the games.
Ex-3 Comprehension
I’m glad that ….
Wins.
A1-
He doesn’t show heroism on the playfield. His prudence prevents him from doing
so.
A2-
No, he doesn’t want to show this heroism.
A3-
The poet’s struggle is between his ego and prudence. But in the end his
prudence wins and he decided not to become an athlete.
A4-
The poet is glad that he is not an athlete and the athletes are not the poet.
A5-
The poet wants to remain a spectator. The poet’s ego asks him to take part in
games. But his prudence (bu`DIm`qw) tells him that games are risky. These can
injure him. So his prudence wins and he decided not to become an athlete. (theme)
5.
Confessions of a Born Spectator
This poem is
written by Ogden Nash. In the poem the poet presents his personal opinion about
athletes. He celebrates passion and achievements of athletes. But he himself
never wants to take part in any of the games. He does not want to get hurt
during the game. So he is happy to play his role as spectator only.
