Transcript PRESENTATION NAME

The Patriot
By Sir Walter Scott
9th Grade, English
Background Information
• Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832 /
Edinburgh / Scotland) was the son of a
lawyer. An avid reader of poetry,
history, drama and romances, the
young Scott read widely in Italian,
Spanish, Latin and German. He is well
known for his works such as ‘Waverly’,
‘Kenilworth’, ‘Talisman’, ‘Old Mortality’
, ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’.
• The Patriot describes the sad state of a
person who does not possess any love
or patriotic feelings towards his
motherland.
The Patriot
“BREATHES there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,”
There is this man who appears alive but who’s dead inside
This man has never proudly said to himself.
The Patriot
“This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,”
That this country is mine and it is my native land
Whose heart never burned with passionate love for his land
The Patriot
“As home his footsteps he hath turn’d,
From wandering on a foreign strand!”
his footsteps have brought him
Back after roaming in a foreign land
The Patriot
“If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell; “
If there is such a person, then you can be certain that
there will be no poet who would sing passionately about him
The Patriot
“High though his tides, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim”
He may have grown in status and pride
His wealth may have become limitless
The Patriot
“Despite those tides, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self, “
Despite all the power, pride and wealth he has gained
He is but a mean person who is self-centered
The Patriot
“Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down “
In such a life ,he shall lose his good name and respect.
He shall die twice when its all over.
First by living an unpatriotic life and second, when he dies after
such a life.
The Patriot
“To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.”
To return to the worthless dust from where he was born
And no one shall weep or honour or sing about him
The Poem - Summary
• Patriotism is a powerful, innate force within most of us and Walter Scott was
surely one of the great patriots of 19th century Scotland.
• My Native Land is an outburst of contempt for anyone lacking a deep love of
their native country.
• Scott can only imagine such a person to be a self-important, vile wretch with
‘soul so dead’, that there is no end for him more deserving than to die
anonymously, ‘unwept, unhonour’d and unsung’.
Comprehension
Say whether the following statements are ‘true’ or ‘false’. Give Reasons
1) An unpatriotic person who never says to himself “This is my own, my
native land” lives a cheerful life. false
2) According to the poet, a person while returning home from a foreign land
should possess feelings of excitement about his motherland. true
3) The poet wants the reader to ignore people who do not possess feelings
of patriotism. true
4) The poet feels such people will become famous. false
5) The poet calls such people ‘mean’ and ‘selfish’. true
Read the following lines and answer the questions:
1) “For him no minstrel raptures swell”
a) Who does the word ‘him’ refer to
An unpatriotic person
b)
Why is the poet unhappy with such people? He feels that an unpatriotic person is a
vile and selfish person.
c)
What does the statement mean? A poet shall not praise an unpatriotic person
2) “Living, shall forfeit fair renown”
a)
b)
c)
What does the statement mean? By living unpatriotic, the person shall lose his good
name.
Who will suffer such a punishment? An unpatriotc person
How do such people die? Anonymously , with no one mourning for them
Answer the following in a short paragraph
1) In the opinion of the poet, what kind of life would an unpatriotic person
lead?
ANS: An unpatriotic person may gain wealth and power that fills him with
pride. Yet, his absence of love for his motherland will cause him to lose his
good name and respect. He shall not be praised by any poet and he shall die
twice: He shall be dead while living such a life and he shall die again towards
the end of his life. And he shall not be remembered or mourned after the end
of it. In the opinion of the poet, an unpatriotic person would lead a mean,
immoral and a selfish life.
2) What kind of life would a patriotic person lead?
ANS: A patriotic person would lead a life of contentment and harmony with
abundance of love for his country. He shall have a good name and respect of
his fellow country-men. He shall be praised by the poets and when he dies, he
shall be mourned and remembered by every one in his country.
Answer the following in a short paragraph
3) Do you like this poem? Why? Give reasons to support your answer.
ANS: I like this poem . The poet attempts to portray the life of an unpatriotic
person , describing his nature and his fate. By doing so, he also implies the
greatness in leading a patriotic life. I am a patriotic person and am very proud
of my nation. Hence I support the poet’s views on this.
4) Pick out 3 pairs of rhyming words from the poem.
ANS: Well/Swell , Pelf/self, sprung/unsung