Poem- Uphills

 

Q 2 Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.

a.     The speaker is a traveller who questions a guide about the journey that he/she is on. He/She asks and receives answers about whether the journey will wind up-hill all the way and take all day long, whether he/she will recognise the place to rest, and will there be others on a journey and if a kind reception awaits him/her.

 

b.     The inn stands at the top of the hill and offers rest to those who have spent the entire day climbing. It stands out in the darkness of the night and sheds a powerful light. It represents security.

 

c.      The traveller is reassured that the door will be opened upon his/her arrival and those who have gone before will be ready to greet him/her. So the traveller won’t have to wait for long when he/she reaches the inn.

 

d.    The traveller is promised ‘beds for all who come’ to the inn. The image of the beds indicates rest, comfort, shelter and security. After a long struggle, the idea of resting is all that the speaker can look forward too.

 

Q 3 Answer the following questions in 100-120 words.

a.     The road winds uphill all the way because the road of life is a continual journey upwards. In the poem, the poetess draws on the imagery of flames, mountains, stairs and hills to emphasise on the upward progression of the spiritual journey. She suggests that the soul is moved upwards away from the earth and its pleasures as it learns more of God and heaven. The poetess emphasises on the idea that the upward progression of the soul is not a simple and easy process. Lots of distractions, concerns and doubts can weigh a person down and the upward movement can turn into one of a struggle instead one of joy.

 

b.    The road symbolises the journey the traveller takes because instead of being straight, the fact that it is winding and uphill suggests that the path is long and difficult. However, there is actually a road leading up the hill indicates that plenty of others have already taken the route that the traveller is contemplating. The speaker will not have to carve or find his/her own path since it has already been revealed to him/her. The road can be interpreted as literally as a long unseen destination; metaphorically, as representing the path that life takes; and a pathway and journey of faith.