P2. Keeping Queit

Keeping Quiet
Pen Name – Pablo Neruda

Real Name of the poet – Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto
Tone – Tranquil (calm, peaceful, and free from disturbance), Serene (calm, peaceful, and undisturbed)
Introduction/Theme – This Poem emphasizes the significance of Mindfulness (It is the practice of being fully present and aware of one's
thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment), Introspection (It is the process of examining one's thoughts, feelings, and inner
experiences in a deliberate and reflective manner) and Retrospection (It is the act of reflecting on past events or experiences) as
pathways to attention, unity, and brotherhood.
The power of silence and thought is portrayed as essential for comprehending and engaging with the world, fostering a better
understanding of oneself and surroundings. The poet advocates for stillness and observation of nature amidst the noise and distractions
of modern life, emphasizing peace and silence to foster harmony with oneself, others, and the environment, urging moments of
introspection and reminding us of the value of soul-searching for clarity and inner peace to deal with difficulties in life. Poet's words echo
a call for mutual understanding, love, and respect in a world often marked by selfishness and strife.
Summary 1 (287 Words)

“Keeping Quiet” is a peace poem written by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poet asks everyone in the world to keep still for twelve
seconds to create togetherness. He wants all the people on the earth, not to talk in any language but to maintain a silence to
communicate with each other's heart. He believes that this sudden moment of silence will be an exotic (unusual) moment. There will be
no noise and no movement. The fishermen in the sea will stop killing the whales and the men who gather salt will stop their work and
look at their hurt hands. This kind of break will enable both nature and man to treat their wounds. Due to this break, human beings will
start looking and caring for themselves rather than their work. Moreover, those who are fighting with each other will stop and walk about
with their fellow brethren.
Pablo Neruda clarifies that he does not want to advocate total inactivity or death. He is concerned that we all are running blindly in a rat
race and, in this process, we have completely missed our true goal to keep a balance between man and nature. There is great sadness in
human beings for, they do not understand themselves. A huge silence will break this sadness. We should learn from nature. When
everything comes alive in nature after a period of seeming death, it is equivalent to this silence. After this death, there comes life. This is a
dangerous situation and can bring catastrophic results. So our survival in this world depends upon our ability to understand and rectify
this. This can be done only when we introspect and develop a feeling of understanding with each other.
Summary 2 (379 Words)
“Keeping Quiet” is a peace poem written by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poet asks humanity to count numbers from one to
twelve – twelve being the number of hours shown in a clock or the number of zodiac signs. He requests everyone not to speak because
languages create barriers between people. The moment when everyone stops moving their body will be very special and different as we
have never experienced such a moment before.
The poet says that in this period of inactivity the fishermen would not harm the whales, the salt gatherers will not hurt their hands, those
who are busy destroying the nature will adopt a new approach towards life, The men who are preparing for wars and victory based on
deaths of innocent people will join their enemy and stand in unity with them, doing nothing. No one will harm himself or any other
person. Everyone will unite and ponder upon his acts and realize the results of his deeds.
The poet clarifies his idea and says further that he does not want that people should stand idle. He wants that there should be no war
because he does not want to see trucks laden with dead bodies of the soldiers. He is promoting Universal brotherhood and peace.
The poet says that everyone is working continuously, to achieve one’s goals. People are threatened by death and the fear forces them to
work endlessly so that they can achieve everything quickly. In this mad rush, they do not realize the repercussions of their acts. He wants
us to pause and come out of the mad rush. He wants us to be happy about our achievements and celebrate them. He wants us to
overcome the fear of death and to relax for a while. We should know the results of our deeds and celebrate our achievements.
When the people will remain quiet for a while, they will realize the purpose of their lives. Just like all the creations of nature undergo a
rebirth with the change of seasons, similarly, keeping quiet will be a rebirth for the human soul. It will give a new meaning to our life.
Again, the poet says that he will count till twelve and asks everyone to remain quiet while he leaves.
Literary devices
1. Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of 2 or more closely placed words.
 ‘we will’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated (1st Stanza)
 ‘we would’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘sudden strangeness’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated, ‘his hurt hands’ – ‘h’ sound is repeated (2nd Stanza)
 ‘wars with’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘clean clothes’ – ‘c’ sound is repeated (3rd Stanza)
 ‘we were’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated,’ ‘so single – minded’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated (4th Stanza)
2. Anaphora:
 (1st Stanza) Two consecutive lines starting with the word “Let’s” - let’s not speak in any language,
- let’s stop for one second,
3. Assonance:
 Use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘e’ (Now we will count to twelve, not move our arms so much) (1st Stanza)
 Use of vowel ‘o’ (victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers) (3rd Stanza)
4. Enjambment: and for once could perhaps a huge silence……..of threatening ourselves with death. (4th Stanza)
5. Repetition: use of ‘war’ (3rd Stanza)

P2. Keeping Queit

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

P2. Keeping Queit

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

P2. Keeping Queit

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Keeping Quiet

Pen Name – Pablo Neruda

Summary 1 (287 Words)

You might also like