2-3) There is Another Sky

 ICE BREAKERS

• (i) Life is an amalgam of happy and sad moments. Think of such moments  in your life, pair with your classmate and share both the aspects of life.

Happy Moments Sad Moments

1. Winning the first prize in a 

 competition

Losing your mobile, bicycle or wallet

2. 

3. 

(ii) Discuss with your partner and find proverbs, idioms or phrases of similar 

meaning to the one given and fill them in the stars given below:

• (i) When we look at the sky, we find several objects. They stand for something 

or the other. Complete the following table by finding the significance of 

the given objects. One example is given to you.

Celestial Bodies Association

The Sun Power, Heat, Energy, Commitment etc.

The Moon

The Rainbow

The Stars

(ii) Colours mentioned in the hexagons given below, are associated with 

something or the other.

 Discus with your partner and fill in the blanks.

Every cloud 

has a silver 

lining.

2.3 There is Another Sky

pink blue

yellow Colours white

peace

red black

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is an American poet of the  nineteenth century. She lived a lonely life. Most of her poems  are motivational and philosophical. They are unique to her era  and are characterised by simple and short lines. She often used  slant rhymes and unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Her poems are the psalms and hymns of life in all its shades. is an inspirational poem with a  message of 'never say-die'. It is a Petrarchan sonnet with octave  and sestet. The poet is communicating to her brother through a letter. She encourages  her. brother not to get depressed under any circumstances and pleads with him to  return home. Life is full of challenges; one can tackle the challenges with a positive attitude The poem ends on an optimistic note. The brighter garden stands for choices that life offers to all.

serene: peaceful, calm

The poet says ‘another sky. Guess the meaning.

The poet is addressing the poem to ........

Austin: Emily's younger brother

frost: When temperature is below 0o C a thin layer of ice forms on the ground 

and other surfaces.

unfading: bright, colourful

Prithee: nick name of her brother, Austin

The poet depicts a different garden. Discuss about it with your partner.

There is another sky,

Ever serene and fair,

And there is another sunshine,

Though it be darkness there; 

Never mind faded forests, Austin,

Never mind silent fields—

Here is a little forest,

Whose leaf is ever green;

Here is a brighter garden,

Where not a frost has been; 

In its unfading flowers

I hear the bright bee hum:

Prithee, my brother,

Into my garden come!

-Emily Dickinson

BRAINSTORMING

(A1) (i) Imagine your younger sister is not paying attention to her studies and is 

seen wasting time playing games on her cell-phone. Suggest some ways 

that will help her to concentrate on her studies and overcome her bad 

habit.

(ii) You have noticed that many of your classmates are not interested in 

outdoor games or participating in co-curricular activities. Discuss some 

ways in which they will be encouraged to participate in activities.

(A2) (i) Discuss with your partner and complete the web, highlighting the sad and 

gloomy aspects of life mentioned in the first part of the poem.

Sad and gloomy 

aspects of life

darkness

(ii) The poet encourages her brother in the second part of the poem by telling 

him about the brighter side of life. Discuss with your partner and make 

a list of the expressions in the poem that mean encouragement.

 (a) Brighter garden 

 (b)

 (c)

(iii) The poet has described two different shades of human feelings by using 

imagery of various forces of Nature in the poem. Pick out the terms or 

phrases that describe them. Complete the table given below. One is done 

for you.

Nature Feelings

Faded forests Sad/gloomy(iv) The poem expresses feelings of serenity. Pick out expressions from the 

above poem that express the same.

(v) Compare and contrast the two opposing human feelings as expressed by 

the poet.

(A3) ‘Never mind faded forests, Austin’. The word ‘faded’ means to become 

dim or faint. The word describes the forests that have become faint or 

dim in appearance. Now go through the poem again and complete the 

table.

Describing word Object Explanation

1. faded forests The forests have become faint or dim 

in appearance.

2. silent

3. unfading

4. bright

(A4) ‘I hear the bright bee hum.’ The poet has used the word ‘hum’ that 

indicates the sound made by the bee. This is an example of Onomatopoeia. 

The poet has used different figures of speech like alliteration, inversion 

and hyperbole in the poem. Identify them and pick out the lines 

accordingly.

 (a) Hyperbole - 

 (b) Alliteration - 

 (c) Inversion - 

(A5) Imagine your friend is a table tennis champion who has won the semi-final 

in the inter-collegiate championship. Due to over confidence, she neither 

practises nor does she take her opponent seriously. This may result in her 

losing the final. Suggest some ways to make her aware of the importance 

of hard work and regular practice.

(A6) (i) Use the following points and write an appreciation of the poem:

 • About the poem, poet and title

 • Theme

 • Poetic style, language, poetic devices used in the poem

 • Special features

 • Message/values/morals in the poem

 • Your opinion about the poem(ii) Write a summary of the poem with the help of the points given below:

 • Title

 • Introductory paragraph (about the poem/ type/nature/tone)

 • Main body (central idea/gist of the poem)

 • Conclusion/ opinions/views/appeal

(iii) Let’s compose a poem. Two lines are given. Add two of your own.

 There is another sky,

 Ever serene and fair

 

 

 

 

 

 

(iv) Given below is a poem 'Blue Sky' by Mark Hastings. Imagine a poem of 

a similar kind by replacing the word blue. You can add any colour or 

object of your choice and write a poem of four lines.

 For example replace 'blue' with

 (a) Starry sky above me....................

 (b) Cloudy sky above me.............(A7) Write a letter to your younger sibling making her aware of various man-

made and natural disasters and encourage her to join all the programmes, 

campaigns, drives etc. in school or in your locality.

(A8) The poem describes the beauty of Nature. Make a list of careers that are 

related to Nature, environment and forest. One is done for you.

 (a) Forest Department - (Forest officer, Ranger etc.) 

 (b) 

 (c) 

 (d) 

 (e) 

(A9) Project:

'The Road Not Taken' (Robert Frost), 'O Captain My Captain' (Walt 

Whitman) etc. are inspirational poems. Search these poems on the internet 

and write down your opinon about the poems in your notebook.