What is an explanation of the poem 'River' written by A.K.Ramanujan?

Answer 1

the poet is talking about the vaikai river.which is in madurai,a place famous for its poets and temples.these poets sang of cities and temples.in this place,every summer the river dries up to a thin stream(trickle).when it dries up the river bed can be seen and the sand is layered in such a way that it looks like ribs.here the river is compared to a human,who is deprived of all his/her nutrition.when a human faces malnutrition their ribs are exposed.in the same way the river is lacking water(its nutrition).the straw and women's hair shows the kinds of activities taking place in the river and because of these activities the watergates of the dam are blocked.the bars are rusted due to water.above the river there is a bridge and underneath the bridge is the dam.the dam had patches of repair over them,this shows that there had been damages to the dam before.the wet stones in the river bed looked like crocodiles.since crocodiles float in the water with only their backs shown they resemble the stones.it may be for camouflage as well.the dry stones resembled the buffaloes.

since buffaloes have an oily coating on their skin even though they lie in the water for a long time their skin is dry.it looks like dry stones in the river.even though all these things can be noticed during drought the poets sang only of the floods.

Answer 2

A K Ramanujan says about the river Vaikai in this poem.It floods once in a year.Then the poets will sing of it.The old as well as new poets followed this way.But the river dries also.None will see that.Here he criticizes those poets who don't see the problems of drought as well as flood.

Madurai is a famous city in south India. It is well known for temples and poets everywhere. The poets have composed songs and poems in praise of the city. He says that the river had enough water to attract the poets only once in a year when it flooded during the monsoons. In the summers the river "Vaikai" dried to nearly a trickle. The base of the river was then visible with straws and women's hair blocking the rusted water gates. The wet stones looked like resting crocodiles and the dry ones liked shaven buffaloes resting lazily in the sun.

The poet was there once when the river was flooded. He noticed that people discussed about the inches rising water and the beauty of the floods, and he also noticed that the other poets also wrote about what the older poets stated, but no one wrote about the destruction caused by the floods which took away 3 village houses with it, a pregnant women expecting twins in her womb.

The poem is not so much about as about the attitude of people who favor sensationalism over Humanism. The poet uses irony to express the callousness of old and new poets who romanticize the floods and ignore the human aspect of loss and suffering caused by the floods.

Answer 3

the poet had very beautifully described the difference between the imagination and creativity of the new and the old poets. he has described how both the types of poets are so different towards the people misery and sufferings.....................

Answer 4

A K Ramanujan talks about the river Vaikai in this poem. It floods once in a year. Then the poets will sing of tithe old as well as new poets followed this way. But the river dries also. None will see that. Here he criticizes those poets who don't see the problems of drought as well as flood.

Madurai is a famous city in south India. It is well known for temples and poets everywhere. The poets have composed songs and poems in praise of the city. He says that the river had enough water to attract the poets only once in a year when it flooded during the monsoons. In the summers the river "Vaikai" dried to nearly a trickle. The base of the river was then visible with straws and women's hair blocking the rusted water gates. The wet stones looked like resting crocodiles and the dry ones liked shaved buffaloes resting lazily in the sun.

The poet was there when the river Vaikai flooded. He noticed that people discussed the number of inches the water rose, the beauty of the floods, and noticed that other poets along with older poets had all written about the same things. Not one wrote about the destruction caused by the floods which took away 3 village houses, a pregnant women expecting twins in her womb and also took two cows named Gopi and Brinda. The author says it is usual in India for cows to be given religious names as cows are sacred animals. Since this poem is about a flood that occurred in Madurai the City of Temples which indicates it to be a religious place, therefore the cows are named.

The poem is not so much about the flood but the attitude of people who favour sensationalism over humanism. The poet uses irony to express the callousness of old and new poets who romanticize the floods and ignore the human aspect of loss and suffering caused by the floods.

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http://www.icseenglishhelp.org/search/label/A%20River%20A%20K%20Ramanujan

Answer 5

The poem "A River" is written by A.K. Ramanujan. In this poem, the poet has compared and contrasted the attitudes of the old poets and those of the new poets to human suffering. He has come to the conclusion that both the groups of the poets are indifferent to human sorrow and suffering. Their poetry dose not reflects the miseries of the human beings. He has proved this point in the present poem.

The river Vaikai on whose bank the historic city of Madurai stands has been mentioned in the poems of many poets, both past and present. The river is intimately associated with the life and culture of the Tamil people. The peculiar thing, which appeals to the poets, is that the river presents two different spectacles in two different season. It is completely dry in summer and flooded in full in the rainy season.

In this poem, the poet refers to the river Vaikai which flows through the city of Madurai. The word Madurai means a "sweet city". It is a Tamil word. As a matter of fact, this city is the center of Tamil culture and learning. It is also a holy city full of temples including the famous Minakshee temple. The poets have written many poems on the temples and the river. In the present poem, A.K. Ramanujan deals with the river.

In the poem "A River", we get two pictures based upon two different kinds of description. In the summer, the river is almost empty. Only a very thin stream of water flows. So the sand ribs on the bed of the river are visible. The stones that lie on the bed of the river also exposed to view. The portion of the river under the bridge has also been described. We get a vivid picture of the river in the summer season.

There is also the picture of the river in the rainy season. Generally, all kinds of poets have written about it in their poems.

During the rainy season when the floods crone the people observe it very anxiously. They remember the rising of the river inch by inch from time to time. They remember how the stone steps of the bathing place are submerged one by one.

They see how three village houses were damaged and carried off by the floods. They now how two cows named Brinda and Gopi were carried away. They also know how a pregnant woman was also drowned in the river during the flood. Both the old and new poets have mentioned these things in their poems. But the way they have described these things in their poems shows that they were not much alive to or sympathetic with human suffering.

They did not mention the name of the woman who was carrying twins. Before their birth, she was drowned in the flooded river. At the time of drowning, most probably the twins must have kicked the sides of her womb. She must have got much pain out of this. But both the new poets and old poets did not refer to all these miseries of the woman in their poetic creations.

This becomes ultimately clear that they are not sympathetic with suffering human beings. They are totally callous and indifferent. This kind of attitude makes their poetry weak and unappealing, dry and cheerless.

The tone of the poem is based on sarcasm and irony. The structure of the poem has been in paragraphs and single lines. There are four longer verse paragraphs and a shorter one in the beginning. There are only two single isolated lines. This kind of structural arrangement contributes to the effect of irony. It also helps to grasp the main points clearly. Secondly, a word can be said about the language used in the poem. It is very simple on account of which the thought sequence of the poem is presented unmistakably and clearly.

Answer 6

In the poem 'River' by A.K. Ramanujan, the poet explores the themes of change, continuity, and the cyclical nature of life through the metaphor of a river. The river serves as a symbol of time's passage and the inevitable flow of life towards a common destiny. The poem contemplates the complexities of existence and the interconnectedness of all living things.

Answer 7

text of the poem a river