Applied English for Diploma in Engineering || Soft Storm || Summary and Exercise

Soft Storm 

Summary 

"Soft Strom" is a poem written by creative Nepali poet, Abhi Subedi. This poem is written in free verse with a beautiful blend of natural and social description. Simply, it shows the journey of the speaker through narrow lane and lightening of Kathmandu city at night but in its deeper sense, it projects people's indifference feelings towards miserable conditions and sufferings of the people, male practices, tumult atmosphere, and chaos in the Nepalese society. The main theme of the poem "Soft Storm," is that the poet has developed indifference feeling over the absurdities of tumultuous times in the Nepalese society. In other words, the poet thinks about the contemporary situation of the Nepalese society. The poet is not happy with the present situation of the country and warns all the concerned authorities to think in time. Otherwise, he sees a revolution in near future.

Dwell upon the Text

a. When does the speaker grow soft? Enlist the occasions when he grows soft.

= The speaker grows soft in seeing a homeless child crying in hunger

and people being insensitive at others' sufferings.

b. What do you understand by 'this seamless city' in the poem?

= "This seamless city' means the city without any disruptions or

problems. In the poem, the seamless city is the city without sensitivity.

c. Describe the poor children portrayed in the poem.

= In the poem, the poet feels sad to see the poor homeless and parentless children crying due to hunger.

d. What do you understand by 'the unwedded gardens of history'?

= By the 'unwedded gardens of history', the poet means to say the natïve and unpolluted city, since the time of history.

e. Why was the forlorn child wailing?

= The forlorn child was wailing to find his mother the victim of the violent history.

f. What do you understand by 'soft storm'?

= I think 'the soft storm' means the dissatisfaction in the poet caused by the anarchy of the city.

g. Why does the speaker call our time 'mad time'?

= The speaker calls our time a 'mad time' because all anarchy and ills of society, according to him, are the outcome of the overambitious and greedy contemporary time.

h. What does the speaker want to do in "hard times"?

= In 'hard times', the speaker wants to melt like a rainbow. He wants to forget his dissatisfactions just like the rainbow vanishes.

Reflect on the Text

a. The poet uses the word 'soft' with the words like 'storm' and 'gale.' How do you make inferences of these words?

= Poets and artists are different from political activists. The activists make violent demonstrations for political change. They create revolt against autocratic governments. The poets and artists also have the consciousness of revolt. They also make revolts but their ways are different. The poet has used the adjective 'soft' with 'storm' and 'gale'. Gale is even fiercer than the storm. The poet expresses his indignation, his denial, his voice of rebellion by using the word 'soft' to mean he too has the feeling of revolt but it is soft.

b. The speaker wants to grow soft. Do you think one individual action will be enough to correct the anomalies of a tumultuous situation?

= Sure, sometimes the truth can be in minority. It is said that English dramatist George Bernard Shaw wanted to make a demonstration against the mass destruction of people and property in the Second World War. He wanted to go to the street to make a demonstration but nobody gave him company. He went to the street with his wife and made a demonstration. Later, it was proved that the war was not good for mankind. So, we cannot undermine the role of a single individual in the correction of anomalies.

c. What is the poet's interpretation of time?

= The poet says that time is very powerful. Time brings changes that cannot be stopped. The speaker is not happy about the chaos of the current time. He thinks that present-day Kathmandu has become the debris of rocks. People are selfish, and so are leaders. The walls are polluted by the posters and the people speak of reasons. They are insensitive to the poor and destitute. The homeless child is crying alone in the affluent city. There used to be the beauty of cultural dance and music. But, now, only ugliness is in the city. The poet is sad and rebellious. He wants to melt like a rainbow but he turns out to be a silent rebel. There is a storm of dissatisfaction in him. He is walking with the same dissatisfaction.

d. Is the speaker a rebel or a conformist? Give your reasons.

= The speaker is the rebel but a soft rebel. The speaker wants to raise the soft voice that will spread to be the catalyst for the change.

e. What is the overall tone of the poem? Explain.

= The tone seems pessimistic at the surface level, but deep down it is optimistic. The speaker is hopeful for the future.

Go Beyond the Text

a. Write an essay on the topic "Social Anomalies in Nepal."

= Anomaly is something that deviates from what is considered normal, standard or expected. The anomaly can be applied to an individual, family, community and even society. Society is a group of people living together in an ordered way. Social anomaly is what goes against the expected behaviour. Nepali society is an ordered society. Nepali people have lived in society cooperating each other for time immemorial. With the arrival of modernity and with the development of information technology, people have started to show strange behaviours that are not digested easily.

The first anomaly is seen in the selfishness of people. They think that money is king. You have to earn money for a happy and comfortable life. So, in order to earn money, they are ready to cheat even the nearest relatives and friends. I had a friend who was an agent of an insurance company. He wanted everyone to make insurance. Some people do not have an interest while others have no money for insurance. He did not behave well with those who did not make insurance with him. Some people in my society became members of a networking business. They wanted others to be their down liners.

They were angry if people did not join the online business. Another anomaly is seen in social affectation (show). People want to show their vanity by buying expensive gadgets, giving extravagant parties and going on tours. The human relation of the past is not found today.

Social media has become a platform for people to show their anomalies. They try to prove themselves superior by posting their status and pictures of different kinds. New fashion has started in my society: baby showers and photoshoots of a pregnant women.

Pregnancy is a natural phenomenon. It's not necessary to expose one's pregnancy on social media but people celebrate baby showers in a good hotel, restaurant, or resort. Mensuration is also a biological phenomenon. Some people in my society, celebrate their daughters' first mensuration by cutting a cake. They post the photos on social media. All these activities which seem odd for general people are social anomalies.

b. You are dissatisfied with the current educational policy. Draft a speech in about 200 words giving suggestions for the complete change in Nepal's educational system.

= There was a proverb in the 16th-century England: "Horses are born but men are formed." As per the proverb, horses were horses by birth but human beings were not men by birth. Each individual had to be formed. It's education that forms a man. So, education is given for a man's personality development so that the person can develop good judgement of what is right and what is wrong and what is moral and what is immoral. In the same way, education should make a person tolerable, less prejudiced, ethical and sociable. A country's education policy should address all these underlying concepts. Nepal's education policy at present is not oriented towards forming an individual but towards producing inefficient certificate holders.

Education in the ancient time was knowledge oriented. People got education for knowledge. They had knowledge of every field from

Ayurveda to archery. When the western world made industrialization, education became job oriented. People got an education for doing a particular job in a factory. Now Nepal's education is certificate oriented. The students too want a certificate, not skills. I am against this certificate-oriented education. In my view, education should match the society, history and geography of a country. It should be attached to the production system. We can grow apples and sell them in Nepal and India if we establish an agricultural university in Karnali region. Tea College should be established in Ilam. Travel and Tourism

University should be established in Pokhara. Instead of making the students learn by heart for the examination, they should be taken to the field and the examinations should be taken there with practical activities. Small children should not be allowed to go to school before crossing five years. Nepal's education policy needs complete reformulation.