Asleep in the Valley is an anti-war poem written by Arthur Rimbaud to expose the futility of war. This article -gives a comprehensive study and Asleep in the Valley Analysis and Questions Answers.
Asleep in the Valley Questions Answers and Analysis
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Asleep In The Valley
                       —Arthur Rimbaud
(A) Asleep in the Valley Long Question Answer:
1) Describe the poem “Asleep in the Valley ” as an anti-war poem or futility of war.Or,
What is the anti-war attitude of the poet expressed in the poem Asleep in the Valley?
Ans:Â An anti-war poem exposes the ruthlessness and brutal business of war. Arthur Rimbaud’s “Asleep in the Valley ” can be called an anti-war poem in the sense that it exposes the horror and futility of war. The war is a slaughter-house for young, prospective soldiers.
The poem presents the scene of a helpless young victim of war amid a lovely beautiful natural setting. A soldier, very young lies dead in a warm, graceful, sunlit valley. He is an unfortunate victim of war. Two bullets have pierced his body and destroyed all his future dreams unexpectedly. He looks all innocent, pure, simple without guile. Yet war has not spared him.
This is the pity of war and its utter futility which has been expressed through the poem. Through his poem, the poet Arthur Rimbaud leaves a strong voice against the war which brings nothing but the destruction of dreams of young lives nipped in buds.
2) “In his sides there are two red holes” — What does the ‘two red holes’ indicate? How is the horror of war reflected in the poem?
Ans:- The two red holes mentioned in the poem refer to two bullets injuries received by the soldier in the battlefield.      The young soldier who has gone to the battlefield becomes the unfortunate victim of warfare. The soldier has received two wounds of bullets from the enemy whom he may not familiar with. These fatal injuries bring about his untimely and premature death.
Thus, the line reveals the horror and brutality of war. Therefore, the soldier who sleeps in peace in the beautiful natural valley is presented in such a way to bring out the scene of pity among the readers. This is the pity of war which has brought the end of the life of a young soldier after receiving bullets from unknown enemy in a war eulogised by war mongers.
3) Write down the substance of the poem, “Asleep in the Valley”.
Ans:Â The poem “Asleep in the Valley” by Arthur Rimbaud reveals the horror and futility of modern warfare. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet describes a beautiful valley where a young soldier is found sleeping. A stream flows slowly, the sun shines from the mountain top and sunrays fill up the whole valley with brightness.
But in the second stanza, the poet has shown a soldier lying dead in this beautiful valley. The mouth of the soldier is open and his head is rested on a pillow made of fern. The feet of the young soldier are among the flowers. In his sleep his smile looks like an innocent child.
The poet requests the nature to keep him warm. It is found that there are two red holes made by bullets in the sides of his body. Thus, the young soldier has become the victim of the futility of modern warfare.
4) Justify the title of the poem, “Asleep in the Valley”.
Ans:– The title of the poem, “Asleep in the Valley ” is ironical. Irony lies in the word ‘Asleep’ because the soldier is not sleeping. From some distance, it looks like a soldier is taking rest in the lap of nature. His one hand is on his chest and his head is on the pillow made of fern.
He has an innocent smile on his face. When we come to the end of the poem, we get shock to find that the soldier is a causality of war. The two red holes are found in the sides of his body. It shows that the soldier is not sleeping but he is dead. In fact, the soldier is taking the eternal rest of his life far away from the suffering of battlefield.
Thus, the poet uses the title ironically to expose the futility of war and uses the word “Asleep” to bring pity for the soldier. So, the title of the poem is appropriate and justified.Â
5) Bring out the natural scenery as described in the poem “Asleep in the Valley”.
Ans:– In the poem, “Asleep in the Valley” the natural scenery has been described with a picturesque description just to expose the exact opposition of the gory experiences of the battlefield. This is a small green valley between high hills. Fresh green grass grows all over the valley. A hilly stream flows through it. The beaches of the stream look all bright in the sunlight.Â
Even the green grass of the valley is brightened and warmed with sunlight. The sun shines from the top of the mountain and floods every part of the valley. The sparkling sunlight fills the hollow of the hills. Amid such a heavenly peaceful atmosphere a young soldier, the victim of the warfare is taking the ultimate rest of his life. It seems that the soothing nature takes all sorts of care of the wounded young soldier with providing a heavenly peace. The flowers bloom at his feet as if to pay honour and admiration for the young soldier.Â
6) “His smile is like an infant’s……..”– Whose smile is referred to here? Why has his smile been compared to that of an infant? How does nature treat him?
Ans:- The smile of the soldier lying in valley is referred to here. The soldier is sleeping peacefully in the valley with a beautiful smile on his face. It seems like he is enjoying the rest after the gory experience in the battlefield. His smile is like an infant’s as there is no guile ness and trickery in his mind.
The peace that he is enjoying makes his smile as innocent as of a child. The suffering of the soldier seems to be removed by the comforts provided by the nature. The nature provides him sun soaked bed and a pillow made of fern.
Moreover, nature places flowers at his feet to show respect and honour for the dead soldier. Even the sun tries to keep his body warm and the insects do not bother to disturb his sleep.Â
7) What does the word ‘asleep’ normally means? How is the word ‘asleep’ used in a different sense in the poem “Asleep in the Valley “?
Ans:- Asleep is normally associated with a sleeping man. When we describe that someone is asleep, we mean that he is sleeping now and he will soon wake up from his sleep. But the word ‘asleep’ is used in the poem “Asleep in the Valley” in a different sense to bring out the pity of war.
Here the poet used the word ironically to describe the undesired death of young soldier. In the poem we see that a young soldier is sleeping peacefully in a beautiful green valley. But in the climax of the poem the readers recognize that the soldier is taking an eternal sleep of his life i.e the soldier is dead.
The two red holes in his side are the indications that the young soldier is the victim of war. So irony lies in the word ‘asleep’ because the soldier is not sleeping; he is dead. The word ‘asleep’ is an instance of euphemism. It actually signifies death in the poem.
8) “The humming insects don’t disturb his rest” — Who rests and where? What puts him to rest? Why can’t the insects disturb his rest?
Ans:– The young soldier in the poem “Asleep in the Valley” is taking rest in a beautiful green valley.       From some distance, it looks like a young soldier is taking rest in the lap of nature. His one hand is on his chest and his head is on the pillow made of fern. So it seems that sleep puts him to rest. But later the readers learn that he is enjoying rest caused by death.Â
In the poem “Asleep in the Valley”, the young soldier lies in a green valley surrounded with lots of bushes. The insects are hovering over the bushes. They are making humming sounds while flying around the young soldier. But their humming sound can not disturb the rest of the soldier because the soldier is enjoying the eternal rest of his life caused by death. No insect has any power to break this eternal sleep. War has taken away his life.
9) “A soldier, very young lies open-mouthed.” —Who is the soldier referred to here? Describe in your own words how the soldier lies in the valley.Â
Ans: The soldier referred to here in the poem, “Asleep in the Valley” by Arthur Rimbaud is a very young soldier who is the victim of war and lies dead in a beautiful valley.   Â
The soldier is very young and lies in the sunlit valley, surrounded by mountains. His head is on a pillow, made of fern and he lies open-mouthed. His face is pale. His body is stretched to the thick undergrowth. His feet are among The flowers. One hand rests on his breast.
His smile is like an infant in its gentleness and innocence. The young soldier seems asleep, but he is actually dead. Two wounds in his sides indicate the two bullets piercing his body at the battlefield. The poet brings the dreadful consequence of war through this horrified scene of the young soldier lying dead amidst a lovely valley of natural beauty.Â
(B) Asleep in the Valley Short Questions Answers:
1) Who is asleep in the poem “Asleep in the Valley” and where?Â
Ans:Â A soldier who is young seems asleep in the small green valley where a slow stream flows.Â
2) How is the bed of the dead soldier?Â
Ans:Â The bed of the dead soldier is made of soft green grass. It is a natural bed soaked with the warmth of sunlight.
3) What does the poet request to the nature?Â
Ans:Â The poet requests Nature to keep the soldier warm because he fears that the young soldier may catch cold in open air.Â
4) What are the ‘two red holes’ suggest?Â
Ans:Â The ‘two red holes’ suggests the wounds of bullets that the young soldier has received in the battlefield.Â
5) What is the poem “Asleep in the Valley” about?Â
Ans:Â The poem “Asleep in the Valley” is all about the horror and futility of modern warfare.Â
6) “they fill the hollow full of light” – What do fill the hollow? What does the ‘hollow’ suggest?Â
Ans:Â The sunrays from the mountain top fill the hollow with full of light. The word ‘hollow’ suggests the valley, the mid open passage between the hills.Â
7) Where does the slow stream flow and how does it look?Â
Ans:Â The slow stream that looks like silver flows amid the small green valley leaving long strands of silver on the bright grass.Â
8) Why is the soldier pale?Â
Ans:Â The soldier looks pale and lifeless caused by the death in the warfare.Â
9) In which army did Rimbaud belong to?Â
Ans:Â The poet Arthur Rimbaud belonged to the Dutch Colonial Army in 1876 as a soldier.Â
10) Why can’t the humming insects disturb the sleep of the soldier?Â
Ans:Â The humming insects can not disturb the sleep of the soldier as he is not alive. He is dead.Â
11) “the humming insects don’t disturb his rest” – What kind of rest is mentioned here?Â
Ans:Â The rest of the young soldier suggests the eternal rest that is death caused by war.Â
12) How does the young soldier sleep?Â
Ans:Â The young soldier sleeps stretched, open-mouthed, one hand on his chest keeping his head on pillow made of fern and legs among the flowers.Â
13) How does the smile of the soldier look?Â
Ans:Â The smile of the dead soldier looks like an infant’s smile which is gentle and devoid of any guile.Â
14) Where are the feet of the dead soldier?Â
Ans:Â In the poem “Asleep in the Valley”, the feet of the dead soldier are among the flowers. It looks as if Nature is paying tribute to the dead soldier.Â
15) “He sleeps in sunlight, one hand on his breast; at peace.” — Why does the soldier lie in peace?Â
Ans:Â In the poem “Asleep in the Valley”, the young soldier who is the victim of warfare is taking eternal rest in peace in beautiful green valley because he has not to suffer any hardship, suffering, tension in the battlefield.Â
16) What are the sunrays compared with in the poem?
Ans: The sunrays mentioned in the poem coming from the mountain top are compared to flowing stream that flooded the valley with light.
17) What is meant by “heavy undergrowth”?
Ans: The word “heavy undergrowth” means the plentiful growth of bushes or shrub in the valley that serve as the bed of the dead soldier.
18) “He may catch cold” – Why does the poet so?
Ans: The poet fears that the young soldier who is lying in the valley may catch cold as he is sleeping under the open sky.
19) What are the insects doing?
Ans: The insects are humming, perhaps trying to wake up the soldier from sleep, but in vain.
20) How is the innocence of the soldier described in the poem?
Ans: The innocence of the soldier is described in the poem through his smile which is gentle and without any guile.
21) How is the dead soldier shown respect by nature?
Ans: Nature seems to convey respect to the dead young soldier by offering flowers at his feet and providing natural bed and pillow to the soldier.
22) How is the valley described in the poem?
Ans: The valley as described in the poem is a small, green valley surrounded by mountains and the valley is filled with sunlight.
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