Comment on the lines that make you visualise the colourful image of the peacock.
The lines that make me visualise the colourful image of the peacock are-
•a flash of turquoise- This signifies that the imagination of the poet is filled with the bluish green colour of the peacock.
•slender neck- This is the absolute description of the beautiful shape of the peacock.
•blue shadow- The blue shadow is apparently the shadow of the peacock. But the poet explains it to be blue to express the density of the colour blue that the peacock carries around itself.
What are the cues that signal the presence of the peacock in the vicinity?
There are various images from the environment that the poet has used to indicate the presence of the peacock. The images are - loud sharp call, a flash of turquoise, glimpse of the very end of his tail, blue shadow, the changing direction of the wind, the cat who wakes and stretches.
How does the connection drawn between the tail and the eyes add to the descriptive detail of the poem?
The poet draws a very relative connection between the eyes and the tail of the peacock. She says that the tail is the mighty replica of the eye of the peacock. But he also says that the eyes cannot be blinked. Also, she says that when the peacock walks about with its tail contracted, it looks like several eyes are blinking together. This adds to the amaze of the poem.
How does the poem capture the elusive nature of the peacock?
The poet talks about the peacock’s presence indirectly. To explain this we may talk of the first “loud cry” that we hear. Or the “glimpse of the tail that we see”. The peacock may turn away at one point but if a person tries his best, he will definitely see the peacock turning away while gathering his tail. This is is the description that provides the elusive nature of the peacock.
The peacock is a colourful bird. How does the poem capture the various colours that its plumage displays?
The poem beautifully captures the elusive nature of the peacock by describing the events around nature that shows the prominent presence of the bird and its aura. This becomes clear when the poet mentions the turquoise, the violet fringe etc terms. The description is hence a very vivid one.
In English, the peacock is associated with pride. ‘As proud as a peacock’ is a commonly used simile. With what qualities is the peacock associated in the literature of your language?
My mother tongue is Bengali. In Bengali, it is called ‘Mour-ponkhi”. Meaning as the feather of a peacock.
NOTE- Write anything that relates to peacocks of your own language.
The peacock is the national bird of India. Why do you think the peacock has been chosen?
The peacock has been chosen because of several reasons. The bird is firm and carries itself with a positive attitude. This also means that peacock as a bird does not let its self-esteem go down ever. It always carries itself with the pride of everything good and accepts the bad with positivity.